135i handling

[asiflicious]

Hey everyone! I'm new to this forum but I'm hoping to get as much information and provide as much information as possible during my ownership of my new to me 135i. A little about myself; I'm 21, working and going to school full time. My BMW background of cars I've personally owned are a 2011 128i, a 2008 335i, and currently my 2010 135i. Back in June I totaled my 2008 335i. Thankfully everything worked out for the best and I got a sapphire black on black 2010 135i with 30k miles for a great deal! First thing I did was the stage 1 MHD tune. I'm planning on getting an FMIC and meowless pipes and going stage 2 and calling it quits as far as power mods go. However, before I do all that I need to fix the handling on this car. The car just does not feel as planted or stable as the 335i did. Now I know this in part due to the shorter wheel base, but that does not explain the rather floaty nature of the car or lack of high speed stability. The car is currently completely stock as far as the suspension is concerned and I'm still on the oem runflats. I have done some research and it seems that people say the best mods for handling are better tires, E93 M3 front sway bar, M3 subframe bushings, M3/1M front control arms, LSD, and coilovers. My issue is not grip or traction so I dont think I'm in need of new tires at the moment, especially since the oem ones I have on right now are pretty much brand new. I will eventually get better tires, but not until these ones are done for. I'm a bit skeptical about coilovers because I'm not looking to slam my car, I'm looking to improve the performance but it seems everyone talks about coilovers in terms of aesthetics and not performance. I'm not opposed to coilovers if they will make a noticable improvement to the handling of the car, but I do not want to spend over a thousand dollars just for a ride height drop. So will coilovers help with performance or not? I understand the benefits of an LSD, but it seems the general consensus is that it's not worth the money on a street car. As far as the M3 subframe bushings go, I'm ashamed to admit that I do not know what subframe bushings are, what they do, or how M3 bushings will improve handling. Can any of you shed some light on this? I'm just trying to make the car feel more planted and less rolly or floaty. Any advice on where I should begin to achieve this goal? I'm really looking for the mods that are the most bang for your buck and make the biggest difference. As much as I would love to go all out and put in everything, I can't afford to do all that. So if I could get like a top 3 mods list and a little explanation of what exactly those mods do and how they improve the handling characteristics and a rough estimate of how much I should expect to pay to have said mods installed, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you

[BimmerAg]

First of all, welcome! I'll try to address your points one-by-one the best I can:

Originally Posted by asiflicious

My issue is not grip or traction so I dont think I'm in need of new tires at the moment, especially since the oem ones I have on right now are pretty much brand new. I will eventually get better tires, but not until these ones are done for.

The OEM runflats are known for being loud, expensive, not having great grip, and having a rough ride. Most people recommend replacing them as soon as you can, but I totally understand wanting to get the most out of your current tires first, and I think you can achieve the handling you want with other modifications.

Originally Posted by asiflicious

I'm a bit skeptical about coilovers because I'm not looking to slam my car, I'm looking to improve the performance but it seems everyone talks about coilovers in terms of aesthetics and not performance. I'm not opposed to coilovers if they will make a noticable improvement to the handling of the car, but I do not want to spend over a thousand dollars just for a ride height drop. So will coilovers help with performance or not?

In some other car scenes, coilovers are more of an aesthetic mod. Luckily from what I've seen on this forum, most members seem to be more focused on handling and performance and coilovers will 100% provide that if you get a QUALITY set. Blistein, Ohlins, Koni, KW, etc are all high quality sets, but can be closer to two thousand dollars. If you don't do very much track driving, then I'd recommend a spring and shock upgrade instead, preferably a matched set like this: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1...nsion-package/
Koni also makes a kit with their yellow sport shocks and the same eibach springs. Be advised, both these kits will results in about a 1" drop. If you're not looking for that much of a drop, the BMW performance suspension (maybe 1/2" drop) is also very highly regarded, although it is more expensive: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...front-swaybar/

Originally Posted by asiflicious

I understand the benefits of an LSD, but it seems the general consensus is that it's not worth the money on a street car.

For a street car, LSD is definitely lower on the list, especially because of the high cost.

Originally Posted by asiflicious

As far as the M3 subframe bushings go, I'm ashamed to admit that I do not know what subframe bushings are, what they do, or how M3 bushings will improve handling. Can any of you shed some light on this?

