[ChrisF]

Hi all. I have been looking at the F/G gen M2's as a daily driver. Looking for something a bit sharper for daily duties since most of my commute is through the canyons and down PCH. I've had decent seat time in the F87/M2C and never felt the rebound in the rear of the car was excessive. I had also read that the G87 was even more civil for daily duties so i took one for a test drive.

Within the first few minutes on the roads surrounding the dealership, the rear was hyperactive, overly stiff and bouncy. I went into the display and dropped suspension down to comfort and not much difference. Liked a lot about the rest of the car but the rear end was annoying.

There is very little here or in the automotive press about this so wondering if maybe something was wrong with the car? For reference, I'm used to driving stiff cars so that's not it.

Thoughts appreciated.

[97supratt]

The suspension is not soft. It also runs 20’s in the rear, so you’re going to have a stiff rear suspension feeling. I compare it to the old E46 M3’s.

[ContactPatch]

Maybe the dealer forgot to remove the shipping blocks from the rear springs, it happens.

[ChrisF]

Originally Posted by ContactPatch

Maybe the dealer forgot to remove the shipping blocks from the rear springs, it happens.

Thought that too. Salesman(kid) was an idiot. Said "it's not broken in yet"

[DSTR]

Road condition?? Good? Rough/pot holes?? Ive driven around those areas. One should expect to 'feel' the roads there in an M2.

[ChrisF]

Same roads in my 4RS (which is not soft) did not have the same hyperactive rebound or jiggle. Also on 20's. There is stiff and there is poorly calibrated compression/rebound.

Going to try and find another one to test.

[aerobod]

Rear tyre pressure above 35PSI cold and no luggage or people in the back would make it a bit stiff. It is much more controlled and better riding than the M240i F22 that we used to own.

[SpaceGhost]

Dealers often massively over inflate tires on the lot. May contribute to the buckboard ride.

[ajchoi]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

Dealers often massively over inflate tires on the lot. May contribute to the buckboard ride.

Dealer set all 4 of mine to like 45psi and that is higher than the manual says for even the highest speed driving with the M Drivers Package. I was breaking loose on very mild takeoffs in 1st gear. Dropped the pressure down about 10psi and car feels completely different (better)

[RobM2]

The cars usually ship from the factory with quite high PSI in the tires and dealers often enough do not adjust.

But my first thought whenever someone says a new car off the lot has funky suspension is the shipping blocks were left in.

[///M TOWN]

I don’t think these things come out of the factory with a good alignment Porsche is not an exception either I think if you’re smart, you’re going to take this car right to the alignment shop and have a proper alignment done on it from day one… That’s exactly what I’ll do when I finally get mine. And PSI is everything!

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by ChrisF

Hi all. I have been looking at the F/G gen M2's as a daily driver. Looking for something a bit sharper for daily duties since most of my commute is through the canyons and down PCH. I've had decent seat time in the F87/M2C and never felt the rebound in the rear of the car was excessive. I had also read that the G87 was even more civil for daily duties so i took one for a test drive.

Within the first few minutes on the roads surrounding the dealership, the rear was hyperactive, overly stiff and bouncy. I went into the display and dropped suspension down to comfort and not much difference. Liked a lot about the rest of the car but the rear end was annoying.

There is very little here or in the automotive press about this so wondering if maybe something was wrong with the car? For reference, I'm used to driving stiff cars so that's not it.

Thoughts appreciated.

My first drive in my 2023 M2 was from the dealer to a nearby gas station with the salesman along. He filled up the fuel tank.

The problem was the road from the dealer's lot to the street was horrible. I've seen better roads used for the Dakar Rally.

But after I left the dealer and got on a regular surface streets the car was fine. And this included a 200+ mile drive home from the dealer. Ride was quite good. A bit stiffer than say my 230i (my trade in I drove to the dealer) -- the car is an M2 after all, not a limo -- but nothing even remotely alarming.

The tires were over inflated -- this is SOP to keep the tires from flat spotting from all the sitting around -- but were adjusted to the proper pressure before I left the dealer for the last time.

Thus taking into consideration my experience, I have to 2nd the possibility the shipping blocks were still in place. I'm surprised that this has been found to be the case way more than I would have expected. (I would expected zero instances of this...)

And of course almost certainly the tires were inflated to >40psi to combat flat spotting.

[T-Rexx]

Originally Posted by RockCrusher

My first drive in my 2023 M2 was from the dealer to a nearby gas station with the salesman along. He filled up the fuel tank.

The problem was the road from the dealer's lot to the street was horrible. I've seen better roads used for the Dakar Rally.

But after I left the dealer and got on a regular surface streets the car was fine. And this included a 200+ mile drive home from the dealer. Ride was quite good. A bit stiffer than say my 230i (my trade in I drove to the dealer) — the car is an M2 after all, not a limo — but nothing even remotely alarming.

The tires were over inflated — this is SOP to keep the tires from flat spotting from all the sitting around — but were adjusted to the proper pressure before I left the dealer for the last time.

