THE LARGEST BMW 2-SERIES FORUM ON THE PLANET
2Addicts
2Addicts
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum BMW 2 Series (F22) Forum BMW 2 Series Coupe and Cabriolet (F22/F23) General Forum Scathing R&T 228i Comparo

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      09-09-2015, 09:04 AM   #111
BarryJI
Captain
BarryJI's Avatar
United_States
424
Rep
980
Posts

Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: United States

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by scrape1 View Post
Perhaps them man means that variable ratio steering and so-so adaptive dampers have no place in a package that by name would suggest has a purpose in making the car track capable.

If you look at what the guys who regularly track their cars do, one of the first things is add camber plates, because the car chews up the front tires without more camber. They also tend to replace the dampers and disable EDC. They also almost always hate variable ration steering.

What a legitimate track package for the 2 series should have been would be upgraded brakes, more adjustability if the front camber, monotube dampers, and perhaps a limited slip diff. On a car so equipped, we probably wouldn't be talking about a scathing review of the track handling abilities of the 2 series.

Go soft dampers and variable ratio steering are comfort features. Not "track" features.
Fair enough, and I might even add ARBs, caster and toe adjustments to that list but there are limits to what mechanical, hard to reverse, adjustments any manufacturer of a luxury coupe will enable under the heading of "track handling". Meanwhile, the real track-handling mode within the THP-equipped 228i is the DTS OFF mode, which disengages traction control and variable-assist steering while providing the stiffest shock settings and linear throttle input. We'll see what track-orientated, mechanical adjustments come with the M2 but meanwhile, the THP, while not a comprehensive track conversion, or anything close, wakes the car up and provides a much firmer ride and road-holding characteristics. I would never consider buying the 228i without it.

Last edited by BarryJI; 09-09-2015 at 09:56 AM..
Appreciate 0
      09-09-2015, 09:31 AM   #112
Sportstick
Major General
Sportstick's Avatar
4606
Rep
5,980
Posts

Drives: '15 228i and '24 X3 sDrive30i
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Southwest USA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by scrape1 View Post
Perhaps them man means that variable ratio steering and so-so adaptive dampers have no place in a package that by name would suggest has a purpose in making the car track capable.

If you look at what the guys who regularly track their cars do, one of the first things is add camber plates, because the car chews up the front tires without more camber. They also tend to replace the dampers and disable EDC. They also almost always hate variable ration steering.

What a legitimate track package for the 2 series should have been would be upgraded brakes, more adjustability if the front camber, monotube dampers, and perhaps a limited slip diff. On a car so equipped, we probably wouldn't be talking about a scathing review of the track handling abilities of the 2 series.

Go soft dampers and variable ratio steering are comfort features. Not "track" features.
Completely agree that the name is misleading, a Marketing ploy to boost the take rate. But, for many other more frequent uses, the actual content makes for a wonderful car!
Appreciate 0
      09-09-2015, 09:56 AM   #113
scrape1
Second Lieutenant
70
Rep
229
Posts

Drives: '14 228i M Sport, '04 X3 3.0i
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Northeast

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarryJI View Post
Fair enough, and I might even add ARBs, caster and toe adjustments to that list but there are limits to what mechanical, hard to reverse, adjustments that any manufacturer of a luxury coupe will enable under the heading of "track handling". Meanwhile, the real track-handling mode within the THP-equipped 228i is the DTS OFF mode, which disengages traction control and variable-assist steering while providing the stiffest shock settings and linear throttle input. We'll see what track-orientated, mechanical adjustments come with the M2 but meanwhile, the THP, while not a comprehensive track conversion, or anything close, wakes the car up and provides a much firmer ride and road-holding characteristics. I would never consider buying the 228i without it.
I don't know about firmer ride and waking up the car. The basic m-sport suspension is quite good. During the 2014 model year, you could get the dynamic dampers/VSS and m-sport brakes as separate options. This is how it should be. When ordering, on advice from my CA, I decided against the DHP, and I am quite happy with the static m-sport suspension. It is a great compromise between handling and comfort, though I am sure the DHP car would be more comfy on rough roads. Although, given that I came from S2000 and Evo land, I don't mind a slightly firmer ride. I doubt a DHP car would lap any faster than a m-sport car, though without a head to head test, that is just speculation.

