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-   -   BMW 320d & 328i (F30) : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/126290-bmw-320d-328i-f30-official-review-51.html)

My E90 is the one with servotronic i.e semi hydraulic.

What tyre pressure did you tweak it to?

With all due respect, sport mode or not it doesn't come close to the E90 in terms of feeling tight. But yes as an everyday car it is much more manageable.

The first reports of the 340i facelift specifically complain about the steering, so not sure what they have done there.

This was my biggest issue with the F30. and I'm sure the bouncy feeling which takes away the confidence is completely gone now. How is the ride though?

I imagine an F30 with upgraded dampers, and running tubeless tyres would be an awesome car.

Thanks for the input. We've booked an Alpine White Prestige.

I'm looking to switch the stock 16s on Bridgestone RFTs for Luxury Line 17s or 328i 18s. Sets of both alloys are available. I wanted to know if on stock suspension, upgrading to 18" tubeless will cripple the ride quality or continue to glide like the 17" setup on the Luxury Line/ Sportline.

Congratulations :) good choice. In the present form the suspension is comfy and a little bouncy, IMHO 17" should do fine with RFTs. I have extensively driven the new C220 (CBU) which comes with RFTs on 17" the ride was hard but then the new C has a stiffer suspension as compared to your 3. If you want razor sharp responses setup then you can go for 18" but it will be incomplete if you don't upgrade the suspension components, the 328i has a stiffer suspension setup for sharper handling and 18"s go well with that, in this case the ride will be harsh. I suggest you extensively drive their TD car with 17" with RFTs to get an idea, if you feel the ride is hard then no point thinking about 18". If you feel it's just right then retain that combination of 17" with RFTs, or if you feel it's still a little stiff then go with 17" and tubeless tyres.

Same rim size, I will try and put some pics soon for your reference

I don't feel any bounce anymore, it is very planted, yes I know people to shift to tubeless but I prefer RFT, because it is also attached to a safety feature which I wont like to give away for this car.

Well, it will be interesting to see how you managed to fit 255 on stock rims as the 320d sportline rims are 17 x 7J.



^ source: http://www.bmw.in/in/en/newvehicles/...ata/index.html

And on 7J width the maximum fitting tyre is 225.



^ source: http://www.tyresizecalculator.com/ty...dth-calculator

the tyres were bought from Navnit motors, I am attaching the pics, they got installed easily. the part as in 255/45/17 is a part that is not sold in india, so I had to speak to BMW india to unlock the part for navnit to order.

I have used this tyre for 11,000kms and no issues whatsoever.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the pics.

I am surprised to see that the tyres 255mm wide wrapped on the 17s, a great sight indeed.

But at the same time, the M sport trim in global markets which comes with a staggered setup & 255's at the back, those are also riding on 18x8.5J setup. Where as i upgraded to 245 at the back as mine is 18x8J & 245 is the idea size for 8J wide rims.

I still feel the 255 on the 7Jx17 rims is an overkill & may not be performing to the optimal level, but you are a practical user & happy so thats all that matters, all the best :thumbs up

I use 245 KPa for the front (against the recommended 220) and the recommended pressure for the rear. The E90 I had (March 2011 model) had a full EPS but had the same speed sensitive assist. So in sport mode , the F30 especially with the tweak in tyre pressure seems to be near that .

But yes, it certainly feels sluggish overall compared to the E90 (longer, bigger, softer).

But after two weeks with a rental Chrysler 300S, I am thankful to be back driving it !

Following up on my previous post, while we await delivery of our 320d. I'm planning to upgrade the stock 16s to Style 456, 17x8 from the F10 Prestige on 225/ 50 R17 Pirelli P7 Cinturato RFTs but before I finalize the deal with the tyre shop, I wanted to enquire regarding suspension warranty? What's the standard coverage on suspension parts if at all? And will it be void? Thanks in advance and Happy Sunday!

245kpa is around 35 psi. Isn't that quite stiff? Doesn't it negate the relatively better ride of the F30 and make it similar to the E90?

Warranty shouldn't be affected since you are using BMW wheels, and a tyre size which is available on the F30 in India.

I have a 320 d prestige. I had a doubt regarding the climate control settings for temperature. I usually don't use the auto mode as it redirects air flow automatically and also it does nt chill the car as I prefer. In manual mode the air direction always starts in air flow to the footwell. I have to change it each time I start the car and direct the air flow to the dashboard vents. I tried changing the recirculation mode to auto; manual and off; but it has no effect on the air direction settings. Can anyone shed some light on this?

In auto mode, the air flow is redirected to the footwell and other places when the set temperature is similar to the outside temperature. I suggest you try auto with a lower set temperature. Also you can increase the intensity of the auto mode, by using the fan speed buttons while in auto mode.

As for the air direction in manual mode. Do you start the ac by pressing the air directional button? Or what button do you press to start the ac in manual mode?

I leave the a c button on when I switch off the car. So when I start the car the a c starts by itself. Should I switch off the a c before I switch off the engine?

Its worth a shot. If you leave the ac on with your settings, and then put off the car. I'm surprised it starts up with the air being directed to the feet. It should start up with the same settings you used when the car was off.

Either way do give auto mode a try with a lower temperature, and maybe higher intensity. I find that auto mode is the best, with recirculation on M.

Dear Team BHPians,

I have been driving a 2003 model Skoda Octavia TDI since 2003 Sept and have clocked 2,25,000 KMs on the odo. So far I have not faced any major issues/breakdown with the vehicle and have been replacing only the wearables like the clutch plate+ flywheel assembly, timing belt + tensioner kit, ball joints, front brake disk + rotor assembly, tyres every 50,000 to 70,000 kms on an average.

I have not utilized any extended warranty schemes from Skoda. I have analyzed my maintenance expenses so far and have been spending Rs 50,000 per year on maintenance on an average. In other words I have to keep aside an amount of Rs 50,000 every year towards my vehicle's maintenance.

Now I plan to go for a BMW 3 series. Just curious to know from the existing BMW 3 series owners in this forum, if there are any average service/maintenance spending( per year) indicators if I am not availing the BSI or any type of extended warranty for BMW.please: