My BMW 5-Series suffers from a harsh ride - what do you suggest?

I have a BMW F11 5-Series Touring on standard 17-inch wheels with 225/55 R17 runflat tyres. The ride is awful and I have always assumed that the stiffness in the walls causes much of the harsh ride.

Asked on 19 May 2012 by IS, via email

Answered by Honest John
I'd have it checked. It might be a fault with the self-levelling rear suspension or, a couple of years ago, a reader complained of stiff suspension of a 3-Series. I told her to get it back to the dealer and, red faces all round, they discovered they had not removed the transit blocks from the suspension springs. When I drove the new F30 3-Series a few months ago the cars were all fitted with 225/45 R18 runflats (deeper sidewalls than 245/45 R18s) and rode very well.
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