ZCP suspension stiffness?

[diesel1879]

I managed to snag an allocation for one of the last 2016s which begins production on week 22. I didn't order my m3 with the comp pack, not because of cost but because of ride stiffness. I sold my last m3 because I was going into back surgery, now that I'm done and better I wanted to jump into another m3. I was considering the comp pack but saw the reviews saying it was a more jarring ride. Am I wrong in not checking the zcp box? maybe swapping the 20s for the 18s could fix that? for those that have the zcp and the non zcp did you see a difference in ride comfort? I took a ride in a zcp and it was stiffer, but I'm comparing it to my car that had the 18s. Your feedback is greatly apprecatied! I read the other reviews so far but none that say definitively that the ride is harsher.

[Who's on first]

Originally Posted by diesel1879

I managed to snag an allocation for one of the last 2016s which begins production on week 22. I didn't order my m3 with the comp pack, not because of cost but because of ride stiffness. I sold my last m3 because I was going into back surgery, now that I'm done and better I wanted to jump into another m3. I was considering the comp pack but saw the reviews saying it was a more jarring ride. Am I wrong in not checking the zcp box? maybe swapping the 20s for the 18s could fix that? for those that have the zcp and the non zcp did you see a difference in ride comfort? I took a ride in a zcp and it was stiffer, but I'm comparing it to my car that had the 18s. Your feedback is greatly apprecatied! I read the other reviews so far but none that say definitively that the ride is harsher.

Only you can decide what your back can handle.

Can you find one to test drive??

I feel (no back problems) it's basically an identical ride in stiffness.

That's my opinion.

[Who's on first]

Originally Posted by Who's on first

Only you can decide what your back can handle.

Can you find one to test drive??

I feel (no back problems) it's basically an identical ride in stiffness.

That's my opinion.

You're in NJ... You're welcome to come down to northern Baltimore to try mine out.

However she won't be back to me... Till about June 3rd.

Hits jersey port the 25th.


What date do you need to decide by?

[diesel1879]

Originally Posted by Who's on first

Only you can decide what your back can handle.

Can you find one to test drive??

I feel (no back problems) it's basically an identical ride in stiffness.

That's my opinion.

I did find one, it was slightly stiffer but I was thinking that could have been from the 20 inch wheels where my m3 had the 18s. Did you have the 19s on your previous m?

[diesel1879]

Originally Posted by Who's on first

You're in NJ... You're welcome to come down to northern Baltimore to try mine out.

However she won't be back to me... Till about June 3rd.

Hits jersey port the 25th.


What date do you need to decide by?

Thanks for the offer! i appreciate it. I would have to decide before it goes into production which would be the end of may.

[Der]

Ok, I have also just ordered my MY16 M3 and it is about to arrive in 2 weeks. I did not option the ZCP, so I hope my opinion will be of some help. Just fyi, my car is pretty loaded with everything except CCB (tbh UK cars come fairly loaded already) - LED, HUD, HK, black wheels, adaptive suspension, full leather, carbon trim, etc etc etc. So opting out of ZCP was not due to financial reasons, although I am sure that lots of people will jump on me saying that I am bashing it because I could not afford it

However £3000 is still quite a considerable amount of money even when I compare it to the price of my car, so if I spend that kind of money I want to be satisfied. Let me start with why I am not satisfied with the ZCP:

1) Ok, silly, but... I love the design of the 19" wheels. My car is black and black on black they look so brutal. I think the shape matches the masculine appearance of the F80 perfectly. And I just can't make myself like the 20" wheels. Plus I like the look of the car with meaty tires. If we would have had the 18" in the UK, I would have actually opted for those! Why should I pay £3000 if I don't like the look of the wheels?

2) Seats - no lumbar support. Since my first car (e92) I have been saying that my next car will have lumbar support. But every single time I was offered a good deal on a car which had just about everything BUT THE FREAKING LUMBAR SUPPORT. My X6 (F16) does not have it. My Z4 (e89) does not have it. I curse these cars every single time I drive them long distances. So this time I had to opt out of the ZCP. Just to clarify - I am a healthy 25 year old male, so no back problems, just a matter of comfort on long journeys.

3) Hp bump - nice to have, but tbh I am planning to do a flash tune, so a barely noticeable bump in power is just that - barely noticeable and will end up being a waste.

4) I hate the seat belts with stripes with passion. Not a deal breaker, but just generally don't like them.

5) Handling improvements - newer cars have revised dampening settings and software improvements make MY16 cars quite different to drive compared to the early cars, so the MY16 non-ZCP handles pretty damn well. I really do like the idea of further improvements and can confirm that I would have liked that aspect of the ZCP never the less.

