Car stability above 70MPH

dorkdog · 07-25-2013, 10:07 AM

I'm stable at 80-85, which is as fast as I will drive on roads that were designed for 55MPH traffic. I find that there are bumps in the roads around here that are not problematic at 55-70 but approaching 90 you're in that oscillation zone where the bumps are additive and the car wants to fly.

Just because the car is willing to do 120, don't trust a road you don't know well, at least not round these parts.

m_thompson · 07-25-2013, 12:59 PM

Mine was fine at 135MPH for a 45 minute run.

ilikebmxbikes · 07-25-2013, 01:18 PM

get an alignment - my car has always been very true from 01- 1xx+

shah269 · 07-25-2013, 02:23 PM

PROBLEM SOLVED PROBLEM SOLVED!
Guys check your rear wheels for the led weights!
I was going bonkers trying to figure this out...just found that my right rear was missing all of the weights from the rim!
Going to have my rear right wheel rebalanced.

TheSt|G · 07-25-2013, 11:45 PM

Lead*

Stock setup is designed to be stable at speed.

abirmaher · 07-26-2013, 10:55 AM

I drive 90-100 dailey and have gone all the way up to the limiter at 155 with it and never felt anything like that other than on roads that may have been slanted or stuff like that, strange.

can128 · 07-26-2013, 11:05 AM

I've been off the forums for a while but wanted to post about the exact same issue myself, and came across this thread right at the top!

At around 130km/h+ I notice that the stiffness of the steering wheel that I love so much seems to disappear. I have recently changed my tires from the factory RFTs to Hankook Ventus V12 (which I am very happy with).

can128 · 07-26-2013, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shah269

PROBLEM SOLVED PROBLEM SOLVED!
Guys check your rear wheels for the led weights!
I was going bonkers trying to figure this out...just found that my right rear was missing all of the weights from the rim!
Going to have my rear right wheel rebalanced.

Did you notice your steering wheel felt loose?

MightyMouseTech · 07-26-2013, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shah269

PROBLEM SOLVED PROBLEM SOLVED!
Guys check your rear wheels for the led weights!
I was going bonkers trying to figure this out...just found that my right rear was missing all of the weights from the rim!
Going to have my rear right wheel rebalanced.

A wheel can be balanced without weight. Happens about 1 out of 50 times.

Your problem does not sound like a wheel imbalance though.

rking117 · 07-26-2013, 11:45 AM

RFTs on BMWs are known to cause what is called tramlinng. If you think the 1er is bad at it you should try driving the Z4 which has a more defined sport suspension. Even at speeds like 30 MPH on a badly maintained road it is like pulling from one side to the other and hard at that. The fact is the more your tires wear the more harsh the tram lining gets. So just as the tires are coming into their peek for track purposes the more your feel it on a straight road with ruts.

In my 1 though it is not as pronounced and with new tires almost non existant. You can test this theory on a road that has been recently paved (like in the past year). You should feel no tramlining at all on a flat road. If you do then i would certainy start looking at suspension parts.

Here is an article on the fact from Tirerack.com
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

can128 · 07-26-2013, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rking117

RFTs on BMWs are known to cause what is called tramlinng. If you think the 1er is bad at it you should try driving the Z4 which has a more defined sport suspension. Even at speeds like 30 MPH on a badly maintained road it is like pulling from one side to the other and hard at that. The fact is the more your tires wear the more harsh the tram lining gets. So just as the tires are coming into their peek for track purposes the more your feel it on a straight road with ruts.

In my 1 though it is not as pronounced and with new tires almost non existant. You can test this theory on a road that has been recently paved (like in the past year). You should feel no tramlining at all on a flat road. If you do then i would certainy start looking at suspension parts.

Here is an article on the fact from Tirerack.com
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

I don't have the factory RFTs... How does my situation explain that?

cheshirecat79 · 07-26-2013, 02:10 PM

OP, get an alignment.

EnlightenedOne · 07-26-2013, 03:41 PM

So I took the car to CarMax under their 30-day warranty. They said they drove the car at "highway speeds" and checked the wheel balance and didn't see anything wrong although I doubt they drove it above 70-75MPH which is where I'm feeling the issue. I asked them if I took it to BMW and BMW found an issue if they would pay to fix it and they said yes, so I've got it scheduled for BMW next week. Hopefully they find something because otherwise I'll be out the dealer's $110 1-hour labor diagnostic charge...

can128 · 07-26-2013, 03:42 PM

Just took it out on another test run... Feels like major understeer and a loose steering wheel. All that stiffness that we love is gone at higher speeds...

This is strange and I am not liking it one bit.

shah269 · 07-31-2013, 12:05 PM

Right rear was way off balance.
Had it rebalanced now the car isn't tracking around the highway like it has a loose wheel.
It was amazing, before...both hands had to be on the wheel and now i can at least drive one handed.

