Quote:
Originally Posted by hxman
Can anyone recommend a good front aftermarket shocks/spring set as I am about to install my M front upper/lower control arms?
Thanks
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There are lots of options for both coil-over setups and conventional shock/spring setups. It really depends on what you want/need. What are you planning to do with the car? How much track vs street duty? How much lowering are you after? What kind of ride are you after? What are the roads like where you typically drive? What's your budget? There's no one size fits all answer.
As others have said, coil-overs are a great option if you need maximum adjust-ability (ride height and dampening). Be prepared to pay a big premium for good coil-overs.
For conventional setups, the only real "self-adjusting" setup I'm aware of are Koni FSDs (according to the marketing literature), but most favor the Koni yellows which are adjustable via knobs on the top and are more track-worthy than FSDs. On my car, I run:
- Dinan Stage 1 kit (Dinan springs and Dinan-tuned Koni yellows)
- Dinan camber plates
- M wishbones and tension rods
- VMR 18x8.5/45 and 18x9.5/50 v701 wheels
- Michelin PSS 225/255 tires
- front alignment -1.6* camber, 1/16" toe-out
- rear alignment -2* camber 1/16" toe-in
Initially I was going to go with BMW Performance Yellow springs with Koni Yellows, but I got a great deal on the Dinan setup from another forum member. I suspect the BMW/Koni setup would be very similar in performance (and a bit cheaper than getting Dinan stuff new).
I'm very satisfied with this setup. Ride is great, handling is great, NVH is great, and ride height is just about perfect. I plan on doing rear guide rods soon to tighten up the rear a bit. Many people do the M3 front sway bar (it's an easy mod), but I opted not to as I did not want to induce understeer. I haven't tracked this setup yet but I have yet to experience *any* understeer at all on the street (car plowed big time with the stock setup). The car takes a great set and sticks like white on rice .. it drives like a totally different car compared to stock. Once I get some track time, I may do more mods (like rear subframe bushings if the rear still gets squirrel-ly). My goals were to have a car that drives great on the the street and inspires confidence on the track. It is my daily driver, so comfort is a big consideration. I track for fun, so I don't need a no-holds-barred track setup. This really fits the bill.