DDC/EDC similarities/differences & is it worth it?

[BMWDEMON]

OK,

So I am coming from an 08 E90 M3 that Classic6 picked up from me a few years ago and thinking about diving back into an individual E92 M3.

I will probably either get coils and or sleeve kit and wondering if the 1K is worth it for the Dynamic damper control or not (I guess EDC is part of it)

I remember that I always had my E90 in sport with H&R springs and never really selected anything else unless I had my parents in the car which was .2% of ownership so literally never...thoughts?

I am leaning towards not selecting this option because of the change in suspension I will be doing but want community input to finalize my decision

Thanks!

[FormulaMMM]

If you're going to be getting coilovers, then I don't know why you would.

Easier resale perhaps if this is a distant concern.

[BMWDEMON]

Originally Posted by FormulaMMM

If you're going to be getting coilovers, then I don't know why you would.

Easier resale perhaps if this is a distant concern.

Nah...I am keeping the car for life...opposite of what I have done for years especially since I am going individual.

Thanks for the input!

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by BMWDEMON

I remember that I always had my E90 in sport with H&R springs and never really selected anything else unless I had my parents in the car which was .2% of ownership so literally never...

I think you just answered your own question. I like my ZCP EDC because I'm never going to alter the suspension and I appreciate a great difference between comfort and sport but that doesn't sound like what you need.

[jphughan]

If you're modding suspension, consensus seems to be to pass on EDC since it just adds cost and complexity, the benefits of which you may be eliminating anyway and may have to spend more money and effort to work around with the mods.

You drove your E90 in Sport EDC full time? Wow, I tried that a few times on public roads and it made the car so harsh I couldn't stand to be in it -- granted I'm on stock suspension but somehow I doubt your mods made the ride in Sport softer. I use Comfort for driving around town and Normal for back roads and the track, especially since the upper range of Normal's adaptive range is actually FIRMER than Sport, so it can be tougher than Sport when needed. Even though I couldn't stand to be in Sport on regular roads, I have to admit I was impressed at how wide the ride feel range was in a single car.

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by jphughan

If you're modding suspension, consensus seems to be to pass on EDC since it just adds cost and complexity, the benefits of which you may be eliminating anyway and may have to spend more money and effort to work around with the mods.

You drove your E90 in Sport EDC full time? Wow, I tried that a few times on public roads and it made the car so harsh I couldn't stand to be in it -- granted I'm on stock suspension but somehow I doubt your mods made the ride in Sport softer. I use Comfort for driving around town and Normal for back roads and the track, especially since the upper range of Normal's adaptive range is actually FIRMER than Sport, so it can be tougher than Sport when needed. Even though I couldn't stand to be in Sport on regular roads, I have to admit I was impressed at how wide the ride feel range was in a single car.

I drive mine in Sport full time as well. While you can definitely feel the difference in settings, it doesn't seem extremely harsh. I'm also lowered on H&R springs.

[urBan_dK]

Originally Posted by jphughan

I use Comfort for driving around town and Normal for back roads and the track, especially since the upper range of Normal's adaptive range is actually FIRMER than Sport, so it can be tougher than Sport when needed. Even though I couldn't stand to be in Sport on regular roads, I have to admit I was impressed at how wide the ride feel range was in a single car.

This is true for non-ZCP cars. ZCP actually has a fully adaptive Sport mode as well.

It is possible to code this to non-ZCP cars. I figured out how to yesterday.

[PurM3]

Originally Posted by jphughan

If you're modding suspension, consensus seems to be to pass on EDC since it just adds cost and complexity, the benefits of which you may be eliminating anyway and may have to spend more money and effort to work around with the mods.

You drove your E90 in Sport EDC full time? Wow, I tried that a few times on public roads and it made the car so harsh I couldn't stand to be in it -- granted I'm on stock suspension but somehow I doubt your mods made the ride in Sport softer. I use Comfort for driving around town and Normal for back roads and the track, especially since the upper range of Normal's adaptive range is actually FIRMER than Sport, so it can be tougher than Sport when needed. Even though I couldn't stand to be in Sport on regular roads, I have to admit I was impressed at how wide the ride feel range was in a single car.

