Springs and damper vs coilovers

[asiflicious]

What's up everyone, so I have about 2500 to spend on the car and I've been eyeing some suspension stuff. White line 2 piece subframe bushings are definitely happening. Now I'm trying to decide between ST XTA or Koni yellow/bilstein B12. I don't care about looks, I care about performance. I'm not going to be adjusting too much once it's set. With that in mind, would I be better off with the STs or the B12? I could stretch myself and maybe get M3 front control arms with the STs or I could get the B12(or Koni) and get M3 front control arms and something else. What would you guys recommend?

[Gangplank]

Without a doubt I would recommend get ting the RSFBs 2 piece or inserts. It's really a must have on these cars. The other thing I added was a rear diff brace for $150 from 135droptop. Those and the TRW M3 control arms made a big difference in the handling.

I debated back and forth whether to add the Dinan camber plates. In the end I did the control arms and am happy with the added steering response and haven't felt the need for the Dinan plates. It depends on how much camber you want to add. I'm at -1.4 with the M3 arms and pins knocked out. Personally for my driving this works great. If you plan to track it you might want more.

Id recommend that you plan on the the bushings then see how much budget you have left & that will help determine what suspension options you have.

What is your intended use for the car?

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Without a doubt I would recommend get ting the RSFBs 2 piece or inserts. It's really a must have on these cars. The other thing I added was a rear diff brace for $150 from 135droptop. Those and the TRW M3 control arms made a big difference in the handling.

I debated back and forth whether to add the Dinan camber plates. In the end I did the control arms and am happy with the added steering response and haven't felt the need for the Dinan plates. It depends on how much camber you want to add. I'm at -1.4 with the M3 arms and pins knocked out. Personally for my driving this works great. If you plan to track it you might want more.

Id recommend that you plan on the the bushings then see how much budget you have left & that will help determine what suspension options you have.

What is your intended use for the car?

I've already decided to get the 2 piece bushings and M3 control arms, I just can't decide between coilovers or a matched spring and damper kit. And as far as use of the car, it's a daily driver that sees aggressive driving on backroads and several track days

[Gangplank]

Any local members near you that have the B12, Koni or XTA kits? If so it might help to see if you can get a ride to see how they feel.

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Any local members near you that have the B12, Koni or XTA kits? If so it might help to see if you can get a ride to see how they feel.

Unfortunately no that would have made life much easier lol

[Gangplank]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

Unfortunately no that would have made life much easier lol

Same here when I was deciding. It's hard to really gauge from reading posts online. Everyone has different goals & opinions. Most haven't driven both/multiple setups to compare. I know I haven't so I'm not going to opine in what I don't know from experience.

I wound up contacting Harold at HPA Shop. He is really knowledgeable on our cars and sells Koni, KW, TCKline, ohlins, etc. He was really helpful in recommending a setup based on budget & use. Good guy & knows our cars.

[iminhell1]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Any local members near you that have the B12, Koni or XTA kits? If so it might help to see if you can get a ride to see how they feel.

Then drive and meet others. The has to be some near locals. Suspension is one thing that I don't feel can be recommended well over the internet. Everyone has something they want and it's really hard to put a feeling into words. And their roads, tracks and driving style may be completely different than yours.

I'd call it just like tunes. Everyone is on the best tune in the world according to them, until they aren't. It's all per user based and you need to driver/ride to get make your own subjective decisions.


I went against the grain with my suspension choice and I somewhat regret it. But I've managed to make it work thus far. With M3 arms it may do what I want.
I'm on the 2150-4036 Koni FSD kit. It's meant for the E90 but physically fits the E82. The rear spring is too tall and does not lower the back at all. That's my biggest caveat about the kit.
I think with Swift R's it would be a better setup?

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by iminhell1

Then drive and meet others. The has to be some near locals. Suspension is one thing that I don't feel can be recommended well over the internet. Everyone has something they want and it's really hard to put a feeling into words. And their roads, tracks and driving style may be completely different than yours.

I'd call it just like tunes. Everyone is on the best tune in the world according to them, until they aren't. It's all per user based and you need to driver/ride to get make your own subjective decisions.


I went against the grain with my suspension choice and I somewhat regret it. But I've managed to make it work thus far. With M3 arms it may do what I want.
I'm on the 2150-4036 Koni FSD kit. It's meant for the E90 but physically fits the E82. The rear spring is too tall and does not lower the back at all. That's my biggest caveat about the kit.
I think with Swift R's it would be a better setup?

The other problem is a lot of the other local 1er owners I know here have little to no suspension mods. Most of them are still trying to figure out why their car won't stop misfiring after their first tune haha

[rowsdower]

The B12 kit can’t be gotten right now so it’s coilovers or Konis pretty much. I ordered B8s (basically the B12 kit) in early April and kept getting updates that they were delayed. Most recently I was told they might be available in September. I ended up ordering the Konis.

