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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Suspension | Brakes | Chassis > Koni Yellow + Swift Spec R Review



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      10-09-2013, 08:30 AM   #1
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Koni Yellow + Swift Spec R Review

Hey everyone,

Just recently I went from oem shocks with h&r sport springs to koni yellows and the new swift spec r springs. Initially I wanted KW coilovers but was told by numerous race shops that fitment may not be possible with my aggressive wheel setup. I'm so glad I didn't go with KW and took Harolds advice. The difference in handling, comfort and stability is night and day over oem/h&r .Taking sharp turns before the upgrade was unstable and the rear end felt very loose. Now I can make turns with extreme confidence and the overall feel of the road has increased dramatically. I've been in kw equipped 335i and the drive is far superior in comparison. I'm sure the swift springs are part of the reason. I highly recommend anyone making the switch as I am more in love with this car than ever before. The height is ever so slightly higher which in my opinion is perfect!

Thank you so much to Harold from HP Autosport for his excellent customer service and answering all my questions. He is a true gentleman with high level of knowledge in this industry.
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      10-09-2013, 08:54 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighPSI View Post
Hey everyone,

Just recently I went from oem shocks with h&r sport springs to koni yellows and the new swift spec r springs. Initially I wanted KW coilovers but was told by numerous race shops that fitment may not be possible with my aggressive wheel setup. I'm so glad I didn't go with KW and took Harolds advice. The difference in handling, comfort and stability is night and day over oem/h&r .Taking sharp turns before the upgrade was unstable and the rear end felt very loose. Now I can make turns with extreme confidence and the overall feel of the road has increased dramatically. I've been in kw equipped 335i and the drive is far superior in comparison. I'm sure the swift springs are part of the reason. I highly recommend anyone making the switch as I am more in love with this car than ever before. The height is ever so slightly higher which in my opinion is perfect!

Thank you so much to Harold from HP Autosport for his excellent customer service and answering all my questions. He is a true gentleman with high level of knowledge in this industry.
Thanks for posting the review! I am looking at the exact same setup over KW's as well for my dd. can you post up some pic's as It would be great to see the settled ride height.
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      10-09-2013, 09:01 AM   #3
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yea, i told the old lady about the setup and what i costs...Now i just have to wait until my piggy bank is full to buy.

Thx for the good review, just reinforced my decison to buy over the cheap coil options.
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      10-09-2013, 09:20 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighPSI View Post
Hey everyone,

Just recently I went from oem shocks with h&r sport springs to koni yellows and the new swift spec r springs. Initially I wanted KW coilovers but was told by numerous race shops that fitment may not be possible with my aggressive wheel setup. I'm so glad I didn't go with KW and took Harolds advice. The difference in handling, comfort and stability is night and day over oem/h&r .Taking sharp turns before the upgrade was unstable and the rear end felt very loose. Now I can make turns with extreme confidence and the overall feel of the road has increased dramatically. I've been in kw equipped 335i and the drive is far superior in comparison. I'm sure the swift springs are part of the reason. I highly recommend anyone making the switch as I am more in love with this car than ever before. The height is ever so slightly higher which in my opinion is perfect!

Thank you so much to Harold from HP Autosport for his excellent customer service and answering all my questions. He is a true gentleman with high level of knowledge in this industry.
How is it on the street? I have a brand new set of KW V1's still in the box sitting in my garage and I'm thinking I should of went this route... ride height is of very little concern to me as I'm mostly looking for performance....
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      10-09-2013, 09:37 AM   #5
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It's amazing on the street! I tried posting pictures but it said the images were too large

As I mentioned the height it perfect, the fender is almost perfectly aligned with the top of the sidewall.

KW V1 is just for looks and you can't adjust the rebound. I've been in V2s and these feel better overall. The car feels the way it should feel.
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      10-09-2013, 10:24 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighPSI
It's amazing on the street! I tried posting pictures but it said the images were too large

As I mentioned the height it perfect, the fender is almost perfectly aligned with the top of the sidewall.

KW V1 is just for looks and you can't adjust the rebound. I've been in V2s and these feel better overall. The car feels the way it should feel.
shrink those images! without pics, this never actually happened!!!
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      10-09-2013, 10:39 AM   #7
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would you choose bilstein over konis for this setup ?
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      10-09-2013, 10:42 AM   #8
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Koni > Bilstein
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      10-09-2013, 12:11 PM   #9
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Did you reuse your oem bumpstops?
Where'd you set the Koni's rebound?
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      10-09-2013, 12:48 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cvc 22349a View Post
Did you reuse your oem bumpstops?
Where'd you set the Koni's rebound?
Yes I reused my oem bumpstops but I did replace all the mounts for the front and rear. My rear lower mount was actually cracked in half which explains why I had such a loud clanking noise in the rear.

