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Thread: A Story. Just how well does an E39 touring handle?

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    A Story. Just how well does an E39 touring handle?

    I've never been impressed with the handling feel of the tourings, we've had 2 now, sport suspension and all. Seemed at once harsh, but floaty. Yes, I know that's something of a contradiction. So onto the story.

    Last year during the Northern Calif fires we evacuated due to no power or nat gas, not to the fire being all that close. So we're going down a 2 lane highway, lots of curves, some passing areas when I see someone passing in the opposite direction, coming right at me. He's getting closer by the millisecond and has nowhere to go, it's a solid line of cars, along with 2 double trailer tanker trucks. So with him seemingly 50 feet away I jerk over to the shoulder, about 3 feet of pavement and 4 feet of gravel. Then he does the same thing so I yank it back with seemingly 20 feet between us. He goes screaming by on my shoulder in the wrong direction. It was so close I didn't even know if we'd sideswiped or not until I got a chance to pull over a mile or so down the road, and no we didn't.

    But the 525ita, the emasculated one, stuck like glue, like a F1 car. It went just where I pointed it, exactly when I pointed it, no more and no less. With 150K on original shocks and suspension parts it could not have reacted better. I was impressed, I guess it does handle better than I thought.
    98 328is
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    80 528i
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    and decades of owning and driving BMWs

  2. #2
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    When the rear subframe bushings go it throws everything off ....freshen those up and it’ll be tight


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  3. #3
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    A properly sorted E39 wagon handles like it’s on rails with very predictable sliding. Damn things have pretty much perfect 50/50 weight ratio front and rear.
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  4. #4
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    I've had to do some evasive moves in my 540 wagon as well. It does it's job superbly.





    Some Places remain unknown because no one has ventured forth. Others remain so because no one has ever come back......

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by BimmrMeUpSnotty View Post
    A properly sorted E39 wagon handles like it’s on rails with very predictable sliding. Damn things have pretty much perfect 50/50 weight ratio front and rear.
    Properly sorted as in 160K and original components? I do crawl under there every so often and check things out, but it's not like I'm doing control arms at 50K intervals. Or ever, so far at least.
    98 328is
    02 525ita
    80 528i
    81 528ia
    and decades of owning and driving BMWs

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike WW View Post
    Properly sorted as in 160K and original components? I do crawl under there every so often and check things out, but it's not like I'm doing control arms at 50K intervals. Or ever, so far at least.
    Yeah man! I’ve had my share of BMW’s with shot suspension in the past, just imagine a wagon with shot suspension bushings, shot front struts to the point it was bouncing up and down, all that was working were the front springs, rear subframe bushings shot, suspension bushings shot, one sway bar link was bad, one tie rod ball joint was shot, sure was an adventure driving it 10 miles home to prove a point to a friend who had neglected it for a few years. After I fixed the whole heap and gutted the whole cooling system and vacuum lines, disa valve, and the big Kahuna that made him ultimately give up, the rubber intake had split open on him causing the car to run really rough, I fixed that pile of crap, he had 166,000 miles on it, he loved the way it ran and drove after that, he begged me to sell it back to him. Aside from the cost of all the parts, I nailed him 2 grand for the work and sold the car back to him for a dollar over what I got it for. He’s still driving that thing, it’s got over 200,000 on the clock, I did tell him I’d kick his a$$ if he neglected it again.
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  7. #7
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    I drive 8 or so miles of very twisty roads every day on my way home from work and my wagon does quite well, I've chased down some folks who pull over and let me by, miatas smoke my ass and I had a charger the other day that was doing very well in front of me. The traction control light will come on a few times it's fun

  8. #8
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    It does do surprisingly well. They knew what they were doing once.

  9. #9
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    A refreshed suspension, add on either just the M5 rear sway bar or go with both front and rear aftermarket bars like the Eibach Anti-Roll-Kit will keep our fat asses in a controlled attitude making them fun on the twisties

    Link to the bars https://www.tirerack.com/suspension/...=Sport+Package

    Sorry only non V8 front available

    Specs: Bar diameter 27mmF & 18mmR. Front bar is adjustable.

    Ignore that it only for sedans.
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  10. #10
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    Hi,

    If you feel that 150k mile and potentially 17-24 year old suspension still makes the car feel good liek an F1 car, I think you'd be utterly, completely, totally astonished if you feel your car with fresh new upgraded suspension!

    Everyone's 'interpretation' is different, for instance a few years back I went out as a passenger is an M5 with lowish miles (70K) and the owner lived abroad and only drove it when in the UK during summer months only. I thought it felt 'vague' and 'wallowy' and a 'bit' boat like.

    For 14 years, I had my E39 Touring on OEM shocks (non sport) and lowered 30mm on H&R Comfort setting springs all round and it was a phenomenal feel for the drive. When I needed to be calm and sensible, it was smooth, compliant and very comfortable. When I was on my own and driving around the local twisties (which are really good in many areas!) I thought the handling was fantastic given I do drive 'spiritedly'. Body roll was well managed, flicking between fast cambers and sweeping bends whilst still accelerating felt wonderful and composed. I loved every minute with this setup.

    I've now recently changed to KW V1 coilovers as I want to run a little lower. From what I've experienced so far (havent driven much due to lockdown and prior to that, having little bits of work done) it is perhaps 10% stiffer over more unforgiving road surfaces, but on smoother and normal roads, it feels just as awesome! the car feels 'taut' and 'precise' and for me, really adds to the driving experience and helps the car's physical 'size' shrink around you when 'pressing on'. Right now, I only have a Dinan strut brace in addition to the coilovers, If I feel the need, I'll upgrade to thicker anti roll bar/kit.

    Adding to the 'experience' for me is a recent change to a manual 5 speed gearbox, and an E60 Turbo, OEM intercooler, custom re-map, E38 Sport Contour seats in addition to previous changes of a de-cat exhaust, EGR bypass, all to give approximately 280HP and an increase in efficiency to about 38-40MPG average of mixed driving. The combination of all these and the suspension make the car feel awesome for daily duties with a very satisfying dollop of Sporty performance and feel/dynamics when needed

    Cheers, Dennis!

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by DennisCooper View Post
    Hi,

    If you feel that 150k mile and potentially 17-24 year old suspension still makes the car feel good liek an F1 car, I think you'd be utterly, completely, totally astonished if you feel your car with fresh new upgraded suspension!
    No, normally it feels a bit wallowly with the odd combination of soft but harsh, and has since we bought it at 82K. But in that one extreme emergency, it was totally planted.
    98 328is
    02 525ita
    80 528i
    81 528ia
    and decades of owning and driving BMWs

  12. #12
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    2003 540it
    wait till you refresh the suspension. I did a complete front and rear suspension refresh, new arms, shocks, bushings, subframe bushings and the wagon is very tight. Still rolls quite a bit in hard turns and freeway onramps but overall very manuverable.
    2019 X3 M40i Glacier Silver
    -stock

    2003 540iT Titanium Silver
    -Dinan Exhaust

    2003 325i 5-speed Japanrot
    -BMW Performance Intake
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