For several months now the wife and I have noticed a serious discrepancy in the handling of our 328xi upon breaking. The car pulls to the right and the effort of this pull is determined by speed and encouragement from the applicator's effort. I can assume that there is something amiss in the front suspension/steering mechanics and my question is simple. Once the problem is diagnosed, is there a possibility of stepping up the suspension for more durable and responsive gratification? Are there 'upgrades' for the suspension that I should be looking for?
The brake pull issue could be a couple things one being uneven brake pad wear from a slide being stuck. What happens is the caliber on the un stuck side has to travel a greater distance to apply the brakes thus causing a pull. As for the suspension is depends on what your going for. Do you want to have the same ride comfort with more responsive handling? Or do you just want a sportier ride all together?
I should inspect the front pads first, then? As far as the ride; I believe that the wife would appreciate the comfort remains the same. As for me, the cornering's the thing! The handling is what won the wife over to my belief that we were purchasing one of the greatest cars in the world. We just had the valve cover gasket replaced yesterday and I can't wait to drive it without the smell of oil and the threat of losing another coil. I appreciate your insight.
Yes I would inspect the front pads and caliper slides to make sure they are free moving. If you want the comfort to remain the same but upgrade the cornering. You could upgrade the sway bars which will not effect the ride quality. Here is a example http://www.turnermotorsport.com/BMW-E90/c-131-bmw-sway-bar-kits.aspx Another thing you could get is a front strut bar that will help with cornering as well. Of course you can change the springs as well but this will change the ride quality and depending on the springs will ride rougher then stock.
Ditto Charlson's suggestions - once you start down the path of lowering springs and sportier/stiffer shocks, any gains come at the expense of ride quality. Tires are a good bang-for-the-buck upgrade, you can always throw some sticky rubber on the car, however most high or ultra-high performance summer tires are not meant to be used in cold/winter. See options on Tirerack.com -
Excellent info! I have been researching coil-over and your input has been most helpful. I don't believe the wife would appreciate this 'modification'. We are enjoying the Bridgestones at the present and with the sway-bar and strut bar enhancements, we will accomplish every aspect of my concerns without upsetting the wife! I can't thank you enough for your input. And now, on to the power improvements? Have a great weekend! Road trip will wait until I can pull the wheels.