Thus taking into consideration my experience, I have to 2nd the possibility the shipping blocks were still in place. I'm surprised that this has been found to be the case way more than I would have expected. (I would expected zero instances of this...)

And of course almost certainly the tires were inflated to >40psi to combat flat spotting.

I always thought (since being a boy racer way back when I knew everything) higher tyre pressure was good for performance, and manufactures only recommend a lower pressure to find a good compromise between performance and comfort.
It would seem I was wrong.
What would the ideal pressure be for performance where comfort is not a consideration (it is an M car after all)

[IanH]

Originally Posted by T-Rexx

I always thought (since being a boy racer way back when I knew everything) higher tyre pressure was good for performance, and manufactures only recommend a lower pressure to find a good compromise between performance and comfort.
It would seem I was wrong.
What would the ideal pressure be for performance where comfort is not a consideration (it is an M car after all)

Uh, tire pressures that are best for performance are specific to the tire, the car, the conditions, and the activity. It's like asking "what's the best car for driving?"

If you overinflate the tires you will negatively affect the contact patch of the tire.

If you underinflate the tire your traction will improve but your wheels and tires will be quite susceptible to damage from road imperfections.

Manufacturer spec is most certainly not "under inflated for comfort" it is probably the max cold PSI you should run the tire at for performance.

[T-Rexx]

Originally Posted by IanH

Uh, tire pressures that are best for performance are specific to the tire, the car, the conditions, and the activity. It's like asking "what's the best car for driving?"

If you overinflate the tires you will negatively affect the contact patch of the tire.

If you underinflate the tire your traction will improve but your wheels and tires will be quite susceptible to damage from road imperfections.

Manufacturer spec is most certainly not "under inflated for comfort" it is probably the max cold PSI you should run the tire at for performance.

Thanks!
So basically what ever the specific tyre had indicated on the side wall is what I should run?

[RobM2]

Originally Posted by T-Rexx

Thanks!
So basically what ever the specific tyre had indicated on the side wall is what I should run?

No, the pressure on the side wall is generally a maximum for the tire.

You want the pressure on the sticker on the doorjam. I believe it is 32 PSI all around for the M2 with the standard wheels/tires.

[IanH]

There are 2 specs for any car on tire psi.

Fully loaded tire psi is on the door sticker, sometimes they have a second one on there, tire pressure with just the driver is usually in the manual. For an M2 there's probably not that much difference between fully loaded and driver only.

Inflating to tire sidewall psi will nearly always be over inflated.

[RobM2]

Originally Posted by IanH

There are 2 specs for any car on tire psi.

Fully loaded tire psi is on the door sticker, sometimes they have a second one on there, tire pressure with just the driver is usually in the manual. For an M2 there's probably not that much difference between fully loaded and driver only.

Inflating to tire sidewall psi will nearly always be over inflated.

The manual and doorjam sticker show the same value for the G87 M2, 32 PSI all around.

[Ravenseal]

Originally Posted by RobM2

The manual and doorjam sticker show the same value for the G87 M2, 32 PSI all around.

To add context, 32 all around is a COLD pressure for driving conditions under 100mph and is a broad, safety based recommendation from the manufacturer/BMW. The pressure will change depending on driving conditions and driver ability/preferences. You can always play with tire pressure to tweak the handling characteristics of the car to your liking. After experimenting on and off for 18 months, I personally run 35 PSI on all 4 tires for back road carving in the Rockies, as I found 32 PSI induces too much understeer for my liking. A cold PSI setting of 35 results in 38-40 PSI under heavy load.

[T-Rexx]

Originally Posted by RobM2

No, the pressure on the side wall is generally a maximum for the tire.

You want the pressure on the sticker on the doorjam. I believe it is 32 PSI all around for the M2 with the standard wheels/tires.

Thanks mate!
Embarrassing for a passionate car guy to not know that hahaha.
But also a car guy that would always look down at factory equipment/settings and look to performance aftermarket for something “better”.
Those cars were no M cars though, so maybe I should shift my thinking now

[T-Rexx]

Originally Posted by IanH

There are 2 specs for any car on tire psi.

Fully loaded tire psi is on the door sticker, sometimes they have a second one on there, tire pressure with just the driver is usually in the manual. For an M2 there's probably not that much difference between fully loaded and driver only.

Inflating to tire sidewall psi will nearly always be over inflated.

Got it, thanks again for the insight!

[T-Rexx]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

To add context, 32 all around is a COLD pressure for driving conditions under 100mph and is a broad, safety based recommendation from the manufacturer/BMW. The pressure will change depending on driving conditions and driver ability/preferences. You can always play with tire pressure to tweak the handling characteristics of the car to your liking. After experimenting on and off for 18 months, I personally run 35 PSI on all 4 tires for back road carving in the Rockies, as I found 32 PSI induces too much understeer for my liking. A cold PSI setting of 35 results in 38-40 PSI under heavy load.

So 35psi cold?