TracTive Semi-Active Suspension Review

Yeah, the links on the Tractive website do not function. I emailed Tractive and they provided me a pdf, attached. I also requested they provide general specs for install, but they pointed me to Inertia Labs, and only provided me a recommended 20-25mm of drop over OEM, which is slightly lower than ZCP height. Waiting on a response from Inertia Labs atm.

Call me a simpleton, but I would expect some dimensions for ride height collar, spring perch collar, and maybe length of end links (which are adjustable on two sides, but one could assume you would just match the OEM lengths). Page 4 and 5 would have been good diagrams to place some annotations on...

I consider myself moderately handy, do all of my maintenance, etc, but only have a set of floor jacks and jack stands at home. I am just making the judgement call to take the car to a shop for for the install, so I don't end up spending a whole day just raising and lowering the car for minute adjustments.

Slightly disappointed, was expecting better support and more detailed instructions for such an expensive kit, was also looking forward to DIY'ing the install, but oh well. We'll get there one way or another!

Will report back next week once install and alignment are done.

Jebus! $4-6K suspension parts and that is the install guide?! This is just straight up bad. This explains the interaction I received from them when I got technical.

For example their regular system includes a CANChecked display to control it (did you go for the plug and play?) but I already have a CANChecked display. I said, man, it would be amazing if you could just release firmware that contains functionality for both suspension AND Canchecked gauges. Their reply was for me to get a second display in the car and just kill both AC vents. Lame. I talked to the CANChecked owner and he said to talk to Tractive. Nobody seemed interested and in the back end it would be so easy to do. The product feels rushed. Hopefully as suspension it's worth it! I don't think I'll be going this route.

I got the plug and play, just was looking for something more modern that retained EDC and was simple to install.

As someone who works in consulting with technical drawings all day, I agree, pretty lackluster end user support and instructions. Feel like someone over there could have spent an extra hour on the manual and made it 10x better with actual useful information.

I’m hoping the install goes smoothly at the shop and the kit holds up to the test of time. I’m not putting much mileage on the car so should be ok, but definitely starting to have a twinge of regret in not just going with the tried and true Ohlins RT/EDC delete route haha…

Fingers crossed!

e90_503 wrote

I got the plug and play, just was looking for something more modern that retained EDC and was simple to install.

As someone who works in consulting with technical drawings all day, I agree, pretty lackluster end user support and instructions. Feel like someone over there could have spent an extra hour on the manual and made it 10x better with actual useful information.

I’m hoping the install goes smoothly at the shop and the kit holds up to the test of time. I’m not putting much mileage on the car so should be ok, but definitely starting to have a twinge of regret in not just going with the tried and true Ohlins RT/EDC delete route haha…

Fingers crossed!

I’ve been considering picking up a Touring set for my M2, but seeing these recent comments about the lack of documentation and support has me second-guessing. Now that you’ve had some time with the kit, are you happy with the purchase, or do you have any regrets?

TLDR - I think I’d just go for Ohlins and EDC delete but I think I had/am having a particularly poor experience. The quality issues are not something I’d wish on anyone though, quite frustrating. Disappointing for a $5k kit, closer to $6k with camber plates and replacement bushings and misc hardware. Poor documentation and quality control (from my single sample size), and working through two degrees of support was not the best from an end-user experience standpoint. Ohlins would have been $2k cheaper, better documentation and probably less of a hassle to return/warranty if issues found during install.

When I brought the car in for install the first time, the shop called me mid-install and stated that the rear shock shaft was too short, the shock shaft passed through the body but there was not enough thread to install the necessary hardware, bushings, etc and secure to body of the car. I reached out to Tractive and turns it was a defect from human assembly. To their benefit, they expedited replacement from the Netherlands, but it still took about a week and a half. Coordinating with Inertia (TX) and Tractive (NL) was not very fun. I needed the car back so I paid the shop R&R to get the car back on the road. $450 out of pocket.

Install #2…. The shop found the kit missing bushings and washers for the rear shocks. So, install stopped again. Tractive expedited replacements over, so minor inconvenience for me, but annoying for the shop I’m sure, since the car took a lift up for a couple days. Luckily the shop didn’t charge me a racking fee.

Onto the front shocks - the shock shaft was too long and the hardware was bottoming out before securing the shock to the camber plates. Shop modified/cut some of the shaft to resolve the issue. $360 for the fab work. I suspect the strut was defective here too tbh but it’s on the car at this point.

Finally on the road!

Generally the ride is really nice in normal and sport, I was expecting way harsher, but I’m coming from 95k mi OEM EDC shocks and struts. Brake dive and acceleration squat is significantly reduced. Cornering is flat and confidence inspiring. Sport+ is pretty bouncy and jittery, probably only good for track use, not good for DD. I’ll be attending an HDPE in September so hopefully can play with the sport+ setting then.

I am having a small issue where the car seems to oscillate when coming to a stop - think rolling to a stop sign. Seems to me like the shocks are over-compensating for the shift in weight to the front of the car when stopping, and then having to correct its self-induced vibration. Instead of a single impulse when stopping, I’m experiencing 2-3-4 slight bounces back and forth, very pronounced with the butt dyno. I am being told that it is normal so I guess it is what it is? Not sure what I can do about it at this point. That being said, having the above mentioned quality issues during install the is not exactly inspiring any confidence in the situation.