[g20exaudinoob]

My M340i has been nothing short of amazing so far, except in terms of ride quality. I knew the car's suspension would be firm, however not firm enough to the point where I can feel every pebble and imperfection in the road. I am currently riding on 18" Pirelli Sottozero 2 RFT winter tires. Aside from good snow traction, these tires are garbage. At high speeds these tires chase either sides of the lanes randomly. The sidewalls feel like I am riding on concrete. Heck these ride even worse than my 19" Goodyear F1 summer RFT tires. A recent M340 LCI loaner I received with adaptive suspension rode like a dream compared to mine.

I want to better my suspension comfort. I have two options, one is to go with an Ohlins R&T setup (which I've heard great things about) and two is to switch to a non-RFT setup, or both. Which is better? Would switching only the tires out provide a big enough difference to be comfortable? Note I do not have the adaptive suspension.

[Portimao Blue M440ix]

If price is an issue try swapping out the tires first. You can find a great deal possibly here in the classified section or from similar classified sites to see if the tires alone do the job.

I have an m440i without adaptive suspension with the 19" non rft Michelin tires and I enjoy the ride quality but I also enjoy my e92 with rft tires ride quality as well. I guess I like a stiff ride bumpy ride.

[RTPenland]

Absolutely start with non-RFT's before you do anything else

[madpistol]

As I'm sure will be said here, switch to a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires first. This should improve ride dramatically. If that doesn't work, then start playing with the suspension.

[Luxy330]

I own the same model and year. Do you feel the road surface through the steering wheel? This annoys me more than the harsh ride, which I expected, especially considering the roads up here in NE. I have Michelin RFT's on my car and I will likely swap to a non-RFT once they need replacement. I would have bought a car with the adaptive suspension, but it seems to be a very rare option in the used market. I would definitely add it if I were to order new.

[koopa]

Switching out the runflats helps only a little bit. I'm also stuck with the m sport suspension instead of the adaptive and it's just not comfortable. It's a lot more harsh than my C7 was (which didn't even have magnetic ride control). When I test drove the G80 M3 comp, I was pretty surprised how much more comfortable that thing felt.

After owning my M340i for two years now, I'd certainly recommend anyone looking for one to hold out for a car with adaptive suspension. The problem is (in my market at least) it's really challenging to find one with it optioned.

[Tomla]

Originally Posted by koopa

Switching out the runflats helps only a little bit. I'm also stuck with the m sport suspension instead of the adaptive and it's just not comfortable. It's a lot more harsh than my C7 was (which didn't even have magnetic ride control). When I test drove the G80 M3 comp, I was pretty surprised how much more comfortable that thing felt.

After owning my M340i for two years now, I'd certainly recommend anyone looking for one to hold out for a car with adaptive suspension. The problem is (in my market at least) it's really challenging to find one with it optioned.

My M340 has adaptive suspension and non-runflats. I have some complaints about the car but ride quality is not one of them. The ride is firm for sure. And I can feel the surface irregularities through the wheel. But I like that! it is part of the reason that I bought the car!

I live in a fairly rural area and the roads are not well maintained. In fact now with the freeze/thaw cycles they are terrible. If I have to drive in the snow, or my wife is riding with me I will sometimes put the car in Comfort Mode which softens things out. For the most part I am in Sport Mode though. Of course, that only really matters if you have adaptive suspension.

[koopa]

Originally Posted by Tomla

The ride is firm for sure. And I can feel the surface irregularities through the wheel.

That's the big difference between the two suspensions though (and I'd lump the G80 in here as well). The adaptive suspension is firm but comfortable, but the base is quite jarring.

[g20exaudinoob]

Originally Posted by koopa

Switching out the runflats helps only a little bit. I'm also stuck with the m sport suspension instead of the adaptive and it's just not comfortable. It's a lot more harsh than my C7 was (which didn't even have magnetic ride control). When I test drove the G80 M3 comp, I was pretty surprised how much more comfortable that thing felt.

After owning my M340i for two years now, I'd certainly recommend anyone looking for one to hold out for a car with adaptive suspension. The problem is (in my market at least) it's really challenging to find one with it optioned.

Which is one of the reasons i’m leaning towards the Ohlins R&T setup. Few other members on here with the non adaptive suspension who made the switch noted it was a night and day difference. Only limiting factor for me is the $3k price tag

[g20exaudinoob]

Originally Posted by Luxy330

I own the same model and year. Do you feel the road surface through the steering wheel? This annoys me more than the harsh ride, which I expected, especially considering the roads up here in NE. I have Michelin RFT's on my car and I will likely swap to a non-RFT once they need replacement. I would have bought a car with the adaptive suspension, but it seems to be a very rare option in the used market. I would definitely add it if I were to order new.

I do get a lot of feedback through the steering however the road feel is worse for me. The two options on this car I also regret not having is the adaptive suspension and driving professional package. Like you said they were very hard to find especially on these post covid models. Both are a no-brainer option to have

[koopa]

Originally Posted by g20exaudinoob

Which is one of the reasons i’m leaning towards the Ohlins R&T setup. Few other members on here with the non adaptive suspension who made the switch noted it was a night and day difference. Only limiting factor for me is the $3k price tag

One other thing I haven't tried or seen others try is going down to an 18" wheel. I imagine 18s with non RFTs would improve comfort a bit more but I'm sure it still wouldn't fix it. I've considered the coilovers too but that price (+ labor) has put me in the camp of living with it or swapping cars entirely.

