New (old) car, new forum...

[wljerome 3]

Hello everyone! As of yesterday, I'm the proud owner of a 2007 E60 550i LCI. It's an amazing car, and so far, having driven from Auckland to my home (Bay of Islands), I love it. However, I do have a few questions I'd like to ask of anyone with experience in these matters:

I stepped out of a 2.0 VW Scirocco TSi. Great handling, nippy, etc, straight into the 5 series. So I was a little taken aback when, taking corners that would have not even elicited a second thought in the VW, the BMW panics and the loss of traction light comes on. It won't even let me use cruise control at 80kph on the Dome valley as the bends are too sharp for it.

Is this to be expected? The car is not an M-sport model, so it's got 18" wheels and run-flat dunlops. I know it's a much softer car than the M-sport, but this seems a little poorer handling than I anticipated. I've driven other BMWs (728i E38, 730i E65, 530i E39) and all of them seemed much more driveable than this. Road testing in Auckland and the motorway didn't hint at this issue.

What do you think?

 

Edited August 7, 2016 by wljerome
to add photos

[aja540i 1906]

Nice car, but dont forget it has bit more mass than the VW, and quite a bit more power, and is rear wheeel drive! You shouldnt have any trouble at all getting the traction control light going on the absolute sh1te roads between Auckland and Northland, but I would suggest maybe doing some homework on replacing the run flat tyres, they dont seem to do well on our "unique" roads, and if its any indication, they didnt fit them to the M5. I believe that the ASC activating kills the cruise control, and personally I think youre a bit optimistic hoping to maintain 80ks through the Dome valley on a good day anyway!  Just my 2 cents worth.

[wljerome 3]

Hi aja, and many thanks for the swift reply. I suspect that the handling & roadholding might be improved by replacing the run-flats; they also seem to tram-line a little. Yup, you're right about the weight and RWD, I was anticipating that, but I was just a little shocked by how cautious I was having to be last night. Admittedly, it was pi$$ing it down, and, as you mention, the roads up north aren't of the finest quality. 

I'll persist with the run-flats for now, as they have heaps of tread, but will replce them as soon as I can justify the cost. I ended up replacing them in a Mini, and couldn't believe the improvement it wrought.

 

And I will post some pics of my pride and joy, of course!

 

 

[Breaker 980]

Welcome, we had a E61 550 with standard tyres but with Motorsport susp and kit on 18s. Never had any issues with 'significant' traction loss.

remember your over 350hp as well though so that's a fair bit of power to put down. Would definitely look at your tyres, get some new ones as an easy first fix

[kulgan 1042]

I used to have a Scirocco. What a great little car that was. BUT, it was little and very agile.

Your new Bimmer is much bigger with a lot more weight to it. Give it a bit of time for you to get used to it and I'm sure you'll come to appreciate the car and the way you can drive it.

I have just as much fun hammering my big E38 around the windy roads as I did in my Scirocco albeit a bit slower..lol

Welcome to the forum and the joy of Bimmer ownership.

[wljerome 3]

Thanks for the input, and, on balance I suspect you all are right, the size, weight and power of the new car add up to a distinct contrast over the nimbler fwd.

I'll let you know how I get on! But I suspect the new Tyres may come sooner rather than later. What are your thoughts on tyre pando vs a space saver? (I know it's been discussed elsewhere).

[DC3 46]

Hi Lloyd, I'm a fan of the E60 and live in Kerikeri too, perhaps we could compare sometime. Pm me if you're a starter.

 

Dave

[zulu64 12]

 Welcome to the E60 club. Get rid of those runflats as soon as you can . Also if you look closely at the sidewalls of the tyre as all tyres  carry a manufacture date if the tyres are more than 5 yrs old they should be renewed as they tend to harden and as a consequence grip is not what it should be .

As far as handling goes once you get used to it you can fairly fling them around and they step out quite nicely with the DSC off.

[TermiPeteNZ 1318]

Welcome to another E60 owner! As others have said weight+ power + RWD + rain = care required

Never had run flats on my 545i so haven't experienced the difference.

Just a question - do you pick up a MBI/wty on your vehicle? From my experience very worthwhile (admittedly with older vehicle).

[wljerome 3]

Hi Pete,

 

Thanks for the feedback; I'm just back from holidays, so apologies for the delayed reply. I did indeed buy an extended warranty for the car. I'm happy with the condition it's in, but I know from experience (Before the Scirocco I had a 2004 730i) how expensive some repairs can be.

 

Now I've used the car a wee bit more, I've come to terms with some of the contrasts between a lightweight, turbocharged, FWD car, and the powerful, heavier RWD beast that the 550i is! And I'm very impressed with the new one!

