X5M steering problems!! Need help!!

[SaBzD]

I've searched and searched but I can't seem to find anyone that gone through my issue, so here it goes....


I have a 2011 X5M it has 22" wheels, lowered on kw v3 coilovers....

I have started experiencing very bad steering it just feels extremely loose and pulls on every bump in the road, I have already replaced all control arms except the upper ones, I have a brand new steering rack with brand new tie rods, I have also replaced the stock thrust arms bushings with brand new powerflex bushings and still feels so sloppy, I will add that due to my work schedule I have taken the car to alignment at just tires and will admit they have no idea what they are doing because they are trying to align the car to stock specs even though the car is lowered, so I know I still need to have a proper alignment done,

My question is do you guys think that this could all be caused just by alignment or am I missing something??
Car also pulls to the right constantly and bumps make the car just make the steering wheel jump all over the place, I'm starting to get really aggravated just rocking the steering wheel from left to right in place feels loose, anybody else have a similar experience? Or any ideas?
I also attached a picture of what just tires did with my alignment

[j6yd]

That sounds like a ball joint to me..

Ive had this a a few other cars I've modded in the past, its like driving a wild horse.. They all checked out with great alignment also.

[m5 guy]

You are not alone. I am experiencing a somewhat similar experience plus I have a full throttle steering wheel vibration from 55-80 mph. I have been chasing the problem for months now replacing components from most likely to least likely. So far I have replaced both lower arms and bushings, swaybar links and bushings, inner/outer tierods, and wheel bearings. Have also switched out wheels and tires.

Comparing lists it looks like you replaced the steering rack. So that means the only components that neither of us have changed yet are the upper control A arms and the top hats. The top hats do not seem like a culprit to me since the shocks/springs are isolated and not tasked with doing nearly as much work as a traditional bmw setup. I have new upper control A arms in the garage, but have not had the time to get them fitted. I also plan on getting another alignment, but not untill the arms are replaced. They are the arms that affect camber so if the ball joint on them is gone I can see them being the culprit.

Other than that I really have no idea what it could be as between you and me almost everything has been replaced. I'm also thinking maybe the steering coupler that connects the rack to the wheel could be something worth exploring if all else fails. On older BMW's when the couplers would start to go steering would get loose off center. It's part number 32-30-6-774-110 if you are curious to take a look at it. Here is a link to the part on ecs. It's under the new X5M in this link, but it is the same part:

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-F85-X5...4.4L/ES260285/

If you have any other ideas or findings please let me know as this is getting realllllllllllllllllllllly annoying lol...

[SaBzD]

I've been chasing this for months as well, and it's gotten me to a point where I was going to just trade the car in but I couldn't justify losing all the money I've already spent, I'm currently as I type this replacing the strut mounts and will let you know my findings since I used the old ones when installing my coilovers so I figured to put new ones and give it a shot, if not that then I will have to move to the upper control arms as you said, and if I replace those as well and it still does it, I will be at a complete loss because I will have a completely brand new front end...

[SaBzD]

Strut mounts did not help one bit

[SaBzD]

Starting to get very aggravated with this car it feels like I'm driving an old jalopy not a $100k M car, the upper control arms are $300 each and don't want to change them unless I'm absolutely certain they are causing the problem, I have checked them and they don't seem to have any unusual movement so I'm at a complete loss, I could try the steering coupler but I'm basically just throwing parts at it still... And it's annoying... Any suggestions from anyone would be a great help

[m5 guy]

Damn, well we can rule those out then. Next up the top arms I suppose. I've also had a the front shaft replaced under warranty. The only other thing I'm thinking is the half shafts from the front diff to the front wheels, but I sure hope not.

[SaBzD]

I forgot to mention that I also replaced my driver side axle shaft the other day, still same thing... I might have to suck it up and take it to the dealer, but I'm sure how friendly they are with modded cars

[m5james]

Originally Posted by SaBzD

...but I'm basically just throwing parts at it still... And it's annoying... Any suggestions from anyone would be a great help

You've already been throwing parts at it...

When I did coilovers in my E53 X5, I replaced EVERY wearable suspension piece since FCP Groton made a 22 something piece kit for around $1100. I've asked FCP Groton to do the same for E70, specifically the X5M, but they haven't done so yet. If you wanna eliminate all options, replace all the parts THEN come complaining.

On a side note, tires can cause tramlining, so that could be your issue as well. I was just reading yesterday how the Pirelli tires lose their grip quickly through their life, get louder and require more frequent rebalancing to keep them riding nicely until they're ultimately replaced.

[m5 guy]

Yep. I brought it to them and they did the front shaft since it has a warning on it, but the rest of the suspension stuff was on my own. Understandable though as my front end is modded all over.