Agreed sports mode is too harsh for me too. Maybe I have e93 so the added weight make it worse

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by urBan_dK

This is true for non-ZCP cars. ZCP actually has a fully adaptive Sport mode as well.

It is possible to code this to non-ZCP cars. I figured out how to yesterday.

I know, but since the OP didn't seem to be asking about ZCP, I left that out.

[BMWDEMON]

I like the idea of the ZCP option although what you get compared to cost doesn't seem to add up? I am very appreciative of the answers...I needed them to make sure I was thinking this all out the right way and not missing something.

One more question...although I did ride around in sport all the time I adjusted the other settings to a medium setting and only maxed everything out with the M button...will this button be gone without this option? I am even thinking about not doing NAV which I think will also delete I-drive which I actually enjoy so carefully weighing all my options against my modification requirements.

I want to map this car out before purchasing it as the individual option is pretty high, higher than usual for the paint code I have selected, and although this is a keeper need to budget initial mods against future mods in line with the actual purchase.

M

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by jphughan

, especially since the upper range of Normal's adaptive range is actually FIRMER than Sport, so it can be tougher than Sport when needed. .

I've seen this repeated many times on here but is this really true? Is there any actual evidence or is it just a propagated rumor?

[schnell325]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I've seen this repeated many times on here but is this really true? Is there any actual evidence or is it just a propagated rumor?

I'll add to the rumors. If I recall, when the E9x M3 came out and all the car magazines (C&D, R&T, etc) were testing them at tracks with BMW pro drivers, the pros told the writers that they preferred "normal" vs "sport" because of what's been mentioned about the potential firmness of "normal".

Truth? I'm not sure.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I've seen this repeated many times on here but is this really true? Is there any actual evidence or is it just a propagated rumor?

Originally Posted by schnell325

I'll add to the rumors. If I recall, when the E9x M3 came out and all the car magazines (C&D, R&T, etc) were testing them at tracks with BMW pro drivers, the pros told the writers that they preferred "normal" vs "sport" because of what's been mentioned about the potential firmness of "normal".

Truth? I'm not sure.

I think that's what I remember reading. And I also remember that a BMW M suspension engineer interviewed about EDC when the ZCP option came out (there's a thread on it somewhere as well as copies of that interview on other websites) said that on NON-ZCP cars with EDC, he recommended Normal for tracks with elevation changes and Sport only for completely flat tracks. Ironically he didn't make any recommendations for ZCP EDC even though that was the subject of the interview.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by BMWDEMON

I like the idea of the ZCP option although what you get compared to cost doesn't seem to add up? I am very appreciative of the answers...I needed them to make sure I was thinking this all out the right way and not missing something.

One more question...although I did ride around in sport all the time I adjusted the other settings to a medium setting and only maxed everything out with the M button...will this button be gone without this option? I am even thinking about not doing NAV which I think will also delete I-drive which I actually enjoy so carefully weighing all my options against my modification requirements.

I want to map this car out before purchasing it as the individual option is pretty high, higher than usual for the paint code I have selected, and although this is a keeper need to budget initial mods against future mods in line with the actual purchase.

M

The value of ZCP is definitely debatable. But if you were going to get EDC and 19" wheels anyway, then you're essentially only paying an extra $250 for adaptive EDC Sport mode, a different MDM calibration (though Euro MDM is better and can be coded onto either car), the suspension tweaks, and a different style of 19" wheels. I got EDC and the 220M 19" because I preferred the 220s to the 359s and didn't care about the rest of it.

Not sure what you mean about riding around in Sport but dialing everything else back to Medium -- what car are you talking about and what is "everything else"? But the M3 allows you to adjust throttle, suspension, steering weight, DSC, and (with DCT) shift speed all completely independently for M mode -- outside of M mode, you can set a default startup EDC and throttle setting, but you can't use MDM or Sport steering and on DCT I don't think you can set a default shift mode. Also, be aware that if you don't have iDrive, MDM is pretty much forced on in M mode -- so if like me you want to have lazy and spirited settings both for the road and thus keep DSC on in both cases (I use Euro MDM / DSC off only on the track), that won't be possible, though I suppose you could manually turn it back on with the button after toggling M mode on. But at least unlike the Z4, for example, you don't have to deal with sport throttle and shift speed if you only want sport suspension, for example.

