looking for input on my suspension plans

[135iam]

So far I have purchased the following. M3 front and rear suspension arms, whiteline subframe bushings, and Dinan fixed camber plates for my 2010 135i convertible.

Wheels/Tires I am looking at APEX ARC 8's staggard 8.5F/9.5R with 255F and 265R tires.

For shocks and struts I am considering the following.
Bilstein sports with Swift Spec R springs (E90 fitment), since the weight of my 135i convertible is right at the same weight as a 335i coupe/sedan.

I like the E90 spring rates alot more than the E82 spring rates, just a bit concerned the rake will be too much.
E82 201lbft/502R
E90 223lbft/615R
E90 M3 280lbft/672R

Thoughts on running E90 springs on a E82?

Assumptions: I can get around -2.5 camber in the front and a bit of toe out. around -1.5 in the rear with a bit of toe in. I have not read much on recommended alignments, so I am curious to hear ideas on that as well.

[135iam]

Ended up with KW V3's as I wasn't having much luck on feedback for spring/shock combos from manufactures or vendors.

Can anyone tell me if KW V3's get me more, less, or equal clearance to the tire/rim?

I will be pairing this up with Apex arc 8's and 245 or 255 front tires.

[fboutlaw]

Originally Posted by 135iam

Ended up with KW V3's as I wasn't having much luck on feedback for spring/shock combos from manufactures or vendors.

Can anyone tell me if KW V3's get me more, less, or equal clearance to the tire/rim?

I will be pairing this up with Apex arc 8's and 245 or 255 front tires.

Tire setup doesn't fit. You'll rub on the outer edge like crazy.

To Fit 245's you need adjustable camber plates
You can't fit 255's with the M3 wishbones.

235/40-18's are the size that works with your setup... maybe. The other variable is perch height for the springs on your KW's. I don't know if this will work as the perch needs to be higher than your tire height. (Don't use helper springs, use high spring rate short springs).

[135iam]

Originally Posted by fboutlaw

Tire setup doesn't fit. You'll rub on the outer edge like crazy.

To Fit 245's you need adjustable camber plates
You can't fit 255's with the M3 wishbones.

235/40-18's are the size that works with your setup... maybe. The other variable is perch height for the springs on your KW's. I don't know if this will work as the perch needs to be higher than your tire height. (Don't use helper springs, use high spring rate short springs).

So with dinan camber plates, M3 arms, pulling the oem camber limiting pins, and lowering the ride height with KW's shouldn't I be in the -2.5 range in the front?

I had not read the M3 arms won't work with 255's.

Thanks for the info. I was assuming I would be ok with 245's and need to roll/pull to get the 255's in.

[fboutlaw]

Originally Posted by 135iam

So with dinan camber plates, M3 arms, pulling the oem camber limiting pins, and lowering the ride height with KW's shouldn't I be in the -2.5 range in the front?

I had not read the M3 arms won't work with 255's.

Thanks for the info. I was assuming I would be ok with 245's and need to roll/pull to get the 255's in.

Your camber will be about -2.2 deg up front, however, it's not because you're sucking the top of the wheel inward. You're doing that PLUS pushing the bottom of the wheel out. That causes the fitment issues.

I've run 255's up front with vorshlag's, no m3 links. And it did rub even after shaving away plastic and pulling on the fenders. After adding the wishbones the car was totally undrivable with the same tire setup at max camber. I ended up going with a widebody kit up front to fix the issue that could have been fixed just without being as aggressive on fitment.

Because you're not going all the way with adjustable camber plates, stick with 235's. If you're feeling adventurous, you can go with 245, but you should budget for issues.

[135iam]

Just to be clear, are you talking about 35 series tires in the front or 40 series?

I was considering 245/35/18 not 245/40/18's. Are there issues with both?

I am coming from an S2000 with 255's all around so I would really like as much tire up front as possible.

Interesting reading your feedback as there is a car using 245 front and 265 rears in the APEX wheel picture tread claiming no rubbing with Coilovers, m3 bits, and Dinan plates.

POST 35 here, that I found last night, looks to be virtually identical to what i have waiting to go on.
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...=748114&page=2

[lakefront]

Very interested in this as well. Have TC Kline coils and camber plates waiting to go on. Guys at Apex told me that 245/35/18 would fit on my 18x8.5 et45 wheels if you have at least -2 deg camber. I would think that would also have to take into consideration the amount of lowering and the exact tire being used.

[Vossen wheels]

Originally Posted by 135iam

Ended up with KW V3's as I wasn't having much luck on feedback for spring/shock combos from manufactures or vendors.

Can anyone tell me if KW V3's get me more, less, or equal clearance to the tire/rim?

I will be pairing this up with Apex arc 8's and 245 or 255 front tires.

Good Choice on going with the KWs V3.

[135iam]

Originally Posted by lakefront

Very interested in this as well. Have TC Kline coils and camber plates waiting to go on. Guys at Apex told me that 245/35/18 would fit on my 18x8.5 et45 wheels if you have at least -2 deg camber. I would think that would also have to take into consideration the amount of lowering and the exact tire

After lots of though and debating with myself as far as how much of a hardcore tire I want (zii, re-11, etc) I decided to keep it softer and went with the Bridgestone S04 in 245/35/18 front and 265/35/18 rear. So 15% wider than stock in the front and 10% wider in the rear.

I have the wheels. The tires and TPMS are still shipping. I am looking forward to getting this all together.

[Pig Farmer]

Originally Posted by lakefront

Very interested in this as well. Have TC Kline coils and camber plates waiting to go on. Guys at Apex told me that 245/35/18 would fit on my 18x8.5 et45 wheels if you have at least -2 deg camber. I would think that would also have to take into consideration the amount of lowering and the exact tire being used.