The rear subframe basically holds all the rear drivetrain parts. To connect the subframe to the main frame of the car, there are a few bolts with rubber bushings around them. These bushings help isolate some of the bumps and harshness from the road, but the stock bushings are very soft and can deflect under high loads, which makes the rear end feel unstable. The M3 bushing, is made of a stiffer rubber that doesn't deflect as much, and it gives the rear a much more planted feel, although it can come at the expense of slightly more NVH transmitted into the cabin. If you can do the work yourself, people say this is one of the best bang-for-the-buck upgrades you can do for your car's handling. also, I'd recommend using a 2-piece bushing for easier installation. Like this: http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_...=KDT917&sq=773

The M3/1M front control arms will help fight understeer by adding about .75° of negative camber. They also include stiffer bushings than the stock arms that will slightly firm up the front suspension.

Originally Posted by asiflicious

I'm just trying to make the car feel more planted and less rolly or floaty. Any advice on where I should begin to achieve this goal? I'm really looking for the mods that are the most bang for your buck and make the biggest difference. As much as I would love to go all out and put in everything, I can't afford to do all that. So if I could get like a top 3 mods list and a little explanation of what exactly those mods do and how they improve the handling characteristics and a rough estimate of how much I should expect to pay to have said mods installed, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you

Obviously, what mods are best will depend on what you want to do with the car, but it sounds to me like you want a better handling road car, not a track/autocross car. Based on that, I'd recommend the following top 3 mods:
1: Rear subframe bushing - one of the least expensive mods in your list (if you can do it yourself) and will really help plant the rear of the car
2: Spring/shock upgrade - This will make the biggest difference in how your car handles so make sure you go for a high quality kit. Stiffer springs will reduce body roll and firmer shocks will help get rid of the floaty feeling you're describing
3: Either new tires or M3 sway bar - With firmer suspension, you may feel like your car's ride has gotten rougher than you like. Luckily, non-runflat tires feel softer than the stock runflats and should get you back to a stock-like ride quality. If you don't mind the firmer ride, then the M3 sway bar is pretty cheap and will also reduce body roll.

Hope that helps! I'm also new to the 1 series, but I've been doing a lot of research lately and have pretty much decided to start with the same mods on my DD/weekend racer

[xQx]

Just wanted to chime in and say don't under-estimate how much difference a good set of tires will make.

My car came with no-name non-runflat tires with heaps of tread, but they were old and the rubber had gone off. The car was unpredictable and wheel-spin in 2nd was unmanageable. Putting a good set of sticky tires on has made the car an entirely different beast, even with the OEM Rear Subframe Bushes. I actually have no qualms about its handling in stock condition now that it's on good tires.

Also, don't under-estimate how difficult it is to get the original M3 bushes in. Whiteline Inserts will give you 80% of the improvement for about 5% of the effort - it's a great place to start. Cheap and easy because you don't even have to press out your existing subframe bushes. Complete 2-piece replacements are easy to get in, but still a PITA to get your old bushes out. ... as for real M3 RSFB - well, I picked up a set for almost nothing, but it's still going to cost me $660 to have them installed because of how hard they are to get in.

[a4nut]

I have a good set of PSS and it helped a lot, but there is still a lot of floatyness and high speed instability. I plan on a good set of coilovers and m3 front control arms to alleviate it. I might also do the whiteline inserts, but it just galls me how poor my IS handles even compared with my 09 328 with FSDs on it

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by BimmerAg

First of all, welcome! I'll try to address your points one-by-one the best I can:

The OEM runflats are known for being loud, expensive, not having great grip, and having a rough ride. Most people recommend replacing them as soon as you can, but I totally understand wanting to get the most out of your current tires first, and I think you can achieve the handling you want with other modifications.

In some other car scenes, coilovers are more of an aesthetic mod. Luckily from what I've seen on this forum, most members seem to be more focused on handling and performance and coilovers will 100% provide that if you get a QUALITY set. Blistein, Ohlins, Koni, KW, etc are all high quality sets, but can be closer to two thousand dollars. If you don't do very much track driving, then I'd recommend a spring and shock upgrade instead, preferably a matched set like this: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1...nsion-package/
Koni also makes a kit with their yellow sport shocks and the same eibach springs. Be advised, both these kits will results in about a 1" drop. If you're not looking for that much of a drop, the BMW performance suspension (maybe 1/2" drop) is also very highly regarded, although it is more expensive: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...front-swaybar/

For a street car, LSD is definitely lower on the list, especially because of the high cost.