Yes, if you remove Nav you remove iDrive. The X3, F30 3 Series, and some other newer BMWs do indeed have iDrive standard with only the navigation function optional, but that's not true of the M3. I really, REALLY like iDrive even though I seldom use the navigation function; it's just a great interface for infotainment management, configuring the car, monitoring status, etc.

What's the paint code you've selected?

[donovan]

People may get butt hurt, as most people on forums do...but please save your cash for some coilovers rather than getting EDC.

Been there and wasted money on that.

[BMWDEMON]

Originally Posted by jphughan

The value of ZCP is definitely debatable. But if you were going to get EDC and 19" wheels anyway, then you're essentially only paying an extra $250 for adaptive EDC Sport mode, a different MDM calibration (though Euro MDM is better and can be coded onto either car), the suspension tweaks, and a different style of 19" wheels. I got EDC and the 220M 19" because I preferred the 220s to the 359s and didn't care about the rest of it.

Not sure what you mean about riding around in Sport but dialing everything else back to Medium -- what car are you talking about and what is "everything else"? But the M3 allows you to adjust throttle, suspension, steering weight, DSC, and (with DCT) shift speed all completely independently for M mode -- outside of M mode, you can set a default startup EDC and throttle setting, but you can't use MDM or Sport steering and on DCT I don't think you can set a default shift mode. Also, be aware that if you don't have iDrive, MDM is pretty much forced on in M mode -- so if like me you want to have lazy and spirited settings both for the road and thus keep DSC on in both cases (I use Euro MDM / DSC off only on the track), that won't be possible, though I suppose you could manually turn it back on with the button after toggling M mode on. But at least unlike the Z4, for example, you don't have to deal with sport throttle and shift speed if you only want sport suspension, for example.

Yes, if you remove Nav you remove iDrive. The X3, F30 3 Series, and some other newer BMWs do indeed have iDrive standard with only the navigation function optional, but that's not true of the M3. I really, REALLY like iDrive even though I seldom use the navigation function; it's just a great interface for infotainment management, configuring the car, monitoring status, etc.

What's the paint code you've selected?

303/9
Cosmos Schwarz Metallic




Thanks everyone for the input...I'll have to play around with the options until I am ready to order but the car will at least have IDrive and probably no EDC because of the suspension change...I simply did not move it around too much and cost/factor doesn't make sense.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by BMWDEMON

303/9
Cosmos Schwarz Metallic

Interesting, how does that color compare to the (many) other black paints in BMW's lineup? I've never seen that one in person.

[BMWDEMON]

Pure black with metal in it where most other BMW blacks have another color hue involved which I also like but this is a classic and with extended red think it would be awesome to bring back a color from the past!

[Aus_M]

Originally Posted by jphughan

$250 for adaptive EDC Sport mode, a different MDM calibration (though Euro MDM is better and can be coded onto either car)

What is the difference between ZCP MDM and Euro MDM? I would think ZCP would be less restrictive?

[slicer]

I have had an M3 both ways (With and without EDC). Skipping EDC was a no-brainer for me on my latest M3 (ordered this one). If you run coilovers it's a button that becomes useless and you have to code it out. I was not impressed with the EDC suspension settings (I rarely went out of the middle mode). In the end coilovers are the best option considering you can tune the ride quality and height.

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by Aus_M

What is the difference between ZCP MDM and Euro MDM? I would think ZCP would be less restrictive?

Euro MDM will allow more aggressive driving than the US version before DSC intervenes.

[ortho281]

Originally Posted by urBan_dK

This is true for non-ZCP cars. ZCP actually has a fully adaptive Sport mode as well.

It is possible to code this to non-ZCP cars. I figured out how to yesterday.

I'm interested in coding the Adaptive Sport Mode to my Non-ZCP with EDC.
Anyone that code this for me remotely? Thanks!