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01-16-2011, 04:59 PM | #1 |
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BMW Performance Suspension is on! Brief Summary + Question!
Hello all,
I just installed my BMW Performance Suspension today. The ride improved substantially, with reduce body roll, nose dive, and squat. I'm not going to elaborate a lengthy summary, as other members have done that already. I do want to mention though that the ride feels more planted and more responsive to steering input. I have a few questions for those who have installed this suspension though: 1) I am extremely picky, and as much as I tried to keep the kit cosmetically flawless, the spring compressors left some ugly rash on the yellow coating of the front springs. In some very minor areas, a little of the yellow was peeled off. It almost seemed like this yellow coating is not very thick/resistant, and there truly is no way other than using spring compressors, to install the front suspension. Unless of course, the entire front suspension is brought to the ground, but that wouldn't be practical and I don't know of many people that would do it that way. The question is, has anyone experienced this during installation, and will there be any repercussions as a result? 2) The kit came with a sway bar, and to the naked eye, this looked nearly identical to the one that came off the car. Is this bar that came with the kit really different? The car feels and handles different, but I am unsure if this is due to the springs/struts, or if the new sway bar has anything to do with it. Thanks! |
01-16-2011, 11:06 PM | #2 |
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the springs are fine. the finish on mine was already scrachted/chipped when they arrived at my doorstep. you'll get over it real fast, trust me.
the new bar does make a difference. the old bar reduces to a smaller diameter at the midpoint (necks down, lesser structural rigidity). The new bar is the same diameter throughout.
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01-17-2011, 06:14 AM | #3 | |
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01-17-2011, 10:40 AM | #4 | |
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01-17-2011, 10:40 AM | #5 | |
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The latter part needs correction... Both stock AND BMW performance sway have the same neck-down in mid-point. Essentially, they are IDENTICAL in diameter everywhere. The difference comes from an extra "S-bend" in the performance sway (take another look at both if you still have the stock one), which increases the stiffness of the bar by changing the effective lever arm ratio. FWIW some of the M3 sway bars do not have the neck-down in the center, these may be what the previous poster was referring to.
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01-17-2011, 10:45 AM | #6 | |
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Thank you for posting as well, and I'm glad you did, because I thought I had seen the neck-down section on the new one, however, I was starting to think it had been my imagination. Yes I still have the old one, but the new one is on the car already so I cannot compare them side by side, but I do visualize what you just explained. Thank you! Oh I just remembered that when installing the sway bar, there really isn't a way to center it other than by eye, so I'm hoping that by connecting the end links and then securing the 2 brackets in place the bar was centered. I also noticed the new rubber bushings were a PITA and did not want to give into the brackets unless forced by tightening the nuts. |
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01-17-2011, 11:08 AM | #7 | |
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Don't overthink it; I'm sure you did fine - and get out there and enjoy it!
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01-17-2011, 11:11 AM | #8 | |
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01-17-2011, 11:26 AM | #9 |
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We all have bouts of OCD.
Settling doesn't take long at all; if you're wondering this for deciding when to get an alignment, a few days is probably more than enough. Today's springs are typically "pre-settled" by compressing them fully a few times, so it's more of a settling of your suspension. I.E. springs rotating until they are "locked" into the formed top-hats, strut perches mating properly, that kind of thing. If everything was mounted right during the install (most of the times this is the case), then a few bounces down the road is all you really need.
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01-17-2011, 11:34 AM | #10 | |
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01-17-2011, 12:00 PM | #11 |
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interesting clarification on the sway bar above. i did not have the opportunity to study the two side by side and assumed the difference was the diameter. Thanks for setting the record straight.
my suspension took 2 days (1 hour driving per day) to completely settle. it lowered approx 12mm front and rear. The difference is slight but noticeable. All of my friends commented on the improved stance immediately.
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01-19-2011, 07:40 AM | #15 |
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For those with this suspension, I have another question:
I was washing my car yesterday, and while on my driveway I noticed that the right rear was a tad higher (probably less than a quarter inch difference) than the left rear. I'm hoping this had to do with the way the car was sitting on the driveway. Since then I don't seem to find a perfectly level surface to test it. Has anyone noticed any height difference from one side to the other? I made sure to install all components properly, and yesterday I double checked the boxes to make sure both rears had the same part number, since there are multiple sets of springs for this car. |
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01-19-2011, 04:01 PM | #16 | |
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01-19-2011, 04:56 PM | #17 |
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One of the big reasons I went with the PS. Every aftermarket spring I have put on a car has been uneven. Most won't notice it, but I always did ... OCD moment again. I was hoping that an OEM BMW part wouldn't have this problem, and I was right, it's damn near perfectly even all the way around.
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01-19-2011, 07:05 PM | #18 | |
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LF = 65.1 cm RF = 65.2 cm LR = 64.2 cm RR = 64.8 cm http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476941 Dackel |
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01-19-2011, 07:20 PM | #19 | |
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Maybe where your car spends most of its time parked has made it settle that way, who knows. I do know that suspension stance is very dynamic. Just like when the car is jacked up for extended periods of time it takes a while for it to settle, I'm sure if a car spends extended periods of time on an uneven surface, it needs time and a leveled surface to settle. This is just my theory. |
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01-19-2011, 08:01 PM | #20 | |
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01-19-2011, 08:05 PM | #22 | |
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I park my car in a level garage. It doesn't sit parked on any hills. I thought it was strange too - at first. I think if everyone would measire their ride height we would see that this is how the cars sit. |
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