[scottieboi94]

I have owned my 335D Coupe for around 2 months now and am really not impressed with the handling.

What is there i can do to improve this?

I've looked into lowered suspension but that's really it so far.

Thanks

[Phil325i]

Have a browse through the Suspension section

http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38

lots of discussions about the various options: lowering springs/dampers; coilovers; air; etc.

[scottieboi94]

Thanks mate

[pmmcbl]

Assuming there's nothing wrong I would move away from run flats as a starting point.

[marknjayne]

im betting your alignment needs addressing,mine is fantastic handling ,im on AP coilovers,fast road alignment setup ,and Pirelli P-Zero Corsa Assimetrico2 tyres,when pushing hard on track it handles better than my old GTST skylines did

[old grey steve]

Loads of views on this one thing that really impressed me with mine was the roll bar upgrade(EiBach)really think these are superb and I wasn't expecting the results I've now got.

Suspension wise there's a fair few options and opinions to be fair VFM wise and performance wise for the money Bilstein B12's are a good place to put your money IMO, I've gone a slightly different route Bikstein B8's and EiBach Pro springs and these have all together produced the sort of ride handling package you'd of thought BMW would of given the car in the first place.

[mob17]

If you're not impressed with the stock handling then i guess you are looking to improve it significantly.

Best start are non runflats and alignment as stated. The tires make a huge difference.

Then probably springs/dampers or coilovers. It's best not to lower more than an inch on the E92s to maintain good handling and damping, so look for quality parts that don't lower too much.

After that you can do m3 suspension arms front and rear which should firm thing up and make your steering more precise. Haven't done this myself but from what i read they make a good upgrade.

To get rid of that annoying shimmy at the rear when cornering over bumps, or just generally the squidgy rear, you should replace the stock subframe bushes with m3 ones, or even harder. When you get runflats you will notice the rear feels softer, thats the tires gripping and the subframe playing catch up.

To be honest you could do the above in any order, apart from tires which i'd do first. Problem with the handling upgrades is that you improve something, and then something else pops up due to your improvement! But handling can be improved significantly.

[old grey steve]

I forgot to mention ditching the RFT's first thing I did L I've also got M3 arms/wishbones on mine again they are an improvement over stock they introduce a bit of camber into the mix which will add to steering response which I noticed straightaway Mo I've also got as you line Ko adjustable camber plates on mine so I've got a bit more scope re camber/caster adjustment which sounds good but if you get it wrong can go the other way of you follow me

Still say for the bolt on improvement that scottiboi's looking for the Bilstein B12's a good place to put your money but I've got to say I'm super impressed with the roll bar set up I've got and something that's often overlooked as everyone slams their cars to create a handling improvement I've managed to achieve a damn good rssult(even though I didn't pay for it)without dropping the car at all really carefully selecting products (which i did from the EiBach/Bilstein catalogue) to ensure harmony is a good way progress to achieving the results required at an affordable price.

All depends of course on how far you intend to go and what route you chose to go for as there are a fair few options

[ade146]

E90 has a brilliantly engineered six link axle held together with elastic bands. Mob17 post is accurate you just end up chasing your tail no pun intended. As he said with any vehicle tyres should always be the first.
Try starting a wet stage on slicks or a dry stage on wets. It doesnt matter how much development has gone into the car tyres are everything. Once you get some grip out of the car it shows up all of the elastic. Good dampers highlight it even more.

[rhysh1990]

I just had the hunter wheel alignment done and what a difference that has made! Best £70 I have spent to date

[Aragorn30d]

Depends on what sort of mileage the cars done too, and i dont see that mentioned anywhere.

As eluded to above, theres a lot of rubber bushings and balljoints in these cars, which wear out.

The main issue is that when worn, they wont fail an MOT, they just intruduce enough slack into everything that it all feels a bit crap.

Many people will jump in and fit suspension upgrades and whatnot, but ofcourse if you retain the knackered bushings its still going to be a bit crap.

Essentially you want to ensure everythings the way it was before it left the factory, before potentially wasting money upgrading parts that might actually be perfectly fine.

Tyres ofcourse are a no brainer, but you can have poor tyres with no grip and still have a nicely handling car. Similarly you could have all the grip in the world, but an awful handling car due to the rest of the suspension being gubbed.

Perhaps you should describe what actually feels bad about the handling so we have a better idea of whats going on?

[scottieboi94]

First thing i did was move to non rft tyres which definitely improved the acceleration/handling. I was looking at the eibach coilovers also but not sure about the ride comfort... Car is 54k miles.

[acerboo]

eibach arbs and powerflex front bushes goes like its on rails

[old grey steve]

Bushes are of course a very important part of the cars suspension set up, I like what Mo's said and he's been on the suspension rollercoater for some time so has a good grounding on the subject, but we've fitted standard bushes for customers that have had wear highlighted and have to a degree restored the cars initial suspension feeling, which for some is enough, we have also fitted updated poly bushes as well, but have mixed customer feedback, most appreciate the handling improvement, but some struggle with the effects of replacing std bushes with poly upgrades in terms of increased noise and other senses that feedback in to the cabin, it's a case of excepting the benefits and perhaps adapting slightly to the compromises upgraded bushes offer, but if you're running a garage like I do you approach this sort of thing differently to perhaps you would do as an enthusiast as there's more at stake.

It's a close call IMO poly bushes serve many purposes, from increased tyre life to sharper handling plus it's a job you'll potentially do once whereas on the standard bush set you may do the job twice/three times in say a cars prolonged ownership life, thus saving you money long term in repeat labour and of course parts, and they'll be one issue MOT wise that'll not cause concern for some time.

As I said earlier on thing that on mine stunned me was the inclusion of EiBachs front/rear anti roll bar kit, made a real difference and though not widly fitted or either incorporated in someone's replacement agenda is well worth considering.

[Jim1985]

That's very interesting to read as I looked into fitting M3 ARBs and the general consensus was to leave that until after you've fitted coilovers etc.

[tomwh85]

Eventually I want to sort out the handling, atm I just have eibach pro kit and super sticky pirelli p zero corsa asimmetrico tyres. I don't know what to do next, eibach arb's or m3 control arms?