1 is unstable at high speed

[deek]

Speedometer needle was about an inch past the 160mph mark yesterday....

i was following a jag and didn't even know i was going that fast!

brakes works awesome! =-) 160+ - 100 almost instantly.

[jibaholic101]

i notice no difference in feel from 140 and 35

[larryn]

I've been on Watkins Glen doing an indicated 152mph on the back straight.. no issues. I'd suggest getting your alignment and suspension checked if you have issues.

[Lisav123]

my mini cooper s was excellent at high speeds til like 130 with the stock runflats now after hitting 50,000 miles the car drives not the same ive had alighnment done like 5times in 2yrs and i have had 12 new run flats bcz they were garbage i went thru 2 brake pad changes, and the engine mount broke and i had 4 dented rims, and my leatherette is ruined, and im waiting for my 135i to get here a few more weeks, im going to miss the mini but recently they just charged me 2,000$ for brakes and roders there out of there mind like i said i love the mini, but it just feels like its lagging...but drove awesome at high speeds my first car 2004 vw gti 1.8t was the worst at 70 it would start to b uncontrollable ridiculus

[timt]

I have done many, many upgrades to my 135 over the last year, and nothing between the tires and the steering column is original (bushings, control arms, shocks, struts, springs, camber plates, etc.) That being said, the single biggest culprit for that feeling of instability was the runflats. I changed them first and I went from really worrying I made a mistake buying the car to feeling much relieved.

I would say the issue was quite a bit more noticeable on concrete, potentially grooved roads (I-280 up near SF comes to mind). Really nice blacktop roads handled the speed even with runflats. But the concrete roads felt scary at speed in the runflats, often feeling like I was floating on a layer of water or even ice.

Change the tires. Seriously.

[backtoreality15]

I've done 130 on runcraps in my 128i and it's been fine. Slightly floaty around sweeps, but not unstable. The road was new and smooth though.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by timt

I have done many, many upgrades to my 135 over the last year, and nothing between the tires and the steering column is original (bushings, control arms, shocks, struts, springs, camber plates, etc.) That being said, the single biggest culprit for that feeling of instability was the runflats. I changed them first and I went from really worrying I made a mistake buying the car to feeling much relieved.

I would say the issue was quite a bit more noticeable on concrete, potentially grooved roads (I-280 up near SF comes to mind). Really nice blacktop roads handled the speed even with runflats. But the concrete roads felt scary at speed in the runflats, often feeling like I was floating on a layer of water or even ice.

Change the tires. Seriously.

I don't think tires can make that much of difference. The floaty characteristic should be a factor from the suspension and dampening rate. I have driven over abrupt drop on the freeway at highspeed and it felt like a roller coaster. On flat surface the car feels solid and the floaty issue is only becomes an issue over triple digits on rough road.

[deez330]

interesting thread..

i just went to test drive the 135 today and the dealer who went with me said that he had driven a lot of cars but this car felt unstable at 120+. He suggested at the fact that the rear was too light. Seems like some kind of spoiler may help. But what about simply adding more weight to the back?
For example.. throwing a spare wheel/tire in the trunk (which i do) I wouldnt want to upset the cars near 50-50 balance tho. What do you guys think?

Anyway i am ordering my 135 tomorrow morning, and cant wait to test out this car at high speeds. My current car which i am trading in is a 330i and it is very stable at 160mph. I do not have AS or Run flats. If you have run flats i would recommend swapping them out asap, they are terrible.

[larryn]

Agree on the runflats replacement. To be honest, doing 150mph with 215's up front on the track is a little loco, in my opinion. I have been up over 150 on track, but with 245 Star Specs up front. I would hate to think what would happen, trying to turn into the bus stop at the Glen with stocker 215 runflats on up front.

[haglem]

i've maxed out my 128i at around 155 I am told as it just wouldn't go any faster, and I have to say it felt just a tad squirrely. I think it due to the lack of front splitter and rear diffuser though. Maybe even the RFT's. This is my first car with them so I don't know. With the addition of some "aeromatics"... Should clear it up a bit IMO.

[M2]

Originally Posted by deez330

interesting thread..

i just went to test drive the 135 today and the dealer who went with me said that he had driven a lot of cars but this car felt unstable at 120+. He suggested at the fact that the rear was too light. Seems like some kind of spoiler may help. But what about simply adding more weight to the back?
For example.. throwing a spare wheel/tire in the trunk (which i do) I wouldnt want to upset the cars near 50-50 balance tho. What do you guys think?

Anyway i am ordering my 135 tomorrow morning, and cant wait to test out this car at high speeds. My current car which i am trading in is a 330i and it is very stable at 160mph. I do not have AS or Run flats. If you have run flats i would recommend swapping them out asap, they are terrible.

its my understanding that BMW has put 2 weights in the rear of the car, behind the rear diffuser to make the car weight distribution 51/49. Some hve removed them. Not sure how it would handle though...but no need to add the weight.

[ORIGIN M.]

This thread reminds me of a thread that called out the issue on the AUDI TT, that in the end was addressed with changes in the rear suspension, as well as a new fixed rear lip spoiler. I think BMW needs to address this by adding a CF rear spoiler on all future 1ers, AND supplying it free of charge to any, and all 1er's purchased prior to such update.