Aftermarket suspension photos compilation

[feeshta]

Originally Posted by E82MSport

Get a professional alignment. When you mentioned hobby shop I think of balsa air planes and model cars

Well, the technical name is the "Auto Craft Center" although I am not sure that makes it sound any better.

It's basically a self serve mechanic's garage. They have about 95% of the tools you might need for the vast majority of work, and they have somewhat knowledgeable employees who can help you when you need it. The one here at APG has a nearly new Hunter alignment system and they are fine if you are at factory settings, but they are not all that knowledgeable on setting up cars with non factory settings. If I knew exact settings to tell them, they could probably get it pretty good, but I'd rather go with a pro. When I did the M3 control arm job, I had them align the car to 1M spec as a temporary measure. The problem was they were not comfortable with adjusting the front camber as they had never seen on quite like it, and as I knew the car would be getting redone professionally in a few weeks, I was not all that worried about it. The place I am taking the car after the coilover install has a good reputation for setting up racing and aftermarket tuned vehicles. Hopefully they can get things right.

After carefully considering your advice on the swift springs, I have decided to ignore you. I keed I keed!! The truth is closer to imitation if I am honest. I decided that given the relatively low cost of the swift springs, their reputation for quality, and the additional flexibility they would offer on wheel fitments, that it was in my interests to go with them. That way, I don't have to worry about possibly taking things back apart to fix it at a later date. Since I was already ordering something, I went ahead and ordered the thrust sheets as well, since they are not all that expensive.

Again, thank you for the advice Sir, it was invaluable, even if I didn't listen to your recommendations.

Edit: Oh, and concerning avoiding track days, that is a bit of a conscious decision on my part out of a fear that I would bankrupt myself if I ever went there. I may someday do a track event in someone else's car, such as one of those racing driving schools, but I doubt I will ever take my own car to the track.

[Joe_435i]

Originally Posted by EM58NDS 135i

ST Suspension ST-XA Coilovers

Looking good! 19" wheels? Any fender work? I was looking to do this same setup.

[$iriu$black]

I have checked and did not see what the part numbers are if choosing Bilstein suspension setups? I see PSS( or PSS10 but when I look it up, there's B14 then B16 on top of that, so which is it that applies to our cars (particularly on a 128)? I did see one for Eibachs (2098.140) but that's it.

Thanks for any input.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

I have checked and did not see what the part numbers are if choosing Bilstein suspension setups? I see PSS( or PSS10 but when I look it up, there's B14 then B16 on top of that, so which is it that applies to our cars (particularly on a 128)? I did see one for Eibachs (2098.140) but that's it.

Thanks for any input.

B12 Pro-Kit: 46-180537
B14 PSS: 47-120471
B16 PSS10 (20-40mm): 48-195232
B16 PSS10 (30-50mm): 48-131636

[drewster99]

I'm going to be running APEX ARC8's with f225/r255's... has anyone run this wheel/tire setup with either H&R or Eibach springs? I'm interested to know if there are any rubbing issues.

[Matt120d]

Anyone with Bilstein B8 + Eibach Sportline or H&R (-60mm)?

[Chandon]

Bilstein B14

[swagon]

Originally Posted by viciousgook

Bilstein B14

Damn, beautiful car.

[Chandon]

Originally Posted by swagon

Damn, beautiful car.

[markslc1]

Originally Posted by feeshta

I decided that given the relatively low cost of the swift springs, their reputation for quality, and the additional flexibility they would offer on wheel fitments, that it was in my interests to go with them. That way, I don't have to worry about possibly taking things back apart to fix it at a later date. Since I was already ordering something, I went ahead and ordered the thrust sheets as well, since they are not all that expensive.

Can you explain more about how swift springs provide broader fitments? I am going H&R but wonder about the swift benefit here.

And what is a thrust sheet? Note: I'm doing conventional suspension (koni) and not coilover in my case.

[tjswarbrick]

Originally Posted by E82MSport

On the front, without spacers I could only run the factory 7.5" ET49 215/40 wheels and tires. Even with a 215/40 on my Apex 8.5" ET45 it was still too close to the lower spring perch. I could have used a 5mm spacer and probably run a 225/40 on the ET45 but ultimately I wanted to go wider. By the way a 215/40 on a 8.5" wide wheel is at the very top of the recommended wheel width, actually being a little stretched.

My main goal was to fit the widest front tire for reduced understeer (I track the car a few times a year) and better balance. I also wanted to keep the overall diameter as close to stock to avoid fender liner clearance. There are many more tire choices in the 245/40 range but the overall diameter is 25.7" for the PSS vs 24.8" in a 245/35. The stock tire (215/40) overall diameter is 24.8".