[gjm120]

One thing to consider re coilovers (and I'm not sure about this) - don't you need to an alignment when you change the ride height? Unless you have a good diy alignment setup and capability (see chris_flies recent posting), that can be a lot of time or $$$.

[MaC-N54-E82]

I strongly suggest the B12 pro-kit combined with M3 RSFB. It transformed my 1 series.

[Taskmaster]

I think the Swift Springs are double the rate of the stock ones - I would imagine them paired with M3 control arms and camber plates would make the car fantastic to drive.

[gjm120]

I think Swift Spec R are 201/503 front/rear.
Depending on your particular car, stock springs are around 120/350.
BMWP springs will be around 145/420 (again depending on which springs you get).

[Gangplank]

Ok, so all above notwithstanding, I got the Ohlins R&T kit from Harold. It truly is top notch. I haven't driven a car with koni's. Compared to stock the Ohlins transforms the ride from harsh & choppy to smooth, controlled and sublime. (Which is exactly the right word). Not cheap but quality.

If I was on a different budget I would have gotten -> TCKline single action -> KW v1 (only height adjustable) -> STX -> B8/Koni Sport w/ BMW PS Springs or Swift if you wanted more drop. In that order, just my $.02.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Ok, so all above notwithstanding, I got the Ohlins R&T kit from Harold. It truly is top notch. I haven't driven a car with koni's. Compared to stock the Ohlins transforms the ride from harsh & choppy to smooth, controlled and sublime. (Which is exactly the right word). Not cheap but quality.

If I was on a different budget I would have gotten -> TCKline single action -> KW v1 (only height adjustable) -> STX -> Koni Sport w/ BMW PS Springs or Swift if you wanted more drop. In that order, just my $.02.

What's the service like on these? Don't the ohlins need to be rebuilt more often than KW/Bilstein?

[Gangplank]

Originally Posted by swagon

What's the service like on these? Don't the ohlins need to be rebuilt more often than KW/Bilstein?

If your racing/tracking any shock will need a refresh/rebuild. For DD it's gonna be lifetime for me. :-D

[Happy Jose]

I think you'll be disappointed with coilovers. They are employed by people who like to spend their coin and waste their time adjusting their suspension.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

If your racing/tracking any shock will need a refresh/rebuild. For DD it's gonna be lifetime for me. :-D

What if I drivw daily on roads with lots of potholes?

[xQx]

Originally Posted by swagon

What if I drivw daily on roads with lots of potholes?

speed humps are murder on shocks. springs will last forever.

[Gangplank]

Originally Posted by swagon

What if I drivw daily on roads with lots of potholes?

Any/every shock wears out over time. Ohlins recommends service every 30,000 km/19,000 miles to maintain top performance.

It doesn't mean they will blow apart if you go longer but may not perform as well. This is true of all shocks. The performance goes down over time. Some are rebuildable some aren't, but all will degrade with use. No shock lasts forever regardless of what the company says or offers as a warranty. There is a difference between performance and usability.

Personally I replace shocks at 50-60k/5years or when I feel ride/performance is failing. I'll probably have the Ohlins serviced somewhere between 25-35k miles, earlier or later if I feel performance changes. For how I drive that's about 3-4 years. Earlier if I start tracking it.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Any/every shock wears out over time. Ohlins recommends service every 30,000 km/19,000 miles to maintain top performance.

It doesn't mean they will blow apart if you go longer but may not perform as well. This is true of all shocks. The performance goes down over time. Some are rebuildable some aren't, but all will degrade with use. No shock lasts forever regardless of what the company says or offers as a warranty. There is a difference between performance and usability.

Personally I replace shocks at 50-60k/5years or when I feel ride/performance is failing. I'll probably have the Ohlins serviced somewhere between 25-35k miles, earlier or later if I feel performance changes. For how I drive that's about 3-4 years. Earlier if I start tracking it.

Obviously, I know that. OE shocks on the 3er lasted like 60k miles before they noticeably started decreasing in performance. Noticed last year that the KW's are kinda rougher now, they've been on the car for 25k miles/3 years. My guess is the shocks must be sent to the manufacturer for a rebuild and so the car would be off the road for quite some time as well. Something to consider.

[Gangplank]

Originally Posted by swagon

Obviously, I know that. OE shocks on the 3er lasted like 60k miles before they noticeably started decreasing in performance. Noticed last year that the KW's are kinda rougher now, they've been on the car for 25k miles/3 years. My guess is the shocks must be sent to the manufacturer for a rebuild and so the car would be off the road for quite some time as well. Something to consider.

Yep. & that wasn't directed at you. I figured you know, others may not.

My experience is same as yours more or less & on the wife's mini. I figure I'll cross that bridge when the times comes. The choices were get non-rebuildable and replace every 50k or see how long these last before they need rebuild(?). If I'm not happy at that point I could always get B12s and the have the ohlins rebuilt and sell the ohlins used for the cost of the B12s. :-)