I hit a horrible pothole ...

focusse · 11-17-2010, 12:25 PM

Today and actually couple of times before i hit a pothole not even that big and I'm concerned . Every time there is horrible impact i just feel like something fell on the car or the car was dropped from 10 feet. Just a ShOCK every time . I know that suspension is stiff but is it that stiff or is that a run flat tires ?? thanks for help !!!

ChasVS · 11-17-2010, 12:30 PM

Yeah, it's a combination of the suspension and the RFT. It's so bad there's some roads I don't use around home because of the rough impacts on road joints,, pot holes, etc. If it didn't have new RFTs when I bought the 335 in July I'd be looking to switch to non-RFT to improve the ride!

Kroy · 11-17-2010, 12:32 PM

it's the RFTs. After I switched to ventus v12, ride is a lot smoother.

bolty · 11-17-2010, 12:36 PM

agreed. Ditch the runflats. Happiness will increase.

And +1 for the v12's. Made a world of positive difference.

focusse · 11-17-2010, 12:36 PM

It feels like im driving on wheels instead of tires .... hmmm i have to think about new tires heh.... Thanks Guys !!!

TheRox · 11-17-2010, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by focusse

Today and actually couple of times before i hit a pothole not even that big and I'm concerned . Every time there is horrible impact i just feel like something fell on the car or the car was dropped from 10 feet. Just a ShOCK every time . I know that suspension is stiff but is it that stiff or is that a run flat tires ?? thanks for help !!!

and you have the xi suspension...which isn't so bad on potholes.

imagine the sport :|

blacknbean · 11-17-2010, 12:46 PM

rfts ftl...one time i hit a pothole exiting the freeway and it sounded like a bomb went off in my car. i cant wait to get rid of them.

sickem · 11-17-2010, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blacknbean

rfts ftl...one time i hit a pothole exiting the freeway and it sounded like a bomb went off in my car. i cant wait to get rid of them.

yes it is the runcraps. the weekend I got my car I drove to Boston and in CT there was a sign that said, "bump." They must've been out of signs that said, "Anti-tank ditch." The impact was so hard my Starbucks with about an inch of high-test in it when flipping through the air out of the cupholder. I used curse words I didn't know existed. Oh and I also have the xi suspension!!!!

Quick6EF · 11-17-2010, 01:45 PM

I HATE when I go over bumps with my 18" RFTs.

I just put on my winter wheels (some shitty 17") wrapped in Blizzaks; such an improvement in the ride quality.

BobKingerman · 11-17-2010, 02:07 PM

I have hit bumps before where the passenger in the rear seat hit his head on the ceiling

focusse · 11-17-2010, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobKingerman

I have hit bumps before where the passenger in the rear seat hit his head on the ceiling

Hey dude You are from Andover !! I live in South Lawrence !!! ...

linlaoboo · 11-17-2010, 02:29 PM

A week ago I ran over a pothole going 75+mph on the driver side, sounded like the front end was destroyed, lifted me off my seat and a cd above my dash went flying. Really can't avoid all them potholes around here.

MusclezMarinara · 11-17-2010, 02:34 PM

I just got a huge bubble cause of a damn hole thought my shock tower was going to run thru the front fender.....new RFT yayy NOT !

sickem · 11-17-2010, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MusclezMarinara

I just got a huge bubble cause of a damn hole thought my shock tower was going to run thru the front fender.....new RFT yayy NOT !

yeah, roads in NJ are like Normandy. Guess we don't pay enough in taxes!!!

MetsFan · 11-17-2010, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by focusse

Hey dude You are from Andover !! I live in South Lawrence !!! ...

Another Andover resident checking in! I'm glad they finally fixed the stretch on Rt. 28 between the old Market Basket and Rt. 133. That whole stretch of road was littered with potholes.

BobKingerman · 11-17-2010, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by focusse

Hey dude You are from Andover !! I live in South Lawrence !!! ...

Yeah, im currently going to school in Cleveland, but usually spend my breaks in Andover. My brother got hit by some drunk guys trying to make some money from insurance fraud, so I like to avoid driving in Lawrence except when the new balance factory is having their sale or when I want some $5 large pizzas.

Back on topic.
Here is a video of me hitting a pothole in Boston. This was two weeks after I got my car and had a runflat replaced for close to $500. The hit bubbled the tire but the rim was fine. Drove on it for another 6000 miles while checking the bubble and it never got bigger.

[u2b]k3R43qPZvGw?fs=1&hl=1&">[/u2b]

focusse · 11-17-2010, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobKingerman

Yeah, im currently going to school in Cleveland, but usually spend my breaks in Andover. My brother got hit by some drunk guys trying to make some money from insurance fraud, so I like to avoid driving in Lawrence except when the new balance factory is having their sale or when I want some $5 large pizzas.

