Question about my 135i and Texas Roads...

[135i Demon]

I'm about to move to the Dallas / Ft. Worth area and I was wonder about how the roads are... I have heard a lot of horror stories about them. It's to the point where I'm thinking about getting rid of my 135 . I have sport suspension so it is a litte rougher that a stock 135i...

Input would be great from the Texans here...

Thank in advance.

[brusk]

Dallas roads suck and in my opinion some of the worst in the country. At least in the north with the harsh winters there's a reason for the roads to be rough. I've been here a year and only seen a little new construction and no repairs being made. I traded my acura TL in for the 135i as I went through two sets of suspension. The stock was replaced with Tein Coilovers that after 10K miles were bottoming out, H&R/Koni Yellow setup lasted about 15K until the Koni's were acting like they were blown out. After owning the car for 25K miles starting at 86K the car was creaking so bad I had to trade it in. So far the smaller overhangs on the BMW and the superior suspension I have yet to bottom out or have any bad experiences. You could try to blend in with the locals though and get an old caprice, crown vic, monte carlo etc and put some 26's or 30's on it that seems to really work for alot of people here.

[BFD99]

Don't sell your car, they aren't that bad, just get good at swerving around potholes every once in a while. Not worth selling your car, that's for sure. The roads here in Oklahoma are not any better than Texas, that's for sure, and mine has done just fine, but I'm on stock suspension currently.

[Pablo.]

What part of Dallas are you planning on moving to?

I lived in Dallas for 5 years and didn't think the roads were bad. There are definitely pot holes and areas that need resurfacing, but nothing more than any other major city. I use to drive an Evo with modified suspension and learned not to drive in certain lanes. There are plenty of high-end vehicles with stiffer suspensions in the metroplex. Definitely nothing worth selling your car over.

[miro2296]

Originally Posted by Pablo.

What part of Dallas are you planning on moving to?

I lived in Dallas for 5 years and didn't think the roads were bad. There are definitely pot holes and areas that need resurfacing, but nothing more than any other major city. I use to drive an Evo with modified suspension and learned not to drive in certain lanes. There are plenty of high-end vehicles with stiffer suspensions in the metroplex. Definitely nothing worth selling your car over.

+1 lived there for 6 years and don't remember it being that bad!

[jgoldsmith729]

Houston has to have the worst roads in the country. By far. I just moved down here in mid Nov. and was shocked at how poor they are. If you aren't careful you could hit a pothole, or a utility trench cut for repair (that has NOT been filled in), that would easily total your vehicle. I am speaking to downtown..

[07'335iAlpine]

Originally Posted by brusk

You could try to blend in with the locals though and get an old caprice, crown vic, monte carlo etc and put some 26's or 30's on it that seems to really work for alot of people here.

then join a gang An you should be golden! lol JK JK

[mbintx]

They are NOT that bad...

[The Black Pearl]

I moved here from IL 8 months ago and the roads are a lot better here in Dallas...

[Gimlet]

Especially in North Dallas - the roads there are typically mint - Divided 4 or 6 lanes within the city...really good stuff. I'd venture to say in-fact they are some of the best roads I've seen (compared to ATL, Chicago, OKC). I would say far superior to ATL city streets (I bent a rim down of Moreland Ave). And the Dallas toll-roads off peak traffic hours are a breeze...

What part of the city are you moving to and where in ATL are you coming from? Just curious -

[lcrain]

Dallas is bad, but certainly not the worst in the country. Houston for one is worse. On my drive to work there is a bad stretch of about 2 blocks. I just go really slow. I have a 1M and it sits lower, bigger wheels with less tires, rougher suspension in general and I don't find it too bad at all. Just practice being aware when driving in new areas. If you are moving to a suburb or a newer area, you will notice very very nice roads. In the city/downtown area there are some really bad spots. Downtown is awful right now, avoid this area at all cost. They are doing tons of construction down there and it sucks.

Anyone who has ever been to New Orleans, LA can back me up here but they have the worst roads I have ever seen. Louisiana in general has terrible roads. From Dallas, going East on I-20 once you cross the boarder into Louisiana there is a noticeable difference.

[135i Demon]

I guess I'll just have to try them out. Thanks for the input.

[gdub]

it definitely depends on where you're moving to. the highways are pretty good except 635, but you'll find out quick not to drive on it.

more than anything watch out for the drivers. I live in the uptown/greenville area and it seems that driving takes a back seat to phone usage. there are many women in suburbans that text while driving and just drive in the middle of the road. you are encouraged to honk for an extended period at these people.

I've also noticed that north of northwest highway you won't find many BMWs. Everyone buys american "luxury" cars. The roads in northern suburbs are great.

You will also notice that the stereotypical BMW driver is true. Going faster than everyone, cutting everyone off, riding on rear bumpers and not using turn signals are regular things. You're encouraged to honk for an extended amount of time at these people too. This includes 99% of Dallas BMW drivers, and about 75% of chevy truck drivers. The guys in the Chevy's will generally pretend to try to fight you and attempt to run you off the road, don't worry it's pretty common, they never end up doing anything.

