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      12-25-2008, 11:13 AM   #1
walsh
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2009 335i xdrive suspension question

Ok so I leased a 2009 335i xdrive with the sport package. I was also looking at just a 335i with the sport package and when I had the cars next to each other the xi didn't appear to be higher than the i. I know in past years when you purchased the xi you did not get the sport suspension and the car was about an inch or so higher, but did they change this for 2009 because my car was only about 1/4 inch higher if it was higher at all. Thanks.

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      12-25-2008, 12:15 PM   #2
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Interesting. Would love to see what others have to say on this.

In the meantime, post some pics of your car!
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      12-25-2008, 12:29 PM   #3
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I have an '09 e92 335xi and it is ever so slightly higher (most notably in front). You can only tell if you actually try to look for it with 2 identical cars side by side. It does have a bit more roll than a sport suspension shod 335i, but still handles great and is the reason I got this car in the first place. My previous E46 M3 was just a little too stiff/jittery for everyday riding, but I liked the speed. A tuned 335xi is the perfect vehicle IMHO - rain, snow, speed, ride and handling.
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      12-25-2008, 01:49 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bwalshy99 View Post
Ok so I leased a 2009 335i xdrive with the sport package. I was also looking at just a 335i with the sport package and when I had the cars next to each other the xi didn't appear to be higher than the i. I know in past years when you purchased the xi you did not get the sport suspension and the car was about an inch or so higher, but did they change this for 2009 because my car was only about 1/4 inch higher if it was higher at all. Thanks.
The sport package on the XI has nothing to do with suspension, unlike the I which does. The XI sits considerably higher than an I with sports package. The XI also has a much wobblier suspension (poor rebound, dampening and roll) as compared to an I (non or sport).

As an aside, the XI sits about 1 3/4" (R) and 2" (F) higher than an I with sport package. There should be more detailed info available if you search the forum but other SUV based XI owners can attest to that

The upside to the XI is if you live in snow country it is worth its weight in gold. The balance and traction control in conjunction with snow tires make this car an excellent choice for snow dwellers. I wont go back to 2 wheel drive again.
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      12-25-2008, 06:26 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgalaxy View Post
The sport package on the XI has nothing to do with suspension, unlike the I which does. The XI sits considerably higher than an I with sports package. The XI also has a much wobblier suspension (poor rebound, dampening and roll) as compared to an I (non or sport).

As an aside, the XI sits about 1 3/4" (R) and 2" (F) higher than an I with sport package. There should be more detailed info available if you search the forum but other SUV based XI owners can attest to that

The upside to the XI is if you live in snow country it is worth its weight in gold. The balance and traction control in conjunction with snow tires make this car an excellent choice for snow dwellers. I wont go back to 2 wheel drive again.
I appreciate your opinion but please read all of my post. Just to be clear this all has to do with sport package only. The info you have is true for 2008 and earlier, i know all about the differences between the xi and i suspension, such as the sport package did not give u the sport suspension in the xi but what I'm saying is for the 2009 model specifically. I had both the xi and i side by side and drove both and the suspension difference was no more than one quarter of an inch difference, i know this for a fact and both felt quite stiff unlike the previous year xi's. I'm just asking if anyone knows the specifics about the changes they made.
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      12-25-2008, 10:52 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgalaxy View Post
The upside to the XI is if you live in snow country it is worth its weight in gold. The balance and traction control in conjunction with snow tires make this car an excellent choice for snow dwellers. I wont go back to 2 wheel drive again.
Regular BMWs are not capable of really being 2WD in the snow. Once an open diff gets on snow or ice it will just spin one wheel at a time and lose traction really easily. I believe that an xDrive car can lock the rear diff and center diff which makes sure that 3 wheels can always spin at the very least. I don't think that xDrive can lock the front axle (nor do I think it is really necessary).
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      12-27-2008, 02:45 PM   #7
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My 2009 335 Xdrive LOOKS like it sits lower than my 2008 335Xi did. Please note I do not have actual measurements and it may just appear that way due to the difference in the colors, the different 18" wheels, or my rotten memory. I don't recall reading anywhere that there is a change to the '09 in this regard but I am pleased with what looks like a reduced gap between the tire and the fender.

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      12-27-2008, 04:04 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgalaxy View Post
The sport package on the XI has nothing to do with suspension, unlike the I which does. The XI sits considerably higher than an I with sports package. The XI also has a much wobblier suspension (poor rebound, dampening and roll) as compared to an I (non or sport).

As an aside, the XI sits about 1 3/4" (R) and 2" (F) higher than an I with sport package. There should be more detailed info available if you search the forum but other SUV based XI owners can attest to that

The upside to the XI is if you live in snow country it is worth its weight in gold. The balance and traction control in conjunction with snow tires make this car an excellent choice for snow dwellers. I wont go back to 2 wheel drive again.

There seems to be a condescending attitude to this post. Surprising considering the praise for the capabilities at the end. If you believe that there could be some differences in the handling of an all-wheel drive, non-sports suspension 3 to the sports suspension, then I would certainly agree. But wobblier? Poor rebound, dampening and roll? Even compared to non-sport? Come on now! Are you comparing it to a Hummer or BMW?

