[Woody80]

Originally Posted by doughboy

agree, it depends what your objective is.

If you just want slammed for taking cool pics in car parks, or doing 5mph cruzin past the local McD's, then any low cost mix and match kits will do.

Make it stiffer and lower will help handling to a certain extent. But If you want it to drive well at speed, and be stable, controlled and still comfortable then you need a well coordinated and designed setup.

Think sporty jag etc, comfortable, firm, well balanced, more GT than sports car but can still hussle it with the best, that's the best you could want for an E9x due to the weight, it's never going to be a Lotus....

A few points:

1. adjustable dampers are pointless on the road, because as soon as you adjust them the they don'y match the spring rate any more, so any coordination will be lost. Sure it may feel different, but thats just pub points, "my car's stiffer than yours".

2. no amount of springs and dampers will change the factory designed understeer dictated by the spindly rear ARB, this needs changing (and the front) together with new suspension matched to it for best results.

Sure you can just fit the suspension, but its a lot of money to just make the car ride better, when to make it truly handle better you need ARBs too.

The main objective is to make it more compliant without making it soft and wallowy. I don't want it to skip and crash over surface changes. Not interested in a McDs cruise! It's my everyday car that overall I'm really pleased with but it feels like the suspension could be better. I know from my motorbikes that suspension can make a huge difference but haven't ever tinkered with car suspension before.

[chappy]

Originally Posted by doughboy

Woody, I've also got the birds b3 kit and it is fantastic. It has springs made by Eibach and bespoke revalved Bilstein dampers, B6 I think?

I would say it is the most complete and best resolved kit available as it has been designed, tuned, tested & retested, all bespoke by a world renowned suspension consultant for E9x and UK roads specifically, no Ring testing or any of that BS. The consultants also design for Jag and Lotus.

This means the springs match the dampers perfectly, only then do you get a coherent setup.

You'll never get that with a mix and match setup.

The way the B3 doesn't jar at low speeds makes you think it's soft, but press on and the way it controls the car is remarkable, all done with properly judges damping. It actually has softer rear springs.

Mines a family car too, and this kit is equally happy on a track day or going to Morrisons.

Have you read the BMWcar mag review of the B3 kit?

Re coilovers, a lot of insurers now separate 'coilovers' from 'lowered suspension' charging a lot more for coilovers as a mod.

HI ALL
I also have the BIRDS B3 suspension with M3 sways and rear subframe bushes and our roads in Brisbane Australia is pot holed patched and rough and then you get smooth roads, and I have to say this kit is a marvel, excellent when pushed sure its slightly firmer than M-SPORT but its glued to the corners with ease no wallowing around when you hit a dip, well worth the money as I did not want to be making adjustments all the time.

[A_P]

I can't even believe you are considering a rebranded bilstein shock and spring kit if you have 1.5k to drop.

Get the Ohlins road and track and end all this nonsense.

[Woody80]

Originally Posted by A_P

I can't even believe you are considering a rebranded bilstein shock and spring kit if you have 1.5k to drop.

Get the Ohlins road and track and end all this nonsense.

That good then? Ohlins is my go to for bikes

[A_P]

Alpinab3lux did a in depth write up on them. All you need to know really.