The rear subframe basically holds all the rear drivetrain parts. To connect the subframe to the main frame of the car, there are a few bolts with rubber bushings around them. These bushings help isolate some of the bumps and harshness from the road, but the stock bushings are very soft and can deflect under high loads, which makes the rear end feel unstable. The M3 bushing, is made of a stiffer rubber that doesn't deflect as much, and it gives the rear a much more planted feel, although it can come at the expense of slightly more NVH transmitted into the cabin. If you can do the work yourself, people say this is one of the best bang-for-the-buck upgrades you can do for your car's handling. also, I'd recommend using a 2-piece bushing for easier installation. Like this: http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_...=KDT917&sq=773

The M3/1M front control arms will help fight understeer by adding about .75° of negative camber. They also include stiffer bushings than the stock arms that will slightly firm up the front suspension.

Obviously, what mods are best will depend on what you want to do with the car, but it sounds to me like you want a better handling road car, not a track/autocross car. Based on that, I'd recommend the following top 3 mods:
1: Rear subframe bushing - one of the least expensive mods in your list (if you can do it yourself) and will really help plant the rear of the car
2: Spring/shock upgrade - This will make the biggest difference in how your car handles so make sure you go for a high quality kit. Stiffer springs will reduce body roll and firmer shocks will help get rid of the floaty feeling you're describing
3: Either new tires or M3 sway bar - With firmer suspension, you may feel like your car's ride has gotten rougher than you like. Luckily, non-runflat tires feel softer than the stock runflats and should get you back to a stock-like ride quality. If you don't mind the firmer ride, then the M3 sway bar is pretty cheap and will also reduce body roll.

Hope that helps! I'm also new to the 1 series, but I've been doing a lot of research lately and have pretty much decided to start with the same mods on my DD/weekend racer

Originally Posted by BimmerAg

First of all, welcome! I'll try to address your points one-by-one the best I can:

The OEM runflats are known for being loud, expensive, not having great grip, and having a rough ride. Most people recommend replacing them as soon as you can, but I totally understand wanting to get the most out of your current tires first, and I think you can achieve the handling you want with other modifications.

In some other car scenes, coilovers are more of an aesthetic mod. Luckily from what I've seen on this forum, most members seem to be more focused on handling and performance and coilovers will 100% provide that if you get a QUALITY set. Blistein, Ohlins, Koni, KW, etc are all high quality sets, but can be closer to two thousand dollars. If you don't do very much track driving, then I'd recommend a spring and shock upgrade instead, preferably a matched set like this: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1...nsion-package/
Koni also makes a kit with their yellow sport shocks and the same eibach springs. Be advised, both these kits will results in about a 1" drop. If you're not looking for that much of a drop, the BMW performance suspension (maybe 1/2" drop) is also very highly regarded, although it is more expensive: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...front-swaybar/

For a street car, LSD is definitely lower on the list, especially because of the high cost.

The rear subframe basically holds all the rear drivetrain parts. To connect the subframe to the main frame of the car, there are a few bolts with rubber bushings around them. These bushings help isolate some of the bumps and harshness from the road, but the stock bushings are very soft and can deflect under high loads, which makes the rear end feel unstable. The M3 bushing, is made of a stiffer rubber that doesn't deflect as much, and it gives the rear a much more planted feel, although it can come at the expense of slightly more NVH transmitted into the cabin. If you can do the work yourself, people say this is one of the best bang-for-the-buck upgrades you can do for your car's handling. also, I'd recommend using a 2-piece bushing for easier installation. Like this: http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_...=KDT917&sq=773

The M3/1M front control arms will help fight understeer by adding about .75° of negative camber. They also include stiffer bushings than the stock arms that will slightly firm up the front suspension.

Obviously, what mods are best will depend on what you want to do with the car, but it sounds to me like you want a better handling road car, not a track/autocross car. Based on that, I'd recommend the following top 3 mods:
1: Rear subframe bushing - one of the least expensive mods in your list (if you can do it yourself) and will really help plant the rear of the car
2: Spring/shock upgrade - This will make the biggest difference in how your car handles so make sure you go for a high quality kit. Stiffer springs will reduce body roll and firmer shocks will help get rid of the floaty feeling you're describing
3: Either new tires or M3 sway bar - With firmer suspension, you may feel like your car's ride has gotten rougher than you like. Luckily, non-runflat tires feel softer than the stock runflats and should get you back to a stock-like ride quality. If you don't mind the firmer ride, then the M3 sway bar is pretty cheap and will also reduce body roll.