[NUSTAD 243]

I have an e60 Motorsport and have had no such issues.  Had some sh*t tyres on my e39 v8 and the DSC would activate all the time.  Some new Michellins and problem gone.  I think the E60 chassis is pretty sweet so as everyone says...,.tyres.

[wljerome 3]

Hi Glenn,

Having had a bit of time and plenty of kms of driving in my 550, I completely agree with you. The tyres are the issue, and as soon as I can justify saying goodbye to them, I will. 

The DSC activates at the most unpredictable curves, and, is, in fact, a lesson in controlling g-forces. It might even be making me a better driver, as I attempt to drive just to the limit of its activation! But, with the DSC disabled, the car is an absolute gem, even if the lateral limits of the tyres are quite low.

However, I have noticed that the can becomes a little hard to control at, er, "higher" speeds, tending to tramline, or be a bit jittery on overtaking. I'm assuming that this is a run-flat issue too, and I'm looking forward to some "proper" tyres before too long!

 

Thanks for the feedback!

 

Lloyd

[Olaf 3317]

wow.  if your tyres are as sh#t as you describe, the word "justify" doesn't come into it.  It's a safety item, pure and simple.  replace them.

[wljerome 3]

Hi Olaf,

tbh, I'm with you. I'm trying to balance my expectations vs my perception. If you think my description suggests that the car is unsafe, then I'm overstating the problems. It's annoying rather than disturbing.

Once I've replaced the tyres, I'll post again with my observations. 

 

All the best!

 

Lloyd

[wljerome 3]

Whilst I'm on the forum, what tyres do people recommend to replace my run flats? 245/40R18s. 

 

Id be looking for something reasonably quiet, with good wear &  grip.

 

thanks!

[NUSTAD 243]

Depends on your budget........I had some Toyo C1S on my 7 which I liked - now have Dunlop SP sport which I like.......mate has Hankok Ventus which seem good value.

love the Michellin Pilot Super Sport on my e39 but they are spendy 

[DC3 46]

On 8/8/2016 at 9:03 AM, DC3 said:

Hi Lloyd, I'm a fan of the E60 and live in Kerikeri too, perhaps we could compare sometime. Pm me if you're a starter.

 

Dave

Hi Lloyd, Are you still up for a meet up?

 

Dave

[wljerome 3]

Hi Dave,

 

That would be good. I'm busy this weekend, but we could meet up for a coffee through the week? I work in Kerikeri Wed/Thur. Maybe lunchtime?

 

Let me know. My mobile is 0212637366. 

All the best!

 

Lloyd

[Herbmiester 923]

Lloyd

 

I had a530i E60 for a while and it was quite a sharp handling car; after I got rid of the runflats, replaced the leaking from shocks and replaced the front control arms as the bushings were shot. After that I swapped in a set of M Sport springs I picked up off Trademe for a couple of hundred dollars and it was quite a decent handling car. I ran Good year Eagle F1 directionals and they worked well, latterly I have used Bridgestone Potenza RE 003's, which if you wait until the buy one get one free sale that happens twice a year you will get a pretty decent tyre for not a lot of money. 

[wljerome 3]

At last! Yesterday (after a warning from my ever-helpful onboard computer alerting me to the loss of pressure in a tyre) I replaced all 4 tyres with Bridgestone Potenzas.

What a difference! Smooth, quiet(er) and no hint of tramlining. Very happy.

TBH, I had got so used to the runflats, that I'd begun to explore the very ample dynamics of my car; the longer I own it the more I love it; it's a truly great car.

I was also happy that Eurosurgeons, in Mt Wellington took approx. 17 seconds to make my HUD show the sat-nav directions too, so now my car is "complete".

 

One more thing. Now I have "normal" tyres; what to people recommend: Tyre pando or an emergency space-saver tyre?

 

And thanks for all the useful advice!

Edited December 6, 2016 by wljerome

[kiwi535 538]

i would go fo a space save spare over a pando.A full size spare would be the ultimate though.

[NZ BMW 368]

Even though I have the pando... mentally I struggle with it. A space saver would make me feel better. 

For what it's worth when I looked for the X5 the space saver kit was about $500 and shipping $300. I don't know if you could source it cheaper locally or not, guess second hand would be the way to go.  

[kiwi535 538]

for that kinda money you could get a steelie made to some common size so that the"spare" was a cheap tyre that conformed to the size(diameter) requirrment...like a -3 or 4 

 

http://www.elitewheelcompany.co.nz/contact.htm

[Breaker 980]

We bought the space saver kit, includes jack etc. for the E61 from BMWNZ locally, was $580 a year or so back, gave me peace  of mind and obviously the fit and finish is perfect

[wljerome 3]

this is what I've found, so far. I'm waiting for a reply from an NZ BMW dealer to see if they can match/better it...

http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/option/bmw_spare_wheel_kits

Not cheap, but with Sterling being so weak, it's about $550 incl. delivery.