Not happy with the X5, is it the RFT?

[mrmojo]

So we picked up an 09 X5 about 1.5 years ago. I DD an 08 M3 sedan. My M3 drives smoother, quieter, and I dont feel the "harshness" of every crack in the road. Let alone the steering is light at low speeds, then firms up as you go faster.

My X5 is the opposite! I thought the X5 would be the luxury car, and its not. Its bouncy, crashes on every crack in the road, and is very noisy. The steering is redicously weighted at low speeds, then gets light at higher speeds. Mine is a sport model.

Questions:

1. Why the unneccesary heavy steering at low speeds?

2. Is the terrible ride from the RFT?

Of course BMW would NEVER put a RFT on an M car, but figure housewives in X5 dont know the difference.

I'm probably looking to move to a MB.

[Naz24]

Interesting.. Because the M cars do have run flats also..

Do you have the sport package with the 20s? I'm assuming it came with the dunlops-- I hate them. Replace with a non rft, possibly Toyo or vredestein ( depending on weather needs). And go get a spare tire from the dealer. It'll change the entire feel of the X5.

[mrmojo]

Originally Posted by Naz24

Interesting.. Because the M cars do have run flats also..

Do you have the sport package with the 20s? I'm assuming it came with the dunlops-- I hate them. Replace with a non rft, possibly Toyo or vredestein ( depending on weather needs). And go get a spare tire from the dealer. It'll change the entire feel of the X5.

I have the 19's with duehler. I've been researching RFT vs. non RFT however I'm concerned since there is no spare, and we do take our SUV on long trips up north, etc.

No M3 has ever had RFT, and the E60 / E39 M5 does not. They just give me a can of fix a flat lol...

Maybe the M "trucks" have RFT however those buyers probably dont care anyway....

[motordavid]

We did 13,000 miles this past summer on a Road Trip, in our VetteVert with no RFTs/obviously no spare; a decent plug kit & compressor will get you down the road to where they won't have any RFTs, or regular tires, in your size(s) anyway. A RFT, staying 'solid' for awhile, will get you down that same road to that same place that probalby does not have a replacement, also.

When was the last time you had a flat 'on the road'? Didn't think so...

A set of non-RFTs is an expensive fix/test to determine if you like the 'ride' better than with RFTs, but probably worth a try. Does your X have sport suspension or...?

Most of the E70s that I have driven, (short test drives), all tend to ride smoother, quieter and more 'cushy' than our '01 E53 Sport with 19s, but maybe yours is just less smooth for some reason. The slow/heavy steering is to my liking, though.
No other fixes, other than make sure PS fluid is ok and tires are inflated properly, but I would suspect you are on that.

I wouldn't think twice about trips anywhere with non-RFTs and no 'spare', fwiw.
GL, mD

[Richard in NC]

If you don't have the 3rd row, you can get the spare kit from the dealer. About $400 covers the tray, jack and mounted spare tire on a skinny wheel.

I've got an '11 with adaptive drive and active steering. The X5 is MUCH smoother than the Z4. It could be the '11 re-design and/or the adaptive drive. The active steering provides a nice boost for parking lot maneuvers.

[AaronSD]

I have owned and driven a plethora of sports cars and find my 08 Sport package equipped RFT wearing X5 to handle quite well and take rough roads just fine. I suspect you may have an issue with yours IF equipped with the sport package. Even with "sport" off, when my wife drives, it seems to handle rough roads just fine. My neighbor has an E53 X5 and E90 M3 and agrees that the ride of my X5 is great. Maybe a trip to the dealer is in order?

[brian5]

Originally Posted by mrmojo

Questions:

1. Why the unneccesary heavy steering at low speeds?

2. Is the terrible ride from the RFT?

1. I'm assuming you do not have "Active Steering"? That makes a tremendous difference at low speeds (easy to turn and maneuver) and at high speeds (where one does not have to continuously have to make steering adjustments). I love this option.
As a side note, when I tested the SprintBooster, it disabled my Active Steering -- I could not believe what a difference that made to my driving. I couldn't get the SprintBooster disconnected fast enough.

2. Lot of discussions about RFT on this forum. My ride, with RFT, is a little harsher but I think that's the Sport suspension too. I like driving (except in slow traffic) so the road feel is something that I like. Same reasoning around me getting the sports seats rather than the luxury seat option.

You mentioned MB as an option. In my town, that SUV, is by far the most common "luxury" SUV that house-wives drive. My 15-year old thinks that the MB ML range is "girly".

[jbtco]

M3 does not have run flats in Europe and I suspect not in US. I have had 2 E92s and am picking up X5 40D M sport on Tuesday so will post my thoughts.

[ard]

Originally Posted by mrmojo

I'm probably looking to move to a MB.

Go for it.

If you expect to be convinced here one way or the other, in terms of 'should I buy new tires, or should I change cars'...good luck.

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by brian5

1. I'm assuming you do not have "Active Steering"? That makes a tremendous difference at low speeds (easy to turn and maneuver) and at high speeds (where one does not have to continuously have to make steering adjustments). I love this option.
As a side note, when I tested the SprintBooster, it disabled my Active Steering -- I could not believe what a difference that made to my driving. I couldn't get the SprintBooster disconnected fast enough.

2. Lot of discussions about RFT on this forum. My ride, with RFT, is a little harsher but I think that's the Sport suspension too. I like driving (except in slow traffic) so the road feel is something that I like. Same reasoning around me getting the sports seats rather than the luxury seat option.

You mentioned MB as an option. In my town, that SUV, is by far the most common "luxury" SUV that house-wives drive. My 15-year old thinks that the MB ML range is "girly".

OP did not mention what config and what size wheels he has on his X5. If I am coming from a M3 I will make sure the car has sports package and adaptive drive.