I do wish I had gotten the upgraded brakes. When the time comes to replace mine due to wear, I might go with the m-performance brake package and steel brake lines. When the time comes in about 40k miles to replace my dampers, I will probably go with a set of monotube bilsteins, and save myself 300 bucks by not having to disable EDC.
Appreciate 0
      09-10-2015, 06:05 PM   #114
RWDdrifter
Private
26
Rep
87
Posts

Drives: 2015 228i M Sport
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Austin TX

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by scrape1 View Post
I don't know about firmer ride and waking up the car. The basic m-sport suspension is quite good. During the 2014 model year, you could get the dynamic dampers/VSS and m-sport brakes as separate options. This is how it should be. When ordering, on advice from my CA, I decided against the DHP, and I am quite happy with the static m-sport suspension. It is a great compromise between handling and comfort, though I am sure the DHP car would be more comfy on rough roads. Although, given that I came from S2000 and Evo land, I don't mind a slightly firmer ride. I doubt a DHP car would lap any faster than a m-sport car, though without a head to head test, that is just speculation.

I do wish I had gotten the upgraded brakes. When the time comes to replace mine due to wear, I might go with the m-performance brake package and steel brake lines. When the time comes in about 40k miles to replace my dampers, I will probably go with a set of monotube bilsteins, and save myself 300 bucks by not having to disable EDC.
I had a very similar experience. I test drove a 228i M Sport and liked it a lot. It's a great replacement for my 15 year old E46. I would have bought the M Sport brakes if they were a separate option. My CA advised against getting the THP saying it adversely affected the steering. Did your CA give a reason for advising against the THP(DHP)?

I'm very happy without the THP, but the praise it gets from many folks makes me wish I could have tested a car with it just to see how it compares for myself.
Appreciate 0
      09-11-2015, 09:10 AM   #115
scottyn
Private First Class
No_Country
35
Rep
128
Posts

Drives: 228i M-sport THP
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Chicago, IL

iTrader: (0)

I know alot of driving enthusiasts dislike the variable ratio steering that comes with the THP (or standard on the M235), but now that I've done some serious driving in the car I've come to really like it. I took a road trip last weekend through Tail of the Dragon and then did 200 miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lots of twisties in there, and I found that with the variable steering I never had to shuffle the wheel or take my hands off it. When I was really pushing it, I just planted my hands at 10 and 2 and kept them there. That meant I was always ready for the next turn and that I could use the paddle shifters really easily. I also didn't feel like it put extra guess-work into finding the right lock...

Now, I still don't think it has much steering feel in any mode, which did limit the driving pleasure a bit. I doubt the MPSS were close to breaking loose at any point, but the possibility of being wrong and unexpectedly sliding (which would mean immediately hitting a tree or falling off a cliff) was discomforting.

As far as the suspension goes, I definitely feel the car tighten up in Sport and Sport+ but still get a bit of a floaty feeling at high speeds (100+ mph) when changing directions. At more normal/safe speeds, there is still some lean through hard turns - but for a car that's not really track-focused, it's quite good and stays planted on the road.

And finally, the brakes and tires are wonderful. They helped me feel confident braking late on Tail of the Dragon and already helped me avoid an accident during my regular commute. Enough said.

All in all, I think the THP was a great purchase and I love my 2er. I know it's far from the epitome of driving excellence (and you've got some work to do if you want to track it regularly), but for the combination of performance, comfort, looks, practicality, and affordability there's nothing else I would rather have.
Appreciate 1
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:55 PM.




2addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST