[JustYhoni]

Hi!

First of all, sorry for my horrible writing.

I've had a issue with my car for a while now, its horrible to drive.
The car is a BMW E90 325i with ~100k miles on it.

The issue - I have to constantly correct the steeringwheel or keep pulling to a side to keep it straight (on country roads).

In Highway speed with abit of wind or passing trucks, holy yikes.. the car has it own life. Smallest gust of wind will push it off track and i have to correct it.

Im on D2 coilovers, four new summer tiers, 19" Style 313 rims.
The issue is exactly the same on my Winter setup, 17" BBS RD346 rims. New tiers too.
15 mm spacers in the rear.
Inspected the coils to see that all settings are OK etc, and they are.

I changed the outer-tierods just cause i thought they where bad, did nothing.
Car has been at three diffrent alignment shops and everything is OK.
Pass the annual car inspection every year without any "good to know"

No noise or anything that suspect worn bushings.

I need all the tips and things i should check, please i want my BMW back :-(

Sorry if i missed anything essential.

[porsche959]

you seem to have covered the basics.

are your tires pumped up to spec?

[SamelCamel]

Did you install the suspension yourself?

Don't forget to tighten the suspension components with the car at ride height. We often forget and torque the suspension while the vehicle is on jacks which causes the vehicle to be under tension while at ride height.

Good luck!

-Sam

[JustYhoni]

Originally Posted by SamelCamel

Did you install the suspension yourself?

Don't forget to tighten the suspension components with the car at ride height. We often forget and torque the suspension while the vehicle is on jacks which causes the vehicle to be under tension while at ride height.

Good luck!

-Sam

Hm, never thought of that.
But yes, i installed it myself.

I've had the coils removed a couple of times due to adjustment and changing the top strut bushing, w/e its called... :-P

But yes, i've always torqued the components as its on jackstands and then mount the wheel & its done.

Tried multiple psi levels in the wheels too, both below recommendation and above.

[Phyrexia]

I know you've already mentioned this, but whenever I've experienced this, it's always been tires or alignment.

[6ixSpd]

Originally Posted by JustYhoni

But yes, i've always torqued the components as its on jackstands and then mount the wheel & its done.

This is a big oversight. The suspension top mounts must be torqued when the car is on the ground - both front and rear.

Go back and redo this.

If your alignment is indeed correct (post up the specs btw), bushings & shocks are in good condition, and your tire pressures are good too, then that leaves very little but the above to be the culprit

[JustYhoni]

Originally Posted by 6ixSpd

This is a big oversight. The suspension top mounts must be torqued when the car is on the ground - both front and rear.

Go back and redo this.

If your alignment is indeed correct (post up the specs btw), bushings & shocks are in good condition, and your tire pressures are good too, then that leaves very little but the above to be the culprit

Thanks i will have a look at this!
Just for clarification, you're talking about the three upper bolts?

*https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/BMW-3-Series-E90/SUSPEN-Front_Strut_Replacement/images_small/pic07.jpg*[/url]

Would it be enough to jack up the car and loosen em up and then lower it and torque them back? Both for front and rear.

Thanks for all the feedback and tips, please keep em coming if you have more.
I will return with a response after i've got the time to try all your tips.


*EDIT*
Didnt get the hyperlink to work..

[Phyrexia]

To my knowledge the important ones are the big 18mm or so control arm fasteners underneath. Those are what kept the front end of my car from being at the proper height (I made the same mistake you did when I initially installed my PS!)

Originally Posted by JustYhoni

Thanks i will have a look at this!
Just for clarification, you're talking about the three upper bolts?

*https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/BMW-3-Series-E90/SUSPEN-Front_Strut_Replacement/images_small/pic07.jpg*[/url]

Would it be enough to jack up the car and loosen em up and then lower it and torque them back? Both for front and rear.

Thanks for all the feedback and tips, please keep em coming if you have more.
I will return with a response after i've got the time to try all your tips.


*EDIT*
Didnt get the hyperlink to work..

[6ixSpd]

No, the central nut that holds the shock into the strut mount itself. And the same for the rear, inside the trunk liner for the rear upper shock mount.

[Jesda]

The E90 is sensitive to tire choices. I put BFGs on the rear in place of Continentals and find it to be less precise over uneven surfaces. The ride is much smoother but softer sidewalls make it feel floaty.

I'd suggest increasing tire pressure to see if it makes a difference.

Also, when the problem was really bad, it turned out to be a cracked spring.