Hope that helps! I'm also new to the 1 series, but I've been doing a lot of research lately and have pretty much decided to start with the same mods on my DD/weekend racer

Would you recommend the whiteline inserts or should I just go for the M3 bushings?
Also I am very interested in the BMW PS kit, especially how it comes with the front sway bar. Is this kit more bang for your buck than the bilsteins and M3 Sway bar?

[BimmerAg]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

Would you recommend the whiteline inserts or should I just go for the M3 bushings?
Also I am very interested in the BMW PS kit, especially how it comes with the front sway bar. Is this kit more bang for your buck than the bilsteins and M3 Sway bar?

I don't have experience with either, but it really depends on what you want to do with the car. From what I've read, if you track your car, then the inserts will help for a while, but eventually the stock bushing will wear out too much and then you'll have to switch to the full replacement anyway. If yours is just a road car, then like xQx said, the inserts will give you 80% of the improvement for 5% of the effort. If you do want to replace the bushings, I'd highly recommend finding 2-piece bushings since they're much easier to install than the 1-piece M3 busings.

BMW PS ~$1400
Bilstein Pro Kit ($750-800) + Sway bar ($250) = $1000

[gixracer]

My recommended bag of tricks in order.

M3 bushings do the trick. Take the time and do it correctly.
The next mod would be tires, getting rid of the runflats does wonders.
For spirited driving B8's and swift springs are wonderful. not a big drop.
M3 front control arms.

I think this would keep you busy for a while. Do each one incrementally to "feel" the effects of each mod. I would wait on the sways till you do a diff. Body roll is not so bad that id warrants sways before any of the other mods.

my 2 cents

[asiflicious]

Here are my plans for this summer;

What I'm for sure going to do:
Bilstein B12 Pro Kit or Koni Yellows with Pro Springs since the B12 kit is always out of stock everywhere I look

M3 front control arms

Whiteline subframe bushing inserts

Non RFT tires

What I'm on the fence about:
Front sway bar
Rear sway bar
M Factory Helical LSD

I've read differing opinions on the sway bars, especially the rear sway bar. And I'm trying to figure out how much an LSD with install will cost and depending on that number I'll either get it or pass on it

[BimmerAg]

I think the answer to your question depends pretty strongly on how you plan to drive the car. If it's purely a street car, then the LSD likely isn't worth the cost but if you plan to do track or AutoX events then it can really improve the handling at and beyond the limit. As far as sway bars are concerned, the most important thing to understand is that a stiffer sway bar will almost always reduce grip for that end of the car. They can be used to help tune the handling balance of a car, but at the expense of overall grip. A stiffer rear sway bar will make the rear end more lively and for track driving you'd definitely want an LSD if you had a stiffer rear sway bar. I run a stiffer front sway bar for 2 very specific reasons that may or may not apply to your use case:
1. On camber-challenged cars with McPherson strut front suspension, a stiffer front sway bar can prevent dynamic camber change during cornering. Basically, since our cars have almost no front camber, when the body rolls during cornering you actually end up with positive camber that decreases the size of the tire contact patch and reduces grip. A stiffer sway bar prevents this from happening as much and can provide marginally more front end grip compared to stock.
2. For autocross, courses usually include multiple slalom sections. Our cars are relatively narrow, and a stiffer front sway bar allows for faster transitions so we can make up times in the slaloms that may be lost in other areas of the course.

I'd do your "for sure" items first and then depending on how your car feels decide what to do, if anything, from there.

