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Originally Posted by MaC-N54-E82
I would be interested to hear your thoughts after more seat time with your new suspension set-up. I'm looking to upgrade my suspension this summer and am intrigued by your choices. I ran Bilstiens on my Audi and they were great. What was your all in cost for the suspension components, minus the MPSS and CDV delete, and install cost?
Congrats on the upgrade and TIA -
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Thanks! I do plan to update after further seat time but it's been 300 miles so far and I am extremely pleased. In addition to the flat cornering and surprising comfort, I've now had a chance to do some extended highway driving at elevated speeds and I'm blown away by the increase in high speed stability and overall control. This was something I loved about my '03 330xi and found lacking in my 1er until now. Now, there is a temptation to drive faster (I know, not good!) because the car feels so darn stable. I think the Bilstiens are a perfect match for these BMWP springs, not over- or under-damped, but just right. The HP Autowerks control arm bushings were well worth the $77, now there is much less play on-center. Combined with the MPSS's, turn-in is sharp and feel is very good. I have found while playing with tire pressure that a couple psi can make a noticeable difference in comfort and response, right now I'm at about 35 psi cold at all 4 corners.
Springs were $500 including shipping from Dan, Bilstiens were $107.48 each for rears and $231.51 each front from Turner, and I also bought from Turner their front and rear mount kit for $238.39 so I'm starting fresh with that. The bearing in one of the stock strut mounts was already very rough, so I'm glad I did the mount kit.
Labor cost not including the tires or CDV totaled $696, and this included doing the front and rear mount kits and the control arm bushings, which must be carefully pressed out (old ones) and in (new) without damage to the control arms, which I believe are aluminum. I also had my tech lube my sway bar bushings and do a general/safety check of the underside of the car while he had it up on the lift.
I think these Bilstiens are a great alternative. Let us know which way you go with your suspension, I'm interested to hear!