6) Exhaust - I really like it. The tips are not large enough just as usual, but ok, thats easily fixable. However, I don't think I like it quite enough to leave it stock. I think I would have still ordered an Active Autowerke midpipe to make it sound better (I already have one on order).

So in total, would I want to pay £3000 for a slightly better sounding exhaust and suspension changes and compromise the rest? I am not so certain.

In 2 weeks I am going to have the car I have always wanted, just the way I wanted. And I am not going to like it any less

[Who's on first]

Originally Posted by diesel1879

I did find one, it was slightly stiffer but I was thinking that could have been from the 20 inch wheels where my m3 had the 18s. Did you have the 19s on your previous m?

Had 19"'s on the old one.

[Agamemnon]

Well, there is no right or wrong answer here. It's a great car no matter what boxes get ticked (or not). For me, I ordered the zcp. I actually like the wheels having seen them up close. I like the black grills which I would add anyway. And I like the seat belts, I think they are very distinctive. Seats are fine. My main reason for ticking zcp was the chassis tuning which I think helps the car get the power down better. If the exhaust sounds okay, I will have saved money on an MPE. If not, well I can always add it later. Car is a Silverstone M3 which should show up in a few weeks.

[deephouse]

Originally Posted by Der

Ok, I have also just ordered my MY16 M3 and it is about to arrive in 2 weeks. I did not option the ZCP, so I hope my opinion will be of some help. Just fyi, my car is pretty loaded with everything except CCB (tbh UK cars come fairly loaded already) - LED, HUD, HK, black wheels, adaptive suspension, full leather, carbon trim, etc etc etc. So opting out of ZCP was not due to financial reasons, although I am sure that lots of people will jump on me saying that I am bashing it because I could not afford it

However £3000 is still quite a considerable amount of money even when I compare it to the price of my car, so if I spend that kind of money I want to be satisfied. Let me start with why I am not satisfied with the ZCP:

1) Ok, silly, but... I love the design of the 19" wheels. My car is black and black on black they look so brutal. I think the shape matches the masculine appearance of the F80 perfectly. And I just can't make myself like the 20" wheels. Plus I like the look of the car with meaty tires. If we would have had the 18" in the UK, I would have actually opted for those! Why should I pay £3000 if I don't like the look of the wheels?

2) Seats - no lumbar support. Since my first car (e92) I have been saying that my next car will have lumbar support. But every single time I was offered a good deal on a car which had just about everything BUT THE FREAKING LUMBAR SUPPORT. My X6 (F16) does not have it. My Z4 (e89) does not have it. I curse these cars every single time I drive them long distances. So this time I had to opt out of the ZCP. Just to clarify - I am a healthy 25 year old male, so no back problems, just a matter of comfort on long journeys.

3) Hp bump - nice to have, but tbh I am planning to do a flash tune, so a barely noticeable bump in power is just that - barely noticeable and will end up being a waste.

4) I hate the seat belts with stripes with passion. Not a deal breaker, but just generally don't like them.

5) Handling improvements - newer cars have revised dampening settings and software improvements make MY16 cars quite different to drive compared to the early cars, so the MY16 non-ZCP handles pretty damn well. I really do like the idea of further improvements and can confirm that I would have liked that aspect of the ZCP never the less.

6) Exhaust - I really like it. The tips are not large enough just as usual, but ok, thats easily fixable. However, I don't think I like it quite enough to leave it stock. I think I would have still ordered an Active Autowerke midpipe to make it sound better (I already have one on order).

So in total, would I want to pay £3000 for a slightly better sounding exhaust and suspension changes and compromise the rest? I am not so certain.

In 2 weeks I am going to have the car I have always wanted, just the way I wanted. And I am not going to like it any less

from where do you have the informations about the handling improvements?

[Der]

Originally Posted by deephouse

from where do you have the informations about the handling improvements?

I had a decent amount of time with the early MY15 car and more recent cars. Also there is a huge topic on the UK forum about this. Lots of people have updated their firmware in earlier models and noticed a number of improvements.

[RobbyMack]

I wouldn't worry about it. The take rate (if you believe BMW) is probably 4-1 in favor of zcp so I say dare to be different. In prior generations the wheels made the whole package completely worth it. This generation the wheels are really a deal breaker for me (yes I know I could sell them but that's another PITA I wouldn't want to deal with). The wheels plus the fact that my 4 yr old could punch me in the kidneys from the back seat I would have passed as well. I do like the seat belts and they are fairly inexpensive to retrofit so I might give that a run.

