Bottoming out stock front suspension

Lenaxia · 01-24-2011, 04:02 PM

Hey guys, I've had this for a while on my stock '06 330xi.

If I go over a regular sized speed bump at anything over 20mph it feels as if my front suspension is completely bottoming out. Instead of the normal soft rebound that you'd normally feel, as soon as my front end comes down I get hit with this nasty jolt that feels like a direct impact to the chassis.

If I'm going at highway speeds and hit a pot hole, its even worse and I've scared the bejeezus out of more than one unsuspecting passenger due to this.

Is this normal at all?

Babydragon · 01-24-2011, 05:35 PM

You're strut is blown.

Babydragon · 01-24-2011, 05:36 PM

Or a mount is broken.

Lenaxia · 01-24-2011, 05:46 PM

Yay... okay, I'll take a look at it this weekend, finally got around to ordering all the tools I need to service my car on my own.

Thanks for giving me a place to start looking.

Babydragon · 01-28-2011, 09:24 AM

Let me know what the problem was.

matts335 · 01-28-2011, 02:06 PM

actually, that is probably normal. hitting potholes at speed with stock suspension can make a sound that is like a gunshot in your car. go over to bimmerfest.com and search "pothole explosion". Maybe it's on this forum too in the general e9x section.

Lenaxia · 01-28-2011, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hajduk

Let me know what the problem was.

I'll get pictures up if I find anything suspicious. I'm going to be replacing my angel eye bulbs tomorrow so front tires need to come off anyway. Haven't had a chance to do it yet so far

Quote:

Originally Posted by matts335

actually, that is probably normal. hitting potholes at speed with stock suspension can make a sound that is like a gunshot in your car. go over to bimmerfest.com and search "pothole explosion". Maybe it's on this forum too in the general e9x section.

Normal?

ugh that sucks even more. Do you know if getting better coilovers would help with that without making the ride much harsher? I'll take a look into it.

Lenaxia · 01-30-2011, 11:31 PM

Didn't see anything while my fronts were off. Didn't see anything bent and no cracks anywhere. No leaks on the front shocks either.

I changed my tires yesterday and it's helped with the ride considerably (non RFTs).

When I go into work tomorrow I'll see if it still does the same thing on the speed bumps into the parking lot. If it does I'll see if I can get someone who know what they're doing to take a look.

CanadianDriver · 06-17-2012, 09:38 AM

sorry to bring up an old thread. i confirm that bottoming out was a design flaw on pre-lci e90s with xdrive... we've all been cursed with this defect.

according to other lci e90 owners, this issue got sorted out. we will soon find out if f30 with xdrives has the same problem, or not

01-24-2011, 04:02 PM	#1
Lenaxia Lieutenant 41 Rep 566 Posts Drives: 2006 330xi 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Santa Clara, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2006 330xi [0.00]	Bottoming out stock front suspension Hey guys, I've had this for a while on my stock '06 330xi. If I go over a regular sized speed bump at anything over 20mph it feels as if my front suspension is completely bottoming out. Instead of the normal soft rebound that you'd normally feel, as soon as my front end comes down I get hit with this nasty jolt that feels like a direct impact to the chassis. If I'm going at highway speeds and hit a pot hole, its even worse and I've scared the bejeezus out of more than one unsuspecting passenger due to this. Is this normal at all? __________________
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01-24-2011, 05:35 PM	#2
Babydragon Captain 34 Rep 781 Posts Drives: 2007 328xi Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Chic/ago iTrader: (0)	You're strut is blown.
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01-24-2011, 05:36 PM	#3
Babydragon Captain 34 Rep 781 Posts Drives: 2007 328xi Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Chic/ago iTrader: (0)	Or a mount is broken.
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01-24-2011, 05:46 PM	#4
Lenaxia Lieutenant 41 Rep 566 Posts Drives: 2006 330xi 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Santa Clara, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2006 330xi [0.00]	Yay... okay, I'll take a look at it this weekend, finally got around to ordering all the tools I need to service my car on my own. Thanks for giving me a place to start looking. __________________
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01-28-2011, 09:24 AM	#5
Babydragon Captain 34 Rep 781 Posts Drives: 2007 328xi Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Chic/ago iTrader: (0)	Let me know what the problem was.
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01-28-2011, 02:06 PM	#6
matts335 Private First Class 8 Rep 159 Posts Drives: 335ixdrive Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: virginia iTrader: (0)	actually, that is probably normal. hitting potholes at speed with stock suspension can make a sound that is like a gunshot in your car. go over to bimmerfest.com and search "pothole explosion". Maybe it's on this forum too in the general e9x section.
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01-30-2011, 11:31 PM	#8
Lenaxia Lieutenant 41 Rep 566 Posts Drives: 2006 330xi 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Santa Clara, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2006 330xi [0.00]	Didn't see anything while my fronts were off. Didn't see anything bent and no cracks anywhere. No leaks on the front shocks either. I changed my tires yesterday and it's helped with the ride considerably (non RFTs). When I go into work tomorrow I'll see if it still does the same thing on the speed bumps into the parking lot. If it does I'll see if I can get someone who know what they're doing to take a look. __________________
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06-17-2012, 09:38 AM	#9
CanadianDriver Captain 99 Rep 614 Posts Drives: P3D- Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	sorry to bring up an old thread. i confirm that bottoming out was a design flaw on pre-lci e90s with xdrive... we've all been cursed with this defect. according to other lci e90 owners, this issue got sorted out. we will soon find out if f30 with xdrives has the same problem, or not
	Appreciate 0 Quote