[E90 335xi]

I thought I would post this because so many people here, much like me, hate the "reverse rake" look our xDrives have from the factory, and go to great lengths to get rid of it.

Thing is, if you get coilovers and completely remove the rake, the ride quality is not optimal. After 3 months of driving with the car slammed and with the rake completely removed, I ended up raising my KW V1s. The rear is at max height and the front a little bit lower. Some of the reverse rake is back... pretty minor compared to stock however. But it drives so much better. SO much better.

In a nutshell, suspension travel is good. Slamming the front down creates a bit of a "spongey" feel to the front end over bumps. I've been told this is due to riding on the bumpstops. So having experienced both a slammed ride with no rake and a more conservative drop that's closer to factory front/rear rake, I now welcome a *bit* of that reverse rake as a trade-off for a *lot* more ride quality.

My 2 cents.

*EDIT* Added a pic of how it sits now with the rear at max height, front somewhere in the middle between min/max.

[MTTH]

How does it handle though?

[neverdone]

Pics of how it sits now...please.

[Steve Theodore]

This is an interesting topic for me to better understand, so I'm grabbing my popcorn.

[Dylan]

The springs on the kwv1 coilovers arnt very stiff to begin with, which creates that spongey, bouncy ride when you have them threaded all the way down. Obviously the lower you make the car the less room the suspension has to move therefor the ride quality will decrease. Depending on which bump stops you have in will make it ride crappy cause the suspension will basically not move at all then.

[Bours]

Originally Posted by Dylan

The springs on the kwv1 coilovers arnt very stiff to begin with, which creates that spongey, bouncy ride when you have them threaded all the way down. Obviously the lower you make the car the less room the suspension has to move therefor the ride quality will decrease. Depending on which bump stops you have in will make it ride crappy cause the suspension will basically not move at all then.

Is there a huge improvement in terms of handling and is true you have to fix them every 35k kms cause they dont last very long ?

[EyeGuy]

When I first had my kw v1's installed I asked for a 1 finger gap all around which looked and handled great. After a while I got tired of the rougher ride, and feeling every bump and vibration through the floor.
I then had my shop raise it to a 2 finger gap which greatly improved ride quality. Very close to stock and a lot easier to live with. Going over bumps and the fear of bottoming out became a non issue.
That being said, my car doesn't handle as well. I'm very sensitive about how my car rides, and feel as if it is more floaty and not as sharp after the raise in height.

[EyeGuy]

Here is how my car sits today with a "2 finger gap".

[Bours]

Originally Posted by EyeGuy

When I first had my kw v1's installed I asked for a 1 finger gap all around which looked and handled great. After a while I got tired of the rougher ride, and feeling every bump and vibration through the floor.
I then had my shop raise it to a 2 finger gap which greatly improved ride quality. Very close to stock and a lot easier to live with. Going over bumps and the fear of bottoming out became a non issue.
That being said, my car doesn't handle as well. I'm very sensitive about how my car rides, and feel as if it is more floaty and not as sharp after the raise in height.

Thank you for the input man ! What type of wheels you got on ? Apex ec 7 i presume ?

[EyeGuy]

Vmr 710 18s

[Silver330xi]

Kw v1 slammed front, half way rear. Def not the smoothest ride...but it looks so good this way lol.

[Dylan]

not kwv1's, stiff ride, not so bouncy

[Bours]

Originally Posted by Silver330xi

Kw v1 slammed front, half way rear. Def not the smoothest ride...but it looks so good this way lol.

Can you do a small review ? Did you loose a lot of comfort and do id the ride too harsh sometimes ? I know its a trade off for good looks but does it handle that much better than stock xi suspension ?

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by Bours

Can you do a small review ? Did you loose a lot of comfort and do id the ride too harsh sometimes ? I know its a trade off for good looks but does it handle that much better than stock xi suspension ?

changing the tires from the rfts to some decent street tires + doing coilovers will help the handling a big amount. even at an extreme low setting it will handle better then stock xi.

[Bours]

Originally Posted by Dylan

changing the tires from the rfts to some decent street tires + doing coilovers will help the handling a big amount. even at an extreme low setting it will handle better then stock xi.

What about comfort ? And what setup do you have looks sick !

[hz_diesel]

So rear is Max and front is 2 inch gap but it doesn't handle well?

[only1harry]

There is no replacement for suspension travel when ii comes to comfort and longevity, unless you get high-end shortened shocks from the factory. Then you can go lower and get better handling.