[damnitBobby]

Not crazy at all. I'm leaning towards non-ZCP myself.

It has nothing to do with cost either. I've seen the 20" wheels in person and quite honestly just don't care for them. They don't look bad, but I personally prefer the black 19" wheels. I also don't like any of the black trim, especially the black exhaust tips (yuck!). The power upgrade and suspension modification would be insignificant in my case because I would hardly track the car.

At the moment my mind is settled on putting the ZCP money towards the MPE. That would make me more happy then anything ZCP offers.

[captainaudio]

ZCP was not available when I ordered my car but it seems to me to be a good value.
I am very apprehensive about the ride quality as I am very gun shy after my "Pothole Explosions" adventures with my 2007 335i with RFTs and sport suspension which was virtually undrivable on NYCs ravaged roads.

My M4 with 18s and the adjustable suspension is a huge improvement in ride quality and has more performance than I can take advantage of on public roads.

[Frank_NJ]

I passed as I also wanted the lumbar support. I often drive my car for 4 hours trips to the weekend house or trips to visit my folks is a good 3 hours. I have always had the lumbar support in all of my cars. I drove the ZCP car and just didn't feel comfortable. As another member posted I am right there and could see my 5 1/2 yr old giving me a kidney shot to be funny.

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by Frank_NJ

I passed as I also wanted the lumbar support. I often drive my car for 4 hours trips to the weekend house or trips to visit my folks is a good 3 hours. I have always had the lumbar support in all of my cars. I drove the ZCP car and just didn't feel comfortable. As another member posted I am right there and could see my 5 1/2 yr old giving me a kidney shot to be funny.

My friend said I was crazy to get a car without lumbar support - she "uses it all the time". So I got her to put her hand down beside the passenger seat, and adjust the lumbar support on her seat. "Oh - is that what lumbar support is? I've never used that"

It's a risk for me - I have a back disease so have to be careful, but luckily for me keeping my back straight seems to help, so I'm hoping the lack of lumbar support doesn't cause an issue. I have not used the lumbar support on my 335i, so I have some hope.

[diesel1879]

Originally Posted by Who's on first

Had 19"'s on the old one.

so then added "harshness" may just result from having the larger sidewall on the 18s. this is great feedback thank you.

[diesel1879]

Originally Posted by captainaudio

ZCP was not available when I ordered my car but it seems to me to be a good value.
I am very apprehensive about the ride quality as I am very gun shy after my "Pothole Explosions" adventures with my 2007 335i with RFTs and sport suspension which was virtually undrivable on NYCs ravaged roads.

My M4 with 18s and the adjustable suspension is a huge improvement in ride quality and has more performance than I can take advantage of on public roads.

I had the 18s as well, the ride was much more compliant than the e90. Im thinking the ride quality really has to do with the fact that 20s almost have no side wall.

[diesel1879]

Originally Posted by dinonz

My friend said I was crazy to get a car without lumbar support - she "uses it all the time". So I got her to put her hand down beside the passenger seat, and adjust the lumbar support on her seat. "Oh - is that what lumbar support is? I've never used that"

It's a risk for me - I have a back disease so have to be careful, but luckily for me keeping my back straight seems to help, so I'm hoping the lack of lumbar support doesn't cause an issue. I have not used the lumbar support on my 335i, so I have some hope.

yea the lumbar support really didn't do much for me, mostly because I can never get it to protrude in the right area to support to my back. Its more just about the new spring rate and dampers making the ride rougher. such as feeling a bump by even going over a pebble

[Brasko]

To each their own.

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by diesel1879

yea the lumbar support really didn't do much for me, mostly because I can never get it to protrude in the right area to support to my back. Its more just about the new spring rate and dampers making the ride rougher. such as feeling a bump by even going over a pebble

From the reviews I've read, it doesn't - I believe it's no rougher, if not more compliant (especially in Comfort mode).

[nicknaz]

The others bring up good points about the seat comfort. If you are ok with the seats i think its not a bad idea to get comp pack and sell the wheels for 18s to get more comfort. Or if you plan to keep the car a long time, comp pack might help at resale (in which case keep the wheels around)

I think its a good option if you dont want to mod the car

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

I think its a good option if you dont want to mod the car

That's a very good point - for those of us who lease, it's a great option. I bought the 361 (I think) wheels and a few things for my 335i, but they're all easily removable. I don't think I would want to swap suspension etc. on a lease knowing I have to take it all off again.