ST coilovers! REVIEW e46 330i

hallo! fellow e46fantics-ers?!

This is my review for ST Coilovers!!
now before i get started on the review on the actual coilovers let me give a quick briefing on my driving style, car, and what i was looking to achieve....

I am a 20 year old "kid" who owns a 2002 e46 330i ZSP.... sadly automatic (

I daily drive this car & i enjoy spirited canyon cruising/driving w.e you wanna call it through the LA mountains... including Angeles Crest Hwy & Malibu Canyon Roads... Im not a aggressive driver who canyon BOMBs.. or does crazy **** to their car.. i just enjoy a nice smooth drive...

My car is 10yrs old... with STOCK suspension.. yes stock since day one out of the dealership.. it had 143K miles on the odometer.. The reason why i wanted to upgrade was because i knew this car could handle much better and it was in desperate need of upgrading suspension components..... so i did my research and found out what i wanted....

WHAT I WANTED TO ACHIEVE.
1) i wanted to lower my car....not credit card clearance SLAM... but a healthy drop

2) improved handling/cornering

3) less body roll.....

through my research my options are to:
1) Coilovers
2) Loweing springs..& shocks
3).... cut springs..or heat springs


I liked the fact that with coilovers i could adjust height/dampening etc.. so i went with that route.... choosing that i also realized the fat price of coilovers.. being on a college budget didnt quite help with that..
I wanted something that was quality built & not some cheapo crap that would ruin my prestigious car!!! lol... Once i saw ST coilovers i was sold just by the fact that KW had made them ( & KW is a reputable brand with quality builds) so i immediately went for that since they had a decent pricing as well!!

so here are the coils delivered by FedEx... it felt like Christmas all over again



Here is a picture of my lovely car.... BEFORE... with the aged shitty OEM parts on it



Now i did not install the coilovers myself since im am not to mechanically inclined... but after viewing one of my friends install them... they did not seem that difficult to install... but who am i to talk?! lol



& WAAAALA ST's installed & ready to go! The fronts before we measured it was 23 inches from the base of the rim to the fender lip.... & now AFTER it measured 22 inches.... ST's said that the front can drop up 2.8 inches... and based off the viewing the thread.... id say this thing can DROP!!



SOOOO I JUST SPENT ....a nice lump sum of money for these bright yellow things.... how does it ride?!?!?
Im comparing this to my old shitty OEM 143K miles suspension components...
IT RIDES alot better than that!! I mean it actually felt really smooth despite the fact i lowered it about an inch or so.. the ride quality was really smooth... it seems to take the bumps & humps real well... Although i must mention that at lower speeds the car does feel a tad bit bouncy... but at higher speeds that problem does not exist!!

I took out on some twisty roads... and it handles good on the corners as well! I mean im not going around the bends at crazy speeds but for normal spirited driving it felt nice! I felt more confident in my car... it felt more planted & secure.. it was great! I can deff take corners faster now )) lol

The only real thing i guess i can complain about... is.. that i wish the dampening was a bit rougher/harder... but i mean thats why i guess i should spend more money and get KW V2's... or some other brand.... BUT ITS NOT A big deal... unless ure gonna track your car... but for street driving/cruising/dailydriving/ canyon runs... id say this is a really good coilover kit.. it blends it perfectly.. its soft enough to commute long distances... yet you can throw some curvy roads & it will deliver...

here's an HQ pic for your viewing pleasure lol..

Now i do plan on lowering it even more... just to see what it will look like..
ill post pics if i do... lol

Fun fact... this suspension weighs around 50lbs~ based off of FedEx lol

AS i become more invested in this car... im getting the urge to start tracking..
but next on the list im looking to get some APEX's.... some sways.. and better brakes... we'll see how that turns out lol

if you guys have any questions about these coilovers... shoot me a PM or email at nima529@gmail.com... ill try to answer them as best as i can...


PEACE~

looks good on your car! just wondering do you get an alignment after installing coilovers?

Originally Posted by jmanfredonia

looks good on your car! just wondering do you get an alignment after installing coilovers?

Yes. Your camber will be off (negative), so it requires an alignment.





To the original poster, I'd like to see a picture of how low your front adjustment is to achieve the final height pictured here:







My fronts are at their lowest setting and they must be sitting close to or slightly higher than yours!

I've already contacted KW and am currently filling out their tech sheet/ sending pictures. Something is wrong!

wow i can't believe you let your friend just hang your rotors like that by the brake line not to mention, he probably also broke your auto-leveling arm by doing that lol

Originally Posted by jmanfredonia

looks good on your car! just wondering do you get an alignment after installing coilovers?

Thanks!! & Yes, you will need an alignment afterwards.. but normally what people do (or should i say what i do) is wait about a good week or so to allow the coilovers to settle/break in.. then make any final adjustments on height if necessary then get an alignment!
BTW you're car looks good to what color is it???

