Any i3 owners upgrade from 2014-15 to 2017?

I am trying to find out if they made any changes to the suspension and/steering response that you can tell. I haven't test driven one yet and would like to trade to current large battery for long term or move on. Was hoping for a suspension retune but my dealer is not aware of any changes. Main issue is side to side bounce (not front/back bounce from short wheelbase).

Thought I'd ask someone who has real life experience. Thanks.

Can you describe "side to side bounce"? First I have heard of it.

Thought you were concerned the sensitivity to the steering?

Haven't heard of any suspension or steering tweaks on the new model. Still rumours around about a sport suspension but no confirmation and doubt it will make the suspension and steering less direct.

Assume he means rocking side to side due to narrow wheelbase when going over a bump or hitting a pothole.

I don't think there's been any changes to the suspension or tires for the 2017s but perhaps someone else can confirm

johnnylingo said:

Assume he means rocking side to side due to narrow wheelbase when going over a bump or hitting a pothole.

I don't think there's been any changes to the suspension or tires for the 2017s but perhaps someone else can confirm

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Yes, but even accounting for the vehicle wheelbase the suspension tuning has a lot to do with it also, there are multiple bounces before the suspension dampens. For my taste it is too under-damped.

If you want to tighten up the damping, Bilstein would be a good option, there are others.



http://www.bilstein.de/en-uk/news-events/news-detail/archive/2015/october/returnpage/283/article/oe-replacement-with-bilstein-b4-for-electrically-powered-bmw-i3

I33t said:

If you want to tighten up the damping, Bilstein would be a good option, there are others.

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Thanks for the link, I have looked at aftermarket. But considering I have leased the car it really isn't a good option. It would also be hard to get a sense of how well the aftermarket worked without having driven one. Have you been in one modified with these?

No, haven't been in one with aftermarket suspension.

For a lease car, just keep the original and replace it before handing it back. Not a big job.

On a premium car like the i3, the stock shocks would probably not be much different than the aftermarket ones available. While changing them out on some vehicles can make a major difference, I'd be surprised, new for new (not counting if the old ones were worn significantly) that you'd notice much difference.

If someone has done it, please report your observations!

jadnashuanh said:

On a premium car like the i3, the stock shocks would probably not be much different than the aftermarket ones available. While changing them out on some vehicles can make a major difference, I'd be surprised, new for new (not counting if the old ones were worn significantly) that you'd notice much difference.

If someone has done it, please report your observations!

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I would guess these are tuned to be different, not better than the stock ones. They are probably set for a harsher/tighter drive. But like you I'd love to hear from someone who has swapped them out.

Jim, if the i3 had sport suspension, I'd agree the difference would be small. It doesn't have sport suspension though.

I have replaced suspensions on many of my cars and 4x4's. Bilstein would be the most common, but I have happily used Bilstein, Koni, KW Adjustables, Dobinsons and even KYB. The difference doesn't have to be harshness if the spring/shock ratings are well engineered but you can bet the suspension will be better controlled. When I replaced the factory shocks on my Porsche, the ride was better and less harsh with no loss of handling, it was a CS version and came with Koni shocks.

If you replace factory 'standard' shocks with sport shocks, you should see better control of body movement. The difference is because the compression and rebound valving inside the sport shocks is usually stronger which sees the vehicle follow the road undulations and bumps more closely than standard.

I know this is an old thread but I'm curious if anyone here has bilstein shocks on their i3. I'm not after with the smoothest ride quality. I need shock absorbers that can handle potholes and other road imperfections really well.