A Comprehensive Guide to Aftermarket Suspension Setups.

This forum has decades of collective experience and i want to focus it as best we can in a comprehensive guide of aftermarket suspension setups for the E46. Describe, with the following guidelines, your current or past setups and help make this thread a place where one can learn as much as possible about their suspension options.

requested info:

• year and body style of car

• the suspension setup you are reviewing

• if it is an adjustable setup, mention how it was adjusted and what range of adjustment is possible

• any additional components on your car that may affect ride quality (aftermarket rims/camber adjustments/strut bars/sway bars/etc.)

• any additional info about the setup (miles driven/amount of drop/etc.)

• the ride style you prefer

• would you recommend this setup?

• price paid, including installation (if applicable)

based on a 1-10 rating scale, describe the following categories:

• Ride Comfort

• Handling

and finally:

• a paragraph about your experience with this specific setup

i know some guys like their ride extra stiff just like some people enjoy tweeters that happen to make my eardrums bleed thus, if we can establish what each person prefers it will help explain the reasoning behind their responses, capice?


ok, here we go....


i'll start it off with my review of a stock sport setup.

year and body style: 2005 330i
setup being rated: stock sport suspension
adjustments: N/A
additional aftermarket components: none
additional info: car has about 17,000 miles on it.
preferred ride style: i prefer a ride that feels connected to the road without rattling my imaginary fillings out.
would you recommend this setup? yes, especially compared to a stock non-sport setup. it is a great starting point on an incredibly well rounded car, but it can get better.
price paid, including installation (if applicable): included in purchase price
ride comfort: 7
handling: 7

i used to drive a lexus es300 so when i think of comfort i think of floating over bumps like they don't exist, thus negatively affecting my ride comfort rating. this setup is nice and responsive but i want my car even flatter when i turn hard, with more confidence. a good starting point for sure.

here are some suggestions of setups to rate:

Bilstein Sports and H&R Sport springs
Bilstein Sports and H&R Race springs
H&R Touring Kit
H&R Cup Kit
Koni (don't know specifics...)
coilover kits....


get the idea? make this post popular and let the knowledge rain down!!

p.s. for continuity and ease or reading, copy and paste my review and fill in your own details!!

Nice idea. Hopefully people will review their set-ups

i know tons of you currently run or have run aftermarket setups in the past.

take some time and spill your experiences and it will be tremendously helpful to the rest of us who haven't had the opportunity for hands-on experience!

and yes, i know you can dig and dig and search but there are so many individual posts and differing opinions that it can get cloudy and very confusing. this is meant to be a thread that localizes all responses in one place. not to mention when someone shouts out their recommendation with no basis of judgement it doesn't do much good....kind of like a complete stranger on an infomercial saying that "this product works great!"

i want opinions and the reasoning behind them! help a brother out and help dozens of other brothers in the process.

ttt

requesting some enlightenment...........

i'm a bit disappointed that nobody has offered up some of their experience thus far....where is all the knowledge, folks?

instead of telling 25 people over and over why not say it all, once, in a very eloquent and descriptive way, so we can all benefit?

Here is mine:

year and body style: 2001 330ci.
setup being rated: UUC sways and springs. KONI adjustable shocks. Meyle A-arms. Powerflex urethane bushings front and back.
adjustments: Shocks and sway links.
additional aftermarket components: ESS TS1. UUC SSK. UUC LTW FW w/M5 OEM clutch.
additional info: car has about 110,000 miles on it.
preferred ride style: I prefer a very stiff ride. Zero body roll and dip.
would you recommend this setup? yes,
price paid, including installation (if applicable): Most work done DIY
ride comfort: 9
handling: 9+

reviews, people

year and body style: 2003 325i
setup being rated: UUC Stage 4 (Springs, Shocks, SwayBarbarians)
adjustments: sway stiffness (3 way front, 2 way rear)
additional aftermarket components: none
additional info: installed at 35k miles, used for 15k
preferred ride style: I prefer a ride that is significantly stiff without being harsh. I want absolutely flat cornering, but want to avoid the hops that come with really high spring rates.
would you recommend this setup? Absolutely. The drop is both noticable and stylish, but not over the top. Everywhere but on a track, you won't be able to push it to the real limit. Smoothness and comfort seem similar to the stock sport suspension, but with significantly stiffer springs and dramatically better handling, particularly body roll.
price paid, including installation (if applicable): $650, install was DIY
ride comfort: 7
handling: 8

When compared with other spring/shock/sway setups, this tops the charts. More affordable than most setups, the drop eliminates wheel gap (unless you're looking for the slammed look) and is just high enough for 99% of roads, perfectly tractable over undulating pavement, but somewhat harsh over imperfections. Excellent corner to corner stiffness. Summary: perfect drop, excellent price, easy installation, subtle and rewarding.

Originally Posted by theman5207

year and body style: 2003 325i
setup being rated: UUC Stage 4 (Springs, Shocks, SwayBarbarians)
adjustments: sway stiffness (3 way front, 2 way rear)
additional aftermarket components: none
additional info: installed at 35k miles, used for 15k
preferred ride style: I prefer a ride that is significantly stiff without being harsh. I want absolutely flat cornering, but want to avoid the hops that come with really high spring rates.
would you recommend this setup? Absolutely. The drop is both noticable and stylish, but not over the top. Everywhere but on a track, you won't be able to push it to the real limit. Smoothness and comfort seem similar to the stock sport suspension, but with significantly stiffer springs and dramatically better handling, particularly body roll.
price paid, including installation (if applicable): $650, install was DIY
ride comfort: 7
handling: 8

When compared with other spring/shock/sway setups, this tops the charts. More affordable than most setups, the drop eliminates wheel gap (unless you're looking for the slammed look) and is just high enough for 99% of roads, perfectly tractable over undulating pavement, but somewhat harsh over imperfections. Excellent corner to corner stiffness. Summary: perfect drop, excellent price, easy installation, subtle and rewarding.

do you have any pics of your car?

