[sigtwenty]

Whos using this setup. I have been searching on google, and found it hard to find very many good, in depth and even some longer term reviews on this setup for the F30....ive seen many for the E90/E92 but not so much on the F30.

Would def like F30 specific comments, concerns, longer term use, your local road conditions, road trips taken with them etc.
here in vegas we do have shitty roads, and unfortunately where I travel to on a daily basis the roads i have to use arent the best in the valley.

Gonna pull the trigger on a setup before summer, and debating on springing $1044 for these, or saying fk it and get
BMW Coilover Kit - Sachs Performance 841500000441....

EDIT: B16 PSS10 Coilover System ARE AN OPTION AS WELL, FCP doesnt sell it but does say limited lifetime warranty

My requirement is that they come from FCP euro, because they are easy to deal with, and lifetime no questions asked warranty and these are the only 2 coilover options they offer (besides the BR setup, which ive seen mixed opinions on)

Dont mind my skeptical mindset on coil overs, because when I had a coilover setup on my E38, i had KIDO coilovers, and they were shitty....yes you get what you pay for, but they didnt last long which possibly came from a combo between cheap, not majorly engineered, and or on a much heavier car....while i can afford a good setup, I cant afford to have a shitty product and have to replace it twice.

[alohasurftoad]

KW V1

[Lysol]

I ran the B14 for a little less than a year, but came away with the two impressions below:

#1: The dampers seem VERY firm - sharp impact from most bumps and expansion gaps were common in my experience. Mid-corners bumps also seemed to slightly upset motion of the car with this setup. Ambient temperature also seemed to have a mild effect on this behavior: a bit more tolerable in summer, but borderline too harsh in winter (around -5C).

#2: The springs feel un-matched to dampers (mainly, soft feeling rear springs) - wash-board roads created a subtle, but uncomfortable front to back waddle sensation on my car.

Again, this is only my impression/ opinion. I ended up going with M-performance suspension afterward which (still, dampers are a bit harsher than I would like for a daily) was a great improvement over the B14.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by Lysol

I ran the B14 for a little less than a year, but came away with the two impressions below:

#1: The dampers seem VERY firm - sharp impact from most bumps and expansion gaps were common in my experience. Mid-corners bumps also seemed to slightly upset motion of the car with this setup. Ambient temperature also seemed to have a mild effect on this behavior: a bit more tolerable in summer, but borderline too harsh in winter (around -5C).

#2: The springs feel un-matched to dampers (mainly, soft feeling rear springs) - wash-board roads created a subtle, but uncomfortable front to back waddle sensation on my car.

Again, this is only my impression/ opinion. I ended up going with M-performance suspension afterward which (still, dampers are a bit harsher than I would like for a daily) was a great improvement over the B14.

You have some interesting observations. The temperature dependency is absolutely a thing, but most people don't recognize it. Damping oil changes with temperature and it's not uncommon to see 10% (or more) damping force changes between winter and summer due to ambient temps. The forces are stronger (stiffer) when cold, and softer when heated up. This would explain what you experienced.

The "waddle" sensation you experienced is due to the front ride frequency being higher than the rear, which makes it so the car takes longer to settle over road features. The OE suspension and M-performance suspension spring rates have flat ride, which has a higher rear frequency than the front to help the car settle faster.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

You have some interesting observations. The temperature dependency is absolutely a thing, but most people don't recognize it. Damping oil changes with temperature and it's not uncommon to see 10% (or more) damping force changes between winter and summer due to ambient temps. The forces are stronger (stiffer) when cold, and softer when heated up. This would explain what you experienced.

The "waddle" sensation you experienced is due to the front ride frequency being higher than the rear, which makes it so the car takes longer to settle over road features. The OE suspension and M-performance suspension spring rates have flat ride, which has a higher rear frequency than the front to help the car settle faster.

Would it be possible to then get custom springs to reintroduce flat ride with a PSS10 system? I guess it then becomes a question as to whether the rear dampers have enough adjustability to cover the increase in rear spring rate right?

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

Would it be possible to then get custom springs to reintroduce flat ride with a PSS10 system? I guess it then becomes a question as to whether the rear dampers have enough adjustability to cover the increase in rear spring rate right?

ktw has done just that. You can see about it in this thread (I quoted what he told me sent me about it).

