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      03-22-2009, 05:01 PM   #1
lucasb7
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Auto-Leveling?

Hi there,

I am looking to upgrade my RX330 and have a few questions about auto-leveling. No flaming, I already searched....

Can the X5 35d have an auto-leveling suspension? I do a fair amount of towing and that is one place where the RX suffers. Is it included on the sport package under EDC and ARC? Or is it a separate feature?

Thanks for your help!
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      03-22-2009, 06:21 PM   #2
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If you want self-levelling suspension you have to order the 3rd row of seats on the diesel models or it comes as standard on the 4.8 V8.

If you want it in the front as well you need the Adaptive Drive option which gives you electronic/hydraulic controlled swaybars front & rear and level sensors on all 4 corners of the X5.
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      03-22-2009, 06:45 PM   #3
lucasb7
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Thanks for your quick reply.

I really dislike the 3rd row seats. If I ordered Adaptive Drive would I get auto-leveling on all 4 corners?

Thanks.
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      03-22-2009, 09:52 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lucasb7 View Post
Thanks for your quick reply.

I really dislike the 3rd row seats. If I ordered Adaptive Drive would I get auto-leveling on all 4 corners?

Thanks.
No, you have to order 3rd row seat, just don't use them, you would not know they were even there, there hidden very well and take up no rear cargo space!
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      03-22-2009, 11:12 PM   #5
lucasb7
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Yeah, but I really like the extra storage space under that cover. I don't understand how BMW can make everything in the world an option but not just the auto-leveling suspension. I'm a photographer and it seems like it would be a very good hiding space for cameras.

To those of you who have towed with it, if you have the auto-leveling, does it work well? If you don't have auto-leveling, do you notice much sag in towing something about 3500 lbs and 2-300 lb tongue weight?

Last edited by lucasb7; 03-22-2009 at 11:57 PM..
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      03-23-2009, 12:45 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lucasb7 View Post
Yeah, but I really like the extra storage space under that cover. I don't understand how BMW can make everything in the world an option but not just the auto-leveling suspension. I'm a photographer and it seems like it would be a very good hiding space for cameras.

To those of you who have towed with it, if you have the auto-leveling, does it work well? If you don't have auto-leveling, do you notice much sag in towing something about 3500 lbs and 2-300 lb tongue weight?
There is still space at the back of the 3rd row seats where the spare wheel would have been, this area holds the towbar in its own area and there is another area for a large dslr camera & lens as well!
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      03-23-2009, 03:10 AM   #7
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This is all wrong!!!

self leveling function is only on rear axel for setting hight when you want to put trailer..nothing else!

Adaptive drive has nothing with self leveling...i do have it and i know what i am talking about.
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      03-23-2009, 08:02 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deda View Post
This is all wrong!!!

self leveling function is only on rear axel for setting hight when you want to put trailer..nothing else!

Adaptive drive has nothing with self leveling...i do have it and i know what i am talking about.
The adaptive drive on the front keeps the X5 level as well, it is a defacto levelling system, there are sensor on the body to keep the X5 overall level. When front wheel drops into a hole the wheel drops down and body stays in it its position within 10%. The same when cornering it stops the X5 leaning heaverly.

When my X5 was water damaged the righthand front sensor failed and the X5 dropped on that side by 20mm. The 4 sensors control the overall height, when they changed my frontend for the 3rd time with new control arms sent out from Germany because it was pulling left, they had to turn off the adaptive drive, re-align the front end, then turn it back on and recaliabrate it. This had to be done on a level concrete pad otherwise the X5 would not be level.

These sensors if you wanted to and had access to the computer program could actually recaliabrate the X5 to lift itself up another 10mm higher. When you turn on the X5 on it the morning after it has been setting overnight it resets itself, you can see it do it with a 5mm movement in all 4 corners of the vehicle. Read the PDF of the actual technical brief of Adaptive Drive, it gives you good idea how the system goes through its checks after the X5 has been sitting for more than 15mins.

For your information the same system on the X6 sits 20mm lower than a X5 so it can be done. So it is not a true frontend self-levelling system as the rear is, but it mimics it using the sensors and the EDC controlled dampeners plus the electronic/ hydraulic swaybars. So the fact is if a front sensor fails and this goes for the rear as well, then that corner of the X5 will drop. I know this for a fact, one from the water damaged sensor and two I had one faulty sensor which cause the lefthand front side of the X5 to be lower than the righthand side by 5mm and was swapped out.

The adaptive drive system measures the X5 to keep it level, when you go around a corner the X5 leans, so the Adaptive drive corrects this, to me that is levelling suspension, it may not be the old fashion air suspension of the old days but it is still levelling the car on a different axis! also check to see what happens when you hit the brakes hard, the nose dips and is then brought back up as the edc system & the adaptive drive kicks in. The idea of adaptive drive is to stop body roll and keep the X5 level throughout all it axis points.
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      03-23-2009, 04:37 PM   #9
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whatever...self leveling is when you have air suspension,like audi a6 allroad and it changes its hight depending on driving speed or program you choose...
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      03-23-2009, 07:21 PM   #10
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Thank you for all your help. I realize we might not come to a clear consensus, but will adaptive drive level out the car with tongue wight or do we just not know?
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