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by BimmerAg

I think the answer to your question depends pretty strongly on how you plan to drive the car. If it's purely a street car, then the LSD likely isn't worth the cost but if you plan to do track or AutoX events then it can really improve the handling at and beyond the limit. As far as sway bars are concerned, the most important thing to understand is that a stiffer sway bar will almost always reduce grip for that end of the car. They can be used to help tune the handling balance of a car, but at the expense of overall grip. A stiffer rear sway bar will make the rear end more lively and for track driving you'd definitely want an LSD if you had a stiffer rear sway bar. I run a stiffer front sway bar for 2 very specific reasons that may or may not apply to your use case:
1. On camber-challenged cars with McPherson strut front suspension, and stiffer front sway bar can prevent dynamic camber change during cornering. Basically, since our cars have almost no front camber, when the body rolls during cornering you actually end up with positive camber that decreases the size of the tire contact patch and reduces grip. A stiffer sway bar prevents this from happening as much and can provide marginally more front end grip compared to stock.
2. For autocross, courses usually include multiple slalom sections. Our cars are relatively narrow, and stiffer front sway bar allows for faster transitions so we can make up times in the slaloms that may be lost in other areas of the course.

I'd do your "for sure" items first and then depending on how your car feels decide what to do, if anything, from there.

I don't go on a track but I do drive really aggressively on back roads. Honestly the main reason I want an LSD is for traction in the rain and for the occasional parking lot drifts. But I think you're right, I'll do my for sure items first before spending more money than it's worth for my application

[swagon]

LSD will help noticeably in wet conditions.

I'd skip the sway bars. Tires, B12, subframe inserts, control arms, in that order.

[vtl]

B12 - I had these before coilovers, Was a waste of money. The B12 kit slammed the car as the front springs kept on sagging. Even if the front height was ok, the spring rates are pretty much stock so still heaps of body roll if you tend to push your car. The shocks are valved for stiff compression to give the illusion of sportiness. I ended up going to coilovers. ST X, KW V1 or Bilstein B14 would be a better option. I ended up going for KW V2, but now going to upgrade again with custom spring rates.

Subframe bushings - Install KDT917 and not the inserts. Do the job once and properly the inserts tend to go soft after a year or so.
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1158856

Front sway - These reduce the amount of body roll and quicken up the weight transfer. This gives you the illusion the car has better handling but does not mean your car has any more grip. Also if you throw a E93 front sway bar on the soft B12 kit the front ride comfort will be pretty bad on uneven surfaces as the bar is too stiff in relation to the front springs.

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by vtl

B12 - I had these before coilovers, Was a waste of money. The B12 kit slammed the car as the front springs kept on sagging. Even if the front height was ok, the spring rates are pretty much stock so still heaps of body roll if you tend to push your car. The shocks are valved for stiff compression to give the illusion of sportiness. I ended up going to coilovers. ST X, KW V1 or Bilstein B14 would be a better option. I ended up going for KW V2, but now going to upgrade again with custom spring rates.

Subframe bushings - Install KDT917 and not the inserts. Do the job once and properly the inserts tend to go soft after a year or so.
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1158856

Front sway - These reduce the amount of body roll and quicken up the weight transfer. This gives you the illusion the car has better handling but does not mean your car has any more grip. Also if you throw a E93 front sway bar on the soft B12 kit the front ride comfort will be pretty bad on uneven surfaces as the bar is too stiff in relation to the front springs.

Does any one else share this opinion on the B12 pro kit? This is the first time I've heard anything negative about them and I don't want to spend a lot of money and regret my choice

[swagon]

I've had B12 Pro Kit on an E91 since 2016 and the front shocks are clunking already. Have KWs on the 1er and they still aight.

Have heard more bad things about the B14 kit than B12

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by swagon

I've had B12 Pro Kit on an E91 since 2016 and the front shocks are clunking already. Have KWs on the 1er and they still aight.

Have heard more bad things about the B14 kit than B12

Well shit now I don't know what to get

[swagon]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

Well shit now I don't know what to get

Roll the dice #yolo

[champignon]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

Well shit now I don't know what to get

I'd resist putting a whole lot of money into one of these cars, at this point, as these things have depreciated so much now that you will probably never get your money's worth out of it. Since your car is an AT vehicle, and apparently that suits you, there are lots of other cars out there, and will continue to be a lot of cars available, that you likely will consider to be an upgrade when the time comes. It's one thing to dump thousands of dollars into (for example) an E-46 M3, or a Porsche 911 996 Twin Turbo, or even a somewhat newer M3. Those cars have either stopped depreciating or are depreciating slowly, and they may even be appreciating. The 1-Series cars, with the exception of the 1-M, will continue to go down in market value.

