BMW X3M Competition - 6 Month Ownership Update 

I got the pilot sport 4S’s. I love them but I think just from a tread wear perspective, next time I’ll get the all season 4’s. Most importantly, I went to 265/40-21 in the front and 295/35-21 in the rear. They’re wider and slightly taller than the factory tires so they grip better and absorb bumps and cracks in the road a bit better.

@@FastRedPonyCarIs that still on the stock wheels?

@@AviationDirection yes

The turbo lag is there but it's not a slow vehicle. The different engine/trans settings can eliminate a lot of the perceived lag. Transmission setting 1 is a more relaxed setting that always will put the car in a higher gear/lower RPM and same with the engine modes... you can have it more tame with a more relaxed throttle response or make it more aggressive and sharper throttle response. The car makes peak torque at around 3K rpm's and if you're using launch control, you're launching at around there anyways so there's zero lag but if you're in comfort mode and just punch it from a dig, yeah it's going to take a second to spool up. The B58 in the M340i I drove spools faster and hits peak torque sooner but it's obviously quite a bit less torque overall and HP. If I had to guess, BMW probably are tuning the boost curve a bit on the safe side in 1st gear to protect the engine. The M40i X3 would be a great daily as well and a lot less $ but still a very potent and tunable engine if you wanted to ever make more power.

@@FastRedPonyCar Awesome thanks for the feedback man. Very helpful.

@@FastRedPonyCar I'm seriously considering the M40i as well, but the seats are rather uncomfortable. Trade-off I suppose with better low end torque/ride quality in the 40i vs. much better seats and performance in the X3MC.

The LCI updated version of the vehicle is a softer ride than the first generation. I never drove the first one so I don't have any comparison. I came from a Tesla Model 3 and this is a better riding car in terms of negotiating bumps and overall stiffness. The new tire size made a big difference though. They're a slightly taller tire wall so it's got a tad more cushion than the factory tires. I've also read from a few guys on the bmw forums that the MSS Springs both lower and soften the ride. I think the car rides great and I've done 2 road trips in the car that were both 4~5 hours each way and I was totally fine and I have a bad lower back. The seats are very comfortable. What I will say though is different people have different tolerances. I think its' fine but others say it's harsh. The suspension is being asked to be a miracle worker in making a 4600 lb SUV handle better than most sports cars so I cut it a little slack in not being a super soft and plush ride. That's what the M40i and standard X3 are for.

@@FastRedPonyCar Thanks for that info, appreciate it!