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.
Quote:
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.
|