Suspension question for folks who’ve had German cars

[ZoomsansVroom]

And have a 3P

Does the suspension feel “right” at speed? I was messing around, in the desert, my tires were inflated correctly, and my 3P felt like it was working really hard over 105.

I now have NO desire to go on the track in it. I know it’s not a dedicated sports car, but my old E550 felt far more stable, and Less labored.

I’m not sure if there’s something wrong, or if the suspension is just not right.

I know the 20” wheels are too heavy, but that shouldn’t cause the feeling I had.

It felt a bit too unpredictable, and like everything was over stressed.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

Feels much more planted at speed than my 335i TBH. And the ride quality is better than the BMW.
I was surprised, but that's my view.
Still got room for improvement though which is why I'm changing out the suspension soon, but I track mine.

 

[Mash]

I used a lot of German cars on Autobahn. Some cars get more planted above 180kmh, some opposite. M3P was uncomfortable at high speed. After changing suspension to kw it became much better, after change of sway bars problem was fixed at speed limit. It's still far away from Porsche 911 Turbo - 911 was feeling more confident at 330kph vs M3P at 250kph, but not scary anymore. I generally think that it needs more aero for high speed stability.

 

[Apprunner]

I don’t have any issues at all with the P3D at 100+ mph. Do you ha e the steering on sport? I feel normal is too soft for high speed.

 

[67King]

Wheelbase is a whole lot shorter in the 3. That is going to be the primary difference, assuming alignments are the same.

I just picked up my 535i M-Sport to take on a trip on Thursday. Feels like a wallowing turd now that I am used to the 3.

 

[Dolemite]

Wheelbase is a whole lot shorter in the 3. That is going to be the primary difference, assuming alignments are the same.

I just picked up my 535i M-Sport to take on a trip on Thursday. Feels like a wallowing turd now that I am used to the 3.

Shorter than what? The current E Class has roughly the same wheelbase as the Model 3... it's not a small car by any means.

Regarding OP's question - my P3D- does not feel as planted as my old modified E46... but, I am very surprised at what it can do bone stock on plastic econo-tires. Have a bunch of parts coming in that should bring it up to par.

 

[67King]

Shorter than what? The current E Class has roughly the same wheelbase as the Model 3... it's not a small car by any means.

Regarding OP's question - my P3D- does not feel as planted as my old modified E46... but, I am very surprised at what it can do bone stock on plastic econo-tires. Have a bunch of parts coming in that should bring it up to par.

D'oh! I saw 550, and my mind went to S class.

 

[holmgang]

I've only so far run on full-tread T-rated winter tires so hard to make a fair comparison. But at decent speeds the car felt less planted. It felt a bit jittery and *too* light-on-its-feet.

It doesn't occur ALL the time though. And 90% of my driving is at more moderate speeds so it's not something I'm too concerned about yet.

 

[MasterC17]

I think the thing to remember is that the Model 3 is in many ways a compromise car. They had to worry about drag, stiffness, NVH, comfort, etc to make this a car that "anyone" would want to drive. The reality is, 99% of the people buying a Model 3 will never spend time over 100mph. Therefore, they would rather have the car create minimal amounts of drag at 75mph than be planted at 100mph and sacrifice range.

Coilovers and maybe a UP Lip & Spoiler I am sure would resolve your concerns.

 

[arch4life]

I'd have the alignment checked, and make sure it's not toed out or something funny

 

[Jenremoved]

Mine feels planted up at those speeds compared to a stock F30 335i that had a lot more “float” and body roll. Both cars will feel more stable with suspension and handling upgrades.

 

[kbecks13]

The rear end definitely gets light at high-speed and it can feel a bit unsettling if you lift off throttle too quickly and engage regen (which further lightens the rear)

Bus stop at buttonwillow is a great example of this, i spun there and a few months later we had Randy Pobst at the track and he mentioned the exact same phenomena at this turn

 

[beefster]

My previous M3 (and corvette before that) felt more comfortable/stable at high speed (85+mph) than my current 3P, which can feel light / jittery at times. Part of it might be the suspension tuning over bumps at high speeds. By no means does it feel unstable but it is noticeably different than previous cars I've owned

 

[vogz]

I'm coming from a 2011 Audi S4 with upgraded suspension and I don't think my M3P feels unstable at all over 100mph. Haven't had it on a track yet though. Coil overs going on hopefully this month, so I'll probably never track it with the stock suspension.

EDIT: Also have a 2003 911 Turbo with upgraded suspension which is super stable at high speed and the M3P inspires plenty of confidence even compared to my 911.

 

[Dolemite]

The rear end definitely gets light at high-speed and it can feel a bit unsettling if you lift off throttle too quickly and engage regen (which further lightens the rear)

Bus stop at buttonwillow is a great example of this, i spun there and a few months later we had Randy Pobst at the track and he mentioned the exact same phenomena at this turn

Not gonna lie - I clenched my ass when you drove across the track...

 

[XLR82XS]

I used a lot of German cars on Autobahn. Some cars get more planted above 180kmh, some opposite. M3P was uncomfortable at high speed. After changing suspension to kw it became much better, after change of sway bars problem was fixed at speed limit. It's still far away from Porsche 911 Turbo - 911 was feeling more confident at 330kph vs M3P at 250kph, but not scary anymore. I generally think that it needs more aero for high speed stability.

I agree. I've owned 2 911 Turbos and I could drive them at 130+ mph all day long. The 3 is not designed for sustained high-speed driving but mine feel stable, and I feel comfortable driving, at speeds up to 120mph. Haven't really had the chance to exceed that speed.... yet.

 

[XLR82XS]

EDIT: Also have a 2003 911 Turbo with upgraded suspension which is super stable at high speed and the M3P inspires plenty of confidence even compared to my 911.

I had a 996 turbo and it was UBER stable at high-speeds. Only suspension change was H&R springs.

 

[kbecks13]

Not gonna lie - I clenched my ass when you drove across the track...

Lol yea, its hard to see in the video but the guy behind me basically stopped and we made eye contact before i took off again. Didn't like sitting on the racing line at the end of a dust cloud for longer than i had to.

 

[ZoomsansVroom]

I wouldn't think 100-105 would be a speed where aero is an issue. Could be wrong. I had a WRX, when they first came out, and that was unstable at 110, but came back down at 127 - dumb kid, and deserts tend to lead to silly speeds.

I'll get the alignment checked. I didn't think about the settings, but it felt more like the actual suspension had issues, not that it was overly boosted - TMK, the 3 doesn't have anything like magna shocks/other computer controlled suspension, right?

I'm not expecting it to feel like my sports cars. Honestly, I think my diesel Jetta felt better.

 

[Zcd1]

I drove Audis for 20 years before buying my Model 3P. The Model 3 wasn't designed for no-limit autobahn speeds, unlike all German cars. That's certainly one thing that all German cars share - they feel super-stable at 90+ mph, because that's a "normal" thing there. Here in the US, not so much.

My car still feels great at ~85 mph, which is the fastest I've cruised for any length of time.