All it will take is some loser running into your 135i, and having an insurance company total it, and you could be out a lot of money for mods that you will be unlikely to get anything back for.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by champignon

I'd resist putting a whole lot of money into one of these cars, at this point, as these things have depreciated so much now that you will probably never get your money's worth out of it.

I've put WAY too much money in to my lowly 128i, but if I were to sell it for 10 bucks when I'm done with it I'll have made a profit.

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by champignon

I'd resist putting a whole lot of money into one of these cars, at this point, as these things have depreciated so much now that you will probably never get your money's worth out of it. Since your car is an AT vehicle, and apparently that suits you, there are lots of other cars out there, and will continue to be a lot of cars available, that you likely will consider to be an upgrade when the time comes. It's one thing to dump thousands of dollars into (for example) an E-46 M3, or a Porsche 911 996 Twin Turbo, or even a somewhat newer M3. Those cars have either stopped depreciating or are depreciating slowly, and they may even be appreciating. The 1-Series cars, with the exception of the 1-M, will continue to go down in market value.

All it will take is some loser running into your 135i, and having an insurance company total it, and you could be out a lot of money for mods that you will be unlikely to get anything back for.

I hear you and trust me I've thought this through and part of me completely agrees with you. Here's my thing though, I won't be able to afford a better car for a few years until I'm done with school so I plan on keeping the car for a while. And I want to buoy the car fully in the mean time. My only fear is like you said, getting the cat totaled. When I got rear ended last week I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if I had all my mods and that guy totaled my car. Ah fuck man idk

[chris_flies]

Definitely do the M3 subframe bushings. They reduce the deflection of the rear subframe under-load, which translates to more predictable and consistent handling, and smoother power delivery.

For coilovers, it's a mixed pot. You clearly don't want to drop your car to the frame rails, and I'm sure Portland roads are like Seattle roads (terrible). I'd simply put in some good, sporty shocks. Koni FSD's seem to be liked for purely street cars that might do some auto-crossing every once in a while. I like my Koni Sport (adjustable) shocks, though they are the more aggressive side of things, and can get a bit harsh over sharp imperfections (my experience). People seem to also like the BMW Performance springs, which offer a very mild lowering, and some sportier spring rates, which you can combine with any shocks you want.

As for the sway bars, it's a matter of opinion. Stiffening the front induces understeer at the limit, while stiffening the rear induces oversteer at the limit. Up to you...I chose to invest in the rear, and I'm perfectly happy.

M3 front control arms are considered a must, but they do make the ride a little bit harsher. I'd seriously recommend the Dinan camber plates, the price is fantastic (for a Dinan product), and they really boost the turn-in and reduce understeer.

Click on my build link below to see everything I have, and read the description for the suspension/handling of my car. It's set up exactly as I like it, and I don't think I'd change a thing.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

When I got rear ended last week I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if I had all my mods and that guy totaled my car. Ah fuck man idk

We rebuild. We start over. It's what we do. One door closes...

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Definitely do the M3 subframe bushings. They reduce the deflection of the rear subframe under-load, which translates to more predictable and consistent handling, and smoother power delivery.

For coilovers, it's a mixed pot. You clearly don't want to drop your car to the frame rails, and I'm sure Portland roads are like Seattle roads (terrible). I'd simply put in some good, sporty shocks. Koni FSD's seem to be liked for purely street cars that might do some auto-crossing every once in a while. I like my Koni Sport (adjustable) shocks, though they are the more aggressive side of things, and can get a bit harsh over sharp imperfections (my experience). People seem to also like the BMW Performance springs, which offer a very mild lowering, and some sportier spring rates, which you can combine with any shocks you want.

As for the sway bars, it's a matter of opinion. Stiffening the front induces understeer at the limit, while stiffening the rear induces oversteer at the limit. Up to you...I chose to invest in the rear, and I'm perfectly happy.

M3 front control arms are considered a must, but they do make the ride a little bit harsher. I'd seriously recommend the Dinan camber plates, the price is fantastic (for a Dinan product), and they really boost the turn-in and reduce understeer.

Click on my build link below to see everything I have, and read the description for the suspension/handling of my car. It's set up exactly as I like it, and I don't think I'd change a thing.

I don't mind the car getting lowered (not dumped) nor do I kind a harsh ride IF the pay off is worth it. If the car feels planted and ready to tear up some curvy roads I can live with less comfort