[ALPINA2BMW]

I've just had the AC Schnitzer Sports Suspension kit (including dampers & springs) fitted to my E92; I've now covered over 2000 miles so I imagine that it is fully settled.

The resultant drop is fairly modest at approximately 10mm (from OEM sport suspension) at front and 5mm at the rear; this is about 10mm less than was predicted, particularly at the front.

The kit was fitted by the local BMW dealership and they have taken the rubbers that were originally located between the OEM spring and the OEM strut and transferred them to the ACS kit. From what I have read, this doesn't seem right as in most aftermarket damper/spring kits, the spring seems to sit directly onto the strut without a rubber in-between. As the rubber is approximately 10mm in thickness, this might account for the modest drop?

Can anyone confirm whether or not the rubber should be in place with the ACS kit?

Any advice will be gratefully received.

[mpulsiv335i]

I am suppose to have this kit installed tomorrow on my 335i m sport. I am worried now!

My goal is to maintain the factory ride while evening out the suspension. From ground to rear fender is currently 23" and front 26.5". I was only expecting a 15mm drop in the rear while evening out the. Do you feel this kit leveled the car at all? Sounds like the pictures on AC Schnitzer's website are deceiving.

[mpulsiv335i]

I will ask the question tomorrow before the install and let you know. I was slightly worried about the AC Schnitzer setup as there isn't much data or reviews online.

[mpulsiv335i]

I did talk with the shop that is doing the install, they mentioned that it didn't seem right to transfer any parts from the oem suspension as the ACS kit should be a complete kit.

They assured me that the car should even out, and the back should lower by 10mm since the m sport suspension is 15mm lower than sport. I hate to pay all this money to barely lower the car.

I will keep you posted.

[DimSum]

I think AC's setup is from Bilstien. So it should be something like an Bilstien B6 shock on eibach pro-line kit, a little bit higher than H&R sports.

[mpulsiv335i]

Originally Posted by DimSum

I think AC's setup is from Bilstien.

I was told they look like and might be made by Sachs like the oem. I wouldn't doubt the Eibach springs.

[DimSum]

Originally Posted by mpulsiv335i

I was told they look like and might be made by Sachs like the oem. I wouldn't doubt the Eibach springs.

Sachs only makes the Non-Sport suspension, the ZSP/Sport and BMW Performance are made by Bilstien.

However I could be wrong.

[mpulsiv335i]

Dimsum, that makes sense.

I took some initial measurements tonight before I drop the car off in the morning. I measured from the ground to the fender edge, as well as the actual gap. It was measured in what I thought was a fairly flat garage, couldn't tell by the measurements I would be very happy with getting them all close to 1". I am planning on putting 19" or possibly 20" wheels and can make up the minimal gap with my tire selection. I'll keep you posted.

Here are the starting points:

Drivers Front – 26-5/8" ( 2-1/8" gap)
Drivers Rear – 25-3/8" ( 7/8" gap)

Passenger Front – 26-1/4" ( 1-7/8" gap)
Passenger Rear – 25-5/8" ( 1" gap)

[mpulsiv335i]

It looks like the shop did use the black rubber spacers on mine as well. I fell like I paid a lot for a very minimal drop. I really do wish it was lower, however I feel that the ride is much improved. It is more firm and responsive but still dampens bumps. I did not want to lose ride quality and I feel that was achieved. As for the specs (starting from m sport suspension): Take in to account the car has been driven less than 80m miles.

Rear was raised 1/8" (3.175mm)
Front was lowered 3/4" (19mm)

The car looks much more even all around my gaps are:

Rear 1" (25mm)
Front 1-1/8" - 1-1/4" (28-30mm)

I do have a slight discrepancy also, it is the drivers side that is off. I do wish I would have gone with the H&R Sport springs/Koni yellows for the look. But I don't think I could be any happier with the ride.

I will wait until I upgrade my wheels in the next month or so to see if I can make up about a 1/2" - 3/4" with my tire selection. It should look about perfect then.

I took a few pics and will try to post soon.

Cheers!

[DimSum]

I understand exactly what you mean.
I would be unhappy if I paid a lot for a suspension which was not the height I like.
You can do a few things to fix this problem. I've spoke to Craig from Supreme Power about this, and you could acutally give this peice a try.

http://www.supremepowerparts.com/144...(N54B30A).html

This will allow your car to sit a bit lower than usual on the FRONT. If your 100% sure that the springs are sitting perfectly on their struts, then I guess the AC kit is higher than usual.

