[msbihli]

Hi everyone. I don’t post often because usually I can find the answer within existing threads, but this time I’m really having trouble.

I have a 2014 435i rear wheel drive with factory sport suspension. It’s about time to get new suspension, and I’ve read a lot about the options, but am very confused by what the options are from BMW, so I’m hoping somebody here can help me.

On shopbmwusa.com I’ve found this for my car:
https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/4...NCE-SUSPENSION

It’s a very reasonable price (~$600) and says it will lower my sport suspension by 10mm, which is just about perfect for me. I just need to add springs to it supposedly, but I called my dealer and they said they would just recommend the stock springs, which doesn’t make sense to me. I would probably just go with the Dinan springs though, since it lowers it about 15 mm’s from where I’m currently at I think.

I’ve seen other threads on this site about and on online websites for this suspension kit from BMW:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...i/33502409928/

It’s about $1400.

My problem is, I’m not clear if the more expensive suspension kit will fit my car, some places say it will, other say it won’t, and I can’t find a good description of what the difference is between the two kits I’m looking at.

I am open to installing another suspension kit, but I only want to spend around $1000 - $1500, and don’t want my suspension to drop more than 10mm - 15mm from where it is currently at (again - stock sport suspension height) because I’m already scraping in the area I live in.

I really appreciate any help you all can give me.

Thanks a lot!

[graphicweb]

Hey man, I have the Dinan springs on my f32/428 and the springs lowered the car just at about an inch once they settled. Just right, in my opinion.

I'm still riding on stock shocks, which doesn't do the car justice, so I'm looking at Koni or the Bilstein to help the ride.

Between the Dinan springs and Koni or Bilstein upgrade, you're looking at about $1k, but if you're not doing it yourself, labor gets to be pricey.

Good luck + let me know where you end up.

[msbihli]

Thanks for the response. Will definitely let you all know what I end up with and how it feels.

I would just really like to know what the difference is between the $1400 kit and the $600 kit.

Thanks,
Mike

[Jvac]

Originally Posted by msbihli

Thanks for the response. Will definitely let you all know what I end up with and how it feels.

I would just really like to know what the difference is between the $1400 kit and the $600 kit.

Thanks,
Mike

Mike,
There's only one m performance suspension kit but the price varies depending on which model and options you have. The basic kit including Shocks and accessory parts cost x. If you also want the springs it's x + a couple hundred more. Then some vehicles (that weren't originally equipped with them) will also get front and rear sway bars included which costs x + x + x.
And it's also not the same cost for each model of 3 series, for some reason.
You need to provide your Vin to a dealer or website like Getbmwparts to get an exact quote for your car. And it doesn't work with the adaptive suspension, like most of the aftermarket kits.
Labor cost will also be higher if you need to do the sway bars.

[msbihli]

Ok, that makes some sense. I checked it out, and of course, the kit for my car is discontinued. I guess that makes that decision easier... I’ll probably go with the Bilstein B12’s... I hope it’s not too low.

Thanks a lot!

[msbihli]

So I called my local BMW dealer, and he said that the kit that is shown online is a retrofit kit to convert a non M Suspension car into an M Suspension car. It is not an improvement over and above the M Suspension from the factory. I guess that answers that question...

So now, I need to decide between just going with Dinan springs or switch to the Bilstein B12's...

I know there are several other options out there, as well as several other threads giving input, but if anybody has personal experience between those two specific configurations I'd love to hear it.

Thanks!

[johnung]

Originally Posted by msbihli

So I called my local BMW dealer, and he said that the kit that is shown online is a retrofit kit to convert a non M Suspension car into an M Suspension car. It is not an improvement over and above the M Suspension from the factory. I guess that answers that question...

So now, I need to decide between just going with Dinan springs or switch to the Bilstein B12's...

I know there are several other options out there, as well as several other threads giving input, but if anybody has personal experience between those two specific configurations I'd love to hear it.

Thanks!

I'd be very hesitant to just install a BMW suspension upgrade, even if they had one compatible with your car. Much better to research the higher quality aftermarket components and choose wisely to achieve your goals.

Farkle! Is very knowledgeable and has posted much on springs and shocks and sway bars and coilovers. He also knows the most on various bump stops which may or may not need to be changed from stock bump stops, all depending on the springs/ shocks combination chosen. Read his stuff carefully.

