[Trap.]

I just picked up 340i RWD that has 795M and PS4S and I haven’t noticed this behavior.

[adamg13]

If you notice the car pulling take it into the dealer shortly after delivery. They'll do no-charge alignment up to some mileage limit that I don't recall, but I think it's pretty low (500-1,500 miles - something like that.) BMWs are delivered off-alignment sometimes, they need to work on their QC with that.

[SLGrassoPA]

adamg13 - it was not alignment with my car. the alignment was checked and was perfect. The issue is the car slightly wanders when the steering wheel is at center - needing constant minor corrections to keep going straight. I think it's really an issue for the newer 340, not the newer 330 - as the current model year 340 uses a steering rack from the prior generation (according to some posts on this forum - but I have not checked that.) Anyway, getting an alignment for anyone that has this issue can't hurt - and maybe it will help.

[Beemer5to3]

My G20 wheel alignment was way out from factory (320i M-sport on 19" with Adaptive suspension) - car felt exactly as the OP described, and even felt at times like it was crabbing.

After a long battle with BMW (all they did was a short test drives and told me all was fine!) they agreed to put the car on the alignment machine - which confirmed my suspicions! After it was corrected the car felt much better.

Subsequently sold the car since anyway!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by SLGrassoPA

adamg13 - it was not alignment with my car. the alignment was checked and was perfect. The issue is the car slightly wanders when the steering wheel is at center - needing constant minor corrections to keep going straight. I think it's really an issue for the newer 340, not the newer 330 - as the current model year 340 uses a steering rack from the prior generation (according to some posts on this forum - but I have not checked that.) Anyway, getting an alignment for anyone that has this issue can't hurt - and maybe it will help.

We are seeing in this thread that both racks are involved with micro corrections, indicating it is not simply due to the rack designs.

[Montaver]

Alright an update for everyone, as I suspected toe was the problem. My front left and rear right were slightly toe out, with very little toe in on the other wheels. It was subtle though, tire wear was completely even after 13k miles. Took my dealer a couple of try's to get it right with the steering wheel at 0 degrees (hence the before/after looking very similar on the pic below).

Feels like an entirely different car, stable, settled, relaxing to drive. Very pleased with the outcome, 100pc worth it. I think the take aways are these cars are quite sensitive to alignment, and they are in many cases coming out of the factory misaligned. I'll probably pickup an another G20 when my lease expires, I will get be having it aligned before I even pick it up. New specs below for reference -

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Montaver

Feels like an entirely different car, stable, settled, relaxing to drive. Very pleased with the outcome, 100pc worth it. I think the take aways are these cars are quite sensitive to alignment, and they are in many cases coming out of the factory misaligned. I'll probably pickup an another G20 when my lease expires, I will get be having it aligned before I even pick it up. New specs below for reference -

The printout does show a good set of geo' calibrations. I do like to see a rear axle set up precisely, with a 0°00' thrust angle/driving axis.

Good to see it is an alignment issue, which is the difference between a stable, relaxed drive, compared to the need for micro corrections.

BMW have always been sensitive to alignment, get it right and we have what BMW intended.

[jg4c]

Excellent Montaver, and thanks for posting. Glad there is a solution.

Sent you a DM, please look when you can. Thanks!

[jg4c]

Alignment done this week for anyone interested in the outcome.

Before measurements are right from the factory.

Currently 2,000 miles 2022 M340ix staggered set.

[danallxt]

I'm struck by the significant differences in the final setup between Montaver and Jg4c as posted above, particularly rear camber...am i reading this wrong or missing something here?

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by danallxt

I'm struck by the significant differences in the final setup between Montaver and Jg4c as posted above, particularly rear camber...am i reading this wrong or missing something here?

-1.3 vs -1.5 at the rear, in practice this isn't going to make any noticeable difference on the street. I don't have much front camber, but again it doesn't really matter that much for the street given how I am driving the car. More camber at the front will improve your cornering grip (less understeer) and make it more eager to turn in but it doesn't affect the straight line stability. My car is also a base 330i vs his m340i, which is probably going to be driven more spiritedly and benefit from the extra camber.

