Except for the M50i, every X5 has air suspension as standard, and it’s a pretty stunning feature. Even over potholes and ruts with sharp edges, it keeps a super-smooth ride without any unwelcome floatiness over crests and troughs.
Compared to other X5s, the xDrive45e has a little firmer edge over potholed roads, although we’ve only driven that variant on large 21-inch wheels, which may be the reason. Even yet, it generally provides good cushioning, far superior to the occasionally lumpy plug-in hybrid Volvo XC90.
M Adaptive Suspension Pro and air suspension are both available as options for the M50i, which comes standard with a M Adaptive Suspension sports setup. The X5 feels sportier and more agile with to the two adaptive ‘M’ configurations, but they are also notably harsher and don’t smooth out bumps as well as the regular car. The M50i has not yet been tested with air suspension.
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On a BMW X5, how can I deactivate the air suspension?
We both love BMWs, and my friend and I are currently engaged in a heated discussion about this. I’ve always heard that holding the suspension level switch for exactly seven seconds turns off the air suspension. My friend, however, believes that everything is fine as long as it is greater than five and less than ten. Whoa, what the hell? On a BMW X5, how do you deactivate the air suspension?
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Great question, and I love it when friends have a good debate! Before you do anything else, you should turn off the engine on a BMW X5 in order to disable the air suspension. The following step is as follows:
- Keep the engine running.
- Just seven seconds should be spent holding down the suspension level switch. Although a little less or more may be effective, the magic number for BMWs is seven because they can be quite sensitive. a Congratulations for winning the argument!
- On the dashboard, look for the green dashed line to see if the air suspension is engaged. You’ve successfully turned it off if it’s not there!
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Suspension by air
Air Suspension is another excellent option if you do not want BMW X5 Suspension options created exclusively for heavy track use. Many air suspension kits on the market today, though mostly utilized for street or show cars, are robust enough to endure light track use as well. While opinions on coilovers versus air suspension might be hotly contested, in our opinion, air suspension offers the best height adjustment for the BMW X5.
X5 and X6 suspension designs by BMW (F15 & F16)
Each BMW F15/F16 X5/X6 will come with at least one set of coil springs. The front springs are always coils, regardless of the suspension package selected. However, the xDrive35i vehicles’ standard suspension is coil springs up front and down back.
Both the standard and optional front suspensions share the same construction. The M suspension has somewhat firmer coils, but nothing changes when adaptive dampers are added. Any issues with bushings or control arms are common to all suspension systems.
The base and optional models have different rear suspensions, though. Rear air springs, as opposed to conventional steel coil springs, are used in the comfort, professional, and M suspension packages. The air springs are installed where the typical coil springs would typically go in order to keep things “simple,” which enables BMW to use a single standard control arm for the rear suspension.
FULL DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS: BMW X5 AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM FAILURE
Your car’s suspension system, whether it’s pneumatic, hydraulic, or air, is made to provide you and your passengers with the smoothest ride possible. A common feature of large passenger automobiles, including 4x4s like Mr. L’s BMW X5, as well as heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses is air suspension.
When Mr. L, a BMW X5 driver from Newbury, would leave his house in the mornings to head to work and the back end of the X5 was almost touching the ground, he knew there was a problem with the rear air suspension system.
The client brought the X5 to Fergies because of our reputation as a German vehicle specialist and our staff of skilled BMW service technicians. Before beginning any service at Fergies BMW Garage, we put in a lot of effort to diagnose and comprehend your car. Every time, we want to deliver that first-time repair to our clients. We safeguard the integrity of your car by following our 15-step process and only using authentic parts for all of our BMW repairs and servicing. exactly as the maker intended.
According to Mr. L, he had taken the BMW X5 to a different shop to have the air compressor for his air suspension system replaced. Unfortunately, the issue with the client was not resolved. The client still had a broken air suspension system despite having to pay out of pocket for an expensive air compressor due to his self-diagnosis.
After hearing about the advantages of our diagnostic evaluation method, the client ultimately determined that this was the best course of action for locating the source of his issue.
Has the 2015 BMW X5 been air-suspended?
Under the hood of the X5 M is a 4.4-liter V-8 engine with BMW’s double VANOS valve management technology and two twin scroll turbochargers, one for each cylinder bank, producing 567 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. Turbo lag was effectively avoided by the dual scroll turbos’ quick spin-up with low pressure at lower engine speeds and rising pressure as the RPM increased.
