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      07-27-2009, 09:42 PM   #1
Bavaria330
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Drives: 335i LCI AW
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LB Cali.

iTrader: (2)

My Turn to make a contribution! Wheels, Tires, and Suspension.

After learning from all the experiences found in this forum now can share some knowledge I gather during the set up my LCI 335i ZSP.
Disclaimer: English is not my first language so if you get offended by bad spelling or poor grammar you better stop reading now.
My car ( Iphone pics will post better pic later)

Wheels: ZS2 Linea Corse( Thanks Zoeb)
30et front
45et rear. I believe i got the last 45et of this model. however I'm using 10mm spacer so 35et in rear will work, no rubbing with 275 on ZSP suspension.(note pics are before spacer looks great now!)
Rubbing only with people in rear with lowered suspension. 265 might not rub
Love this wheels good quality. they look great with break dust, the dirtier the better they look.
The stock wheel caps DO FIT!

Tires: 275/30/10 bridgestones RE 960
245/35/19 bridgestones RE 960

Great tires low noise nice feel, I agree with the great tire rack reviews!
245's up front in this brand mounted on 30et DOES NOT RUB even on lower suspension.

Suspension.

1 H&R sport springs on stock struts. Too stiff of a ride, wife said no way. Lipstick went all over her face
2.Changed to Eibach pro. Much better less drop but not much. this a better choice if you are sensitive to ride quality.
However I was not fully satisfied the ride was a bit bouncy compare to stock.
3.FK Silverlines Pluss coilovers. here is what I learn.
IF you have 30et at front you are OK no spacers need.
If after you install you hear a clanking sound is the Links to the sway bar just retork them.
In the rear the spring perch must be installed up top, if you have it in the bottom you will have the following problems
1. you can not adjust hight with out removing springs
2. over big dip it will make noise because the cup does not sits flat on the control arm so it will shift.
3. the control arm cam potentialy deform as the whole pressure of the spring is concentrated in about 1 inch lip of the orifice.
4. The car won't drop as much even with the setting all th way down.
After I install the FK's the car felt bouncy and unsettle. I had ask my installer for 60 stiff in rear
but no matter what setting I did at front ranging from soft to full stiff the ride was bouncy. so I decided to adjust the rears,
I was happily surprised to learn that I can remove the rear shock with out dropping the suspension thanks Longtran for your help and DIY
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27474
this was easy. few tips to add if you are adjusting the Konys that come with the FK's
1 you will need a 40 torx to remove the trunk liner
2. you will need a 30 torx to keep the top of the strut from turning while you loosen the top nut.
3.adjusting the shock is fairly easy superior strength or a vise are not need, however the shock must be fully compress here is how I did it:
make a mark on the shock so you can count the revolutions.
use a clamp at the very end of the thick part of the shaft just to keep the shaft in place while you turn the shock
compress the spring all the way to the clamp, compressed between a wall and your abdomen then turn the yellow part of the
shock counter clock wise until you reach a stop. THIS IS FULL STIFF. 2 turns if full soft. I turned mine 1 1/2 or 75% soft.
Reextend shock. you are done.
MY problem with the bounciness was that one shock was turn PASS the soft setting like 10 turns. I believe more than 2 turns disables the damping
of the shock this was causing the poor ride.

Impressions of the FK's current settings 75% soft rears, 50 soft front.
This procedure absolutely changed the ride, no more bounciness it feels like stock when going over undulations but with minimal body roll.
very please now but don’t have enough sit time for a mature evaluation, the great news is that now adjusting the rears shocks is not big deal a 1 hour job or so.

Alignment
Got 3 different alignments, 2 bad ones. BMW finally got it perfect. they did a M3 setting and the handling now is unbelievable, a friend of mine works there so it was easy to arrange . the alignment was done with weights and a full tank, all done by the book. The alignment pins on top of the front struts must be kept in place. do not let any one tell you different.
I hope some of this info is useful to some one planning some mods.
Thanks to all who pm me with answers to my question.
Better pics to come.

Last edited by Bavaria330; 05-02-2010 at 11:26 PM..
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