Calling XI's with a Drop...are u happy with ride comfort???

I appreciate all the input, but can we get back on topic. My question pertains to a drop...not how well are cars go through the snow. Thanks

Originally Posted by Kubica

Haha. JJ, I'm sorry but you just don't get it man. Haha. You have never driven an xi in the snow! Do you know how i know? Becasue an xi is never unpredictable in the snow! Haha.

I drive retarded fast in the snow- I'm a ski racer. My xi does 15+ trips a year from Boston>>Jay Peak (it's on the VT/Quebec border if you didn't know). I stepped up to studded Nokian Hakkas last winter becasue i wanted to go even faster in the snow. You may have to slow down and "drive with extra caution" with your blizzaks. I'm the guy doing 85+mph in the unplowed left lane- you are the guy stuck behind a plow spreading rock salt all over your hood.

Im with you. I wanted an e46, and i wanted a car that could handle in the snow.. result an xi that i slap snow tires on. I ski 50-70 times a year and drive roads that rarely see snowplows every time it snow. Id be 100% more confident in my xi than a RWD.. Although not the best awd system out there, it definitely gets the job done and looks great..

....now that wheel well room is another story. photos make it look worse than it really is but a slight drop would make it look that much better. Im interested in the answer to the OP's question as well..

as for jj.. your car is nice, lets just leave it at that.. there really is no reason for you to come into this thread and bash an xi.. go comment in the showroom on someone who needs a drop or clears..

I still have my stock shocks (61k) and H&R Sports. I am not super happy with the ride quality, its a bit stiff, but the gap looks soo bad. If I see a good deal on oem xi springs (I sold mine) I would contemplate going back. Though, if I replace my shocks, that might help too.

Originally Posted by JJR4884

because they feel they need an "xi" in the snow rather than going with snow tires...

no offense OP, i'm sure you have your own reasons... but after having blizzacks in RI for 3 years, there is absolutely no reason to get an Xi

on the flip side, maybe the OP found the "perfect" e46 and it just so happened to have xi

I have an xi & snow tires & H&R. As long as I dont bottom out on a snow bank, I'm unstoppable.

Sorry JJR, but your waaay wrong. xi>rwd in inclement weather.

I have Pro-Kit springs on stock shocks and it is pretty close to stock comfort/ride quality. It hugs the road better and rough roads are obviously more pronounced, but overall I would never go back to stock and am extremely happy with it. I can be driving down a rough road and still take a drink, which was NOT the case with my Eclipse that had Tien coilovers.

For the XI debate, there are two reason I got mine. $11k OTD with no problems (58k miles, Who can beat that??) and because I live at the top of a hill that you cannot make it up without AWD. Anything that isn't AWD sits at the bottom for a few days and I have even seen 4x4 trucks/cars down there on my way up in the past. It's very helpful especially with all the lake effect snow we get!

This is kinda subjective. I noticed after my drop, that it was harsher. I'm also noticing more intently because I'm running 19's and trying not to bend my rims. Other people that have not ridden in a BMW comment about how smooth it is. I've been riding that way for a few years.

OT/ I was looking for a black 325 manual, so I wasn't aware of what the Xi meant. /OT

Originally Posted by kubica

botaman for president!

lol.

I'm on stock shocks and put in hr sport springs at 71k and now the car just reached 81k. The first few hundred miles on the springs did feel harsh for me as this was the first car I own that has been lowered. After riding on some other lowered cars including stock e46 m3 and e46 325ci with sport suspension, mine did not feel bad at all in comparison. I would suggest that you ride with somebody in your area that has some lowering springs or coilover setups so you would have a general idea for comfort and sportiness. Good luck.

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

Im with you. I wanted an e46, and i wanted a car that could handle in the snow.. result an xi that i slap snow tires on. I ski 50-70 times a year and drive roads that rarely see snowplows every time it snow. Id be 100% more confident in my xi than a RWD.. Although not the best awd system out there, it definitely gets the job done and looks great..

....now that wheel well room is another story. photos make it look worse than it really is but a slight drop would make it look that much better. Im interested in the answer to the OP's question as well..

as for jj.. your car is nice, lets just leave it at that.. there really is no reason for you to come into this thread and bash an xi.. go comment in the showroom on someone who needs a drop or clears..

+1 well said

After my last car I'm perfectly content with having some extra ground clearance. My old Acura was dropped on KSports and in any snow it basically acted like one giant snow plow. I'm happy to have the extra clearance especially when it comes to snow.