[ktw]

Yep, it's a relatively simple and inexpensive swap to change the rear springs on B16s. Increasing the rear spring rate was a significant improvement over the Bilstein springs, and I think it works reasonably well with the dampers. More details on this thread as well.

[vtown]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

KW V1

Is this what you are running? Any other experiences?
Was looking at the B14 cause im cheap, but I don't want to be unhappy.

My car is stock 335i rear drive m-sport static suspension

It feels very under damped and floaty when pushed at all. Need to get it under control but I don't want a really harsh ride either.

I used to have bilstein sports on bav auto sport springs on my old e36 convertible. That car handled a lot better than my f30 despite being a vert.

Any real life experience apprieciated

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by vtown

Is this what you are running? Any other experiences? Was looking at the B14 cause im cheap, but I don't want to be unhappy. My car is stock 335i rear drive m-sport static suspension. It feels very under damped and floaty when pushed at all. Need to get it under control but I don't want a really harsh ride either. I used to have bilstein sports on bav auto sport springs on my old e36 convertible. That car handled a lot better than my f30 despite being a vert. Any real life experience apprieciated

no, i have M-performance suspension. i don't know if it's as low as you want but i'm more than satisfied with it's performance although the ride is a bit firm. my recommendations are primarily from what i've read here.

while bilstein is a great entry coilover however after reading FaRkle!'s many tests and reviews, the internal bumpstop seems to be its weak point and the front spring rate too stiff. bilstein tends to have a firmer ride that's more performance oriented, whereas KW is more comfortable for street.

another option is to do a damper/spring combo (non height adjustable). Koni SA or Yellow with Eibach springs seems to have the best reviews. member @johnung has Koni SA with Eibach springs and it sounds like something you'd like. Koni Yellow has a rebound adjustment at the top for fine tuning.

[sigtwenty]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

no, i have M-performance suspension. i don't know if it's as low as you want but i'm more than satisfied with it's performance although the ride is a bit firm. my recommendations are primarily from what i've read here.

while bilstein is a great entry coilover however after reading FaRkle!'s many tests and reviews, the internal bumpstop seems to be its weak point and the front spring rate too stiff. bilstein tends to have a firmer ride that's more performance oriented, whereas KW is more comfortable for street.

another option is to do a damper/spring combo (non height adjustable). Koni SA or Yellow with Eibach springs seems to have the best reviews. member @johnung has Koni SA with Eibach springs and it sounds like something you'd like. Koni Yellow has a rebound adjustment at the top for fine tuning.

would you say that its better to go with a shock/lowering spring setup is better and more reliable? if i went this route, id do Bilstein B8 all around and then H&R sports.

im not looking to track the thing, but i do want it to be a little better planted to the road, and still be decent enough for a road trip while closing off the wheel gap to give the car a much better apperance.

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by sigtwenty

would you say that its better to go with a shock/lowering spring setup is better and more reliable? if i went this route, id do Bilstein B8 all around and then H&R sports.

im not looking to track the thing, but i do want it to be a little better planted to the road, and still be decent enough for a road trip while closing off the wheel gap to give the car a much better apperance.

FaRKle! is the king suspension guru on the board so it'd be better if he responded or if you queried him. you can find more FaRKle! stuff on youtube FaRKle0079 and here is a comparison video they did last year... https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=47

the terms better and reliable are subjective and difficult to answer objectively. my opinion is based on the many threads/post/reviews i've read here so take it FWIW.

if you go with damper/spring combo, at this point in time, Koni SA or Sport Yellow are better dampers and Eibach a better lowering spring than B8+H&R for the street. Bilstein monotube has high gas pressure resulting in firm ride and i've noticed more reverse rake with H&R spring set ups. if you prefer and are informed about B8+H&R and rather this instead, that's fine also. query @johnung as he is very informed about Koni's.

in your 1st post, you stated B16 was an option. this might be good option because you can adjust compression and rebound easily, as well as set your desired ride height. here's a good thread on it...https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...t=bilstein+b16

M-performance suspension can be found at more reasonable prices than a few years ago. you can assemble it off the car and do a complete swap. it's way more planted than m-sport, albeit slightly firmer and just 10mm lower.

KW V1 preset ride, it can go pretty low, more comfortable than bilstein for street. @thatBimmerBloke just did a ton of research before getting these. query him for good info.