The eight-speed transmission produces quick, forceful shifts with its lock-up clutch and functions similarly to BMW’s dual clutch transmissions, despite not using the dual clutch technology featured in other BMW M vehicle transmissions. For instance, the X5 M won’t creep if you put it in drive; instead, the vehicle will remain stationary until you give it some gas. The shifter has no Park position. Like other BMW M vehicles, you park it by leaving it in drive, engaging the electromechanical parking brake, and then turning off the engine.
The X5 M’s suspension is where the true magic happens, keeping it incredibly solid in turns and doing a great job of fighting the inertial forces that try to keep this beast moving straight when you need it to turn. The X5 M has an air suspension at the back axle, just like the ordinary X5, but it also has adaptive suspension parts at the front wheels. The suspension responds in milliseconds to sensors that detect pitch and roll to keep the body flat and ensure firm contact patches from the tires, a mixed set with 285/40s up front and 325/30s at the rear. Additionally, to improve traction, the all-wheel-drive system can dynamically apply 100% of its torque to either the front or back wheels.
That trackability unquestionably changes how the X5 M behaves on public roads. Look elsewhere if comfort is your first priority. Although BMW refers to its suspension as Comfort, most other automakers would refer to it as Sport or Sport Plus. The riding quality is still stiff and can be unsupportable on prolonged journeys. The X5 M becomes sports car stiff when you turn the dial to Sport or Sport Plus.
The X5 M feels like it would prefer to be traveling from zero to 100 mph rather than maintaining pace at 5 mph in stop-and-go traffic, so the throttle needs to be used with caution. Its Efficient setting and Sport and Sport Plus even more so, as well as this, bear this out. The gear change settings can also be changed from Comfort to Sport Plus, but I felt that it was less obvious when the transmission was set to automatically shift through traffic. When sequential shifting is performed with the steering wheel-mounted paddles, those settings are more prominent.
When you select Sport or Sport Plus, the steering seems heavier, but I thought using Sport Plus while driving in cities was absolutely fair. On the other hand, Stevens liked to use the track’s Comfort setting, which removes the resistance for point-and-shoot cornering.
I programmed the M1 button with all settings in Sport and the M2 button with all settings in Sport Plus, which also disables stability control, following a logical course of action. On a winding route, I discovered that the X5 M handled spectacularly in either setting, virtually matching the experience of driving on a racetrack. Sport Plus had a more tense feel, and the absence of stability control didn’t seem to pose any more serious risks. Still prepared to intervene and rein in excessive tail-wagging was traction control.
If my BMW X5 has air suspension, how can I know?
Is there a way to know from dealer photos if a car has DDC on the outside or interior? Looking to purchase an X5, however the dealer is probably ignorant of the possibilities, thus I would like to learn more about the car’s features on my own, but regrettably I am equally ignorant of the X5.
For me, this worked just fine. Many thanks. Do you know if the DDC has always used the same 2vm code or if it has occasionally used a different code in the past as part of a package?
Additionally, you can quickly determine whether an automobile has air suspension if the rear of the vehicle has two objects that resemble air bags rather than the typical coil springs seen on conventional automobiles.
Air suspension is not a DDC assurance. If it is on a dealer lot, the likelihood that it is a 3rd Row F15 with the air suspension is higher.
Has the 2010 X5 air suspension?
In the back of the E70, vulcanized rubber air suspension springs or balloons are installed. This contributes to a consistently smooth ride and increases comfort for backseat passengers, but it also means that the air springs are more vulnerable to damage. This specific E70 had cracks in the rear air springs, which allowed air to escape. The X5’s rear suspension would not be adequate as a result. It is essentially impossible to operate the E70 properly in this situation.
Which BMW 5 Series is air-sprung?
To keep the 5 Series Touring’s ride as comfortable as the saloon, BMW worked hard to improve it. To do this, it has installed standard rear air suspension in all vehicles, ensuring that the vehicle will remain level no matter how much cargo is carried into the trunk.
Has the BMW X5’s suspension been adaptive?
The BMW X5 is equipped for the most difficult tasks thanks to Dynamic Damper Control as standard and your option of Adaptive M Suspension or 2-axle air suspension.