Anything you need for 'bout $500

[godevilsgo17]

This holiday season, I'm hoping to make it rain tire smoke with some suspension mods to help transition my 6MT 128i 'vert from the sorority girl special to the canyon carving, enthusiast's machine it so longs to become. I got $500 in my pocket that I'm willing to burn, and a group of mechanical engineering friends who will work for beer and advice on how to talk to women. Since I don't have the sport suspension (beggars can't be choosers when looking for a 6MT 128i), I was thinking that I would get the most bang for my buck with the M3 sway bar and some new subframe bushings. Will those two mods be a good start on trying to curtail the waterbed-esque body roll and the pillow soft ride? I am very much open to suggestions for those who have tried Bimmering on a budget before, so please let me know how y'all would spend the money!

[dbronnik]

I wouldn't bother with the subframe bushings if you're keep the stock springs/dampers.

For 500$ budget I guess I would go for a front sway bar + camber plates and an alignment..

[Dylanize]

Save more money and get coilovers, that will make the biggest improvement.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by dbronnik

I wouldn't bother with the subframe bushings if you're keep the stock springs/dampers.

For 500$ budget I guess I would go for a front sway bar + camber plates and an alignment..

Yea I'm here too. For $500 definitely do the sway bar and camber plates.

[godevilsgo17]

Think I'm going to pull the trigger on the sway bar pretty soon. What else do I need for the install? Do I need new bushings as well or are there "kits" available with everything I need?

[John_01]

Originally Posted by godevilsgo17

I was thinking that I would get the most bang for my buck with the M3 sway bar and some new subframe bushings. Will those two mods be a good start on trying to curtail the waterbed-esque body roll and the pillow soft ride? I am very much open to suggestions for those who have tried Bimmering on a budget before, so please let me know how y'all would spend the money!

IMO its a good idea to get the E92 M3 front bar and upgraded RSFB. You will still find its going to be soft on stock springs and dampers, but at least the handling will be more precise. The other thing you can do for free is remove the alignment pins in the front strut tops. It will add an extra 0.35 degree negative front camber. The extra camber makes the steering more responsive when combined with the M3 front sway. There's not as much difference when changing camber with the stock sway bar.