In order to fit wider tires/wheels I needed to raise the spring perch above the tire. The only way to do this without raising ride height is to get a shorter spring in the proper rate. With recommendations from people here on the forum I went with Swift (Z65-178-060 7" Length 65mm ID) in the front. These springs have a usable stroke of 106mm with 336 lbs/inch rate, which match up with the Ohlins damper stroke.

Originally Posted by markslc1

Can you explain more about how swift springs provide broader fitments? I am going H&R but wonder about the swift benefit here.

And what is a thrust sheet? Note: I'm doing conventional suspension (koni) and not coilover in my case.

I think you'll see he answered your initial question in the earlier post above.
With the supplied 8" (7.65?) front springs, raising the perch above the tire would increase ride height over stock, and give the car an undesirable negative rake.

As far as Thrust Sheets, this is what Swift has to say about them:

Thrust Sheets
Improve your coilovers performance and reduce unwanted spring noise with Swift Thrust Sheets. These proprietary self lubricating sheets will allow your coilover springs to smoothly rotate around the perch under compression. This enables the load on the spring to be more evenly distributed easing the pre-load and reducing the noise created under spring compression. Swifts Thrust Sheets will work for most coilover systems and are offered in 60mm, 65mm and 70mm applications. Each kit comes with 4 self lubricating thrust sheets and 4 stainless steel shims.


Looks like both are concerns for running coilovers.

[tjswarbrick]

I had forgotten all about this thread.
Funny how much lower brocklanders car is on Swifts in Post #113 than sympL128's car is on the same springs in Post #123.
Is it just a matter of sprung weight difference between the 135 and 128?

I have a 2012 E88 with Koni Yellows and Swifts. Ride height looks much closer to brock's than sympl's. Will post a couple shots when I either figure out how to get my pb stuff into imgur, or wash 'er and take some more.

Frankly, I was hoping for something closer to sympL128. Didn't necessaryily want the tires tucked under static load.

[tjswarbrick]

As promised - E88 on Swift Spec-R's with 12mm front spacers:

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by tjswarbrick

As promised - E88 on Swift Spec-R's with 12mm front spacers:

That's exactly the look I'm looking for, can you give me some more specs please.

Tire size
Wheel offset and sizes - are they style 261 ?
What shocks are you using with the spec-r's ?

Thanks !

Edit - dumb question - any rubbing or catching underneath the car over speed bumps, I have some where I live.

[tjswarbrick]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

That's exactly the look I'm looking for, can you give me some more specs please.

Tire size
Wheel offset and sizes - are they style 261 ?
What shocks are you using with the spec-r's ?

Thanks !

Edit - dumb question - any rubbing or catching underneath the car over speed bumps, I have some where I live.

Wheels are stock 18" 261's.
Tires are 245/35 R and 225/40 F MPSS.
As noted, 12mm front spacers and Swift Spec-R springs. (I had to remove the rear spacers after installation of springs, due to rubbing.)
Koni Yellow (Sport) shocks.
Dinan camber plates up front.
M3 and Z4 bump stops.
Also got an E92 M3 front sway bay (28.5mm uniform thickness), and black polyurethane RSFB.

When the roads are nice, or event decent, I absolutely love the feel, response, balance, and ride. When they get huge cracks and dips, some of the hits can be a little jarring.

Lips don't rub on speed bumps, but occasionally the exhaust tips, muffler (I have an Agency Power axle-back - dips a little lower than stock. But hard to say exactly how much), or something solid and more toward the passenger side (lift point, perhaps) hits on the rebound if I don't take it easy, or at an angle.
I also can't do those new driveways with the rounded gutter, steep entrance, and a huge lip. So I park on the street when visiting my folks or picking my daughter up.

Overall, I love it, but wish it was perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 inch higher.

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by tjswarbrick

Wheels are stock 18" 261's.
Tires are 245/35 R and 225/40 F MPSS.
As noted, 12mm front spacers and Swift Spec-R springs. (I had to remove the rear spacers after installation of springs, due to rubbing.)
Koni Yellow (Sport) shocks.
Dinan camber plates up front.
M3 and Z4 bump stops.
Also got an E92 M3 front sway bay (28.5mm uniform thickness), and black polyurethane RSFB.

When the roads are nice, or event decent, I absolutely love the feel, response, balance, and ride. When they get huge cracks and dips, some of the hits can be a little jarring.

