Elusive vibration starting 55 and continuing to highway speeds

[Headhunter.M3]

sorry just reread your thread and noticed you tried different rims! Hopefully mine is not the same issue as yours! I have a 13 x5 m with about 60k miles.

[Spyro235]

Originally Posted by Headhunter.M3

sorry just reread your thread and noticed you tried different rims! Hopefully mine is not the same issue as yours! I have a 13 x5 m with about 60k miles.

I'm very familiar with rims/ wheels. Neither set of mine are bent. The vibration is entirely unchanged on 4 sets of tires across 2 sets of wheels. It did get substantially better with brand new tires, so I assume has to do with suspension honestly. It doesn't bother me much, as it's borderline solved. Still a ever so slight vibration, but not enough to really bother me.

[Headhunter.M3]

Very interesting. What tires are you running? Did you switch from run flats,?

[Spyro235]

Originally Posted by Headhunter.M3

Very interesting. What tires are you running? Did you switch from run flats,?

No, I never had runflats. I went from stock 18's that came with 7 year old michelin winters, to 19" stock bmw wheels with high mileage continental DWS06's. I replaced the DWS's with michelin defender LTX M/S, and then when it was winter time I had to do some traveling in vermont so I replaced the 18" tires with some hakkapelita R3 SUV's which are absolutely unstoppable in the snow.

The new sets of tires greatly reduced the issues. I'm not sure if it was partly balancing or tire wear that contributed, but one, or both factors contributed to less vibration. It still exists though, so this leads me to believe that it is either driveline, like CSB related, or it's suspension related and some shot bushing is allowing a little movement in one oe a few of the wheels, causing the vibration. I regularly rotate my tires and have not noticed any abnormal wear. I notice feathering not eh outside up front and camber wear on the inside of the rear. Completely normal given this chassis' alignment settings, and the suspension geometry.

I assume redoing my entire suspension will help, but I recently picked up a passion project, and with COVID and a new job, my commute went from 110 miles a day to less than 50, and now it's 70% nice back roads. So either I'm in the ZHP having a good time, or the X5 isn't even in a situation where I'll feel the vibration anyway. So truthfully, I don't know when I'll get around to the suspension/ differentials project. It'll happen eventually, but I just moved and bought a 2004 330i ZHP, so I'd rather be putting time into keeping that driving perfectly than the X5.

[Headhunter.M3]

Have you ever checked engine mounts? I was wondering that on mine.

[Headhunter.M3]

my issue has been solved. Aftermarket OZ rims. No vibration now.

However the tech had to jerry rig the centering rings to fit correctly.