Back on topic.
Here is a video of me hitting a pothole in Boston. This was two weeks after I got my car and had a runflat replaced for close to $500. The hit bubbled the tire but the rim was fine. Drove on it for another 6000 miles while checking the bubble and it never got bigger.

Yeah i hate Lawrence but South is not THAT bad

I work next to New balance this area is just f up !!! North Shore Should do a meet it will be cool to see other e90 enthusiasts !!!

My brother got hit by a drunk 22 year old guy named Lopez .... in August head on on 114 . The guy was on his way to Lawrence ......

focusse · 11-17-2010, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetsFan

Another Andover resident checking in! I'm glad they finally fixed the stretch on Rt. 28 between the old Market Basket and Rt. 133. That whole stretch of road was littered with potholes.

Yeah it was like a slalom I like how they doing 93s that sucked at 80mph + grrrrr

captainaudio · 11-17-2010, 04:29 PM

This is a chronic problem with the 3 Series, particularly with the sport package. It is caused by a combination of issues including the RFTs. the low profile tires and poor suspension design, The 3 Series suspension has a serious design flaw that becomes apparent on poor surfaces. I replaced the RFTs when the car was a few weeks old and am having Koni FSD shocks installed tomorrow. Getting rid of the RFTs helped a lot but did not by any means eliminate the problem. Hopefully the Koni Shocks will minimize the problem.

As good as the suspension is on good roads the car borders on being undrivable in environments like New York City, RFTs or not. Someone on another forum coined the phrase "Pothole Explosions" and that is a very good description. Although they are more likely to happen in an area like New York City I have experienced Pothole Explosions, in Connecticut, Vermont and Upstate New York.

A few weeks ago we were in rural Pennsylvania in the way to Watkins Glen and were on an exit ramp from an Interstate. The pavement had been ground down in preparation of repaving. When we hit the end of the ground down area and hit the transition to the area that was not yet ground down it felt like the car was going to break in half. We pulled over to the side of the road and I expected to see a bubbled tire or a bent rim and I have already destroyed 5 tires and bent 5 rims courtesy of Pothole Explosions. There was no apparent damage but I watched other cars drive over the same bump and the drivers did not seem to be phased in the least.

As enjoyable as the car is to drive on decent roads this issue seriously detracts from my enjoyment of the car, I feel like hand shy dog as I drive along waiting for the next (inevitable) pothole explosion. I am a lifelong car enthusiast but at this point I get no enjoyment from driving my 335i and have no confidence in its ability to provide safe and reliable transportation, This was a huge disappointment for me as I was very excited about getting this car and joined the BMWCCA, and several BMW forums. This experience has totally soured me on the brand and the 335i is my first and last BMW. I don't mind a firm ride but it is inexcusable for the car to break when being driven on public roads and encountering things that do not appear to phase other cars.

CA

fdriller9 · 11-17-2010, 04:47 PM

^ lol good handling comes with a price.

John 070 · 11-17-2010, 04:49 PM

I hit one at 60 yesterday--I thought I was finally going to use my tire/wheel protection that I wasted $390 on. Only 12 of the original 60 mos. left, and I dunno if there is some disclaimer saying I can't get them replaced if my wear indicators are gone and steel cords are showing.

Anyway, nothing, so I get the feeling that the RFT wraps around the rim and prevents rim damage when a normal 18" and 40 series would have had a bent rim. Believe me my Nissan went through 3 sets until I finally gave up and went back to the OEM 16's

I335 · 11-17-2010, 05:10 PM

I'm in Peabody so not so far from you Andover guys and I can certainly relate. I switched out my RFTs for 19" Goodyear DS-G3 F1 non-RF tires on M6 reps and that helped quite a bit, but I was still crashing over some potholes pretty badly. I also installed a set of KW Street Comfort coilovers because I had read that when adjusted on the softer side they actually rode softer than the OEM suspension and actually they do, but I wouldn't call them "soft" by any means. Right now I'm running them set as soft as they can go and that is also helping more but I still do get a bit of crashing on the bigger potholes and I'm at the point now where I at least don't have to cringe every time I see road imperfection that I know I can't avoid, so it is quite a bit better than OEM now and it handles great. On my 17" winter tires the ride is quite a bit better still - almost like a normal car. At this point, I'm thinking that I may sell my M6 reps and go with a set of 18" wheels for the summer and perhaps a set of tires that are just a bit softer than the Goodyears in hopes that it will help even more without negatively affecting handling. What's really odd to me is that my old 1986 Corvette rode much stiffer than my 335 does and I don't remember it crashing over potholes the same way my 335 does. I've never experienced anything as bad as this car when it comes to potholes. I'm thinking it has a lot to do with the very low profile tires we have these days. Anyone know if other stiffly sprung cars with low profile tires have the same problem - like Porsche, etc. or is it just a BMW thing? It's the number 1 most annoying aspect of my car - 10X worse than the HPFP issue in my view. Also, anyone know which brands of tires have a bit softer sidewalls? I'm thinking of going with a set of PS2s next if in fact they're softer...

