suspension & spacers

[Dan Parker]

Dan, when are you taking delivery?

I'm estimating some time in mid May to early June. I have a few months off from racing after Sebring in May so this works out perfectly. I do plan on driving it to the dragon's tail (1 hour from my house) right after getting it to "sort" out my opinion in regards to the stock suspension. I am also going to attend a track day with Chin @ Road Atlanta (my home track) and then VIR on the way back from suspension (and other) work. That's if everything works out like I'm hoping.

18x10's should work fine. I want to keep unsprung weight down on the square setup so I don't want to go wider if I can help it. I plan on lifting the car right after getting it home so I can move one of the rear 19x10's to the front to see if it fits ok and looks right. It will at least give us an idea on the offset for the front.

These might look good in 18x10.
http://store.bimmerworld.com/volk-ra...els-p1513.aspx

[fastauto]

These might look good in 18x10.
http://store.bimmerworld.com/volk-ra...els-p1513.aspx[/QUOTE]

that is the exact wheel i am looking at. plan on painting it red.

[MDORPHN]

I'm going with ARC-8 wheels since I already have two 18X10s (currently on rear of my M Coupe) that will fit.

Neil

[///M1]

Originally Posted by hwelvaar

I don't seem to understand what a difference a couple of 10mm spacer makes.
It seems people usually want to get spacers for optical reasons ?

A spoiler? yes, I get that.
Wide body kit? Check.
Diffusor? Check
Other rims ? Check

But 20 millimeter widened track? That's like 1% difference?

You probably have to see it in person to realize it. It sounds very minor, right, after all what is 1cm/10mm? But when you wrap it around all 4 corners, and the wheel becomes flush with the fender flares, it looks all of a sudden very different. You will be surprised how something seemingly subtle can make the car look noticeable better (more muscular/bulging stance). I'll try to dig a few photos of my other car parked next to one without them, it is pretty noticeable.

[fastauto]

Originally Posted by ///M1

You probably have to see it in person to realize it. It sounds very minor, right, after all what is 1cm/10mm? But when you wrap it around all 4 corners, and the wheel becomes flush with the fender flares, it looks all of a sudden very different. You will be surprised how something seemingly subtle can make the car look noticeable better (more muscular/bulging stance). I'll try to dig a few photos of my other car parked next to one without them, it is pretty noticeable.

agreed. it does not sound like much however if you look at two of the exact same cars, one with spacers and the other without you will 100% be able to tell the difference and you will 100% love the way the car with the spacers looks over that of the stock setup. obviuosly spacers are designed to accomidate large brake kits and things of that nature but until i get the wheel setup i want on this car the spacers are a cheap mod that will put a smile on my face. search around on the fourms and you will find pics of before and after shots.

[Ohcrap]

Originally Posted by fastauto

The way the wheels sit in drives me nuts and I get the stock suspension is nice but I fail to see how anyone can think adding a fully adjustable suspension to a car would ruin it. An after market suspension does not mean I am going to dump the car on a ground like a gangster. People need to relax. To be honest I really would love to run a wide set of rubber on a set of light weight 18s

Ditto! Changing the ride height and the ability to change the ride-height, compression, and rebound for track days will be a definite advantage and you do NOT have to "tear your car apart" to install freakin coilovers, plus after events you can then easily reset for more comfortable street setup that sits where you want it. BMW didn't put coilovers on because of price and the potential warranty issues due to idiots bottoming out the adjustments and causing damage to the car, not because they had magically come up with the end all, beat all suspension for all driving scenarios. And there's nothing "weird" about discussing mods... especially if you consider that 90% of the discussions on this forum are about mods! Ooooh-sahhhhh. Sorry if that was harsh, those first few posts have been bothering me since I read them this weekend... I'm better now.

You can't go wrong with custom Ohlins but I'd also check out AST 4000 and 5000 series. I like the 5000 series because they are upgradeable all the way up to quadruple adjustable remote reseviors so you have a lot of choices in set ups for different classes as you, your wallet, and your skills progress. I've also seen some crazy fast 135's and M3's running custom KW and Moton setups.

I'm headed to Bimmerworld too and although I have my heart set on AST's, I will likely go with their advice as well. Have fun with your car man. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with and what spring rates test best for different street/track setups.

[fastauto]

Originally Posted by Ohcrap

Ditto! Changing the ride height and the ability to change the ride-height, compression, and rebound for track days will be a definite advantage and you do NOT have to "tear your car apart" to install freakin coilovers, plus after events you can then easily reset for more comfortable street setup that sits where you want it. BMW didn't put coilovers on because of price and the potential warranty issues due to idiots bottoming out the adjustments and causing damage to the car, not because they had magically come up with the end all, beat all suspension for all driving scenarios. And there's nothing "weird" about discussing mods... especially if you consider that 90% of the discussions on this forum are about mods! Ooooh-sahhhhh. Sorry if that was harsh, those first few posts have been bothering me since I read them this weekend... I'm better now.

You can't go wrong with custom Ohlins but I'd also check out AST 4000 and 5000 series. I like the 5000 series because they are upgradeable all the way up to quadruple adjustable remote reseviors so you have a lot of choices in set ups for different classes as you, your wallet, and your skills progress. I've also seen some crazy fast 135's and M3's running custom KW and Moton setups.

I'm headed to Bimmerworld too and although I have my heart set on AST's, I will likely go with their advice as well. Have fun with your car man. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with and what spring rates test best for different street/track setups.

Thank you. I understand that different people have different preferences however understand this is a BMW 1m and not a Porsche GT2 RS. Manufactures build different cars for people with different tastes. Me getting slammed for wanting to mod this car is a joke and speaks volumes about a few of the people on this forum. We are all car fans, people need to chill. While I don't understand the guy with the old Honda with the bolt on wings and neon light and huge trash can exhaust I do appreciate and respect the fact that guy liked cars and so do i. Adding an adjustable suspension and a nice light weight wheel setup will make this car amazing. I look forward to missing this car and posting my reviews online.

[biglare]

I agree on both counts of spacers and ride height. I was going to get a set of springs before I took delivery but now have to wait as nobody has a set developed yet. As others have mentioned the 1M's weight is different from the M3 even though they have the same suspension.However, I will get a set of spacers immediately after I take delivery!

I will be getting an ESS tune formthe 1M shortly after delivery as well! It will be an absolute blast on the track! Oh and yes, I will be tracking the car as I do with my E90 M3 that is supercharged!