When you have your wheels, let me take a look and I'll give you more input if your car is riding higher than usual. Maybe you could swap the springs out for an set of H&R Sports. In terms of ride quality you will not lose much because the dampers are still very new and ment to be used on a set of lowering springs.

[ALPINA2BMW]

Thanks for the information guys.

It looks as though you have achieved close to the 20mm drop that was predicted and I would have been quite happy with that. Whilst I’m aware that this it is not an exact science, I would say that being at only 50% of the predicted drop is not good. BTW, I did query the images on the ACS website and was told that they have probably used their coilover system to achieve the greater drops on show. On the plus side, I agree that there is a distinct improvement in handling over OEM sport.

The lowering spring perches from SupremePower do seem like an excellent solution but as my set-up is covered under warranty (the main reason that I went with ACS) I doubt that this would be an acceptable modification.

As an aside, I do now wonder whether BMW introduces the, rather frustrating, ride height discrepancy of typically 10mm from driver to passenger side by using spring perches with different dimensions?

Thanks again.

[mpulsiv335i]

Thank you both for the input also! Like I said I could not be happier with the ride quality and the fact the car now looks closer to even (no 4 finger gap up front). Though I have owned many cars with coilovers, I was hesitant to go with them since this is my daily driver and comfort was a major factor. I will add the rims and tires first then assess if I need to buy the perches or swap the springs. The good news is now I don't have to worry about rubbing issues.

Pleasure talking with you guys. I took some pics yesterday and hope to post them tonight :-)

[DimSum]

Originally Posted by mpulsiv335i

Thank you both for the input also! Like I said I could not be happier with the ride quality and the fact the car now looks closer to even (no 4 finger gap up front). Though I have owned many cars with coilovers, I was hesitant to go with them since this is my daily driver and comfort was a major factor. I will add the rims and tires first then assess if I need to buy the perches or swap the springs. The good news is now I don't have to worry about rubbing issues.

Pleasure talking with you guys. I took some pics yesterday and hope to post them tonight :-)

Glad your happy with the ride quality, swaping springs would be a wiser choice then getting perches. I went with H&R with BMW Performance shocks, and so far so good.

I do like coilovers, but it's serious back breaking when your driving in city streets. The handling no doubt is great, but nothing beats the comfort of springs and dampers! Good choice

Let's see some photos when your done

[mpulsiv335i]

Just after the 335i was lowered with the AC Schnitzer setup. I have been very pleased with the ride all week. It looks like the rear has settled to 1" and the front to 1-1/8" roughly.



Thought I'd include a pic of the X5 with 22" Lexani LSS-55 installed just a few weeks ago :-) Maybe springs next.



Thanks guys!

[josephr25]

Just wondering if anybody is still paying attention to this thread... how's the ride comfort on these? I was considering this setup. Are you guys using the OEM perches still?

[swifty]

also where did you get this kit from. Is it cheaper than RD Sport chasis kit? That's around $1900 in the U.S.

[josephr25]

Originally Posted by swifty

also where did you get this kit from. Is it cheaper than RD Sport chasis kit? That's around $1900 in the U.S.

It's about 1200 if you look at the ACS price list.

http://preisliste.ac-schnitzer.de/ac...ngl_70027.html

I wonder what it would cost to install as well; you can probably get it cheaper from a distributor.

[swifty]

Originally Posted by Kampfer

It's about 1200 if you look at the ACS price list.

http://preisliste.ac-schnitzer.de/ac...ngl_70027.html

I wonder what it would cost to install as well; you can probably get it cheaper from a distributor.

Well thats cheaper than the RD kit. Meant to ask for a distributor too. Can someone advise.

[mpulsiv335i]

I have been extremely happy with this setup. For a daily driver it is the perfect height. The suspension is much stiffer and more responsive, yet bumps are still dampened and not jarring. I am using the stock perches and have no issues. I am running 19x10's on the rear with a 275. I have slight rubbing on the inner lining only and am modifying it. A 265 fits with no rubbing, however looks a little stretched.

[swifty]

hey,
it looks pretty good now. Have the springs settled in yet ...how long does it usually take for springs to settle. How much of a finger(s) gap in the front?

[DimSum]

Looks great guys

[mpulsiv335i]

Originally Posted by swifty

hey,
it looks pretty good now. Have the springs settled in yet ...how long does it usually take for springs to settle. How much of a finger(s) gap in the front?

A few hundred miles. However, it look pretty good after install. There isn't lots of settling. My finger gap in back is 1, in front is 1 1/4. The factory M sport front was 4 fingers. The kit really evens the car out.