[J78]

i dont believe they do - asked my dealler and it is only a stiffness option not the lower/rise one

You are right about not lowering/rise manually. But they included air suspension in the rear, see here on the 6th bullet “Lift-related dampers and rear-axle air suspension come as standard.”

The first-ever BMW i4.

The BMW i4 and BMW iX together mark the next major step in the BMW Group transformation towards a 50% global share of fully-electric vehicle sales in 2030. Therefore it is only logical that both vehicles are launching at the same time. See here all details on the first-ever BMW i4. For the BMW...

www.press.bmwgroup.com

this is probably the same tech as the 5 series f11 touring introduced back in 2011, to be able to be always leveled in heavy load. Which is something the i4 is always due to the batteries weight.

the stiffness option your dealer mentioned should be related to the adaptive dampers. I have it also on my 6 series, you can select sport, comfort, comfort+, although no air suspension in mine

 

[Ultrachrome]

I just hope these impressions from the configurator are realistic.
In many photos that BMW used, mostly during the first formal presentation, the car seems to be a bit too high, especially at the rear...

The i4 M50 that I saw for real during a preview was even higher than the car in the picture below. The BMW genius explained that the car was still in transport mode. Hmmm, let's wait and see

View attachment 1235

Interesting...do you know what "transport mode" is? Does this mean for when it is being transported on a truck or train so it is raised a bit incase a big bump is hit or is this something that can be turned on and off and then driven...basically lifting the car when needed? That would be fantastic but I think unlikely.

 

[rollermonkey]

I drive an early Infiniti G35 coupe-6MT which purportedly has 6.3” (16cm) of ground clearance.
I scrape bottom in and out of my driveway, the driveway to my work, and just about everywhere else.
I can’t even imagine how driving a car with 1.4” (3.5cm) LESS ground clearance will go over. The bottom better be armoured like a tank.
That, or I hope the stat for my car that I found is wrong.

 

[Inception]

The suspension travel distance is also important. My 5 series I never scrape anywhere, driving quite fast over bumps. Even my other car which has 96mm was quite ok on the very bumpy road up to my cabin.

 

[rollermonkey]

I think that the actual ground clearance number can be misleading, though.
If the lowest point of clearance is at the differential / between two wheels, you can miss a lot of scraping by taking obstructions square-on. If the clearance height in-between front and rear axles and small though, you can scrape on everything.
I know that what hits ground most often for me (and everyone else with my car) is the heat shield on the bottom of the catalytic converter, and when moving forward, it strikes ground after the front wheels clear the highest point. In reverse, it strikes after the rear wheels are well clear, just before the front wheels go over. That stupid cover is the most common source of rattling sounds, and the first thing to start corroding on this model. Worse, it's welded in place, so removing it or replacing it is a significant endeavor.

 

[telawrence977]

Anyone has a reliable source that provides ground clearance for i440? As even at my dealership they do not have that figure - I have found just one website that says 12cm (and wanted to confirm on that)

125mm=12.5'm

 

[rollermonkey]

125mm=12.5'm

Um. I think either your your math or your units may be off.

125mm = 12.5cm = 0.125m = 4.92 inches = 0.410 feet = 0.136 yards

 

[telawrence977]

Um. I think either your your math or your units may be off.

125mm = 12.5cm = 0.125m = 4.92 inches = 0.410 feet = 0.136 yards

**it
So sorry I have fat fingers 'twas a typo.
Your figures are accurate!

​

 

[yobro 24]

Indeed the adaptive suspension is controlled by the ride modes. So there are 3 settings:

1. Firm suspension which will be activated by sport or sport plus mode. Sport plus is called sport boost in the i4.
2. More comfortable suspension which will be activated by eco pro or comfort mode.
3. An adaptive damper setting where the car will continuously choose between firm or more comfortable suspension depending on the circumstances of your ride, activated by the adaptive mode.

And if you will there is a fourth setting which is the manual override than can be set in eco pro individual or sport individual. Here you can manually choose between either sporty or comfy suspension.

The comfy setting can be compared to the setup of i4's with the standard suspension.
None of these settings have anything to do with ride height. That is preset in your configuration, once your order is taken into production it can not be changed.

I don't believe this is correct. There are two options with Adaptive suspension, Comfort or Sport. The suspension continuously adapts in both settings depending on the road conditions and your driving style. You can't switch this off. If you select Comfort, the algorithm continuously adjusts between, say, Soft and Medium and if you select sport, it will adjust between Medium and Firm. I don't actually no how much overlap there is between the Mediums but you get the idea.
This is how Porsche operate their PASM suspension system which is fantastic.