Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr
Your setup is very similar to mine. I have:
Bilstein B12 (Eibach springs + Bilstein B8)
Dinan fixed Camber plates
M3 lower arms at the front (2 per side)
Dinan upper rear shock mounts
2 Piece Whiteline RSFB (Poly)
Rogue Engineering transmission mounts (rubber)
I'm in Toronto, so I know the shit roads you're dealing with. The ride wasn't bad / tolerable until I put the M3 front LCAs on. That pushed it beyond the limit for me personally, really regret doing that. While i got more direct steering feel, and some more camber, I haven't been to an HPDE day in 3.5 years so for a daily they are a waste. I got the M3 LCAs because they were only a few bucks more than the regular ones (TRW OE, from FCP Euro).
What doesn't help is the B8s are just "harsh" in their typical dampening profile. They don't do very well for small sharp bumps (ie broken pavement). I love the fast body control on bigger amplitude bumps etc, but that daily driver comfort is compromised. You mix that with M3 LCAs and it's not tolerable IMO as a daily.
What did help me was going to a softer sidewall tire - Conti ExtremeContact Sport. It smoothed some of the small harshness away, slight expense in steering response though.
In hindsight I would never have done the M3 LCAs, just gone with OE replacements. Going back even further, I would have picked up some Koni Special Active / FSD dampers and paired them with the Eibachs or BMW Performance springs and called it a day.
For shit roads like we have, unless you spend bigger bucks on Ohlins or equivalent well tuned suspension, these cars won't be very comfortable IMO. I love the Ohlins R&T setup on my Cayman, you do get what you pay for in the end (and I customized them to manage the type of driving I do and on our type of streets).
Many folks have commented that even Koni Yellows are less harsh than the B8s, and you get some adjustability with the Konis....seems to me Bilsteins are well tuned for smooth German roads not the garbage we have here ha.
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Hey there, thank you so much for your in depth reply i really appreciate the time you took to write this out
, I'm not too far out from Toronto being in Ottawa, so our roads are generally the same (let's not talk about Quebec's roads though... those are BAD)
If i understood correctly, the individual i bought the car from had it setup for lap days out of Merivale QC (probably tracks like Calabogie). He installed the M3 LCA's along with the Ground control camber plates to push out the front track width; and he was running around -3.0* camber and 0 toe up front, -2.2* camber and 1/8" toe in, in the back.
(I forgot to mention the AKG 75D motor supports and ECS tuning 80a transmission mounts, so this probably introduces a lot of NVH but i doubt it is what is causing me grief.)
You are spot on with the responsiveness of the Bilstein B8'S, they are super tight and honestly i feel little to no body roll on this chassis. I heard the bilsteins come with an internal bump stop too, and thus they can bottom out easily if hitting on an uneven road or hitting pot holes. "Not tolerable for a daily" is really where i am at now.
So interesting you mention the alternative shock options, i still have the oem bmw m-sport springs my 2011 135i came with, do you reckon if i go with Koni special actives + the Oem m-sport springs i might be looking at a more comfortable setup that's still better than stock? (The koni yellows may be another option, but the ohlins are out of the price range unfortunately)
One last thing, any tips on going wider in the back? I can run 255 square all around in my current setup but its not really a good look and the back still breaks traction with my protune, it looks like cutting the fenders and getting flares is the only way unless you have any ideas?