11-17-2010, 12:25 PM	#1
focusse Second Lieutenant 24 Rep 225 Posts Drives: BMW 330xi Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Boston MA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330xi [9.00]	I hit a horrible pothole ... Today and actually couple of times before i hit a pothole not even that big and I'm concerned . Every time there is horrible impact i just feel like something fell on the car or the car was dropped from 10 feet. Just a ShOCK every time . I know that suspension is stiff but is it that stiff or is that a run flat tires ?? thanks for help !!!
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11-17-2010, 12:30 PM	#2
ChasVS Colonel 40 Rep 2,431 Posts Drives: 2012 MB ML350 Bluetec Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Central FL iTrader: (10)	Yeah, it's a combination of the suspension and the RFT. It's so bad there's some roads I don't use around home because of the rough impacts on road joints,, pot holes, etc. If it didn't have new RFTs when I bought the 335 in July I'd be looking to switch to non-RFT to improve the ride!
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11-17-2010, 12:32 PM	#3
Kroy Brigadier General 173 Rep 3,032 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (1)	it's the RFTs. After I switched to ventus v12, ride is a lot smoother.
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11-17-2010, 12:36 PM	#4
bolty /r/trees 50 Rep 875 Posts Drives: 08 e92 335xi Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ontario, Canada iTrader: (3)	agreed. Ditch the runflats. Happiness will increase. And +1 for the v12's. Made a world of positive difference.
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11-17-2010, 12:36 PM	#5
focusse Second Lieutenant 24 Rep 225 Posts Drives: BMW 330xi Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Boston MA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330xi [9.00]	It feels like im driving on wheels instead of tires .... hmmm i have to think about new tires heh.... Thanks Guys !!!
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11-17-2010, 12:46 PM	#7
blacknbean Major 14 Rep 1,044 Posts Drives: e92 335i 6MT Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: LA iTrader: (2)	rfts ftl...one time i hit a pothole exiting the freeway and it sounded like a bomb went off in my car. i cant wait to get rid of them.
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11-17-2010, 01:45 PM	#9
Quick6EF Lieutenant 84 Rep 489 Posts Drives: E92 Space Gray Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Boston iTrader: (0)	I HATE when I go over bumps with my 18" RFTs. I just put on my winter wheels (some shitty 17") wrapped in Blizzaks; such an improvement in the ride quality.
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11-17-2010, 02:07 PM	#10
BobKingerman Private First Class 88 Rep 197 Posts Drives: 2007 e90 335i, 1969 Mustang Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cleveland, OH/ Andover, MA iTrader: (2) Garage List 2007 E90 335i [0.00]	I have hit bumps before where the passenger in the rear seat hit his head on the ceiling __________________ 2007 335i E90 BSM Depo Tail, Matte Grill, AFE DCI, JB4, Debadge, Matte Black Avant Garde M310, Blacked Out Trim, Mtech v3 AE Future Mods: Tint, Catless DPs E90post.com E9x Picture GAME!!! 2 Points Challenges Girl, Office Space
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11-17-2010, 02:29 PM	#12
linlaoboo Private First Class 7 Rep 172 Posts Drives: 07 328xi 6MT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: New Joysey iTrader: (0)	A week ago I ran over a pothole going 75+mph on the driver side, sounded like the front end was destroyed, lifted me off my seat and a cd above my dash went flying. Really can't avoid all them potholes around here. __________________ 07 328xi
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11-17-2010, 02:34 PM	#13
MusclezMarinara Banned 263 Rep 5,018 Posts Drives: VALNCYA Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Jersey iTrader: (23) Garage List 2011 BMW 1M [9.22] 2009 335i Sedan xdrive [9.34]	I just got a huge bubble cause of a damn hole thought my shock tower was going to run thru the front fender.....new RFT yayy NOT !
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11-17-2010, 04:29 PM	#19
captainaudio World's Foremost Authority 1181 Rep 4,535 Posts Drives: M4 Cab - Cayenne GTS - Jag XK Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Upper East Side Manhattan - Boca Raton FL - Lime Rock CT iTrader: (0)	This is a chronic problem with the 3 Series, particularly with the sport package. It is caused by a combination of issues including the RFTs. the low profile tires and poor suspension design, The 3 Series suspension has a serious design flaw that becomes apparent on poor surfaces. I replaced the RFTs when the car was a few weeks old and am having Koni FSD shocks installed tomorrow. Getting rid of the RFTs helped a lot but did not by any means eliminate the problem. Hopefully the Koni Shocks will minimize the problem. As good as the suspension is on good roads the car borders on being undrivable in environments like New York City, RFTs or not. Someone on another forum coined