HEY a little neg camber didnt hurt anyone.... well except for uneven tire wear lol

Originally Posted by ac_2007

Yes. Your camber will be off (negative), so it requires an alignment.





To the original poster, I'd like to see a picture of how low your front adjustment is to achieve the final height pictured here:

My fronts are at their lowest setting and they must be sitting close to or slightly higher than yours!

I've already contacted KW and am currently filling out their tech sheet/ sending pictures. Something is wrong!

Is this what you were asking for??
the second shot is from a lower perspective thats why it looks like it has massive wheel gap lol

I didnt mess with the height adjustment knob.... so i basically pulled it out of the box and installed them as they came...

but if yours is at the lowest setting and it is at my ride height then i think you should contact KW... because i know their is alot of thread to lower mine at this ride height!

Originally Posted by sillieidiot

wow i can't believe you let your friend just hang your rotors like that by the brake line not to mention, he probably also broke your auto-leveling arm by doing that lol

LOL.... ooops!!! ill keep that in mind next time i do something in that area!
Live & Learn huh?? lol

I was actually referring to the front strut itself. Was wondering how many more threads you had left to drop is some more. If you say there is a lot more thread, I'll take your word for it.



One more thing. Would it be possible for you to send me a close up image of this picture?






More specifically I am interested in reading the printed number on the front spring itself (in left side of the picture).

The thread should be untouched... we didnt move anything during the install...although i plan on lowering soon so ill post a pic sometime this week..

as for the numbers on the actual front SPRING... it reads:

60-200* 05 VO 12 (thats what the lower one says)

as for the upper numbers it says

20-60-80 5OJ11

Originally Posted by kingnima

The thread should be untouched... we didnt move anything during the install...although i plan on lowering soon so ill post a pic sometime this week..

as for the numbers on the actual front SPRING... it reads:

60-200* 05 VO 12 (thats what the lower one says)

as for the upper numbers it says

20-60-80 5OJ11

Quoted. Thank you.

Looking good!!!!

I recently got some ST's myself and installed them a week before Bimmerfest. They really are a great set up!

The thing i love about these coils are that they are just stiff enough to notice a difference from stock but still nice and smooth as stock!

Great choice. Make sure to wait atleast 300miles before aligning the car.

Originally Posted by M325er22

Looking good!!!!

I recently got some ST's myself and installed them a week before Bimmerfest. They really are a great set up!

The thing i love about these coils are that they are just stiff enough to notice a difference from stock but still nice and smooth as stock!

Thanks!!! That why I love em to.. they are perfect for what im doing!!
Your car looks pretty sweeet!! just needs a little drop!! lololol

Originally Posted by Kris@TSS

Great choice. Make sure to wait atleast 300miles before aligning the car.

Thanks for the advice!!

Hahaha nope its just right.

And I heard to align asap after install

Sent from my LG-P509 using Bimmer App

Your suspension will settle some more. Sometimes up to 1/2". In could make that new alignment pointless. KW also recommends waiting.

Hmmm o well!

I get alignments for free!

Sent from my LG-P509 using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by Kris@TSS

Your suspension will settle some more. Sometimes up to 1/2". In could make that new alignment pointless. KW also recommends waiting.

Half an inch? Hardly.

It will only settle if you seated the rear springs incorrectly.
Having driven on my coils over 500miles, I can tell you the height is exactly what I measured from day 1.

Originally Posted by M325er22

Hahaha nope its just right.

And I heard to align asap after install

Sent from my LG-P509 using Bimmer App

Do not align immediately, you'll want the suspension to settle first... Roughly about 250-300 miles first, then once that's done, get an alignment. If you align before hand, and then the suspension settles, the camber adjustments will be off kilter and you'll have wasted your $$ on an alignment to begin with.

I hope that helps

Just to clarify is this the lowest setting? If not how much lower do you think it can go? I just bought these and wanna make sure before I install. I don't wanna end up installing and then having to take apart because they didn't go low enough

Originally Posted by kingnima

Thanks!! & Yes, you will need an alignment afterwards.. but normally what people do (or should i say what i do) is wait about a good week or so to allow the coilovers to settle/break in.. then make any final adjustments on height if necessary then get an alignment!
BTW you're car looks good to what color is it???

HEY a little neg camber didnt hurt anyone.... well except for uneven tire wear lol






Is this what you were asking for??
the second shot is from a lower perspective thats why it looks like it has massive wheel gap lol

I didnt mess with the height adjustment knob.... so i basically pulled it out of the box and installed them as they came...

but if yours is at the lowest setting and it is at my ride height then i think you should contact KW... because i know their is alot of thread to lower mine at this ride height!



LOL.... ooops!!! ill keep that in mind next time i do something in that area!
Live & Learn huh?? lol