(800) 467-9769

Login My account icon  

Please, add your first item to the wishlist

My account icon  

Please, add your first item to the wishlist

BMW Dynamic Drive Explained — Overview, Diagnostics, and More

bmw dynamic drive explained thumbnail

Article Updated 07.22.21 – Original publishing date 04.04.18

Aside from building vehicles with increased gas mileage and lower emissions, car manufacturers are also taking great strides to make them more comfortable, especially in the luxury sector. One example of this is BMW’s Dynamic Drive, an adaptive way to improve straight line driving comfort while maintaining high cornering performance. To do this, BMW Dynamic Drive utilizes unique variable stiffness sway bars.  To find out if you have BMW Dynamic Drive, plug the last 7 digits of your VIN into this website. The code you are looking for is S229A.

The use of a standard passive stabilizer bar (often called sway bars or anti-roll bars) keeps the body of the car from tilting too much during cornering, and greatly improves the handling of a car.  Connecting both wheels together, as you go around a turn, the bar twists like a spring.  This resistance keeps one side of the body from traveling too far in the opposite direction of the other.  The downside is it makes the suspension stiffer when driving in a straight line, or if one wheel were to jounce to the side, for example by hitting a bump.

BMW Dynamic Drive

How-To Tell If You Have Dynamic Drive

BMW Dynamic Drive introduces a two-piece active sway bar to combat this effect.  While driving straight, the system is loose and forgiving.  When the car turns, the sway bar tightens in the opposite direction of tilt, keeping the vehicle cornering as flat as possible. Reduced body roll improves driving comfort, safety, stability, tire traction, and tire wear.

This system can be equipped as an option in the 5, 6, and 7 series along with the X5 and X6 starting in 2001. One way to find out is to put your VIN into the website listed above, you should get a code that mentions dynamic drive.  Taking a peek under the vehicle to identify the sway bar being used may be the most concise way. There is an obvious difference that stands out, and that is the sway bar itself.

You will notice the Dynamic Drive motor housing in the center.  Other ways to tell under the hood is to get a peek at the power steering pump, which will have a small black light-bulb like pressure accumulator on it, and the power steering reservoir will be a long, tall cylinder instead of a standard reservoir to accommodate the extra fluid.

BMW Dynamic Drive VS Standard Sway Bar
Locate the sway bar and look for the hydraulic motor in the middle. If it’s just a plain bar, you have a standard sway bar. If you have a big cylindrical lump in the middle, you have Dynamic Drive!

This system is fairly complex, but hopefully in a minute you can walk away with a good understanding of the function and purpose of Dynamic Drive, and how to diagnose potential faults.

BMW Dynamic Drive Components

There are a few critical components that allow this concept to work.  Here is a breakdown of the individual components.

The power steering pump features a pressure accumulator for the ancillary circuit

Lateral Acceleration Sensor

This sensor supplies all the important information about what the car is doing to the control unit. Think of it as the sensor in your smartphone that detects shake, tilt, and other forms of movement.  When the car tilts when going around a corner, the lateral acceleration sensor is what detects it.

Dynamic Drive Control Unit

The electronic computer that converts the input supplied by the lateral acceleration sensor, DCS module, steering angle sensor, and others into workable actions for the sway bars.  It is able to control the function of the sway bars by means of an electro-hydraulic valve block.

Hydraulic pump

The hydraulic pump serves a dual purpose.  It uses hydraulic pressure hoses to power both the power steering and the dynamic drive valve body.  By keeping constant high-pressure on the valve body, the system can have a quick response time when diverting fluid to and from the sway bars. The pump is also equipped with a small accumulator bulb in order to supply pressure immediately to the system.

Dynamic Drive Valve Block

This is the heart and soul of the system.  Working in a similar way to an automatic transmission valve body, the valve block uses solenoids and valves to control fluid flow to the sway bars, resulting in stiffer or softer sway bar operation.

NEW Dynamic Drive valve block
This BMW Dynamic Drive valve block fits E65 and E66 7-series models

Fluid Reservoir and Level Sensor

These are pretty basic, supplying an ample amount of fluid for the system to work with, and a way for the computer to alert you if the level drops too low.  This is also your power steering reservoir.  Use only Pentosin CHF-11s in these systems.

Hydraulic Valves

There are a number of hydraulic valves that aren’t located on the valve block.  These include pressure control valves on the front and rear sub-frames to adjust actuation pressure, a directional valve that specifies the direction of the high-pressure fluid, a vent valve on the front sway bar to allow air into the pump to prevent cavitation on really rough surfaces, and the fail-safe valve, which shuts off the sway bar adjustment mechanism effectively converting it to a standard sway bar.  Keep in mind that if the system runs dry, the sway bar will offer zero stabilization, as the hydraulic fluid itself is a stressed member.

Active Sway Bars

This is what all the components above are working to control.  One half of the BMW Dynamic Drive sway bar connects to a hydraulic oscillating motor, and the other half connects to the motor housing.

