Comfort level for long distance travel?

[m4AY]

i have a 15 m4 with 78 thousand kms, i drove it recently across canada, edmonton to saint john new brunswick. road noise, and a decent amount of wind noise up around the windshield, also got stuck in sudbury ontario because the rear tires were showing the belts on the inner edge, no one had the tires in stock, so ended up with a set of general tires that still took a day to get.

the car was loaded up with tools, guitars and my cat,haha but loved the ride, very comfortable seats.

when i do it again, there will be just a suite case

[MaynardZed]

Originally Posted by m4AY

the car was loaded up with tools, guitars and my cat,haha but loved the ride

you paint a picture, don't you

[Spritztour]

Originally Posted by moonluv810

Longest drive we've done as a family (with a 6 and a 9-year-old) was about 150 miles. Wife and kids didn't have any complaint.

I thought the ride was great (Comp Pack with 666). What I wish would have been better was the road noise. I had ASD turned off and engine in efficient mode 95% of time. The tire roar was to me the most "annoying" factor for a long trip.

Agree the tire noise on concrete slabs can be annoying. Highway etc. other streets asphalt may be very quiet.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by SMGCFP

In all seriousness, 3 hours is my limit in this car before I want the ride to be over. I think the ride quality is fine to even good. It's the seats, they weren't designed for padded comfort. They were made to keep your ass planted at high speeds while cornering..

How is your seating position and have you adjusted the lumbar?

Just my $0.02, but if your body shape fits into the seats, it "should" be possible to find a good seating position with some tweaking.

[SMGCFP]

My wife occasionally reminds me of the tire situation. Good tires rarely go flat unless you run something over. If you run something over in this car, the tires are usually the least of your worries. No doubt though, you gotta pay attention. On my E92 I had to replace two tires off schedule due to road hazards (on local roads). The F82 has treated me better so far (knock on wood). With all that said though the E92 situation was slow leaks due to a screw or nail. Would be inconvenient on a long trip, but fill it up every 20 minutes or so, and maybe you make it home.

[seis-speed]

I have done several trips around ~ 400 miles with wife and three kids. Obviously kids are smaller, but it was fine, just stopped from time to time. That is why you get a sedan, IMO.

[AIRHEIR]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

I did 1.1k (euro delivery) and 2.3k miles (pcd redelivery) in a 15 with passive suspension and 18s. Car was fine

AC had an issue with lines freezing due to high heat and humidity. Resolved by using manual setting 72F instead of auto setting, after the lines thawed.

Car was amazing otherwise. Very comfy and in my opinion similar to f30 335 with passive sport suspension and stock RFT 19s.

There is service bulletin for this. Have your dealer address it.

[dreventador]

I've done a few 500mile trips. I generally prefer driving the M4 over the X5 on long trips, if I don't have rear seat passengers.

I just close the exhaust valve and the sound is very manageable.

[Habs]

I did NYC to Montreal (about 400 miles) and it was just fine. Hand the kids an iPad and problem solved. Interstate Highways are usually in good condition away from urban areas so ZCP suspension isn't an issue. I find short drives in tri-state area much more uncomfortable than longer highway rides.

[jailonacs99]

I enjoy it immensely on multi-hour cruises on by-ways. 70% of the reason I have the car.

For long haul freeway drives (I'm actually driving from DC to Orlando Fl right now), I still find it comfortable. It feels sporty, not supple. But that's why I like it as well, because when I want to I can downshift and punch it an extra 20 mph to overtake in an instant. I find road noise is more dependent on the tarmac. Some are silent, others loud.

One thing I would recommend is coding off active sound. I would be very annoyed with constant exhaust drone at cruising speed. With it off the interior is pleasant.

[Prossx]

Good to know the PS 4S are better than the quite loud on certain highway surfaces PSS. Otherwise the M3 (non ZCP) is a brilliant road tripper. 300 miles yesterday getting 29mpg @ 74.6 ave mph. Most excellent.

[RickFLM4]

PS4S are quieter when new and I think overall through their life than PSS of equal age. For me PS4S sounded a lot quieter when they replaced 4 PSS with 18K miles on them but that is comparing old to new.

Like any summer tire, PS4S will get louder with age. You may not always notice they get louder because it happens slowly over time, but they all get louder. I haven't tested or seen any specific data, but I'd expect new PSS would be quieter than 1/2 worn PS4S to provide some perspective.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by AIRHEIR

There is service bulletin for this. Have your dealer address it.

Thanks.

Never came up again; figured it was because of how humid it was in NOLA area

[SMGCFP]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

How is your seating position and have you adjusted the lumbar?

