[speedbirdblack]

I installed eibach pro kit E10-20-031-01-22 for my f30 msport last week. Since then I have done about 600mills mix road conditions.

My experience is absolutely horrendous with lowering springs. The car is never settle over uneven roads, bumps,humps etc. Its bounce rebounds,elastic and fluffy.I am a spirited driver and this is not encouraging to drive fast.

So i did bit of research and enlightened that the bilstein b8 would sort out the issue.

Anyone with lowering springs with bilstein b8s or other high performance dampers feel differently?

Can anyone fitted with eibach pro with bilstein b8 share their comparison to OEM Msport setup?

Your valuable advice will be appreciated.

Cheers guys.

[Lancelot]

I've read a couple of threads like this recently but bottom line is yes, you're under damped.

Koni yellow can be a good choice because you can adjust rebound.

Check out the threads about various dampers and their damping curves in this forum that's helpful to understand.

[Watsey]

As you've discovered, BMW OEM dampers (especially the adaptive units) are a real weak point in the suspension.

From personal experience I'd forego just a spring swap, would be hesitant about trying to match springs and dampers from multiple manufacturers, and would go straight to premium and adjustable coilovers. The improvement with the latter is very significant, and I found that trying to achieve a good hybrid solution was ultimately a waste of money.

[speedbirdblack]

Originally Posted by Lancelot

I've read a couple of threads like this recently but bottom line is yes, you're under damped.

Koni yellow can be a good choice because you can adjust rebound.

Check out the threads about various dampers and their damping curves in this forum that's helpful to understand.

Originally Posted by Lancelot

I've read a couple of threads like this recently but bottom line is yes, you're under damped.

Koni yellow can be a good choice because you can adjust rebound.

Check out the threads about various dampers and their damping curves in this forum that's helpful to understand.

Thanks for your comment
you are correct about under damped. it is exactly how it feels,like running on worn shocks.
Do you have personal experience with lowering springs and koni shocks?

[speedbirdblack]

Originally Posted by Watsey

As you've discovered, BMW OEM dampers (especially the adaptive units) are a real weak point in the suspension.

From personal experience I'd forego just a spring swap, would be hesitant about trying to match springs and dampers from multiple manufacturers, and would go straight to premium and adjustable coilovers. The improvement with the latter is very significant, and I found that trying to achieve a good hybrid solution was ultimately a waste of money.

Thanks for your comment.

Do you have personal experience with coilovers, if so how is it compared to OE?What brand?

Because now I found that the OE is well balanced and better feedback despite the hight.
Need to know coilovers are any better than OE in terms of handling,control, grip and comfort.

I actually care minimum towards comfort.

cheers

[Lancelot]

Originally Posted by speedbirdblack

Thanks for your comment
you are correct about under damped. it is exactly how it feels,like running on worn shocks.
Do you have personal experience with lowering springs and koni shocks?

Sorry should have started with that!

Yes i'm running ST springs with Koni Yellows, initially with EDC dampers.
With the Koni the rear end was initially bouncy, but could get rebound adjusted to tame that and now it's OK.

Initially I had EDC suspension, went to KW DDC coilovers, but these were really harsh and too low at highest settings.

To extend on this topic, while I sort of agree with Watsey's comment, I also found that it's much easier to find springs specific to your very own car (Eibach and ST catalogs are extensive), while coilovers then to come with the same springs for all.

Unless you manage to customize your coilovers which could be best but i haven't tried that, I could in the future as I have a bilstein bespoke shop not too far away but that's a project for another year for me.

So either you have coilovers with matched springs and dampers but not very specific to your car, or you have specific springs but not necessarily matching dampers :-/
Which is why I chose Koni yellow dampers with the adjustment you can manage to match those.

[luca10]

I'm in the same shoes as you, currently waiting on bilstein shocks to come in for the same reason. Ordered them after 2 weeks of dealing with the horrible bouncy/soft ride from just h&r springs, it was unbearable.

[orangesquared]

I installed the Eibach Pro kit, Koni Sports, and M3 bumpstops - the ride is very compliant, firmer and more planted than stock. I'm currently running the konis at a full turn from soft due to research provided by FaRKle! and Lancelot. Planning on adjusting the rebound both directions to dial in the feel. Overall, very happy with the setup.

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by speedbirdblack

Thanks for your comment.

Do you have personal experience with coilovers, if so how is it compared to OE?What brand?

Because now I found that the OE is well balanced and better feedback despite the hight.
Need to know coilovers are any better than OE in terms of handling,control, grip and comfort.

I actually care minimum towards comfort.

cheers

I'm running Ohlins Road & Track with Ohlins custom spring rate (90N/mm) on the front.

Ride and handling is far superior to the hybrid combination of AC Schnitzer springs + OEM Adaptive dampers which was the first step.

"You pay your money, you make your choice" but IMO premium coilovers are the way to go.

[Nexus313]

Did you get a proper alignment done after? I had h&rs on my car and an alignment and had the similar symptoms. I took it to a shop that specializes in alignments for lowered cars and they had it handling better. Apparently OEM spec alignment doesn't cut it. Another thing could be that your OEM dampers were worn out and you put springs on it which made it more obvious.

[smrtypants44]

Ive heard the following anecdotal about bilstein vs koni...

koni is good for dampening big bumps but not so good at small ones (i.e. cracks in the road etc) while bilstein is the opposite.