I still think it's the top arms. That's the only thing we haven't done and it's the only thing that keeps the pivot arm in check. Everything connects to the pivot arm down below so makes sense if the top of it is loose everything would be funny. Camber would be constantly changing too if the ball joint was super bad.

[SaBzD]

Originally Posted by m5 guy

Yep. I brought it to them and they did the front shaft since it has a warning on it, but the rest of the suspension stuff was on my own. Understandable though as my front end is modded all over.


I still think it's the top arms. That's the only thing we haven't done and it's the only thing that keeps the pivot arm in check. Everything connects to the pivot arm down below so makes sense if the top of it is loose everything would be funny. Camber would be constantly changing too if the ball joint was super bad.

M3 guy I guess I will have to do them just be sure, however they make 3 different options, stock camber, more negative camber, or more positive camber... Which ones would you recommend? I would assume more positive camber makes more sense since it would be the alignment back in spec after being lowered

[m5 guy]

That depends on your goals. I've had the negative cambered ones installed since my KW's in order to match camber front and rear. Helped turning immensely though I'm sure I destroyed their service life.

However my replacements sitting in the garage are the standard ones. My commute does not have much twisty roads anymore so going less negative is something I want to try. Plus with the standard arms, camber in the front and rear will be proportionally out of spec compared to stock since nothing was changed camber adjustment wise.

If you are looking for more positive camber to offset the drop I would recommend you go with powerflex's adjustable bolts for the rear as well as the front positive oem arms so both can be made more positive keeping you in the proper camber difference front and rear.

[SaBzD]

So I ordered 2 new upper control arms, will be replacing them tomorrow and report back I was in the process of doing it today but somehow they were boxed wrong and I received 2 right side so I'm waiting for the left side tomorrow

[m5 guy]

Always something lol. That's awesome you are already taking care of it. You getting an alignment after?

[SaBzD]

Yes when I'm done I will be taking to a BMW dealer here in Chicago that I have been told work with lowered and modded cars and will do a custom alignment for me...

[m5 guy]

Any luck getting the A arms and alignment done? I still never got around to it so I was wondering how you were doing.

[SaBzD]

So I did the upper control arms last week and they didn't help even though the driver side was a little more worn the the passenger, had no effect after putting new ones on..... Decide to take it to the dealer to have it diagnosed and aligned.... They called me on Saturday saying that my front driver axle is loose and can be causing all the problems, even though I just replaced it, it was an aftermarket axle shaft for $65 so I said go ahead and do it.... In the meantime there was also a recall for the injectors in which they replaced all 8 of them for free..... I get a phone call today saying that my car is ready and that it drives perfect.... I'm excited.... As I'm driving home the car does not drive any different from when I had dropped it off, so I spent $1700 and my car is exactly the same I'm about to rip out of my hair and teeth with this thing! Car is pulling to the right aggressively and shakes and shinmies on every nook and bump in the road and steering still just feels loose I'm a complete loss here....

If anyone has any other suggestions please help me out...

The only things left I can think of are steering shaft, my kw's with under 10,000 miles are shot, or something with my wheels and tires...

[m5james]

A common issue done on previous BMW's during a suspension installation was to install and torque everything with the car in the air, meaning no weight on the wheels and the suspension hanging under it's own weight. Torquing with everything hanging means the suspension would then be preloaded once the vehicle was put back onto the ground. You've replaced all these suspension items, so my question is...did everything get torqued with the weight back on the wheels? If not, then excessive premature wear could be your issue and you'll need to start all over again with new parts.

[StatenEye]

Originally Posted by SaBzD

So I did the upper control arms last week and they didn't help even though the driver side was a little more worn the the passenger, had no effect after putting new ones on..... Decide to take it to the dealer to have it diagnosed and aligned.... They called me on Saturday saying that my front driver axle is loose and can be causing all the problems, even though I just replaced it, it was an aftermarket axle shaft for $65 so I said go ahead and do it.... In the meantime there was also a recall for the injectors in which they replaced all 8 of them for free..... I get a phone call today saying that my car is ready and that it drives perfect.... I'm excited.... As I'm driving home the car does not drive any different from when I had dropped it off, so I spent $1700 and my car is exactly the same I'm about to rip out of my hair and teeth with this thing! Car is pulling to the right aggressively and shakes and shinmies on every nook and bump in the road and steering still just feels loose I'm a complete loss here....

If anyone has any other suggestions please help me out...

The only things left I can think of are steering shaft, my kw's with under 10,000 miles are shot, or something with my wheels and tires...

Sorry to revive an old thread but how did this all work out?