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New E81 owneer - Hello & help

1K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  stevekoz 
#1 ·
Hey all,

So new to the forum.

I'm not new to bmw as such and not new to performance cars. But i am new to the 1series.

I recently bought a 55reg Bmw 130i Msport. It was a bit on the low price side - not overly tidy but well serviced so took a gamble on her, knowing i may need to spend money. Picked her up and get her into bmw as she was pulling a bit to the right. They advised uneven wear on front tyres, brake pipes perished and seized tie rod ends at front. All of which was replaced by Sytner for a nice £1000 as well as having a full diagnostic , visual check and full alignment.

No faults to report, everything else came back normal. Mechanics commented it sounded and went well for a car of its age and miles (115k).

Since the alignment, i got a vibration at motorway speeds at front through the wheel and turns out both front tyres were 50p pieces. So had them replaced. Fitting AVONS. Best tyre in stock at the time and needed them.

Wobble is gone. Hurrah.

However as up till this point i hadn't dared take her over 70mph . I have now. I note the steering gets increasingly lighter and twitchy at high speed.

I have read some articles suggesting that the m-sport 130i is a bit twitchy at speed but does this sound normal to anyone?

The wheel feels very twitchy and following the road, very light to the touch. Yet at low speeds it feels heavy and firm.

Having had new tie rod ends and BMW visually checked the rest of the suspension and said it was ok and it passed MOT with no advisories - is this a normal thing i'm feeling through the wheel as i'm not used to the car/model etc or are my gut instincts that this is a bit out ordinary correct?

Thanks in advance.

PS. despite this, i'm loving the car - its so much fun to drive a proper normally aspirated straight 6 again after my old e46. Really feels great asides the above.
 
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#3 ·
Have you had the alignment checked? So many poor handling cars is all down to alignment. I have had cars done and its a night and day difference, that's what i'd be checking first off and getting the E92 M3 settings put on.

Also if you're going to be doing that, get the camber pin mod done and maybe either the front M3 link arms or camber plates from THETYRANT here and it will transform the front end feel in corners.

The rear subframe bushes could be worn out too which can cause skittish behaviour and are a great upgrade and easy to install also.
 
#4 ·
Which exact Avon's did you fit please? Proper tyres or Runcraps? Please tell us sizes, including speed rating and Load index.

All that again for what's on the back axle please.

Also, what tyre pressures are you using?

Do you have a printout of the BMW KDS Alignment?
 
#5 ·
Hi All,

wow thanks for the responses. very helpful bunch.

I'm at work now so will respond with full details as soon as when i'm home and have all the paperwork for the tyres and from BMW.

The KDS was done prior to the new tyres though - so maybe i need it doing again ? ?

In terms of what i'm noticing, i'm not making lots of corrections to answer questions. What i am getting is lot of road noise and the feedback through the wheel is intense, like i feel the wheels skipping all over every bump and notchin the road. It was extrememly windy last night on the m42/ m6 also.

I'l say now, it is hard to describe as i don't experience it driving on everyday on anything up to 75mph. Over that it starts to get alot more feedback and feels lighter and like the i can feel exactly every movment the wheels are making through the wheel. Even on my old e46 it felt solid and planted through the steering. This feels very different - i believe my car has the active steering as it has every optional extra i think was available when it was purchased. Not sure if that makes a difference either.

I'll post up more details in a bit.

In terms of the car itself, i was thinking do to LCA's and upgrade/swap out bushes and anti roll bars to added a bit more rigidity where things where perhaps now a bit looser after 115k and 12 years of driving.
 
#6 ·
Tyres don't effect which direction the wheels point in, so it shouldn't need a 2nd alignment (assuming they did it correctly - looking forward to seeing all the data).

We can't be of much help with only subjective opinions, please let us know the tyre info and pressures. :thumbs:

These cars shouldn't be light or twitchy at speed, but will obviously be badly effected by cross-winds like any other vehicle.
 