My x-drive sits just fine, but if you are used to some slammed suspension, then anything would look weird to you. If you believe that my suspension is 1 3/4 – 2” higher than an non-x-drive, show me the specs. I find this hard to believe.
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      12-27-2008, 08:26 PM   #9
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Sorry for going OT, but Jescar, can you post pics of your 335? I'm in the market and would love to see your setup!
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      12-28-2008, 09:17 AM   #10
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Garage List
that is something worth checking out, for the 2009's
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      12-28-2008, 09:31 AM   #11
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The 2009 brochure shows only a single height, 55.9", for all 3-series sedans, and makes no mention of any ride height differences between sport, non-sport, or x-drive models. The web site seems to say the x-drive model is 53.9" high, while the i model is 55.9", but the graphic is very small, and I may be mis-reading it. Having driven the 2009 x-drive and non-xdrive models, I disagree that the x-drive suspension is "wobbly" at all, a term that would indicate the car has very poor suspension tuning. I assume our friend from Montreal will confirm he has actually seen, and driven, both vehicles so that we have merely a difference of opinion, and not a presumptive statement made without any actual experience?
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      12-28-2008, 09:37 AM   #12
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I drove both as well before deciding (2009 at least) and I certainly could not tell any difference (at least in my fairly spirited test drive).

"Wobbly" is likely a very poor choice of words as most wouldn't even describe an X5 like that!
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      12-28-2008, 11:50 AM   #13
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I have an 08 with sport and optional 18" and I know there is no diff in suspension but I measured my wheel gaps so we could have some reference. From bottom edge of outside wheel well to top of tire is 1 7/8" F and 1 1/2" R. When I bought the car I was told the difference in ride height between xi and i with sport suspension was between 1/2 and 3/4 inch. I have driven both cars on the track and to call the xi wobbly is patently absurd. The car is more different to drive from the xdrive and the possible all seasons it has than from the suspension differences. I'm not saying the i sport suspension is not better I am merely saying lets keeps things in perspective. Sure it does not have that slammed look that for some reason many people on this board like but it is still a BMW. I have 17k miles on the car so it is settled and newer cars may vary.
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      12-28-2008, 07:57 PM   #14
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This is interesting because I recently was looking at some 2009 x-drives and they looked the same as the i versions. I just assumed that was the case because of the different rims (the 08 coupe ones) that I wasn't used to.

I don't have a 2008 3-series brochure but i have a 2009. The only place where any dimensions are shown is the 2nd to last page that has a graphic of the front, side, top, and back of the car. There is only one set of dimensions shown.
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      12-28-2008, 08:21 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgalaxy View Post
The sport package on the XI has nothing to do with suspension, unlike the I which does. The XI sits considerably higher than an I with sports package. The XI also has a much wobblier suspension (poor rebound, dampening and roll) as compared to an I (non or sport).

As an aside, the XI sits about 1 3/4" (R) and 2" (F) higher than an I with sport package. There should be more detailed info available if you search the forum but other SUV based XI owners can attest to that
I do not understand where this info comes from and it sounds very puzzling. I test-drove for many miles sport, non-sport and XI (all 2007.2 models) and saw them standing next to each-other on the lot. I did not see any difference in ride height in the back and saw barely visible difference (about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch) in the front. The handling of XI was about in the middle between sport and non-sport, maybe closer to non-sport in terms of sharpness (but still noticeably better) and in the middle in terms of compliance. There is this "big bang" issue with XI (scary sound when front gets into a big pothole) but I got rid of it with non-RFT tires. XI does feel "boaty" to me when on 17 inch tires, but I'd expect the rest to get the same penalty from softer rubber.

Anyway, my point is not to disagree with other posters but to point out that a test-drive comparison on the same day and same track is a must for making the decision on what is better for you. With the situation auto industry is in now, extended test drives of anything should not be an issue...
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      12-28-2008, 09:52 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by gosox View Post
Sorry for going OT, but Jescar, can you post pics of your 335? I'm in the market and would love to see your setup!
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      12-29-2008, 01:00 AM   #17
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From what I've read on the forums.. previous XIs are almost 0.5" higher than their non-sport counterparts, which makes them nearly 1" taller than the sport suspension.

Perhaps the 2009s are now closer in height to the non-sport E90s, but still not quite as low as the sport suspension?

My car is still brand new, so it may be a few weeks before the suspension settles and I can make a better comparison.
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      12-29-2008, 06:50 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jescar335 View Post
A picture of the wheel gap on my 2008 328xi, non-sport with 18" wheels for comparison:

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      12-29-2008, 07:08 PM   #19
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I recently test drove both 2008 and 2009 335xi/xdrive coupe manual with Sports Package. The 2009 felt way more planted and not as wobbly as the 2008. High speed in tight corners with the 2009 felt very well planted and no body roll at all. The 2008 had a little more body roll.

So, maybe the OP has a point of a possible difference between the two.

After the test drive I am leaning more and more towards a 2009/2010 coupè 6MT ZSP with the new iDrive.

A picture of 3 cars beside each other would be nice.

(1) 2008 335xi w/ZSP 18"
(2) 2009 335i xDrive w/ZSP 18"
(3) 2009 335i w/ZSP 18"
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      12-30-2008, 01:42 AM   #20
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bump for pics. If the suspensions are truly different, this may give us 2008'ers a much needed option for an upgrade.
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      12-30-2008, 11:15 AM   #21
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Ill take some pics of my car as soon as I get my camera back... sometime this week
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      12-31-2008, 09:51 AM   #22
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Not that this is at all conclusive, but I just called VOB BMW and asked if there were any differences in suspension components between the 08s and 09s, and they said no.

That being said, I hope someone here proves them wrong. Can't stand the gap.
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