Everything else about the car is great so I've just been living with it for now. I was hoping the G80 used market would be better at this point.

[madpistol]

Originally Posted by Tomla

My M340 has adaptive suspension and non-runflats. I have some complaints about the car but ride quality is not one of them. The ride is firm for sure. And I can feel the surface irregularities through the wheel. But I like that! it is part of the reason that I bought the car!

I live in a fairly rural area and the roads are not well maintained. In fact now with the freeze/thaw cycles they are terrible. If I have to drive in the snow, or my wife is riding with me I will sometimes put the car in Comfort Mode which softens things out. For the most part I am in Sport Mode though. Of course, that only really matters if you have adaptive suspension.

My previous M340i with non-adaptive suspension was very firm, bordering on harsh. My current M440i GC w/ adaptive suspension is SOOOOOOOOOO comfortable by comparison. It was difficult to take the M340i on long trips, but the M440i GC is just as at home on the highway as it is on backroads. It's fantastic!

[Tomla]

Originally Posted by koopa

One other thing I haven't tried or seen others try is going down to an 18" wheel. I imagine 18s with non RFTs would improve comfort a bit more but I'm sure it still wouldn't fix it. I've considered the coilovers too but that price (+ labor) has put me in the camp of living with it or swapping cars entirely.

Everything else about the car is great so I've just been living with it for now. I was hoping the G80 used market would be better at this point.

I have staggered 19" summer non runflats and 18" square winter tires. Also non runflat. The 18" give a slightly softer ride but you will notice it in the handling as well. I can't wait to get the summer tires back on!

[Luxy330]

Originally Posted by Tomla

I have staggered 19" summer non runflats and 18" square winter tires. Also non runflat. The 18" give a slightly softer ride but you will notice it in the handling as well. I can't wait to get the summer tires back on!

What is your summer non-RFT?

[GrubTheHedgehog]

Consider some Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s if you can’t commit to summers. Ditch the runflats. Pirelli RFTs are particularly harsh. Like, brutally harsh. When paired with the wrong suspension, a runflat ruins the car, possibly your spine too.

Don’t expect a massive difference—ultimately adaptive suspension is the feature that mitigates this issue the most, but a good non runflat will help.

[dontuseblinkers]

i placed an order for a new m340i because I couldn't find one used with adaptive suspension and dapp.

I had multiple salesman tell me that the adaptive suspension is overrated. They never felt the difference. It's a useless feature. They removed it off their car. BMW isn't a rough ride and they never heard of anyone saying its a rough ride.

I just went and placed an order with a broker after dealing with the clown show there.

[Tomla]

[QUOTE=Luxy330;31031442]What is your summer non-RFT?

I have the 4s. Not the the all season version. I am happy with them but don’t expect to get too many miles.

[G30M]

pilot sport 4 the best of all worlds

[madpistol]

Originally Posted by dontuseblinkers

i placed an order for a new m340i because I couldn't find one used with adaptive suspension and dapp.

I had multiple salesman tell me that the adaptive suspension is overrated. They never felt the difference. It's a useless feature. They removed it off their car. BMW isn't a rough ride and they never heard of anyone saying its a rough ride.

I just went and placed an order with a broker after dealing with the clown show there.

Those salespeople are high af. There’s a massive difference. They just want to make a sale.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by madpistol

Those salespeople are high af. There’s a massive difference. They just want to make a sale.

This might not be a popular opinion but the salesmen aren’t entirely wrong. This is coming from a guy with Adaptive on staggered 19” setup. It’s all about context: totally depends on the road surface. For uneven pavement and the likes, yes Adaptive makes a difference but if you are hitting potholes forget it! Tire type/size and sidewall matter a great deal - Adaptive by itself won’t save the day when you hit those potholes. It feels harsh on my car (damaged 2 tires over potholes) but I’ve driven a loaner with 18” over same potholes and it felt more forgiving.

That said get the Adaptive if you can: you will feel the difference when it comes to things like body roll as well. In any case, it’s best to test drive back-to-back between Adaptive and non-adaptive (same tire size/setup for apples-to-apples comparison.) You be the best judge.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by madpistol

Those salespeople are high af. There’s a massive difference. They just want to make a sale.

You are 100% right. Adaptive M is a must-have.

I wouldn’t take a G20 or a G26 without Adaptive M if you gave it to me for free.

[bavarianride]

I had a 330i loaner with 19-inch square setup and it rode well until it hit a pothole, it was a big jolt! Luckily the tire and the rim stayed intact or else it would have been an insurance claim.

My 330i base has 18-inch square and still can feel jolts over same pothole but not as severe. In fact, I changed the factory AS RFTs to a set of non-star AS RFTs which weight extra 4 lbs each, it feels like the extra weight(and extra material) helps to soften the jolts.

Originally Posted by zazzau

This might not be a popular opinion but the salesmen aren’t entirely wrong. This is coming from a guy with Adaptive on staggered 19” setup. It’s all about context: totally depends on the road surface. For uneven pavement and the likes, yes Adaptive makes a difference but if you are hitting potholes forget it! Tire type/size and sidewall matter a great deal - Adaptive by itself won’t save the day when you hit those potholes. It feels harsh on my car (damaged 2 tires over potholes) but I’ve driven a loaner with 18” over same potholes and it felt more forgiving.

That said get the Adaptive if you can: you will feel the difference when it comes to things like body roll as well. In any case, it’s best to test drive back-to-back between Adaptive and non-adaptive (same tire size/setup for apples-to-apples comparison.) You be the best judge.