[tpm17]

Come on over to NYC and check out our roads. I don't believe I've ever driven on a good road for that matter.

[PHANTOM666]

Originally Posted by lcrain

Dallas is bad, but certainly not the worst in the country. Houston for one is worse. On my drive to work there is a bad stretch of about 2 blocks. I just go really slow. I have a 1M and it sits lower, bigger wheels with less tires, rougher suspension in general and I don't find it too bad at all. Just practice being aware when driving in new areas. If you are moving to a suburb or a newer area, you will notice very very nice roads. In the city/downtown area there are some really bad spots. Downtown is awful right now, avoid this area at all cost. They are doing tons of construction down there and it sucks.

Anyone who has ever been to New Orleans, LA can back me up here but they have the worst roads I have ever seen. Louisiana in general has terrible roads. From Dallas, going East on I-20 once you cross the boarder into Louisiana there is a noticeable difference.

Yes, I lived in Louisiana for 20 something years. Roads f**king suck!!!

[KeithLM]

It's a mixed bag here. Newer roads, even in the subdivisions, are concrete, and typically have wide lanes. If they get damaged they are a problem. Older parts of the city can be pretty rough. I went down an older two lane road in Richardson recently that really sucked, but the bigger roads in Richardson are nice. Most of the northern suburbs the roads are in good shape.

However since they are concrete there are joints every 20'. And the 135i feels every one of them. I'm running the stock sport suspension on non run-flat tires, and sometimes it gets annoying. Any time I spend a bit of time in some other car then get back to the 135i I really notice it. Not that I'll get rid of mine though, it's still a joy to drive. And with these big, wide, flat roads we got, there's a lot of opportunities to really get on it.

[135i Demon]

Im not so worried about other road rage... There is a lot of it here in Atlanta. Im a Cop here and would be a Cop in Texas too... Was just worring about knocking the fillings out of my teeth. I guess I have just gotten spoiled with the roads here. About 90% of the roads where I live are like glass. What about dealerships there? My wife went to Denton to visit the University and she just went on about how bad the roads were. She complains about my car now... So I can just imagine... Her car is a little better as far as the ride goes. Its a 328i convertable. If she gets the job she wants to get another x5 or a x6. We used to have a 2006 x5 and a 2008 x6. Both rode much better. I guess I will have to just try out the road and find out. I know she said she didn't see a lot of BMWs there. Mostly trucks.

Originally Posted by gdub

it definitely depends on where you're moving to. the highways are pretty good except 635, but you'll find out quick not to drive on it.

more than anything watch out for the drivers. I live in the uptown/greenville area and it seems that driving takes a back seat to phone usage. there are many women in suburbans that text while driving and just drive in the middle of the road. you are encouraged to honk for an extended period at these people.

I've also noticed that north of northwest highway you won't find many BMWs. Everyone buys american "luxury" cars. The roads in northern suburbs are great.

You will also notice that the stereotypical BMW driver is true. Going faster than everyone, cutting everyone off, riding on rear bumpers and not using turn signals are regular things. You're encouraged to honk for an extended amount of time at these people too. This includes 99% of Dallas BMW drivers, and about 75% of chevy truck drivers. The guys in the Chevy's will generally pretend to try to fight you and attempt to run you off the road, don't worry it's pretty common, they never end up doing anything.

[sochermit]

First let me welcome you to Texas. Having driven in many states I would say that, if anything, the roads in Texas are very good. There is a lot of construction going on, a lot around Denton, so you would expect rough roads. I have lived here for 9 years and love the roads and drivers. Far better than NY, CA, DC/MD/VA area.

[135i Demon]

Well I have driven in all of those areas and have survived... Guess I will survive Texas too...

[BroDoze]

LOL - Come to Colorado. The cities are so freaking broke - major, high traffic roads that have been crap for years are still not fixed. Instead, I noticed last week, they're starting to put up "road damage" signs because so many people are suing the city because of damaged suspension!

It's has gotten ridiculous! Makes me wanna sell mine - for a dune buggy!

[brusk]

Originally Posted by sochermit

First let me welcome you to Texas. Having driven in many states I would say that, if anything, the roads in Texas are very good. There is a lot of construction going on, a lot around Denton, so you would expect rough roads. I have lived here for 9 years and love the roads and drivers. Far better than NY, CA, DC/MD/VA area.

I would have to disagree. I lived in MD most of my life and one benefit of having a high population and small state is all the tax money they can put into fixing the interstates. We used to joke as soon as you crossed the border to PA the roads got rough. They friggin redo I70 like every 3 years even when it's not necessary. Traffic sucks but that's a different problem.

I still stick with dallas sucks at repairing roads, they just put up a 182 million dollar bridge I'll never cross but they can't fix the dam roads near where I live.

[Stig'sM3]

You'll be fine on Sport suspension. No need to sell the car and get a power stroke