Your stated focus is on the drop range that you would achieve. So your research focus should be on springs, which control ride height. (Coilovers are a possibility but probably not at your (parts + labor) budget.)

Check the actual manufacturer's websites for the most recommended aftermarket springs from H&R, Eibach, Dinan. Make a list of their part number for your car and the drops that they claim for your car.

Do the same for the common aftermarket retailers to see what springs they offer for your car, their anticipated drops on your car and selling prices. This will give you pricing information and possibly add some other spring options if they fall within your drop criteria.

(Note that ACS often remarkets springs made for them by Eibach, usually at a higher price. So if you spot an ACS spring with the exact same specs as a Eibach spring then it's probably a waste of time to add the ACS spring to your list.)

Off the top of my head I'd check X-PH, Kies Motorsports, FCP Euro, ECS, Turner, TireRack, and others.

Spring stiffness is another thing to consider. The more stiffness compared to stock, the more handling control. The downside of driving a car with stiff springs on the street is that they will rattle your teeth on rough roads.

My choices for my xDrive came down to Eibach with drops of F0.8"/R0.6" AND Dinan with a drop of 0.75" all around. Besides the drop difference, the Eibachs were 10% stiffer than stock for a nice handling increase without added harshness. Those Dinan springs are 30% stiffer than stock which is a significant number for springs. I was concerned about the harshness on rough, potholes roads. I had a car like that once. It was awesome on smooth curves but really annoying and uncomfortable on my daily city commute.

You identified Koni and Bilstein as potential shock candidates and both make good stuff. Koni Special Actives and Bilstein B6 both state that they are for stock height springs. It's important to note that both also consider a mild drop spring of <1" to be in the category of stock height. So if you find a spring in the mild drop category that you are searching for, then it will probably work well with these shocks.

In my case I have an F30 335i xDrive. After my research I chose Eibach xDrive springs which lowered my car by 0.8" in front and 0.6" in the rear which makes up for the BMW factory xDrive reverse rake where wheel well gap in front is more than in the rear. I went with Koni Special Actives (with stock bump stops) which were tested by Koni North America to work well together on xDrive. The dual valve shock technology developed with McLaren makes it both a sport shock that handles great and a comfort shock that soaks up rough roads and potholes.

My second choice , if KoniSA's didn't exist, would have been Koni Yellow Sports because of they are manually adjustable for ride comfort right on the car.

Koni Adjustable Yellow Sport and Bilstein B8's are specifically designed for lowering springs so the could easily had the mild drop you are considering.

Note: stock shocks don't have the necessary piston travel so when a car is lowered with aftermarket springs the stock shocks will bottom out at times and be destroyed pretty quickly. The labor overlaps so it's foolish to drop a car a lot with springs without changing to an appropriate shock simultaneously. Otherwise you'll be back in the shop soon paying them again for labor to replace your worn out stock shocks.

Hope this helps!

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by msbihli

So I called my local BMW dealer, and he said that the kit that is shown online is a retrofit kit to convert a non M Suspension car into an M Suspension car. It is not an improvement over and above the M Suspension from the factory. I guess that answers that question...Thanks!

imo, i believe what the dealer told you is incorrect. they are M-performance struts/shocks(only). the complete M-Performance suspension kit comes with struts/shocks, (red)M-Perf springs (which drop the vehicle an additional 10mm from M-sport or 20mm from non-M sport), strut mounts, dust caps, replacement nut and bolts. Unfortunately, the complete kit has been discontinued for your vehicle...https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...b3J5IFBhZ2U%3D

you could conceiveably get those struts/shocks and some eibach (6-22) but i don't know anyone that has tried it, so you'd be a "guinea pig", so to speak.

personally, i'd get what johnung has...Eibach 6-22 and Koni SA.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

imo, i believe what the dealer told you is incorrect. they are M-performance struts/shocks(only). the complete M-Performance suspension kit comes with struts/shocks, (red)M-Perf springs (which drop the vehicle an additional 10mm from M-sport or 20mm from non-M sport), strut mounts, dust caps, replacement nut and bolts. Unfortunately, the complete kit has been discontinued for your vehicle...https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...b3J5IFBhZ2U%3D

you could conceiveably get those struts/shocks and some eibach (6-22) but i don't know anyone that has tried it, so you'd be a "guinea pig", so to speak.

personally, i'd get what johnung has...Eibach 6-22 and Koni SA.