Well in about a month I'll be able to properly add my $0.02. My 325xi was my first BMW, and I still have it because with a set of Blizzaks, it is nearly perfect on snows and slushy roads. However, I also wished to make the car look better in person. With 93k miles on the stock shocks, it was time for a replacement anyway, so I ordered a set of Bilstein Sport Shocks and an Eibach Pro Kit. As soon as the parts come in, I'll have a verdict.

As for snow, if there is so much snow that my xi acts as a snow plow, I take it as an omen that I shouldn't be driving on the roads. A 1-1.25" drop isn't going to make that much difference on highway driving conditions. Besides, I always have the trusty Dodge Ram 1500 if things go Ice Age on me.

Never look back. Here are some pics of mine.

Originally Posted by bimmer654

I bought the XI so I don't have to worry about the harsh New England winters. With all due respect, after owning both a 5 & 7 series with rear wheel drive I have to disagree with you...they suck in the snow with or without blizzacks. Whereas with our famous noreasters my XI will plow through just about anything & the rear wheel drives are off in a bank somewhere or spinning sideways up a hill.

well we can agree to disagree... based on the weather down here and RI and the plows, there is never more than a few inches on the ground, if not its plowed... i have yet to not make it up a hill, and i've been up steep ones, i have yet to get stuck, etc etc etc... you have a very skewed misconception of our rwd cars with blizzacks.... spinning sideways? lol these tires have amazing handling in the snow, it takes some effort to go sideways (aka downshifting and flooring it)

before anyone takes my post out of context... i am in no way "comparing" awd with snows to rwd, i'm just stating that IMO around my area, RWD with snows will hold up just fine in normal driving conditions

Originally Posted by Kubica

Haha. JJ, I'm sorry but you just don't get it man. Haha. You have never driven an xi in the snow! Do you know how i know? Becasue an xi is never unpredictable in the snow! Haha.

I drive retarded fast in the snow- I'm a ski racer. My xi does 15+ trips a year from Boston>>Jay Peak (it's on the VT/Quebec border if you didn't know). I stepped up to studded Nokian Hakkas last winter becasue i wanted to go even faster in the snow. You may have to slow down and "drive with extra caution" with your blizzaks. I'm the guy doing 85+mph in the unplowed left lane- you are the guy stuck behind a plow spreading rock salt all over your hood.

lol don't get me started... please don't...

with any "harsh" weather conditions you should always drive with caution, not because your car can't handle going faster, but because its COMMON SENSE... you drive with caution when there is snow because other morons don't know how to drive, you have to worry about them crashing into you, them sliding all over the road, visibility is horrible and so forth...

so if you want to go 30mph over the speed limit, thats your call... not once did i say that blizzacks on RWD would compare to AWD with snows

and once again, your opinion is skewed as well.... i'll easily drive 10-15mph faster in the left hand lane, UNPLOWED.... my car does just fine at normal driving speeds... i just need to worry about my front bumper so i will keep it a little on the slower side, not because my "rwd stuck behind a plow" can't handle it

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

as for jj.. your car is nice, lets just leave it at that.. there really is no reason for you to come into this thread and bash an xi.. go comment in the showroom on someone who needs a drop or clears..

lol when did i "bash" on xi's? and don't try to insult me with that "drop or clears" comment, i've contributed enough to this forum to have my own opinion, i don't go around all day bashing people's cars left and right

all i said was "here in RI, i see no reason for Xi compared to RWD"

that is a FACT.... maybe where you are from its a little bit different, but all you AWD owners are getting seriously butthurt.

do you seriously believe that regular road conditions of a couple inches of snow means you NEED an xi? I'll say, for the people that drive on unplowed roads all day, different story, but rwd with snow tires will work completely fine

you guys are seriously way too sensitive, not once did i make a comment on "omg Xi's are horrible, they look like shiit, etc etc..." so stop being so goddamn sensitive

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

Sorry JJR, but your waaay wrong. xi>rwd in inclement weather.

lol when did i say RWD>Xi
i even said "i know rwd with snows could NEVER compare to an Xi with snows"


k i'm done explaining myself because you people don't know how to read

Originally Posted by JJR4884

l
that is a FACT.... maybe where you are from its a little bit different, but all you AWD owners are getting seriously butthurt.

you guys are seriously way too sensitive, not once did i make a comment on "omg Xi's are horrible, they look like shiit, etc etc..." so stop being so goddamn sensitive


k i'm done explaining myself because you people don't know how to read

Its the same old song and dance from non-xi owners, come into a thread that clearly has no relevance to them and then state why their car is soooo much better or is just what you need. Im not sitting here getting butthurt over anything.