Just my $0.02, but if your body shape fits into the seats, it "should" be possible to find a good seating position with some tweaking.

No Lumbar in the ZCP. My seat is positioned how I was taught at PCD and M Track day. The seat is good, but after a long trip it's not an A8L with a body massager. It's not disappointing at all. It wasn't meant to be a touring car.

[MNhv]

3 hrs is about the limit for me (I'm on the 20in 666's) then it starts to get tiring. Anything longer than that I take out the Lexus.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by SMGCFP

No Lumbar in the ZCP. My seat is positioned how I was taught at PCD and M Track day. The seat is good, but after a long trip it's not an A8L with a body massager. It's not disappointing at all. It wasn't meant to be a touring car.

Lumbar was pretty key for me. That might contribute to your discomfort

As I'm sure you know, "track" seating position is not always the most comfy. I sure wish I could slide the seat or recline the seat back in my track car when I'm doing a 3hr street drive to the track

I do disagree slightly in I feel that if you don't find f80 comfortable for a long road trip it severely dilutes the appeal of the car, as it's meant to shine as a dual purpose machine

As an aside, I did 16hrs solo from Seattle WA to SF CA in an old/modified 911 turbo and a new sedan had better be able to better that level of road comfort, or it gets booted from my garage...

[Alpine300zhp]

Originally Posted by captainaudio

I consider the M a GT car. When it was a few months old I took mine from NYC to Blue Ridge Georgia and back. It was a great long distance cruiser. The seats are comfortable and in comfort mode the suspension is not punishing particularly on relatively smooth interstates,

I agree. When I picked up my 15 M4 coupe in Atlanta, GA, I drove it back to Palm Beach County that day. 9 hours one way. I have had several M cars and the F82 (static steel suspension, so pretty firm ride) was very comfortable for me in M1 mode (default settings) the whole way home to Palm Beach. The trip is just over 600 miles one way. I did the same trip in my E92 M3 competion and my E46 M3 convertible. The E46 was torture and I would never, ever do that again.

[Alpine300zhp]

Originally Posted by Prossx

Good to know the PS 4S are better than the quite loud on certain highway surfaces PSS. Otherwise the M3 (non ZCP) is a brilliant road tripper. 300 miles yesterday getting 29mpg @ 74.6 ave mph. Most excellent.

It is amazing how good the gas mileage is on the S55. Here is the crazy part, my F82 with 52k miles on it gets better gas mileage than my 435 coupe

[danniexi]

i did a 4-5 hour drive with two dogs in the front, my wife, my (then) 8-month old baby in the back, and the trunk/every conceivable space filled with luggage and other crap. not a single complaint, let alone peep, from any one. i would open the exhaust valves at times for fun and the drone at cruise easily put my baby to sleep.

honestly, the only complaint that i would have are the roar from the MPSS tires (mine are wider than stock) so when they go, i may upgrade to PS4S which are even better. i also cant handle long trips in cars so my right thigh/buttock/lower back were cramping up within two hours. im short and relatively skinny so its more of a "me" issue than the seats i think. had the same issue with my old E92 as well. i can never find the "correct" seating position.

[SMGCFP]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Lumbar was pretty key for me. That might contribute to your discomfort

As I'm sure you know, "track" seating position is not always the most comfy. I sure wish I could slide the seat or recline the seat back in my track car when I'm doing a 3hr street drive to the track

I do disagree slightly in I feel that if you don't find f80 comfortable for a long road trip it severely dilutes the appeal of the car, as it's meant to shine as a dual purpose machine

As an aside, I did 16hrs solo from Seattle WA to SF CA in an old/modified 911 turbo and a new sedan had better be able to better that level of road comfort, or it gets booted from my garage...

I find it comfortable. But not most comfortable. I do relax the seat a bit when not tracking. My wife does most of the complaining btw. Also, some of this is an issue of my body. I don't have a lot of fat in the right places . This contributes to my butt getting a bit numb after a few hours in the seat. Or maybe I'm having a stroke

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by SMGCFP

I don't have a lot of fat in the right places . This contributes to my butt getting a bit numb after a few hours in the seat.

is that what it is? i got the same pain then numb feeling on my thigh/ass/lower back after a few hours as well.

maybe i should get some seat cushions.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by danniexi

is that what it is? i got the same pain then numb feeling on my thigh/ass/lower back after a few hours as well.

maybe i should get some seat cushions.

If you let your leg sit on the side bottom bolster you will get numbness no matter how fat or skinny you are. These seats, more than any other car I’ve had, require you to sit “just right” to be comfortable.