The motor (which is more like a hydraulic ram that twists instead of expanding) is actuated by the valve block and pressure valves, and pressurized off the power steering pump. Because the two halves of the bar turn in opposite directions, the housing is forced upwards on the outside of a curve and downward on the inside of a curve.

This setup improves driving comfort by having the sway bar disconnected and not providing any resistance when it is not needed, and providing very strong anti-roll dynamics when cornering.  Additionally, the system can tighten or soften the front and rear independently, resulting in the computer being able to make constant adjustments to avoid under/oversteer, maintaining a flat, neutral handling vehicle.

Now when going through a corner the system uses the steering angle sensor, lateral-acceleration sensor, and the Dynamic Stability Control Module to determine how much pressure to apply to the sway bar, Voila! BMW Dynamic Drive.

Servicing and Diagnosing BMW Dynamic Drive problems

Nearly all problems with the system will trigger a light, but some more serious issues will activate ‘fail-safe mode’.  When in fail-safe mode, check valves will close the hydraulic inputs and outputs from the hydraulic motors, effectively converting the sway bar into a solid passive unit.  The sway bars don’t tend to suffer many issues, but can be in need of replacement if any of the internal seals are defective.  In one notable case, one of our customers noted his BMW Dynamic Drive sway bar actually tore itself off of the chassis.

Removal and replacement of the valve block is not an easy task, but still doable at home with the correct tools. The system will need to be bled.

Faulty Valve Body

A faulty valve body aka valve block will sometimes make popping noises as the valves fail to successfully divert high pressure fluid.  This is the most common failure point with the system other than leaks.  Another component that will cause a failure is the lateral acceleration sensor.  With no input for the computer to work with, the sway bars will go into fail-safe mode and the sway bars will become passive.

Hydraulic System Rattling Noises

The front sway bar includes a venting system that travels through a series of hoses and check valves, and ends up in the fender.  When driving on very rough surfaces, the hydraulic motors can cavitate, causing a rattling noise.

The vent on the front bar allows air in and silences this cavitation.  Engineers deduced that this cavitation cannot be audibly heard on the rear sway bar, so that assembly lacks this venting system.

Faulty Steering Angle Sensor

While not technically part of the Dynamic Drive system, a key input the control module uses is the steering angle sensor. This helps the vehicle to determine the angle of the turn to provide the necessary stabilization required. A faulty steering angle sensor will trip a code and can affect the performance of the stability system.

Leaks Within the System

As with any hydraulic system, BMW Dynamic Drive can be prone to leaking. It’s always best to fix a leak at the first sign since it’s only going to get worse, and always make sure the fluid is topped up.  In the event that all fluid is lost, a warning indicator will appear on the dash and vehicle stability will be nearly nonexistent, effectively failing the fail-safe mode.  We assume this was a problem with German translation and not the function of the system.

This isn’t even all of them, there are additional connections to the valve block not pictured in this diagram.

Control module programming and hydraulic bleeding needs to be done by a technician. They’re the only ones with the access to factory scan tools, which are necessary.


Here’s a cool video of how you can diagnose the Dynamic Drive system using diagnostic software.

Use Only New Genuine BMW Parts

Servicing can be costly, but here at eEuroparts.com, we strive to deliver Genuine parts at reasonable prices. These parts are available in the used market, but we advise against using such parts.  The time and effort involved in servicing BMW Dynamic Drive warrants new, high-quality parts.  Contact our customer service department today for any of your BMW part needs.

BLOG HOME
LEAVE A REPLY

4 thoughts on “BMW Dynamic Drive Explained — Overview, Diagnostics, and More

  1. Information on removing and replacing and engine and transmission from 528l 1997 BMW. Also do you sell rebuilt engines, transmissions if so could you provided me with the cost of each parts.

    1. We do not sell entire engines or transmissions. If you end up doing this job yourself, please take some photos and let us know, we will be happy to help share your experience.

  2. What a fantastic breakdown of BMW’s Dynamic Drive system! Your blog post is a true gem for car enthusiasts who crave in-depth knowledge. The way you’ve provided an insightful overview of the technology, followed by a comprehensive guide to diagnostics, showcases your expertise and passion for the subject. Your writing style makes complex concepts easy to understand, and your attention to detail is truly impressive. It’s evident that you’ve put a lot of effort into researching and compiling this information, and it’s incredibly valuable for both BMW owners and those interested in automotive technology. Your dedication to spreading knowledge is truly appreciated, and I’m looking forward to more of your informative and well-crafted posts in the future!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

SEARCH OUR BLOG

BLOG CATEGORIES

Working on cars is dangerous, always be careful and be aware of the hazards of working on any vehicle. eEuroparts.com (Newparts Inc) is not responsible for any injury, up to and including death, as a result of working on any vehicle suggested or implied on this website.