Originally Posted by aj526@bluepoint2go

do you have any pics of your car?

yeah man..im interested as well..good thread hopefully more people could drop in..

year and body style: 2001 325Ci
setup being rated: Koni FSD w Eibach ProKit
adjustments: none
additional aftermarket components: 19" wheel and tire pkg
additional info: none
preferred ride style: my goal was to lower the car while maintaining the highest level of comfort possible.
would you recommend this setup? yes.
price paid, including installation (if applicable): don't recall. around $1500 installed I believe
ride comfort: 6-7
handling: 8.5

Here's my schpeal: I love the FSD's. They perform as advertised, firm in the corners, soft over the bumps. In conjunction with the ProKit springs, the car dropped about an inch and handles superbly. The ride quality is just OK, definately not as comfortable as the stock sport suspension, but it's not supposed to be. In any event, I think alot of the ride quality issue is due to the wheel and tire package.

Overall impression: I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

great, love the responses...this is the kind of info you usually only get if you talk to someone in person, keep it comin!

Yeah, great idea for a thread.

The only thing I would suggest, is to add a picture also. And just one or two pics. No pic whoring.

I'll make sure to do this once I put mine on....

good recommendation!

year and body style: 2001 330ci.
setup being rated: TEIN SS coilover suspension
adjustments: Ride Height & damping
additional aftermarket components: Dinan Strut tower brace, Dinan Stage 2 software, Dinan CAI & Dinan Cat back exhaust
additional info: car has about 120,000 miles on it and the Coilovers were installed at 55k
preferred ride style: I prefer a controlled stiff ride with some suspension travel
would you recommend this setup? Only if you're not going to track alot
price paid, including installation (if applicable): 900 for the coilovers 100 for the install
ride comfort: 9
handling: 9

Tein SS were specifically designed for everyday road use and occasional track use hence the dual tube shock design. There are other Tein coilovers that are designed for heavy track use but Tein SS are not. And since I never track my car it's not an issue for me. Tein SS can go VERY LOW in ride height and the comfort for the road is great. They DO handle very well on the road and corners do feel flat.

I do not have the EDFC controller because to me it's gimmicky.

Monotube shocks are ones designed for heavy duty track use.

Originally Posted by phrozen06

year and body style: 2001 330ci.
setup being rated: TEIN SS coilover suspension
adjustments: Ride Height & damping
additional aftermarket components: Dinan Strut tower brace, Dinan Stage 2 software, Dinan CAI & Dinan Cat back exhaust
additional info: car has about 120,000 miles on it and the Coilovers were installed at 55k
preferred ride style: I prefer a controlled stiff ride with some suspension travel
would you recommend this setup? Only if you're not going to track alot
price paid, including installation (if applicable): 900 for the coilovers 100 for the install
ride comfort: 9
handling: 9

Tein SS were specifically designed for everyday road use and occasional track use hence the dual tube shock design. There are other Tein coilovers that are designed for heavy track use but Tein SS are not. And since I never track my car it's not an issue for me. Tein SS can go VERY LOW in ride height and the comfort for the road is great. They DO handle very well on the road and corners do feel flat.

I do not have the EDFC controller because to me it's gimmicky.

Monotube shocks are ones designed for heavy duty track use.

year and body style: 2001 330i
setup being rated: Koni Coil Over, UUC Gen2 sways
adjustments: Ride height: 13" center wheel to wheel well front and rear. Shock Settings: Front full dampning, Rear: ½ turn from lowest. Sway stiffness (stiff front, soft rear)
additional aftermarket components: Turner RSM, ZHP wheels, p2 tires.
additional info: used for 3.5k
preferred ride style: Stiff without being harsh. I want flat cornering, a neutral feel and good feedback.
would you recommend this setup? Absolutely. The ride is firm and fluid. Not at all harsh. Installed sways first. Took away roll and gave a surprisingly tightened feel even in straight line driving. Addition of coil overs gives a much more positive feel in cornering and overall feedback. Am on top of tolerance numbers (10.5 inches from center of mount bolt to surface of strut spring perch. Max is 11.2". Rear perch is under the 40mm max extension from where perch mounts to control arm to spring surface of perch. My wheel gap is a tight finger front and rear. This kit will slam a car. I was able to get alignment within BMW spec by punching locators on strut caps. Rear had enough adjustment to be at -2 degree's. Adjustment is very easy. Front, just jack up each side to take load off. I use a spanner wrench from a spare motorcycle tool kit so that I can hold the adjustment and lock ring. Do not try to use the apparent adjuster for the rear perch. You will destroy it. I found taking load off and then turning the spring the best method. I plan to put in 15mm rear top spring pads so I do not have to extend the perch so much. This car rails! My spouse no longer enjoys driving the car, she says it is "too touchy". I just took a trip with three of us and ~ 150 lbs of luggage. Handled great and no bottoming of susp or rubbing with 255 rears.

price paid, including installation (if applicable): $450 sways, 1200 coils, install was DIY
ride comfort: 7.5
handling: 9

Originally Posted by deafboy

Yeah, great idea for a thread.

The only thing I would suggest, is to add a picture also. And just one or two pics. No pic whoring.

I'll make sure to do this once I put mine on....

+1 on the pictures

i'll be back in here once i put my v3's on and have them dialed in... in the spring

Will get some pics and post tonight.