#7 ·
at 115k it may well be that some suspension parts are on their way out this is something dealers routinely fail to notice as they tend not to drive the car far. As for being twitchy at speed this is not a feature of a well sorted 130. And find a good independent rather than going to Sytner or your wallet will be quickly emptied.
 
#9 ·
I hear you about Sytner emptying my wallet, just a smidge under £970 for perished brake pipes, tie rods and alignemnt, and i have the invoice for the KDS but no paperwork with it to suggest the relevant results. I will ask Sytner for that information - hopefully they have it as that proves i didn't pay 127 just for an invoice !

In terms of the tyres, they are Avon ZZ5 (225/40/18 - 92Y XL - pressure was inflated by store not myself, will have to check) on front and Falken (same size as Avon) on rears + were done last month just before i purchased the car. The Avons are the same as was on it previously, they both needed doing as they had 50p'd (tie rods/bad alignment). None are run flats, but granted not a great tyre perhaps? But as i needed them and it was all they had in stock to fit.

Is the suggestion replacing the Avons?

I think best bet is to get it into a specialist to thoroughly test drive and highlight anything that BMW may not have picked up on their visual inspection.
 
#10 ·
Falkens are known to be a little soft/loose, so that could be a minor factor. Tail wagging the dog slightly? If I were swapping any tyres, I'd put 235/40R18 95Y XL Avon ZZ5's on the back (and save the Falkens for the front, if you don't want to ditch/sell them).

Can you try putting 35psi front and rear in them, then re-try your high-speed test for us please?
 
#13 ·
hi its cool, thats what i meant, i realise the wheels are different sizes. Its not my first bmw (previous e46 owner)

The tyres were all inflated to 31/32 psi - i increased this to 35 and noticed a slight improvement but still a lot of feedback from steering and still felt light.

Concerned its something to do with suspension and other such bits at front so going to get it into a specialist and report back.

Thanks for all the help.
 
#15 ·
One easy thing to check: when the steering feels too light and twitchy try going through the different DSC modes.

Pressing the DTC button once will activate the Dynamic Traction Control which will allow more sensor reading discrepancy before the DSC intervenes. Does the steering feel get better? If yes, then it might be a sensor problem. Failing ABS wheel speed sensors sometimes do this. If no, press the button for 3 seconds or so, this will turn off all the driving aids so be careful when driving in this mode. If it still feels light and twitchy it's probably not a sensor problem.
 
#16 ·
I know it's already been said but Christ on a bike! £970 for that lot :eek2:

In regards to your alignment. If they're unable to provide you with a printout, which would be pretty useless, you could always check it yourself.

After recently replacing my lower control arms I used this calculator and method:



Toe only mind, not camber as I don't have the kit for that. The YouTube video is a bit long-winded but you'll get the idea.
 
#18 ·
caliper is a good call, i had that issue on my 330 and it felt similar and i know this 130 has had 3 calipers done already so it could be the last one.

theres a few things left i can try so i'll try them over next couple of days and let you all know.

Thanks all very much for the advice, appreciate the generous help.
 
#19 ·
took her out last weekend for a generous drive and the pressures made a difference, felt better, but still had what i would call excessive feel through the wheel and some wobble/vibration - i have checked wheels for over heating but both seem same temp and no discolouration so i am not sure about caliper but its still on the list. My top items are LCA and actually a buckled wheel. Neither front wheels have any weights on them - is that normal? I guess if there is a wobble /buckle in the wheel i can try and buckle it out. The other option is to buy new wheels or have them repaired adn refurbished.

I still plan to do a full suspension refresh . Regardless i'm loving how it drives.

Just need to find this culprit and i think do the coilpacks as slight misfire/hiccup at idle - fine under load.
 
#20 ·
Wheels/tyres that don't require balancing is possible, but pretty rare in my experience. You'd get bad steering wheel vibrations if they're out, rather than a light/vague feeling. I'd jack the car up, physically spin each wheel, see if both inside and outside edge of all wheels run true. Buckles should be relatively easy to spot.

Have you tried a pair of 235/40R18 95Y XL Avon ZZ5's on the back yet?
 
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