Z4 2.8i 17" vs 18" wheel ride quality

donelpgh · 03-01-2013, 11:20 PM

I had a 2009 Z4 3.5i with 18" wheels (no sport package) and turned in the lease about a year ago. I miss the car and have looked at a few others like Corvette, Boxster, etc but keep coming back to the Z4. I plan on getting another in the fall when my 5-series lease is up as I have another daily driver.

One thing I did not like about the 3.5i and 18" wheels was the ride. Impact harshness could be pretty rough with the low profile runflats. The car also felt heavy at times. I recently test drive a 2.8i with the 17" wheels and loved it. The car felt very light on its feet and the ride was better. I do not care for the look of the 17s though, and ultimate stick in the corners was definitely compromised by the smaller contact patch.

Has anyone compared the 17" to 18" wheels on the 2.8i? Does the car still feel light on its feet, and how is the ride and impact harshness? I am thinking about getting the M Sport to go with the Canyon Brown Interior, mostly for the better looking wheels. If it is going to make the 2.8i feel like my old 3.5i though I am going to pass.

Would appreciate hearing from 2.8i drivers who have driven both or have one of the sport packages on their Z4.

BuckarooVT90 · 03-03-2013, 07:53 AM

I've found my msport adjustable suspension in normal or soft mode to be quite compliant...sure beats the msport suspension on my old 1er that wasn't adjustable... Both my z and 135i have 18's... It's not 5series soft, but then again the shorter wheelbase contributes the most to ride harshness as does the run flat tires... Rock hard side walls.

donelpgh · 03-03-2013, 09:26 PM

I hated the OEM RE050A tires. I will NOT have runflats on it when I take delivery, no matter the model or tire size!

Do you have the 2.8i or 3.5i? If the 2.8i, does it feel tossable with the 18s? One thing I noticed about the 2.8i/17 combo is how tossable it felt compared to my old 3.5i. Much of it is undoubtedly the lighter engine, but some of it can probably be chalked up to the smaller and lighter wheel/tire combo as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuckarooVT90

I've found my msport adjustable suspension in normal or soft mode to be quite compliant...sure beats the msport suspension on my old 1er that wasn't adjustable... Both my z and 135i have 18's... It's not 5series soft, but then again the shorter wheelbase contributes the most to ride harshness as does the run flat tires... Rock hard side walls.

Eltee · 03-03-2013, 09:52 PM

I've got a 2009 3.0 that had the original 17s with RFTs. Switched to 18s non RFTs (Michelin Pilot Super Sports).

The ride got better in all respects (Not as harsh, better response) So if your going from RFTs to non, then what I found was you can up the diameter and still come out ahead.

Yeggman · 03-04-2013, 05:11 AM

Eltee, what wheels did you go with? Vendor? I think what you did is the way to go. Did you also get a spare?

Eltee · 03-04-2013, 11:26 PM

I found a staggered set of BMW style 293 from a guy on ebay. Perfect condition. I think I only paid $500 for 4 including shipping. (Original, not knock offs). Purchased a set of Michelins Super Sports locally and of course had the wheels checked to be certain they were perfect. (Always kinda risky buying through ebay)

http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/293

I still have 2+ years of warranty and BMW assist left as well as the Michs have free roadside assistance for 3 years so I didn't get a spare.

Extremely pleased with the new set up. The 293s really dressed it up and the Michs are fantastic.

03-01-2013, 11:20 PM	#1
donelpgh New Member 2 Rep 9 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: PA iTrader: (0)	Z4 2.8i 17" vs 18" wheel ride quality I had a 2009 Z4 3.5i with 18" wheels (no sport package) and turned in the lease about a year ago. I miss the car and have looked at a few others like Corvette, Boxster, etc but keep coming back to the Z4. I plan on getting another in the fall when my 5-series lease is up as I have another daily driver. One thing I did not like about the 3.5i and 18" wheels was the ride. Impact harshness could be pretty rough with the low profile runflats. The car also felt heavy at times. I recently test drive a 2.8i with the 17" wheels and loved it. The car felt very light on its feet and the ride was better. I do not care for the look of the 17s though, and ultimate stick in the corners was definitely compromised by the smaller contact patch. Has anyone compared the 17" to 18" wheels on the 2.8i? Does the car still feel light on its feet, and how is the ride and impact harshness? I am thinking about getting the M Sport to go with the Canyon Brown Interior, mostly for the better looking wheels. If it is going to make the 2.8i feel like my old 3.5i though I am going to pass. Would appreciate hearing from 2.8i drivers who have driven both or have one of the sport packages on their Z4.
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03-03-2013, 07:53 AM	#2
BuckarooVT90 Private First Class 10 Rep 189 Posts Drives: '13 Z4 sDrive35i DCT Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Virginia iTrader: (1) Garage List 2020 Z4 M40i [8.00]	I've found my msport adjustable suspension in normal or soft mode to be quite compliant...sure beats the msport suspension on my old 1er that wasn't adjustable... Both my z and 135i have 18's... It's not 5series soft, but then again the shorter wheelbase contributes the most to ride harshness as does the run flat tires... Rock hard side walls.
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03-03-2013, 09:52 PM	#4
Eltee Private First Class 25 Rep 173 Posts Drives: 2011 Z4 35i Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Milwaukee, WI iTrader: (0)	3.0 17s to 18s I've got a 2009 3.0 that had the original 17s with RFTs. Switched to 18s non RFTs (Michelin Pilot Super Sports). The ride got better in all respects (Not as harsh, better response) So if your going from RFTs to non, then what I found was you can up the diameter and still come out ahead.
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03-04-2013, 05:11 AM	#5
Yeggman Private First Class 5 Rep 108 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 s3.0i 6MT Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Florida iTrader: (0)	Eltee, what wheels did you go with? Vendor? I think what you did is the way to go. Did you also get a spare?
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03-04-2013, 11:26 PM	#6
Eltee Private First Class 25 Rep 173 Posts Drives: 2011 Z4 35i Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Milwaukee, WI iTrader: (0)	I found a staggered set of BMW style 293 from a guy on ebay. Perfect condition. I think I only paid $500 for 4 including shipping. (Original, not knock offs). Purchased a set of Michelins Super Sports locally and of course had the wheels checked to be certain they were perfect. (Always kinda risky buying through ebay) http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/293 I still have 2+ years of warranty and BMW assist left as well as the Michs have free roadside assistance for 3 years so I didn't get a spare. Extremely pleased with the new set up. The 293s really dressed it up and the Michs are fantastic.
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