I had koni yellows and cobb springs on my 135i and it rode pretty compliant (not as compliant as stock but still good)

I have KW V1s on my 440 and they ride pretty good....

Coilovers are nice because you can fine tune the height, but since you already invested in the springs i would just get a high quality sport dampener set.

[speedbirdblack]

Originally Posted by luca10

I'm in the same shoes as you, currently waiting on bilstein shocks to come in for the same reason. Ordered them after 2 weeks of dealing with the horrible bouncy/soft ride from just h&r springs, it was unbearable.

H&R even lower than eibach however lower spring rate i believe, not sure.

whats the drop and which h&r kit are you on?

have you matched the spring rates and damping between springs and shocks?

if you're already waiting for bilstein, please let me know the feedback once installed. B8s are the most popular with lowering springs imo.

[speedbirdblack]

Originally Posted by Lancelot

Sorry should have started with that!

Yes i'm running ST springs with Koni Yellows, initially with EDC dampers.
With the Koni the rear end was initially bouncy, but could get rebound adjusted to tame that and now it's OK.

Initially I had EDC suspension, went to KW DDC coilovers, but these were really harsh and too low at highest settings.

To extend on this topic, while I sort of agree with Watsey's comment, I also found that it's much easier to find springs specific to your very own car (Eibach and ST catalogs are extensive), while coilovers then to come with the same springs for all.

Unless you manage to customize your coilovers which could be best but i haven't tried that, I could in the future as I have a bilstein bespoke shop not too far away but that's a project for another year for me.

So either you have coilovers with matched springs and dampers but not very specific to your car, or you have specific springs but not necessarily matching dampers :-/
Which is why I chose Koni yellow dampers with the adjustment you can manage to match those.

Your set up make sense, since there are no dampers or springs are tailor made for each other. so the damping adjustment is a good option. Then again you have bilstein b16 but its too expensive for my liking because im not planning to keep the car for too long.

What is your investment on ST springs and Koni yellows?
ST springs are adjustable?

Sorry for being a pain
cheers

[luca10]

Originally Posted by speedbirdblack

H&R even lower than eibach however lower spring rate i believe, not sure.

whats the drop and which h&r kit are you on?

have you matched the spring rates and damping between springs and shocks?

if you're already waiting for bilstein, please let me know the feedback once installed. B8s are the most popular with lowering springs imo.

I'm on the h&r sport springs, not the super sport. I'm not exactly sure of the matching but I heard many people fix their problem with the bilstein b8's, which is what I have coming in. When they come in, I'll make sure to write a review!

[Snoopy8]

I have the eibach pro springs E10-20-031-15-22 with the bilstein b8 combo in my 2014 f31. Being my car is an xdrive and wagon i didnt want it lowered to much as not to compremise the xdrive system. Car feels more planted and less body roll. With this combo, I have read its almost comparable as having the mperformance suspension offered by bmw.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by smrtypants44

Ive heard the following anecdotal about bilstein vs koni...

koni is good for dampening big bumps but not so good at small ones (i.e. cracks in the road etc) while bilstein is the opposite.

I had koni yellows and cobb springs on my 135i and it rode pretty compliant (not as compliant as stock but still good)

I have KW V1s on my 440 and they ride pretty good....

Coilovers are nice because you can fine tune the height, but since you already invested in the springs i would just get a high quality sport dampener set.

The ability to adjust suspension height is the biggest advantage of coilovers. Lowering springs + shocks not designed to work together (by design) combination produces one suspension height, or whatever it might be after springs / shocks settle. And it cannot be changed.

I had excellent experience with KW Street Comfort coilovers which allow suspension height to remain at OEM specifications and lower if needed.

[speedbirdblack]

Originally Posted by luca10

I'm on the h&r sport springs, not the super sport. I'm not exactly sure of the matching but I heard many people fix their problem with the bilstein b8's, which is what I have coming in. When they come in, I'll make sure to write a review!

Thanks mate

[speedbirdblack]

Originally Posted by Nexus313

Did you get a proper alignment done after? I had h&rs on my car and an alignment and had the similar symptoms. I took it to a shop that specializes in alignments for lowered cars and they had it handling better. Apparently OEM spec alignment doesn't cut it. Another thing could be that your OEM dampers were worn out and you put springs on it which made it more obvious.

Yes. Alignment done and rear shocks are brand new, fronts are work well as it should. checked them during changing springs.
I think STD shocks can't keep up with higher spring rate

[speedbirdblack]

Originally Posted by Snoopy8

I have the eibach pro springs E10-20-031-15-22 with the bilstein b8 combo in my 2014 f31. Being my car is an xdrive and wagon i didnt want it lowered to much as not to compremise the xdrive system. Car feels more planted and less body roll. With this combo, I have read its almost comparable as having the mperformance suspension offered by bmw.

Do you feel twitchy when driving fast on uneven roads? because I already feel less body roll but adverse handeling.

[Nexus313]

Originally Posted by speedbirdblack

Yes. Alignment done and rear shocks are brand new, fronts are work well as it should. checked them during changing springs.
I think STD shocks can't keep up with higher spring rate

Hmm. Send me a picture of the alignment spec. I can pretty much guarantee there's something wrong with it or they just aligned it to OEM spec alignments. I had the same symptoms as you until I got my alignment corrected by a shop that specializes in lowered vehicles.

I have standard sport shocks on my F30 with EDC and H&R .. and handling is super sharp, ride is stiff, and steering is nice and heavy in sport+

I also have lightweight apex wheels and conti extreme sports though.