Harold explained that the e36 m3 and z4 bumpstops weren't necesarry for this application.

My rebound is set to 1.5 turn in the front and rear from full soft.
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      10-09-2013, 02:08 PM   #11
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Thanks for posting up a review! So many people ask us for customer feedback and now I can shoot them a link. Superior ride quality and a GREAT price!

-Mike
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      10-09-2013, 03:51 PM   #12
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Is this available with the rear adjustable konis too?
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      10-09-2013, 04:05 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdgatti View Post
Is this available with the rear adjustable konis too?
Do you mean this?

http://www.hpashop.com/Koni-Sport-St...ut-e82-e9x.htm

External Adjustable Koni "White" body shocks are optional.
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      10-09-2013, 08:34 PM   #14
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Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdgatti View Post
Is this available with the rear adjustable konis too?
Do you mean this?

http://www.hpashop.com/Koni-Sport-St...ut-e82-e9x.htm

External Adjustable Koni "White" body shocks are optional.
Yes, those are the ones! Can the swift springs be used on a 328?
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      10-09-2013, 09:46 PM   #15
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Yes, those are the ones! Can the swift springs be used on a 328?
Yes, but you will not get the desired drop as the 328i is slightly lighter in weight.
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      10-09-2013, 10:17 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighPSI View Post
Yes I reused my oem bumpstops but I did replace all the mounts for the front and rear. My rear lower mount was actually cracked in half which explains why I had such a loud clanking noise in the rear.

Harold explained that the e36 m3 and z4 bumpstops weren't necesarry for this application.

My rebound is set to 1.5 turn in the front and rear from full soft.
what are your tire sizes?
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      10-09-2013, 11:22 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighPSI View Post
Yes I reused my oem bumpstops but I did replace all the mounts for the front and rear. My rear lower mount was actually cracked in half which explains why I had such a loud clanking noise in the rear.

Harold explained that the e36 m3 and z4 bumpstops weren't necesarry for this application.

My rebound is set to 1.5 turn in the front and rear from full soft.
How's it feel over sharp bumps? Do they unsettle the car or does the suspension actually absorb them?
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      10-10-2013, 02:00 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighPSI View Post
Harold explained that the e36 m3 and z4 bumpstops weren't necesarry for this application.
Interesting. I know with the H&R sports, the bumpstops are recommended. Is it because the H&Rs have a bigger drop?

I have Koni Yellows and H&R sports and have been thinking about switching to the swifts. Spring vs spring, I am interested in how much better the Swifts actually are. They are linear so they should provide more consistent feedback, yes?

I would love to see some pics of your car. With the H&R sports the rear looks really dumped.
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      10-10-2013, 08:08 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e90ixDriver View Post
what are your tire sizes?
245/45/17 R comp Nittos

Quote:
Originally Posted by cvc 22349a View Post
How's it feel over sharp bumps? Do they unsettle the car or does the suspension actually absorb them?
It feels 10x better than before over sharp bumps and it absorbs very well! Before I would cringe when I would go over bumpy roads and now I don't even pay attention.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher View Post
Interesting. I know with the H&R sports, the bumpstops are recommended. Is it because the H&Rs have a bigger drop?

I have Koni Yellows and H&R sports and have been thinking about switching to the swifts. Spring vs spring, I am interested in how much better the Swifts actually are. They are linear so they should provide more consistent feedback, yes?

I would love to see some pics of your car. With the H&R sports the rear looks really dumped.
Yes I believe so. The Swift Spec R doesn't have such an aggressive drop as the H&R Sports. I highly recommend you make the switch as you will not regret it! Much more feedback and it will increase your confidence in the turns.

I will try to post pictures today. If you're into performance and looks then the Swift springs deliver the best of both worlds. It is the perfect height in the front and rear. I'm on Dinan camber plates which raises the front a tad more and I still feel the height is perfect.

Message Mike or Harold at HP Autosport if you're looking to pick these up. They are amazing to deal with and by far the best vendor on here imo for suspension parts.
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      10-10-2013, 08:21 AM   #20
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added a picture
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      10-10-2013, 10:01 AM   #21
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That looks great. Actually, your car looks lower than mine, lol! I also have the Dinan camber plates (did you remove the shim in the strut mount? I did. That sort of negates the added hight you get with the camber plates). I think because of your 17s and big tires, the wheel gap is filled up nicely. Very nice!
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      10-10-2013, 10:16 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher View Post
That looks great. Actually, your car looks lower than mine, lol! I also have the Dinan camber plates (did you remove the shim in the strut mount? I did. That sort of negates the added hight you get with the camber plates). I think because of your 17s and big tires, the wheel gap is filled up nicely. Very nice!
Thanks. Sorry for the terrible pic and dirty car but hey at least you get a feel of what's to come if you make the switch.
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