White 135i with newest mods

[2010MSPORT335i]

hot damn

[TMc135]

FYI. I too went with AST's (4100's though). I too had problems with one front and one rear but the guys at BR Racing (same shop I worked with) completely took care of it and got me new ones immediately. They have actually been class act to work with. No issues with the new ones and have had many compliments on the ride (I am running 550# front and rear with Vorshlag camber plates). Zero noise and solid performance once I get the new ones. Hang in there.

[HiProfile Robs]

Im lovin the black roof!

[CYEL79]

Originally Posted by JRB135

The AST coilovers are NOT recommended (I updated my posting). My left front coilover has developed a very loud squeaking noise. Why? When examined I have discovered that it is missing two o-rings as delivered from the factory. Completely unacceptable manufacturing quality control. BR Racing is attempting to get me a replacement.

I will update on the speed of customer service responsiveness.

And even if my diagnosis is incorrect; the noise and squeaking from the coilover truly sucks. Do not buy theses coilovers for your 135 or any other BMW.

J

I just installed AST 5100 and Vorshlag camber plates on my 130i about 2 weeks ago, and I too had very smilar problems with you, those 2 front shocks just keep making rediculously loud squeaking noises whenever the car is moving. after hours of test, we are quiet certain that strange squeaky noise (very loud, you can actually hear it from inside or outside the car, and occurs whenever the shock absorber goes up and down), comes from where the 45mm upper shaft and the lower black main body connects.

I bought the whole set directly from Vorshlag's website(coz' I'm in Taiwan), so I emailed them and asked for some explanation and solution, when I asked them is it possible that I can return these defected front shock struts and get replacement, they never replied. So I realized this is how they do business: SELL & FORGET.

Anyway, from what I experienced, I think these 5100s do have some serious quality control issues. By comparing the price of 5100 and other brands' similar products, I don't recommand E8X/E9X owners to go for these 5000 series coilovers, especially do not buy directly from Vorshlag, buy from some other dealers who can actually take care of you as customers.

[SVT2BMW]

Very nice ride, and the rims are freakin awesome. 20's would seem to be a bit on the heavy side even though they are OZ's around 28lbs which is heavy, but if looks and not performance are what you are after then you succeeded massively

[Justin(OKC)]

Originally Posted by CYEL79

I just installed AST 5100 and Vorshlag camber plates on my 130i about 2 weeks ago, and I too had very smilar problems with you, those 2 front shocks just keep making rediculously loud squeaking noises whenever the car is moving. after hours of test, we are quiet certain that strange squeaky noise (very loud, you can actually hear it from inside or outside the car, and occurs whenever the shock absorber goes up and down), comes from where the 45mm upper shaft and the lower black main body connects.

I bought the whole set directly from Vorshlag's website(coz' I'm in Taiwan), so I emailed them and asked for some explanation and solution, when I asked them is it possible that I can return these defected front shock struts and get replacement, they never replied. So I realized this is how they do business: SELL & FORGET.

Anyway, from what I experienced, I think these 5100s do have some serious quality control issues. By comparing the price of 5100 and other brands' similar products, I don't recommand E8X/E9X owners to go for these 5000 series coilovers, especially do not buy directly from Vorshlag, buy from some other dealers who can actually take care of you as customers.

Dang, don't like hearing this!!! I'll cross my fingers.

[JRB135]

To CYEL79; I am sorry that you are having the same problem as I am with the AST 5100 front coilover setup. This squeaking noise is very loud inside my car also, and is completely unacceptable (it is making the ride quality unbearable). I have highlighted your comments to the folks at BR Racing (the performance shop that I use). Bruce (the owner is outstanding) is very customer service; so I know that he is intent on getting to the bottom of this ASAP. Stay tuned and we will keep you in the loop.

J

[ichiban]

is bruce also running the same setup on his 1?

[brracing]

Just so that everyone knows relative to the AST suspension on our car. Our BMW 135i, has the following enhancements currently.
- AST 5300 triple adj w remote resv front and rear, all four corners
- Vorshlag caster / camber plates (front)
- UUC front and rear adj sway bars
- M3 lower control arms all around
- adj front sway bar end links
- square tire setup all around

We have NOT had any issues or installation problems or use issues w the AST suspension setup on our car, and this is the third such full suspension we have had on the 135i car and tried. It has seen over 12 full track days w very hard use with this setup.
- happy to challenge anyone w our current car

We have also done a lot of other modifications to our car...but that's not the point of this thread. We are working very closely w AST to not only demonstrate great support, but also to understand the root cause of the current issue. The quality, build, technology, and approach w the AST is the best we have seen anywhere near this price point. We have used Penske, GC, Tein, KW, TCK, Bilstein, Koni, Moton, JRZ, Dinan and many others, so this is not a new area to us. Happy to keep this thread updated w the progress and findings.