FYI- Msbihli has a '14 435i RWD so his car would require the Eibach part number attached, instead of the -06 part number required for my xDrive. Similar (F0.8"/R0.4") drop though.

[Gen13 F36]

I don't want to hi jack a thread here.

Just one question is the F32 suspension RWD or xdrive respectively( spring, shocks or coilovers) fit on an F36. I want to ask this because most suspension out there are not labeled for F36 per say.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by Gen13 F36

I don't want to hi jack a thread here.

Just one question is the F32 suspension RWD or xdrive respectively( spring, shocks or coilovers) fit on an F36. I want to ask this because most suspension out there are not labeled for F36 per say.

Often I go directly to manufacturer's website, see attached photo of F36 spring kit from Eibach.

Have you gotten any indication if there are actual physical differences in stock suspension between the F36 and the F32, or have retailers websites just not been updated to include F36?

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by Gen13 F36

I don't want to hi jack a thread here.

Just one question is the F32 suspension RWD or xdrive respectively( spring, shocks or coilovers) fit on an F36. I want to ask this because most suspension out there are not labeled for F36 per say.

Will the components fit, yes. Will they have the same ride height or matched damping as BMW intended no. Also, don't mix RWD and xDrive front struts (well, you can put xDrive on RWD, but not the other way around).

[thatBimmerBloke]

You've already got some great advice. I've been looking into suspension upgrade for my F32 xDrive for a while now. Your car being RWD has more options. Koni yellow or SA paired with Dinan is a good option, I believe with Eibach springs you'll get 10mm drop in the front as compared to your current M-Sport suspension(I believe that's what you mean by factory sport suspension) which already sits 10mm lower than non M-Sport suspension. Eibach claims 10mm drop in the rear which might not change anything in your case. But again, they record these drops with stock shocks/struts and it varies with different shocks/struts. With Dinan you'll probably get more drop, they claim 1" all around. I'm personally leaning towards Bilstein B14 or KW V1 coilovers. KW Street Comfort will also be a good option with better range of lowering but along with installation it ends up somewhere around $2200, even more if you change the mounts.

Whatever you do make sure you change the stock shocks/struts also, unless you've adaptive suspension. The stock shocks/struts can't handle lowering springs for long.

Regarding fitment you can go to any website like ECS Tuning, Turner Motorsport or Bimmerworld and correctly select your car to get all the options available for it. In 1k to 1.5K range Bilstein B8/B6, Koni Yellow/SA paired with Eibach or Dinan will be the best options for you, that will probably cover installation cost also.

[msbihli]

Originally Posted by johnung

FYI- Msbihli has a '14 435i RWD so his car would require the Eibach part number attached, instead of the -06 part number required for my xDrive. Similar (F0.8"/R0.4") drop though.

Alohasurftoad and johnung, I really appreciate your help with this. I placed an order for the BMW kit with ecstuning (dampers and hardware only, no springs), but I'm betting they'll end up cancelling the order when they discover the kit is no longer available. At that point, I'll probably go with your guys' recommendation. I really appreciate all the helpful information!

Thanks a lot.

[msbihli]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

You've already got some great advice. I've been looking into suspension upgrade for my F32 xDrive for a while now. Your car being RWD has more options. Koni yellow or SA paired with Dinan is a good option, I believe with Eibach springs you'll get 10mm drop in the front as compared to your current M-Sport suspension(I believe that's what you mean by factory sport suspension) which already sits 10mm lower than non M-Sport suspension. Eibach claims 10mm drop in the rear which might not change anything in your case. But again, they record these drops with stock shocks/struts and it varies with different shocks/struts. With Dinan you'll probably get more drop, they claim 1" all around. I'm personally leaning towards Bilstein B14 or KW V1 coilovers. KW Street Comfort will also be a good option with better range of lowering but along with installation it ends up somewhere around $2200, even more if you change the mounts.

Whatever you do make sure you change the stock shocks/struts also, unless you've adaptive suspension. The stock shocks/struts can't handle lowering springs for long.

Regarding fitment you can go to any website like ECS Tuning, Turner Motorsport or Bimmerworld and correctly select your car to get all the options available for it. In 1k to 1.5K range Bilstein B8/B6, Koni Yellow/SA paired with Eibach or Dinan will be the best options for you, that will probably cover installation cost also.

I agree, this is all good advice. There are so many options... it's hard to choose.