the phrase "Pothole Explosions" and that is a very good description. Although they are more likely to happen in an area like New York City I have experienced Pothole Explosions, in Connecticut, Vermont and Upstate New York. A few weeks ago we were in rural Pennsylvania in the way to Watkins Glen and were on an exit ramp from an Interstate. The pavement had been ground down in preparation of repaving. When we hit the end of the ground down area and hit the transition to the area that was not yet ground down it felt like the car was going to break in half. We pulled over to the side of the road and I expected to see a bubbled tire or a bent rim and I have already destroyed 5 tires and bent 5 rims courtesy of Pothole Explosions. There was no apparent damage but I watched other cars drive over the same bump and the drivers did not seem to be phased in the least. As enjoyable as the car is to drive on decent roads this issue seriously detracts from my enjoyment of the car, I feel like hand shy dog as I drive along waiting for the next (inevitable) pothole explosion. I am a lifelong car enthusiast but at this point I get no enjoyment from driving my 335i and have no confidence in its ability to provide safe and reliable transportation, This was a huge disappointment for me as I was very excited about getting this car and joined the BMWCCA, and several BMW forums. This experience has totally soured me on the brand and the 335i is my first and last BMW. I don't mind a firm ride but it is inexcusable for the car to break when being driven on public roads and encountering things that do not appear to phase other cars. CA __________________ Drivers Club at Lime Rock - International Motorsports Research Center - Society of Automotive Historians - Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society (0nly a VP) - BMWCCA - Porsche Club of America - M Gruppe - Polish Race Drivers of America (PDRA) - Glen Club (Watkins Glen International) - Jaguar Club of Southern New England Last edited by captainaudio; 11-17-2010 at 04:55 PM..
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11-17-2010, 04:47 PM	#20
fdriller9 Banned 255 Rep 7,089 Posts Drives: '06 AW 330xi Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North Jersey/Philly/NYC iTrader: (4) Garage List 2006 330xi [6.44]	^ lol good handling comes with a price.
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11-17-2010, 04:49 PM	#21
John 070 Lieutenant General 1707 Rep 14,829 Posts Drives: 335i cpe Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: ZSP/ZPP/ZCW iTrader: (0)	I hit one at 60 yesterday--I thought I was finally going to use my tire/wheel protection that I wasted $390 on. Only 12 of the original 60 mos. left, and I dunno if there is some disclaimer saying I can't get them replaced if my wear indicators are gone and steel cords are showing. Anyway, nothing, so I get the feeling that the RFT wraps around the rim and prevents rim damage when a normal 18" and 40 series would have had a bent rim. Believe me my Nissan went through 3 sets until I finally gave up and went back to the OEM 16's
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11-17-2010, 05:10 PM	#22
I335 Brigadier General 123 Rep 4,249 Posts Drives: '08 335i Coupe Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New England iTrader: (11)	I'm in Peabody so not so far from you Andover guys and I can certainly relate. I switched out my RFTs for 19" Goodyear DS-G3 F1 non-RF tires on M6 reps and that helped quite a bit, but I was still crashing over some potholes pretty badly. I also installed a set of KW Street Comfort coilovers because I had read that when adjusted on the softer side they actually rode softer than the OEM suspension and actually they do, but I wouldn't call them "soft" by any means. Right now I'm running them set as soft as they can go and that is also helping more but I still do get a bit of crashing on the bigger potholes and I'm at the point now where I at least don't have to cringe every time I see road imperfection that I know I can't avoid, so it is quite a bit better than OEM now and it handles great. On my 17" winter tires the ride is quite a bit better still - almost like a normal car. At this point, I'm thinking that I may sell my M6 reps and go with a set of 18" wheels for the summer and perhaps a set of tires that are just a bit softer than the Goodyears in hopes that it will help even more without negatively affecting handling. What's really odd to me is that my old 1986 Corvette rode much stiffer than my 335 does and I don't remember it crashing over potholes the same way my 335 does. I've never experienced anything as bad as this car when it comes to potholes. I'm thinking it has a lot to do with the very low profile tires we have these days. Anyone know if other stiffly sprung cars with low profile tires have the same problem - like Porsche, etc. or is it just a BMW thing? It's the number 1 most annoying aspect of my car - 10X worse than the HPFP issue in my view. Also, anyone know which brands of tires have a bit softer sidewalls? I'm thinking of going with a set of PS2s next if in fact they're softer...
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