[James550i6spd]

hey guys,
Recently picked up a 2012 550i M-sport 6spd. It has a very slight vibration issue especially 70mph and up..I originally chalked it up to rough roads and old tires.

Recently put new tires in, and it seems like it is kinda there. My wife, who is more meticulous about ride comfort than me, also confirmed. Getting it re-balanced again right now as we speak (on a hunter road force system)

So who on here still has this vibration issue, and how did you guys go about fixing it?

I am on 20" TSW Genevas. 20 x 9 - 245/40/20 and 20x10,. 275/35/20. Granted the tire is about an inch larger than stock..the car is actually much smoother than the OEM M-Sport 19s at cruising speeds, but I still feel a slight vibration at the steering wheel and shifter at highway speeds. It's not a deal ender right now, but I don't recall my 2014 335 having the same issue.

Any thoughts?

[belarus27]

very likely could be the wheels themselves from factory
(if you balanced them and checked if they arent bent)

[S1ammin]

I was just searching this forum or the word 'drone'. I bought this 2013 M-Sport a few months ago but this is the first time I've taken a long trip with it. I drove most of the 860 mile one-way trip with the radio off, as I just love the sound of the engine. The radio in the 1990 Nissan 300zx-TT that I traded in for this car has not worked in 10 years, but the engine was my 'radio' in that car as well :-)

Anyway, somewhere along the ride, I did notice a drone-type of noise that starts at around 60mph, but it is not loud, nor does it get louder as you increase speed. Also, there is no accompanying vibration in the ride or steering wheel, and it sounds nothing like the 3-4k RPM drone (actually a howl) I got with my modded Z.

It really doesn't bother me, but I was just curious if this is normal on these cars.

Btw, as far as road machines go, this is the absolute best long distance car I have ever driven. I always dread to trip back to St. Louis after being home on the East, but I never got tired or fatigued on the way there, or on the way back. I've been doing this trip at least twice a year for the 34 years I've been living out here and have never done it in less than 14 hours, mostly due to rest stops. It took me 10.5hrs to get there, and 11 to get back here in this car. Amazing!

[fomenter]

good luck my friend!

When I picked up my f10 about 2 months ago, I felt the vibration and took my car for service ASAP. After spending 20 days in the shop, they replaced 3 tires and fixed 2 bent wheels-free of charge. 85-90% of vibration is gone, but I can still feel that 10% it when I want to.It just does not bother as much as it did before

I'm suspecting that the other 2 rims are bent as well, but I will let it go away this time. I think I will end up replacing my rims when things get worse later..

The good news is that it could be very well your tires/rims so no drivetrain issues, the bad news is that it is very common on f10s.

[snj1013]

Originally Posted by James550i6spd

hey guys,
Recently picked up a 2012 550i M-sport 6spd. It has a very slight vibration issue especially 70mph and up..I originally chalked it up to rough roads and old tires.

Recently put new tires in, and it seems like it is kinda there. My wife, who is more meticulous about ride comfort than me, also confirmed. Getting it re-balanced again right now as we speak (on a hunter road force system)

So who on here still has this vibration issue, and how did you guys go about fixing it?

I am on 20" TSW Genevas. 20 x 9 - 245/40/20 and 20x10,. 275/35/20. Granted the tire is about an inch larger than stock..the car is actually much smoother than the OEM M-Sport 19s at cruising speeds, but I still feel a slight vibration at the steering wheel and shifter at highway speeds. It's not a deal ender right now, but I don't recall my 2014 335 having the same issue.

Any thoughts?

You're likely on the correct track to getting the issue resolved. Make sure you find out how many pounds of Road Force each tire produces. If any exceed 10lbs, you will have vibration issues, especially between 65-75 mph.

Please post once you've received this information and let us know how the vibration is.

As I researched this wheel, I haven't found the spec on the hub diameter. Our cars have 72.56mm hubs. I believe these wheels have a hub bore of 76mm, meaning you need the dreaded, and often damaged hub rings.

[James550i6spd]

Thanks for the replies guys. Will check out some Indie wheels shops this weekend to get a custom
Balancing done

[krautmeister]

this is literally the bane of my existence.... had issues with the OEM (which i believe to be bent), then the run flats, then multiple aftermarket wheels (even with refurb) and then finally a set of Dinans with new tires have *nearly* fixed it. Its hardly noticeable at 70 and glass smooth 0-70, 80-150 ;-P.

Even hunter road force... I have a good relationship with the guys at Discount tire and they let me just sit there with the balancer and ensure the wheels are balanced. its very hard for them to get it perfect.

[snj1013]

Originally Posted by krautmeister

this is literally the bane of my existence.... had issues with the OEM (which i believe to be bent), then the run flats, then multiple aftermarket wheels (even with refurb) and then finally a set of Dinans with new tires have *nearly* fixed it. Its hardly noticeable at 70 and glass smooth 0-70, 80-150 ;-P.

Even hunter road force... I have a good relationship with the guys at Discount tire and they let me just sit there with the balancer and ensure the wheels are balanced. its very hard for them to get it perfect.

What were your road force values?

[krautmeister]

Originally Posted by snj1013

What were your road force values?

I don't recall, but it was over 10. They look at the deviation, even with me continuing to beg them to get the force numbers.

[Bmw doubles]

Yeah this problems seems to plague the F10's. My fix was discovering:
- 3 bent rims and 1 cracked
- Replacing all crappy ass rft with non rft.
- Electronic steering flash service bulletin called "look ahead"
- control arm replacement
- road force balancing and alignment

All of that was covered by the dealer minus the non rft. The switching to the non rft was the big fix next to the steering flash.

To further stabilize my Koni's improved overall, but that's a different story.

[snj1013]

Originally Posted by krautmeister

I don't recall, but it was over 10. They look at the deviation, even with me continuing to beg them to get the force numbers.

You need to get the Road Force values below 10 for a smooth ride on the F10. PM me if you want more info.

[Apples12]

Still having the vibration

Will be asking the tire shop to check for roundness when I get them changed back to the summers in a couple of months.

Is there any way of checking an alloy for 'roundness' while they're off the car?

And does the 'look ahead' bulletin cover the UK too?

[STR8-6IX]

Vibration issues which are particularly noticeable at higher speeds almost always can be blamed on rims. even if you get a bent rim fixed at a tire shop, you can still expect to feel some vibration at higher speeds.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Apples12

Still having the vibration

Will be asking the tire shop to check for roundness when I get them changed back to the summers in a couple of months.

Is there any way of checking an alloy for 'roundness' while they're off the car?

And does the 'look ahead' bulletin cover the UK too?

A good tire fitter will be able to give you a good idea of a buckled wheel, simply by eye, with the wheel mounted and spinning on a tire balancer. If a rim is suspect it can be checked more thoroughly and measured.

A Hunter road force balancer can do the complete job.