07-25-2013, 10:07 AM	#23
dorkdog Big Mouth No Filter 49 Rep 586 Posts Drives: 128i Montego Blue 6MT Sport Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Puyallup WA iTrader: (0)	I'm stable at 80-85, which is as fast as I will drive on roads that were designed for 55MPH traffic. I find that there are bumps in the roads around here that are not problematic at 55-70 but approaching 90 you're in that oscillation zone where the bumps are additive and the car wants to fly. Just because the car is willing to do 120, don't trust a road you don't know well, at least not round these parts. __________________ We do not inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children
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07-25-2013, 12:59 PM	#24
m_thompson Major 133 Rep 1,416 Posts Drives: M-Sport 128i, 328xi, 3.0CS Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: New England, USA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 128i [0.00] 1972 3.0CS [10.00]	Mine was fine at 135MPH for a 45 minute run. __________________ '09 128i - Black Sapphire Metallic\Coral Red\Glacier Silver\N51 DISA\6MT\Navigation\Premium\M-Sport\Heated seats\Xenon\Headlights\iPod\Smartphone\Euro Delivery
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07-25-2013, 01:18 PM	#25
ilikebmxbikes Banned 1518 Rep 4,744 Posts Drives: S65 1M Clone & E92 M3 4.6L Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (42) Garage List '08/13 1M Clone 4.0L [10.00] '11 e92 M3 4.6L [10.00]	get an alignment - my car has always been very true from 01- 1xx+
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07-25-2013, 02:23 PM	#26
shah269 Major 315 Rep 1,035 Posts Drives: 2009 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	PROBLEM SOLVED PROBLEM SOLVED! Guys check your rear wheels for the led weights! I was going bonkers trying to figure this out...just found that my right rear was missing all of the weights from the rim! Going to have my rear right wheel rebalanced.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-25-2013, 11:45 PM	#27
TheSt\|G Resident Tamed Racing Driver 298 Rep 4,697 Posts Drives: 911, 130is, E39 M5, E36 M3 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Outside Philly iTrader: (2)	Lead* Stock setup is designed to be stable at speed. __________________ 2005 E46 M3 Interlagos/Cinnamon with Sunroof Delete
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07-26-2013, 10:55 AM	#28
abirmaher Colonel 839 Rep 2,363 Posts Drives: 2018 BMW M2 & 2024 BMW X1 M35i Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL iTrader: (14) Garage List [0.00] 2018 BMW M2 [10.00]	I drive 90-100 dailey and have gone all the way up to the limiter at 155 with it and never felt anything like that other than on roads that may have been slanted or stuff like that, strange. __________________ Follow my builds: The Racecar (2018 M2 - M0010): Build Thread \| @_m0010 The Daily (2024 X1 M35i - X001M35):Build Thread \| @_x001m35
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07-26-2013, 11:05 AM	#29
can128 Private First Class 35 Rep 139 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW 128i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	I've been off the forums for a while but wanted to post about the exact same issue myself, and came across this thread right at the top! At around 130km/h+ I notice that the stiffness of the steering wheel that I love so much seems to disappear. I have recently changed my tires from the factory RFTs to Hankook Ventus V12 (which I am very happy with). __________________ 2011 128i 2011 535i X-Drive
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-26-2013, 11:45 AM	#32
rking117 Lieutenant Colonel 118 Rep 1,668 Posts Drives: Z4 3.0i & 320i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	RFTs on BMWs are known to cause what is called tramlinng. If you think the 1er is bad at it you should try driving the Z4 which has a more defined sport suspension. Even at speeds like 30 MPH on a badly maintained road it is like pulling from one side to the other and hard at that. The fact is the more your tires wear the more harsh the tram lining gets. So just as the tires are coming into their peek for track purposes the more your feel it on a straight road with ruts. In my 1 though it is not as pronounced and with new tires almost non existant. You can test this theory on a road that has been recently paved (like in the past year). You should feel no tramlining at all on a flat road. If you do then i would certainy start looking at suspension parts. Here is an article on the fact from Tirerack.com http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47 __________________ Enjoying an E89 Z4, F30 320i and Fiat Abarth // E85 Z4 (sold), E82 128i (sold), Fiat Pop 500 (sold)
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07-26-2013, 02:10 PM	#34
cheshirecat79 Captain 32 Rep 919 Posts Drives: 370z & 135i Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Port Saint Lucie, FL iTrader: (0)	OP, get an alignment.
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07-26-2013, 03:41 PM	#35
EnlightenedOne Second Lieutenant 45 Rep 278 Posts Drives: 2024 M240i xDrive Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: UT iTrader: (0)	So I took the car to CarMax under their 30-day warranty. They said they drove the car at "highway speeds" and checked the wheel balance and didn't see anything wrong although I doubt they drove it above 70-75MPH which is where I'm feeling the issue. I asked them if I took it to BMW and BMW found an issue if they would pay to fix it and they said yes, so I've got it scheduled for BMW next week. Hopefully they find something because otherwise I'll be out the dealer's $110 1-hour labor diagnostic charge...
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-26-2013, 03:42 PM	#36
can128 Private First Class 35 Rep 139 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW 128i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	Just took it out on another test run... Feels like major understeer and a loose steering wheel. All that stiffness that we love is gone at higher speeds... This is strange and I am not liking it one bit. __________________ 2011 128i 2011 535i X-Drive
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-31-2013, 12:05 PM	#37
shah269 Major 315 Rep 1,035 Posts Drives: 2009 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Right rear was way off balance. Had it rebalanced now the car isn't tracking around the highway like it has a loose wheel. It was amazing, before...both hands had to be on the wheel and now i can at least drive one handed.
	Appreciate 0 Quote