[Lorcan]

I've addressed this topic before but I'm happy to look at it again as last time it resulted in more sales for us

Full disclaimer: I also sell Eibach

Eibach are component suppliers to AC Schnitzer, many other tuner brands and some OEMs. It should be no great surprise that two cars of similar weight, whatever the manufacturer, will gravitate towards springs of similar specification and the same is true in the tuning world. There are instances where spring A from one company will be the same as spring B from elsewhere.

I'm sorry but IMHO your post reads like an outlandish marketing advert for ACS. ACS are "customizable" springs, but Eibach are "generic" springs. Hogwash! A spring is a coiled piece of wire with finite measurable characteristics.

"Generic" might be too strong a word but let's get one thing clear. Eibach do not have access to every model and variant of BMW and MINI to test drive in the real world. AC Schnitzer do, as they are part of the Kohl BMW Group, one of the largest BMW dealer groups in Germany. AC Schnitzer do more real world testing and development of suspension for BMWs than anyone.

ACS may develop some types of products, but on others they contract to resell another company's product. Many companies do these types of partnerships. It is very common. ACS slaps their marketing brand on and sells another company's product at a premium as their own.

No such contract exists.

It's common knowledge that ACS springs are Eibach springs with an ACS name on them. The common response to this fact is to admit that Eibach does indeed make the springs for ACS, but to then claim that they are somehow made by Eibach to some hocus pocus special ACS specification. Again, hogwash!

Farkle! has debunked that claim by getting the actual spring specifications from both ACS and Eibach for specific BMW springs. Read his posts on the subject. Guess what? The two springs are identical.

It is a coiled piece of wire with finite specifications. The ACS springs for my BMW have the exact same specifications as the Eibach springs for my BMW. There is no ACS pixie dust. That is pure ACS marketing fluff!

Eibach list two kits for the F30 335ix and one for the F31 335ix. AC Schnitzer only list one kit. One of the Eibach F30 kits has different front springs to the AC Schnitzer kit (250mm Eibach, 235mm AC Schnitzer) and the Eibach F31 kit has different rear springs. As I mentioned earlier, it is possible and no surprise to find similarities (especially given that Eibach have access to AC Schnitzer specifications) if you want to go looking for them, but this by no means the rule. There is no blanket marketing of Eibach springs as AC Schnitzer springs.

People make great careers and a lot of money out of building brands with marketing. But a brand name and marketing hijinks does not make all of their claims true. Marketeers embellish to get people to buy their product and they spew FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) about their competitors product to steer potential customers away.

I don't seem to have made a great career OR a lot of money! . Really I have no reason to do this as I sell both AC Schnitzer and Eibach. I simply point out the benefits of each.

Guess what- both ACS brand and Eibach brand springs are excellent, because they are identical. Made in the same factories, to the same specifications, just with a different name in a different box. Can't go wrong with installing either on your BMW.

In the majority of cases this is simply not true.