Lips don't rub on speed bumps, but occasionally the exhaust tips, muffler (I have an Agency Power axle-back - dips a little lower than stock. But hard to say exactly how much), or something solid and more toward the passenger side (lift point, perhaps) hits on the rebound if I don't take it easy, or at an angle.
I also can't do those new driveways with the rounded gutter, steep entrance, and a huge lip. So I park on the street when visiting my folks or picking my daughter up.

Overall, I love it, but wish it was perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 inch higher.

Great, thank you for the detailed reply - what is the ride height from the ground to the max height on the fender lip, I'm guessing about 23 1/4" - are you able to measure it for me ?
Mine is currently 24 1/2", any lower and I'll break something on these damn speed bumps.
I'm really a noob when it comes to suspension, are there any dampers that will let me use stock springs then when I want to go lower I can just put the Swift Spec-R springs on....or are they essentially two different dampers altogether.
Or....should I just get adjustable, like coilovers ?
Any recommendations for my particular situation ?

[juanrikrdo]

Originally Posted by BerkTechnology

KW V3's on Vorshlag camber plates. The front camber plates really drop the car a lot. The front is about as high as it will go.

Do you recommend me Vorshlag camber plates to my V3's? I'm searching camber plates for my vehicle.

[juanrikrdo]

Anyone with KW V2's or V3's and camber plate?

[tjswarbrick]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

Great, thank you for the detailed reply - what is the ride height from the ground to the max height on the fender lip, I'm guessing about 23 1/4" - are you able to measure it for me ?
Mine is currently 24 1/2", any lower and I'll break something on these damn speed bumps.
I'm really a noob when it comes to suspension, are there any dampers that will let me use stock springs then when I want to go lower I can just put the Swift Spec-R springs on....or are they essentially two different dampers altogether.
Or....should I just get adjustable, like coilovers ?
Any recommendations for my particular situation ?

With my current tire wear (about 20,000 miles on MPSS's), including Dinan camber plates, using the very unscientific crouching down with a tape measure method, front fender lips are 24 3/16" above the ground; rears are 23 3/4.
The black winglets on the bottom edges of the front splitter are 2.5" off the ground.

Hope that helps.

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by tjswarbrick

With my current tire wear (about 20,000 miles on MPSS's), including Dinan camber plates, using the very unscientific crouching down with a tape measure method, front fender lips are 24 3/16" above the ground; rears are 23 3/4.
The black winglets on the bottom edges of the front splitter are 2.5" off the ground.

Hope that helps.

Yes, that does help, a lot !

You removed the rear spacers due to rubbing....fender rubbing ? How bad was it and would a 10mm or maybe 6 or 8mm have worked ?

I'm sorry, I just noticed that you said the winglets are 2.5" off the ground, can you measure from ground to jack point ? (do you still have the plastic moulded pieces attached to the car?)
That winglet measurement doesn't make sense to me. Your fender lip height is the same as mine but your winglet is 2.5 and mine are 3.5.

Thanks.

[tjswarbrick]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

Yes, that does help, a lot !

You removed the rear spacers due to rubbing....fender rubbing ? How bad was it and would a 10mm or maybe 6 or 8mm have worked ?

I'm sorry, I just noticed that you said the winglets are 2.5" off the ground, can you measure from ground to jack point ? (do you still have the plastic moulded pieces attached to the car?)
That winglet measurement doesn't make sense to me. Your fender lip height is the same as mine but your winglet is 2.5 and mine are 3.5.

Thanks.

Rears were fine going straight on smooth roads.
Bumps - rub.
Turns - rub,
Mid-turn bumps - kids wondered what was broken on my car.
Pretty sure 10mm still too big. I wanted to keep it hub-centric with the lip so wasn't going to try anything smaller. If I did, I'd probably go 5mm and see what happens.

I'll see if I can get a front jack point measurement this weekend, but it's kinda tough to get in there without lifting it up. Which would defeat the purpose.

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by tjswarbrick

Rears were fine going straight on smooth roads.
Bumps - rub.
Turns - rub,
Mid-turn bumps - kids wondered what was broken on my car.
Pretty sure 10mm still too big. I wanted to keep it hub-centric with the lip so wasn't going to try anything smaller. If I did, I'd probably go 5mm and see what happens.

I'll see if I can get a front jack point measurement this weekend, but it's kinda tough to get in there without lifting it up. Which would defeat the purpose.

I hear that...I do appreciate this though. I mean those plastic pieces that hang down just behind the front wheels -
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1...isxi-m3-coupe/

I could easily drop $1000 on struts and springs then find I can't use them until I move. That would not be good...
If your jack points have the same ground clearance as mine I'm golden, if not I'm going to have to use stock height springs and dampers, at least until I move somewhere that doesn't have a speed bump at the entrance....