Insufficient toe in is what causes the instability and requires the need for constant steering corrections. A good amount of toe in per side will solve the problem, you can see I am at 0.08 per side in front but you could go slightly higher without issue. Toe in will stop the car drifting on uneven surfaces. Couple that with a dead straight thrust angle and the car will drive very sweetly and stably. It won't do anything about the actual EPS rack though, so it wont change steering feel, on center numbness etc. Its a common issue because alignment out of the factory is clearly hit or miss. Luckily its very easy to solve, any BMW dealer or decent independent should be able top set the car up properly.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by jg4c

Alignment done this week for anyone interested in the outcome.

Before measurements are right from the factory.

Currently 2,000 miles 2022 M340ix staggered set.

That is a lot of rear toe in, you may notice just a small amount of scrubbing / feathering on the inside of the rear tires but I wouldn't worry about it. The car will be very stable though even under threshold braking. I run 0.20 deg toe in on my GT4 at the rear as it has strut based rear suspension. These cars are multilink rears and don't have anywhere near as much toe change through the suspension travel so its not as necessary.

[jg4c]

Originally Posted by Montaver

That is a lot of rear toe in, you may notice just a small amount of scrubbing / feathering on the inside of the rear tires but I wouldn't worry about it. The car will be very stable though even under threshold braking. I run 0.20 deg toe in on my GT4 at the rear as it has strut based rear suspension. These cars are multilink rears and don't have anywhere near as much toe change through the suspension travel so its not as necessary.

Thanks for the responses. Would you suggest going back and try to adjust less rear toe in, or leave all these numbers alone?

Don’t want to throw this whole thing out of whack at this point.
Would you say these numbers overall are good?

[Seaford]

Never noticed an issue on my 330 RWD. Absolutely fine.

Interestingly the steering on my new 840RWD is definitely lighter than the 330 despite being a much bigger car with the much heavier motor.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by jg4c

Thanks for the responses. Would you suggest going back and try to adjust less rear toe in, or leave all these numbers alone?

Don't want to throw this whole thing out of whack at this point.
Would you say these numbers overall are good?

I would leave it for now, drive a few too thousand miles and see how the rear tire wear looks. You might get some light feathering on the inside rear, but apart from that should be fine. Front looks fine, toe in is on the higher side. How does the car feel to drive overall?

[jg4c]

Originally Posted by Montaver

I would leave it for now, drive a few too thousand miles and see how the rear tire wear looks. You might get some light feathering on the inside rear, but apart from that should be fine. Front looks fine, toe in is on the higher side. How does the car feel to drive overall?

Overall, better. Nothing miraculous, though.
The alignment took care of the issue I was having with slight drift/float, both left and right at high speed.
Straight line stability is much better now. Less need for any steering corrections.

As you said, no alignment will fix the inherent EPS rack issues, but everything feels more stable,
especially at speed. Surprised at how it left the factory. Glad I got it done, just to know that it's now within spec.

Thanks, again.

[penacu]

I have had my M340i w staggered setup Michelin Pilot Sport 4S since Oct 2019 and noticed this same unsettled on-center issue. Put simply, it is unsettling. I am on my second set of tires and had my front alignment done last year.

It doesn't happen all the time, but I can consistently recreate the issue on stretch of road between Page Mill and Alpine on 280N in Palo Alto at highway speeds. Occasionally I can feel this issue at low speeds. Always feels like the car is kind of floating and can't get its footing. For sure car is responsive, but makes me not completely trust it.

I have to constantly make micro-corrections to keep the car on center and it feels like wheel moves mechanically into and out of a notch at about 11 o clock. I can feel it specifically in the column. I'm not a technical guy, but it is definitely a mechanical feel.

I took it to BMW of Mountain View and drove with the service foreman who didn't notice anything. To be expected of course.

I finally found this post and shared it with my service advisor. Because this car is perfect in nearly every other way, I'm tolerating it, but, I have considered getting rid of the car for this very reason.

