[DrRobert]

Just thought I'd put this out there for anyone who is interested (and to thank those who helped me). I originally got Koni FSDs and the yellow BMWPS springs a couple months back. After multiple other suspension upgrades (see my sig) the car still had too much body roll in turns and too much rear bounce after going over big bumps. Replaced the FSDs with Koni yellows last week. Body roll and rear bounce are now eliminated. I'm extremely happy with how my car now rides. I know there are some who like the FSDs with the yellow BMW performance springs, but IME the FSDs do not dampen those springs well enough, and the Koni sports pair much better with them.

Note that I have done a lot of other suspension mods besides shocks and springs, all of which contributed to the quality of my ride, so YMMV. Thanks again to everyone who helped with advice, input and answers to my many questions over the last few months!

Not surprised...glad you got it sorted though

[ajsalida]

Sweet! Glad you got it sorted.

[cdgatti]

sounds like a really nice set up, congratulations!

[andrey_gta]

Can you list part numbers of the shocks. Esp the rear shocks Fsd or yellow

I've seen more 1 series kits fitted with e9x rears part numbers
Just interesting if it's a cost cutting or performance decision

[ajsalida]

OP do you know what they are set to, F/R? Also did you get the top adjust rears or the ordinary kind?

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

OP do you know what they are set to, F/R? Also did you get the top adjust rears or the ordinary kind?

Got the ordinary yellows as I had just recently purchased the 10 mm Dinan rear upper shock mounts and didnt want to pay another $100 for the 12 mm needed for the external adjusting rear shocks. They are set at 3/4 turn from soft in the rears and 1-1/4 turns in front.

Don't know the part numbers offhand but I bought the yellows from HP Autosport, its whatever they have listed. P/N for the FSDs was 2100-4036

[ajsalida]

Cool. You may want to play around with settings at some point. I found I needed to adjust a bit stiffer after they broke in a little and I got used to what was going on. Presently mine are set at 1.5 front and 1 rear off full soft.

Also found cold ambient temps really stiffen them up a lot. Which you may not have to worry about but on a -30 deg F morning up here in the high rockies, it is pretty stiff! So I have begun dialing them back a bit as winter approaches. This will be my third winter with them in (IIRC), in two different cars.

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Cool. You may want to play around with settings at some point. I found I needed to adjust a bit stiffer after they broke in a little and I got used to what was going on. Presently mine are set at 1.5 front and 1 rear off full soft.

Also found cold ambient temps really stiffen them up a lot. Which you may not have to worry about but on a -30 deg F morning up here in the high rockies, it is pretty stiff! So I have begun dialing them back a bit as winter approaches. This will be my third winter with them in (IIRC), in two different cars.

Thanks, will keep that in mind but for now I am a happy camper. Around here we call it cold if it is below 60 deg F, so hopefully I won't have to dial them down in the winter.

[cvc 22349a]

should make hwys 1 and 17 a lot more fun..

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by cvc 22349a

should make hwys 1 and 17 a lot more fun..

Yes it does, but I stay off Hwy 17 as much as possible - too much traffic!. Old San Jose Road/Old Santa Cruz Hwy is amazing now (esp w/ LSD), if I get a clear patch of road that is.

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by DrRobert

Yes it does, but I stay off Hwy 17 as much as possible - too much traffic!. Old San Jose Road/Old Santa Cruz Hwy is amazing now (esp w/ LSD), if I get a clear patch of road that is.

So you did the LSD same time as the yellows, tell us a bit about that and how everything works together if you don't mind. Considering an M factory diff here soon once I get JB4 + meth and some other stuff done. Assuming Santa gets his shit together.

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

So you did the LSD same time as the yellows, tell us a bit about that and how everything works together if you don't mind. Considering an M factory diff here soon once I get JB4 + meth and some other stuff done. Assuming Santa gets his shit together.

Yep, this last round of mods consisted of the Koni swap, LSD install, and M3 rear wishbones (got a good deal on a used set on ebay ). I've only had the car back for a few days since these mods, and have only driven it hard a few times. Its always hard to separate cause and effect when you do multiple mods at the same time, but I would say this was an outstanding combo in my case. I'll try to explain. FYI my daily commute is 1 hour each way; half on freeway and half on country/mountain backroads.

The effect of the shocks was noticable immediately. The car just feels more balanced and composed at all times, almost feels lighter on its feet, which gives me more confidence behind the wheel, and as I said the body roll and rear bounce I was having with the FSD/BMWPS spring combo is now gone. I'm not sure if the wishbones contributed to the decrease in body roll, but at this point I really don't care what did what.

What I can say about the LSD at this point is that on the backroads I feel like I can now accelerate more through and out of turns. Before this week I had to slow down entering a turn because of the body roll that I knew was coming if I took a turn too fast, and would then accelerate exiting the turn. Now that the body roll is under control I can enter turns faster, but I can also push through some turns without taking my foot off the gas at all, and on other turns I can start accelerating midway through the turn instead of waiting til exiting it. It kinda depends on the way the turn is banked - a lot of the turns on the backroads around here are banked wrong, but on a good turn I can now carve right through the whole thing without slowing down hardly at all. It really is an amazing feeling when that happens!

Not sure I'm explaining it well, and it is a little hard to sort out, but I think the balanced spring/shock combo lets me enter turns faster, and the LSD lets me accelerate through and out of turns better, and the car stays flat and keeps moving forward (instead of sideways) the whole time. I think that is probably the sum total of all the mods I've done to date, but in any case I finally feel like the suspension can keep up with the power that the N55 engine is capable of delivering to the wheels, which was sorely lacking when I first got the car. The car actually feels a lot faster now (although I'm sure my gas mileage took a hit) but I am glad to pay the price at the pump for this super fun driving experience!

[ajsalida]

Great feedback, thanks.

[Dan_Q]

This has been an interesting saga to follow. Thanks for posting. I have managed to get most of the suspension questions I have answered just by following what you've done. I'm thinking I'll be installing my own LSD and M3 subframe bushings as soon as I have a free weekend showing up on my calendar. Then follow up with the control arms and front anti roll bar. Threads like these are what make me feel like the trouble will be worth it.

[DrRobert]

"Saga" is a good way to describe the last 3 months (an unexpected and expensive saga to be more precise). Glad to post my experience as a way of giving something back to this community. It will be worth it, Dan. Definitely a slippery slope when you start messing with the E90 suspension, though - one mod can quickly lead to another! I think I might be done with the suspension though (for now at least) - on to the sound system and other interior gadgetry!

BTW, I drove the car in the rain for the first time today. First rain around here in many months so I'm sure the roads were slick too. I drove carefully of course, but I did push it a little bit on a secret back road I know (I like to have a little fun on the way to work ). Pleased to report that the car did not skip a beat. I've never felt such confidence driving in the rain before. This car handles superbly in both wet and dry conditions.

[pj.rodriguez]

Originally Posted by andrey_gta

Can you list part numbers of the shocks. Esp the rear shocks Fsd or yellow

I've seen more 1 series kits fitted with e9x rears part numbers
Just interesting if it's a cost cutting or performance decision

Same part numbers for koni yellow 1er and 3er