Quote:
Originally Posted by gippy
well unfortunately, i'm struggling to source the H&R kit i need anywhere in the UK or europe. Lots of places in US...i've asked a couple what they'd charge to ship. Not paying over the odds for shipping though, so the next best solution is the Eibach kit which has a slightly softer rear - probably just as well as i'm not planning to fit the LSD until next Spring.
I'm also going with the B14 Bilstein kit, seems like it'll be nice and stiff.....just how i like it - no real proof of that, people have commented on the forum saying they are comparable to the KW V1's but stiffer. Also they seem like good value for money, i can't find much detail about the Koni sport shocks - they don't seem as 'track focused', but i could be totally wrong there........without any data i don't really know other than peoples forum comments (not exactly scientific).
I've not been able to find specific details on the spring rates for these coilovers anywhere - have messaged Bilstein to comment on how much stiffer (if at all) the B14 coilover kit is vs the B12 shocks and springs kit.
Total spend including labour for the sway bars comes to £1522.50. Which is bang on budget.
I'll have to buy the camber plates in January as the final piece.
EDIT: i contacted H&R, turns out the part number for the sway bar kit is different for europe: 33895-2
same price as the Eibach, and easily available.
Not sure which sway kit to go with now.....? help?!
i've just ordered the bilstein B14's today...........fingers crossed it stops the pitching.
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I just had a conversation a few weeks ago about sway-bars with my buddy. He builds very fast BMW race cars for over 30 years and has racing experience himself. He said most of the fastest guys prefer large front bars and something closer to stock size rear sways. They're able to cary more speed through the corners that way, as well as put the power down earlier. So going with Eibach is not a bad idea. I'm taking this approach now as well. Going out with big front and stock rear and see how it handles. Then I'll increase the rear to whatever level I need from there without going too large. Unfortunately my car is xDrive and the front sway I got didn't fit (was supposed to). And I'm just too busy to drop the front subframe anytime soon. So it'll have to wait for next season.
I don't have experience with Bilstein coilovers. I didn't like their B8 shocks. But their coilover set should out perform pretty much any shock and spring combo on the track. I will say the B8's with Swift Spec-R springs was flatter on the track than my current KW V3's on full firm.
Definitely a good move to get the camber plates. It's really the single most important mod for tracking (suspension wise anyway). It's the only way to get the front end turn in, traction and have you front tire's outer edge survive.
Just 1 recommendation. Since you're going to have the rear subframe dropped and are paying to do it, put in some subframe bushings while you're at it to save labor. I do agree with the incremental change philosophy, but you will eventually change them any. Once you get sways and coils done, it'll be apparent how soft the rear of the car really is. At least add some Powerflex Black drop in bushings if you don't want to press them at this point. I did that and it made a substantial difference to the rear of the car staying inline for quick transitions and putting power down.