Looks like I need to have BMW do the alignment again before I throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by penacu

I have had my M340i w staggered setup Michelin Pilot Sport 4S since Oct 2019 and noticed this same unsettled on-center issue. Put simply, it is unsettling. I am on my second set of tires and had my front alignment done last year.

It doesn't happen all the time, but I can consistently recreate the issue on stretch of road between Page Mill and Alpine on 280N in Palo Alto at highway speeds. Occasionally I can feel this issue at low speeds. Always feels like the car is kind of floating and can't get its footing. For sure car is responsive, but makes me not completely trust it.

I have to constantly make micro-corrections to keep the car on center and it feels like wheel moves mechanically into and out of a notch at about 11 o clock. I can feel it specifically in the column. I'm not a technical guy, but it is definitely a mechanical feel.

I took it to BMW of Mountain View and drove with the service foreman who didn't notice anything. To be expected of course.

I finally found this post and shared it with my service advisor. Because this car is perfect in nearly every other way, I'm tolerating it, but, I have considered getting rid of the car for this very reason.

Looks like I need to have BMW do the alignment again before I throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Sorry to hear about your issues! Get an alignment, make sure its even toe in L/R on both axles with a zero thrust angle.

[madpistol]

My M340i had a bit of steering play, but an alignment and tire rotation/balance fixed it.

My current M440i GC is dead straight and stable at high speeds.

[M340i Pride]

M340i with M790 18" Wheels

225/45R18 on front
255/45R18 on back

Never had an issue on highway on steering wheel play.

[GWIZ]

2022 330ix Sportline
8x19 style 793i wheels squared
Delivered with Bridgestone Turanza LS100 RFT 225/40R19
Replaced with Michelin Primacy MXM4 ZP 225/40/19

As I mentioned in a related thread (Steering Constant Adjustment Requiredhttps://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1928941), I have lost interest in driving this 330i xDrive because of the constant micro-adjustment steering issue, a first since owning roughly 15 BMWs over the past several decades.

As recommended by forum members, I changed the tires and had the wheels aligned at a reputable BMW dealer, one that's done me well on alignments in the past.

The day after the alignment, I left on a 3K-mile road trip, which ended up being 3,000 miles of regret. The tires and alignment softened the unstable feel a bit, but it didn't remedy the core problem. I think this is less of an alignment issue and more of an OEM steering rack/system problem, either by design or malfunction, perhaps something like the pre-LCI F30 suspension issues that BMW corrected. Only a small percentage of total early F30 buyers likely noticed any handling quirks, but BMW recognized it as a problem in need of fixing. I noticed it right away, but it was never a deal breaker and the eventual post-LCI update was brilliant.

This steering issue, however, is different; it's not something I'll get used to. I think I'll try one more alignment at a different shop and if nothing changes, I may have to look at getting into another car.

As an aside, my 230i M-sport was manufactured at the same time but at a different plant (both in Mexico) and it too suffers this annoying issue, though to a lesser degree. I'm curious to know which steering system/intervention parts they share, but then I haven't the time for serious mechanical sleuthing and I'm not in the business of fixing cars. I just want somebody to make my Bimmer drive straight.

[SLGrassoPA]

GWIZ -- My feeling - it is not an alignment issue, it it is not a tire issue, it is not a balancing issue and it is not an electronic steering issue; instead it is inherent in the design and mechanics of the steering in the 340, and from what I read on this forum, to a lesser extent, the steering in the 330.

It is not the car pulling to one side at all. It's just that the car has a slight wander on center that becomes exhausting and intolerable on long trips. there is no other way to describe it.

I have never felt anything like it any other car, and the longer the drive, the more exhausting it becomes. (my opinion)

With my 340 I sometimes felt like I wanted to get out and hold the wheels straight because holding the steering wheel did not fix the constant need for micro corrections on center, especially at highway speeds.

and I will say - to echo a senior tech at my local BMW store, most people learn to live with it or just don't want to believe the problem exists. Some people, like you, can't live with it and will sell back the car.

yet some posts here "claim" to have no issue.