[indyjoeshmo]

Sorry if this has already been covered, but I'm a bit confused by the front control arm upgrade options. I have a stock suspension 335i m sport. I would like to increase steering feel and front grip. I saw that the F8x lower control arm adds .5 to 1 degree of negative camber and has stiffer bushings. However, one website mentions that these lower control arms shift the tire forward and cause rubbing issues if you dont also use the F8x upper control arm. Has anyone bought only the "straight" F8x lower control arm and swapped it on your F30 without issues? I have also seen the upgraded upper control arms be recently recommended here. Should I also get a VAC monoball upper control arm? Do the VAC lower control arms add the negative camber like the F8x control arms, or are they the same geometry as the stock F3x lower control arms? I appreciate any help that can be provided. Different websites are showing conflicting information.

[alohasurftoad]

for steering feel, i'd go VAC UCA. you can do lower also, budget permitting.

imo, the best way to increase front grip is to first use wider tires, 245 or 255. increasing the front track slightly by using 3-5mm spacers if OEM wheels or aftermarket wheels with slightly lower offset, along with the wider tires, would be the next consideration.

for daily, imo adding negative camber to increase front grip is least favorable due to increased and asymmetric tire wear, heavier steering effort and less straight line stability. however if you prefer adding negative camber to get more front grip, i'd probably use a suspension with a camber plate instead of arms. im not very informed on the best way to add additional negative camber, though.
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[cfm56d7b]

Suspension tuning can be influenced by many components with just as many tradeoffs, especially cost and the ability to return to stock configuration - if needed.

alohasurftoad shares excellent advice. If new control arms change camber and for some reason there is a need to return to stock configuration, the options are limited. Camber plates provide much more flexibility: stock and settings other than stock.

Can you share more details behind "increase front grip" goal? BMW F30 chassis features built-in understeer. Are you interested in achieving a more neutral steering?

[indyjoeshmo]

It is my daily driver, so I dont want to go crazy on camber which is why I havent looked at camber plates. I will do one track day this year and maybe a few next year with some autocross as well. I dont really care about being competitive, but just looking to improve the feel and get the car more neutral. My last DD was a E46 ZHP with Koni dampers, and the F30 just feels soft. I plan to do Ohlins R&T coilovers in the spring, but thought that the F8x lower control arm swap would be a cheap easy mod to do this year.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

for steering feel, i'd go VAC UCA. you can do lower also, budget permitting.

imo, the best way to increase front grip is to first use wider tires, 245 or 255. increasing the front track slightly by using 3-5mm spacers if OEM wheels or aftermarket wheels with slightly lower offset, along with the wider tires, would be the next consideration.

for daily, imo adding negative camber to increase front grip is least favorable due to increased and asymmetric tire wear, heavier steering effort and less straight line stability. however if you prefer adding negative camber to get more front grip, i'd probably use a suspension with a camber plate instead of arms. im not very informed on the best way to add additional negative camber, though.
.

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Suspension tuning can be influenced by many components with just as many tradeoffs, especially cost and the ability to return to stock configuration - if needed.

alohasurftoad shares excellent advice. If new control arms change camber and for some reason there is a need to return to stock configuration, the options are limited. Camber plates provide much more flexibility: stock and settings other than stock.

Can you share more details behind "increase front grip" goal? BMW F30 chassis features built-in understeer. Are you interested in achieving a more neutral steering?

Originally Posted by indyjoeshmo

It is my daily driver, so I dont want to go crazy on camber which is why I havent looked at camber plates. I will do one track day this year and maybe a few next year with some autocross as well. I dont really care about being competitive, but just looking to improve the feel and get the car more neutral. My last DD was a E46 ZHP with Koni dampers, and the F30 just feels soft. I plan to do Ohlins R&T coilovers in the spring, but thought that the F8x lower control arm swap would be a cheap easy mod to do this year.

For a daily driver that is RWD, I'd recommend switching to the M3 control arms (both tension strut and wishbone) compared to going with the camber plates.

That setup will have better feel and probably more life due to most camber plates wearing out much sooner than OEM style top hats.

M3 control arms and M Performance Suspension will get you to about -2.0 for your front camber which is fine for the street.

[indyjoeshmo]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

For a daily driver that is RWD, I'd recommend switching to the M3 control arms (both tension strut and wishbone) compared to going with the camber plates.

That setup will have better feel and probably more life due to most camber plates wearing out much sooner than OEM style top hats.

M3 control arms and M Performance Suspension will get you to about -2.0 for your front camber which is fine for the street.

Thanks for the input. Turners website indicates that you cant use the F8x tension strut with the F8x bushing (I'm guessing different bolt size?). They sell a F8x tension strut with a F3x Powerflex urethane bushing. Did you swap in a stock F8x tension strut on your car? I have a 20 ton shop press in my basement, so I guess I could buy a stock F8x tension strut and press in some different bushings. I dont think I want urethane ones that need to be greased.