[pkcormier]

brracing,

I have almost the exact suspension as your setup minus the coilovers. I am considering 5100s. What spring rates did you use for your track car? I plan to track mine as well.

Thanks

[brracing]

With the AST 5xxx series, we have run numerous different spring rates, depending on the combination of track use and DD use the customer has. If more oriented to the DD, then we have gone close to a symmetrical setup w 450# springs front and rear. For someone who does occasional tracks but more DD, then we moved to a 550# setup. For someone who is an aggressive driver and looking for a car totally oriented to the best handling, we are at 650# square around, but we have some more testing to do this coming week, as we believe we may want to run a slightly stiffer rear spring than what we have now (will be at Thunderhill w the Sports & Exotics group next week doing a full testing day again as we prepare the car for more exciting track endeavors in the future). However, just as a note, we (or I) use the car as a daily driver on some of the worst freeways around, and the adjustment offered by the triple adjustable 5300 really allows us to create the type of ride we want....just flip up the hood and open our trunk, and a set of clicks allows us to dial in the ride type we want. There's a lot more to this than just picking the spring rate, as other factors have to be considered, but this should be used as one baseline for your evaluation as to what would work best with your own car given your requirements.

[PlannBee]

Love your ride bro!

everything is molded so cleanly.

your body shop is very talented and they sure know what they are doing.

[JRB135]

Bruce is correct. I have ridden in his car and it does not make any squeaking noises. That said, myself and 2 other 135 i owners on this forum have had issues with the AST coilover setup. I hope to recommend this setup in the future. BUT until the probelm is understood and resolved (and corrected for other current owners), I would STAY AWAY FROM THE AST COILOVERS FOR NOW.

By the way the squeaking noise is getting louder, and more abrasive sounding. You know how it is; the longer it goes unresolved the bigger the problem is perceived to be. It is ruining what I consider to be one of the most enjoyable vehicles that I have ever owned.

J

[Drew1]

is your rear diffuser CF?

[Fair]

Originally Posted by JRB135

Bruce is correct. I have ridden in his car and it does not make any squeaking noises. That said, myself and 2 other 135 i owners on this forum have had issues with the AST coilover setup. I hope to recommend this setup in the future. BUT until the probelm is understood and resolved (and corrected for other current owners), I would STAY AWAY FROM THE AST COILOVERS FOR NOW.

By the way the squeaking noise is getting louder, and more abrasive sounding. You know how it is; the longer it goes unresolved the bigger the problem is perceived to be. It is ruining what I consider to be one of the most enjoyable vehicles that I have ever owned.

J

Sorry you are having issues but they will be resolved. There are not "missing O-rings", it is another issue causing that squeak. AST knows about your issue and it will be resolved shortly.

[JRB135]

Terry: thankyou for responding. I trust that you folks can/will expedite a replacement coilover/shock assembly to BR Racing ASAP. I am not kidding when I say that the squeaking noise level is extremely abrasive (and has worsened). As you can see from my attached photos, I have put much time and money into my car to make it a very special 135.
I would like to strongly recommend AST to other 135 owners interested in similiar coilover setups; but this needs immediately attention/correction first.

J

[CYEL79]

Originally Posted by JRB135

Terry: thankyou for responding. I trust that you folks can/will expedite a replacement coilover/shock assembly to BR Racing ASAP. I am not kidding when I say that the squeaking noise level is extremely abrasive (and has worsened). As you can see from my attached photos, I have put much time and money into my car to make it a very special 135.
I would like to strongly recommend AST to other 135 owners interested in similiar coilover setups; but this needs immediately attention/correction first.

J

Please don't forget to keep the rest of AST owners updated to the latest progress of your 5100, since seems like Vorshlag only responds to you. I still need to know the truth and final solution of this noise issue, after all, it costs me thousands of dollars.

[JRB135]

Dear CYEL79: they better take care of the problem for all of us, and soon. It has cost all of us thousands of dollars, and much time and aggrevation.

J

[BerkTechnology]

Pretty sweet set-up. Nice job on keeping it aggressively stock looking.

[catch]

awesome 1!

[JRB135]

Thanks for all the positive comments. Tomorrow I finally get to have the defective AST left front shock/strut replaced. I will let everyone know if this solves the problem. The current shock has turned to crap; the gasket that encapsulates the shock grease/oil came loose and the shock movement pushed it to the top of the strut. Now the oil that is supposed to stay in the shock housing has escaped and the shock squeaks so loud that you can hear it even when on the freeway. Anyway the guys at BR Racing are replacing it with a new AST 5100 shock tomorrow, and will send the failed one back to AST for failure analysis. Amazing considering that this car is never driven hard and has never been tracked with this setup.

J

[M3R1]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

I hate seeing all these nice looking white 1ers. Makes me regret my color choice.

You sir should have no regrets (except keeping it clean), your car is awesome!

To the OP, your car is is just fantastic!!!