I guess it’s all relative cause I find my 740i sport to ride so comfortably, although my other rides are modded m cars lol
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I recently bought a 2007 335i with Sport Pkg... I was wanting something more sporty than my 2001 740i Sport. It is still on stock suspension - I did add a rear sway bar, first the Euro rough road bar 13mm, then the e39 M5 bar modified. I have found these both improved the handling but it is not a sports car, never thought it was.
I road in a 535 with Stability Control during a club tour and I was really impressed with the road ability of that car - it stuck to the road very well and always flat.
This 335 does not have the Stab package but I sure wish it did, it would make this car keep-able for sure...Nah I still like it!
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm71/krallopian/darthSigTest2_zpsn6zkw5id.jpg[/URL][URL="http://www.facebook.com/pages/DFW7-Dallas-Fort-Worth-BMW-7-Series-Club/300942239566"]DFW7 on Facebook/URL]
"The Last Great e38" 2001 i Sport - Born'd on date 1/01 Cosmos/Grey - 32.8K miles - 2 1/2 " Custom Exhaust, Center “X”over , Modified OEM rear bumper, M5 style trunk spoiler, M6 OEM wheels, M3 Steering wheel with working paddle shift & CF trim, Bi-Xenon upgrade, 13mm Rear sway bar added, SS brake lines and bronze bushings, Cross drilled rotors and painted calipers, Akebono pads, Zionsville aluminum radiator & exp. tank with electric fan, Sprint Booster, BluTooth conversion, MKIV Nav., Custom wood cupholder, DUDMD Tune, Orien V2.5 LED Angel Eyes, Evans waterless. Recently added grey faced //M5 Cluster - all gauges functioning. Changed the grey carpet to black and topped off with GG Bailey front/rear mats[/SIZE]
I must admit perplexity at the desire for ever more harsh-riding suspensions in the name of "sport". Seriously people, E38s are not track cars, nor are they meant to be. I think the "stiffer is better" philosophy, like the fascination with M cars, is based mostly on self-delusion.
Ego: "This car is great! It corners like a bat-out-of-hell, and its engine runs like a scalded dog!"
Conscience: "Yeah, but the suspension is so harsh it'll scramble an egg while rearranging my teeth, and it costs 3 times more to maintain".
Ego: "Consider it a sacrifice to the gods of sport".
Conscience: "Well, okay. But I'll need a second mortgage."
Ego: "But auto journalists rave about this stuff!"
Conscience: "Yeah, but do they actually live with this stuff?"
Ego: "But, but...women will swoon."
Conscience: "The wife prefers her own car."
I realize this is an enthusiast forum, and enthusiasts are, well, enthusiastic. But come off it folks: it's time to get practical. If you want a car for the track, get an M car and be done. But if you want an everyday cruiser that's actually used...like a real car, that's something else entirely.
Last edited by Frankie; 07-23-2018 at 10:26 AM.
The dynamic drive on the E60 5 series sport models is incredible. That car rode so flat and cornered great for such a big car. I wouldn't buy a sport model without it.
Just drove the 540 sport on saturday, and it's definitely softer than my 740 with B&G lowering springs and Bilsteins. My car is more planted in corners it feels. Of course, the suspension is probably ready to be re-done in the E39 since it's at 112k.
It really is up to personal preference. I like a firmer ride that gives me sure-footed feeling in corners. I just like the way the car tracks that way. Yes it's not as soft, but it doesn't feel that harsh to me (again, preference) and the trade off is worth while.
Last edited by racer2086; 07-23-2018 at 11:56 AM.
'98 740il | 9/97 build | schwarz 2 | sandbeige | 5AT | 270k
'04 330i ZHP sedan | Mystic blue | Alcantara | 6MT | 120k
'00 540i sport | Titanium silver | Black | 5AT | 152k
'85 Mustang GT convertible | Medium charcoal metallic | Gray | 5MT | 216k | one owner, all original
mods: m-pars | Bilsteins & B&G springs | ValentineOne | StealthOne
retrofits: full nav | MKIV | bluetooth TCU | BM53 w/ AUX input | video module w/ AV input & backup cam | oem sirius xm | xenon | shades | PDC | rain sensor | BMW DWS TPMS | lighted door handles | front seat heaters | heated steering wheel | euro rear fog lights | ski pass | folding mirrors
I don't live in Texas and I drive on roads that are twisty on a regular basis:
So my every day car has to be competent at that. So I have the 740i Sport and the 330ci ZHP. I've had track cars and if you think a 740i Sport is anywhere NEAR as harsh as a track car you're sadly mistaken and a bit off your rocker. Sorry, frankie, but that's the facts. The 740i Sport is still a soft cruiser in comparison to a real sports car. It just happens to be the most competent of the E38s when the roads stop being straight. You want to get real? That's reality.
Hell, this weekend I was in Tennessee and NC driving all sorts of roads including this one: https://tailofthedragonmaps.com/gambler/
I'll say it again, you put some less comical tire pressures in the E38 and it rides so differently - it can definitely ride like a truck at 35/41 depending on your area. It's nowhere near harsh or a sports car, just somewhere in the middle. Even with H&R springs, M Sport dampers, strut bar, spacers, and UUC swaybars, it's still just a 7, but nowhere near harsh. That being said we have to remember that the car is getting very old at this point and simply doesn't have the same design as a newer car, even if the driver "feel" is great. Roll, ride quality, and damping are all still as good as they were for the time, but still holds up without being considered a wooden wagon.
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