I hope this reaches you before you install your coilovers. I have TCK D/As. I was originally running 7" swift springs. With the 7" springs, the spring perch would sit adjacent to the widest part of the tire. There was no way to run a 245. I switched to 6" swift springs and was able to raise the spring perch above the tire. Changing the springs is not difficult, but it would have saved me time had I known this in advance. There is absolutely no difference in ride quality with the 6" springs.

Just another point worth mentioning... With 8.5/45et EC-7s, I could fit a 4.5mm allen wrench between the wheel and coilover. A 5mm allen wrench would not fit. The gap increases as you move up the coilover. Depending on what 245 series tire you choose, you may need a 3-5mm spacer. I used a 3mm spacer with 245/35/18 US spec PSSs. I'm pretty sure Tirerack indicates that the French spec 245/35/18 PSS has a 0.2" wider section width.

Hope this helps.

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by Pig Farmer

I hope this reaches you before you install your coilovers. I have TCK D/As. I was originally running 7" swift springs. With the 7" springs, the spring perch would sit adjacent to the widest part of the tire. There was no way to run a 245. I switched to 6" swift springs and was able to raise the spring perch above the tire. Changing the springs is not difficult, but it would have saved me time had I known this in advance. There is absolutely no difference in ride quality with the 6" springs.

Just another point worth mentioning... With 8.5/45et EC-7s, I could fit a 4.5mm allen wrench between the wheel and coilover. A 5mm allen wrench would not fit. The gap increases as you move up the coilover. Depending on what 245 series tire you choose, you may need a 3-5mm spacer. I used a 3mm spacer with 245/35/18 US spec PSSs. I'm pretty sure Tirerack indicates that the French spec 245/35/18 PSS has a 0.2" wider section width.

Hope this helps.

What camber will you be running?

I'll be around -3.2 with APEX 17x8.5 ET40 ARC-8s w/a 5mm spacer. Will be running 245 ZIIs

I was told by APEX this will clear.

[Pig Farmer]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

What camber will you be running?

I'll be around -3.2 with APEX 17x8.5 ET40 ARC-8s w/a 5mm spacer. Will be running 245 ZIIs

I was told by APEX this will clear.

So you're effectively running an ET35 wheel. I don't know how wide the ZIIs run, but I have to imagine you'll be close to the fender with the spacers. Then again it may work with -3.4. I run as little as -1.9 on the street with a minor fender roll for safe margin. If it pokes out too much, you can always remove the spacers. With the ET40 wheels alone, you should have plenty of inboard space.

[lakefront]

Originally Posted by 135iam

After lots of though and debating with myself as far as how much of a hardcore tire I want (zii, re-11, etc) I decided to keep it softer and went with the Bridgestone S04 in 245/35/18 front and 265/35/18 rear. So 15% wider than stock in the front and 10% wider in the rear.

I have the wheels. The tires and TPMS are still shipping. I am looking forward to getting this all together.

Yeah, tires are a big part of the equation here. Same boat where I was wondering how hardcore to go on tires. 245/35/18 doesn't seem to be a real popular size either. Will certainly look into the S04 as a possibility, I heard the zii is a little more round shouldered than previous model. My car is still a DD first, so got to have a more cautious approach than some.

[135iam]

Pig Farmer, thanks for the input, I appriciate it! I almost went with TC Klines until I found a deal too good to pass up on KWV3's.

[lakefront]

Talked to someone at TC Kline and he says with their suspension a 135 can run 245's easily. They run 255f/ 275r on their racecar and he says its pretty tight. But 245/ 265 is very doable. And actually that's what the folks at Apex said too. I'm gonna find out as soon as this winter from hell is finally over. Whenever that is....

[135iam]

I just had 245/35/18's and 265/35/18's mounted tonight on ARC 8's.

Hoping to install the KWv3's, Dinan plates, M3 f&r arms and sub frame bushings this weekend and get it aligned Monday.

[135iam]

Suspension goes on this weekend, but it was a nice day so I threw on the wheels/tires on to see what it was going to look like.

yes, my garage is a mess from this nasty winter, and yeah that is a poster of Bieber that my 13 yr old daughter put on the wall

[lakefront]

Nice color combo, I'm going the same. Satin black on Space Grey? Looks great. Now how about some 60 deg weather?

[135iam]

thanks, yep Satin Black and Space Grey.

I've been driving quite a bit the last 2 days on these with the 245/35/18's on the stock front suspension. I was fully expecting it to rub and then park it, but I cant get it too. (that I can hear). I will pull them off tomorrow and look for signs of rubbing.

Compared to OEM wheels/tires, these wheels/tires really make the stock sport suspension feel way too soft now. looking forward to stiffening it up.

Top down driving today! woohoo!!!

[135iam]

Work has been busy lately so I haven't installed the suspension yet.

I learned a 245/35/18 apex ARC-8 18x8.5 +45 mm lightly rub the struts in the front after 3 weeks of driving.

Ordered set of four 3mm spacers to go on with the coilovers this weekend.

Getting walnut blasted on Monday and alignment.

[Rob Daman]

cool. can't wait to see your stance.

[135iam]

Installed Whiteline subframe bushings, rear M3 arms and KWv3 rears today. Took me 6.5 hrs, and I was not hurrying. Currently, I have the ride height 1/2" below stock in the rear.

After a few shakedown drives and ride height adjustments I did a few 0-60 runs. The rear wiggle is gone, and I actually felt a bit of wheel hop as it fought to find grip. Rear feels good from limited driving so far.

I am having a shop tomorrow install the front M3 arms, coil overs with Dinan fixed camber plates, and aligning the car.
Also getting walnut blasted. Looking forward to see that.