I had the Ground Control Advance Design double-adjustable shocks on my Integra. $1,699 just for the shocks back in 2003. They had a threaded body so you can use them with spring seats and coilover springs. I had the car slammed and it handled like a go-kart, not to mention I was unbeatable in my class (DSP) in autocross for 2 years or less. They didn't last more than 2 seasons, but that's the price you pay with aftermarket race shocks. I was warned not to drive on the steet with them, but only use them on the track, and since my car wasn't a trailer queen, I drove them to/from the race events.

I later got Neuspeed Konis on my Integra in 2006-2007 which were under $500 new, and are shorter and provide more travel internally. Has anyone checked with Neuspeed to see if they make the same shorter Konis for e90/92/93? They have lasted a very long time, but I have not lowered the Integra much, because I turned it into a daily driver with 450lb coilover springs (down from 650-750lbs, factory were 220lbs). The car rides the same or better than stock, but handles better. Those Honda guys get a lot of good aftermarket support. I have not been able to find all these fairly inexpensive shock options for our Bimmers like Honda gets.

Harry

[Bours]

Originally Posted by only1harry

There is no replacement for suspension travel when ii comes to comfort and longevity, unless you get high-end shortened shocks from the factory. Then you can go lower and get better handling.

I had the Ground Control Advance Design double-adjustable shocks on my Integra. $1,699 just for the shocks back in 2003. They had a threaded body so you can use them with spring seats and coilover springs. I had the car slammed and it handled like a go-kart, not to mention I was unbeatable in my class (DSP) in autocross for 2 years or less. They didn't last more than 2 seasons, but that's the price you pay with aftermarket race shocks. I was warned not to drive on the steet with them, but only use them on the track, and since my car wasn't a trailer queen, I drove them to/from the race events.

I later got Neuspeed Konis on my Integra in 2006-2007 which were under $500 new, and are shorter and provide more travel internally. Has anyone checked with Neuspeed to see if they make the same shorter Konis for e90/92/93? They have lasted a very long time, but I have not lowered the Integra much, because I turned it into a daily driver with 450lb coilover springs (down from 650-750lbs, factory were 220lbs). The car rides the same or better than stock, but handles better. Those Honda guys get a lot of good aftermarket support. I have not been able to find all these fairly inexpensive shock options for our Bimmers like Honda gets.

Harry

Is there a combo you could recommend for our 335 x drive ? Or coils maybe ? What would you get personally ?

[belcom]

When I was installing my KW v1s by a long time BMW mechanic I asked for 1 finger gap all around. To which he replied right away that I will be messing with the handling balance of the car if we do that. The reason being the gap in front and rear is not the same which is why there's perception that there is rake present. In reality the rear fender sits about 1" lower than front. So when you equalize the gap you're lowering the front more than rear.

I haven't seen much discussion around that at all. All that matters to most is how it looks rather than handles.

In my case I let him do what he does best and results are good. Rear at max height (gap is almost compeltely closed), front there 1 - 1.5 finger gap. Rides great, not too stiff not too soft. Ride is firm but comfy with 19s. Still looks good without the 4x4 gap of the stock non-sport suspension.

[E90 335xi]

Originally Posted by neverdone

Pics of how it sits now...please.

1st post updated.

[E90 335xi]

Originally Posted by belcom

When I was installing my KW v1s by a long time BMW mechanic I asked for 1 finger gap all around. To which he replied right away that I will be messing with the handling balance of the car if we do that. The reason being the gap in front and rear is not the same which is why there's perception that there is rake present. In reality the rear fender sits about 1" lower than front. So when you equalize the gap you're lowering the front more than rear.

I haven't seen much discussion around that at all. All that matters to most is how it looks rather than handles.

In my case I let him do what he does best and results are good. Rear at max height (gap is almost compeltely closed), front there 1 - 1.5 finger gap. Rides great, not too stiff not too soft. Ride is firm but comfy with 19s. Still looks good without the 4x4 gap of the stock non-sport suspension.

Your post is essentially what I wanted to say, except you said it much better!

[Bours]

Originally Posted by E90 335xi

Your post is essentially what I wanted to say, except you said it much better!

How are the kw v1 holding up ? Any issues so far ? I just bought a used set they are getting rebuilt right now cant wait ! What height do you suggest for great handling and comfort cause i travel with my baby in the back !