For me, like i said before, an XI was a much better choice for when its dumping and im heading to the mountains. Id really like you to drive from RI to Jaypeak VT during the next blizzard and tell me you wouldn't rather be in a car with AWD. Ive been in both a 325i and my xi during snow conditions and the 325i handled like crap compared to the xi (both equipped with snow tires). the xi has a feeling of being more planted to the road. The 325i just wanted to slide out much easier.

Now, you can spit that AWD is a marketing gimmick and we've been brainwashed into thinking that because we live in the northeast, we need AWD, but that is just entirely false. Just look at the new x-drive system that is being incorporated into everything. AWD is becoming a staple system on most car brands and is being used for better handling, not just for getting through the snow.

On the other hand, if i wasnt such an avid skier and lived in the south below the snow, i would have purchased a RWD E46 and been thankful to miss all the problems i encounter with the awd system now..

For now, ill live with the ride height and the "needs a drop" comments i get.

Hey Wdeerfield,

You're in Albany NY so am I, let's get a run for Starbucks one of these days

Wow this thread has been pointless.

Back to the original subject. I have a set of H&R springs that have been sitting my garage for 2 years now. My car has 92k miles and I'm ready to get the worn struts out, but I'm worried about having a crashy, harsh ride.

Who has the smoothest ride and what strut/ spring combo do you use? Should I just replace my struts and leave the stock springs on? Are the H&Rs really the worst for comfort? Is it even possible to keep a smooth ride with aftermarket suspension parts?

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

Its the same old song and dance from non-xi owners, come into a thread that clearly has no relevance to them and then state why their car is soooo much better or is just what you need. Im not sitting here getting butthurt over anything.

For me, like i said before, an XI was a much better choice for when its dumping and im heading to the mountains. Id really like you to drive from RI to Jaypeak VT during the next blizzard and tell me you wouldn't rather be in a car with AWD. Ive been in both a 325i and my xi during snow conditions and the 325i handled like crap compared to the xi (both equipped with snow tires). the xi has a feeling of being more planted to the road. The 325i just wanted to slide out much easier.

Now, you can spit that AWD is a marketing gimmick and we've been brainwashed into thinking that because we live in the northeast, we need AWD, but that is just entirely false. Just look at the new x-drive system that is being incorporated into everything. AWD is becoming a staple system on most car brands and is being used for better handling, not just for getting through the snow.

On the other hand, if i wasnt such an avid skier and lived in the south below the snow, i would have purchased a RWD E46 and been thankful to miss all the problems i encounter with the awd system now..

For now, ill live with the ride height and the "needs a drop" comments i get.

you are retarded, you seriously are.... please see BOLDED parts to prove how much of a dumbass you are

WHEN DID I SAY MY CAR WAS SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER.... NEVER

and

I NEVER SAID I WOULD RATHER BE IN AN RWD CAR, NOR DID I DISCREDIT THE CAPABILITIES OF AN AWD WITH SNOWS

and

WHEN DID I SAY AWD WAS A MARKETING GIMMICK????


butthurt? ya clearly you are if you are making up things that you "thought" i said



i'll say this one last goddamn time... for the weather here in RI (just like YOU referenced your driving habits/conditions on the way to VT)... there is never more than a couple inches on the ground, if that... with that being said, RWD with snow tires is COMPLETELY FINE

if you can't agree with that, then you need to open your eyes... you are talking about going 80 in all this snow and not losing control, idk wtf kinda bullshit is running through your mind, but where the fvck are you coming up with ideas like that? why is whatever you are saying even relevent?

on page 1 i even said to another member "oh i didn't check where you were from (calgary) and then AGREED THAT AWD WOULD BE A BETTER CHOICE"

please.... put your guard down and READ everything i have said in this thread

once again... PLEASE READ what i am saying, because clearly you haven't been able to read a goddamn thing yet

Originally Posted by wat3rbug

This is kinda subjective. I noticed after my drop, that it was harsher. I'm also noticing more intently because I'm running 19's and trying not to bend my rims. Other people that have not ridden in a BMW comment about how smooth it is. I've been riding that way for a few years.

OT/ I was looking for a black 325 manual, so I wasn't aware of what the Xi meant. /OT

to this. and when I got my xi I had no idea that it was higher up than the other models. I knew I just loved silver and the fact that it had sport package with the 5 spoke rims

The XI is faster...? NICE! best car ever made!

Originally Posted by JJR4884

because they feel they need an "xi" in the snow rather than going with snow tires...

no offense OP, i'm sure you have your own reasons... but after having blizzacks in RI for 3 years, there is absolutely no reason to get an Xi

on the flip side, maybe the OP found the "perfect" e46 and it just so happened to have xi

LOL your RWD car in the snow with snow-tires is RETARDEDLY terrible and you don't even know it!