[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

I am going to confirm with TC, if they do in fact lower the perch on the strut its a done deal. If they do not I will get the tophats and purges and put them on my factory struts get them settled and order the konis from TCkline and when they get here in 10-12 days put them on also.

Now that you have the contact why not just call them and discuss the whole thing. If they are smart enough to know you need to shorten the strut (which few people who make shocks seem to understand) no doubt they have some other knowledge & tips worth hearing about how to set up an XI.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Now that you have the contact why not just call them and discuss the whole thing. If they are smart enough to know you need to shorten the strut (which few people who make shocks seem to understand) no doubt they have some other knowledge & tips worth hearing about how to set up an XI.

Its going to cost $725 for the modded koni shocks, plus $320 for the rear, and if they do not lower the perch, I need the $89 lowering perches, and $84 for top hats with shipping.

Thats $1248 plus I spent $253 on Eibach Pro Kit. = $1501.00 I can get the KW V1 right now for $1488 with free 2 day prime shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/KW-Suspension-...words=10220048


Even if they offer to adjust the lower perch I am sure they would charge and even if they didnt it would still be $1300.

So question is it worth it to grab the V1's and sell my stock shocks and eibach pro kit and be done with it?

Will the V1's be as low as my eibach pro kit is currently on the rear, because I love that, I just want to get the front level with the rear.

What is the max drop with the V1 and how does it ride?

[thegrinchboy]

You should be able to order KW V1 for less than $1488 shipped from the various forum sponsors here. Just PM them.

[WhiteFury]

Would any of these fit the 2011 E90 335i? These are listed as not compatible as 'i" strut tophats for the 335i. I found 3 that are similar tho, and used would be better for settling purposes.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUSPENSION-S...item51a24c3539

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUSPENSION-S...10f001&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUSPENSION-S...6e5aea&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUSPENSION-S...8cb30f&vxp=mtr

[ajsalida]

Why would you cheap out and buy old used strut hats? Likely off a wrecked car.

Plenty of people here seem to like the KW. You'd have to ask them about drop and travel. Personally I like the Koni for adjustability an build quality. You found a very good solution on your own now you want to talk yourself out of it before you even ask TCK about it. You cannot get cut down struts and that amount of travel in a quality shock for anything close to that price.

One last time stay away from the SP, people seem to have endless problems on XI with them. Maybe someone who didn't could chime in, but the guys in this thread basically said stay away.

[JaysBlueE92]

i am xi and have had kw v3 and v1 installed. Both differ, and drop also was different with the v3 compared to v1. It is somewhat known that the H&R coilovers drop the xi a little more than KW v1. Thanks for the info in this thread, the guys at TC seem to have some nice options.

[WhiteFury]

Just got off the phone with Kline over at the ohio store of TCkline and waiting to hear back that they might lower the perch on the strut. I get to choose the amount too! Custom. WOW. This looks promising for the XI people.

I told them I wanted 5/8. My rear center roundel to rear fender is 23.25 inches. The front is between 23.5 and 23 5/8. So a 5/8 drop on the perch would give me about 23 inches, which in turn would be 1/4 inch less than the rear. Which is exactly what everyone wants with springs.

*fingers crossed*

[ajsalida]

Sweet! Great option you uncovered by looking into this, I may do it myself.

[WhiteFury]

So I just got off the phone with tc. They actually Lower the perch too!! Yes!!

So I keep the same travel I have now, but get a drop and I can customize it! I told him 1 inch drop on the front would be too much so I chose 3/4 inch.

He said to measure from ground to rocker panel on rear and front and that the front should be about 3/4 lower than rear.

This is the fix for XI owners!!!

[ajsalida]

Nice work, this is a great new option for XI folks.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Nice work, this is a great new option for XI folks.

Yup indeed! $841 for 2 front shocks with shipping and modified.$320 for the rear.

Quick question. Spc, ground control or vorshlag camber plates? I want to stay around -.7 camber right now I have -.9.

Also if I get an alignment, then a few months later upgrade to koni sports in the rear do I need to get an alignment again?

[ajsalida]

Why do you need camber plates? -.9 or more is fine, I run -1.5 no issues after pulling the pins. Camber plates can cause harsh ride, you are taking all the rubber and compliance out of the strut mount which is a big giant piece of rubber. Unnecessary expense too. Save your money and get the top adjust rear konis, then you won't have to take the shock out each time you adjust. Talk to TCK about them.

Alignment a must after the struts and dropping the front, esp if you haven't already after the Eibachs. If you keep the rear springs no need to realign just swapping shocks, as long as you only R&R shocks and do not take the rear apart again. No need to.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Why do you need camber plates? -.9 or more is fine, I run -1.5 no issues after pulling the pins. Camber plates can cause harsh ride, you are taking all the rubber and compliance out of the strut mount which is a big giant piece of rubber. Unnecessary expense too. Save your money and get the top adjust rear konis, then you won't have to take the shock out each time you adjust. Talk to TCK about them.

Alignment a must after the struts and dropping the front, esp if you haven't already after the Eibachs. If you keep the rear springs no need to realign just swapping shocks, as long as you only R&R shocks and do not take the rear apart again. No need to.

I got an alignment after the eibachs. I dont like what the tires look like at -1. they lean in, Makes my wheels look like they need spacers.

However -1. Would be acceptable. But I have -.9 now. If i drop the front 1/2 to 3/4 more what will I have -1.2? What do you mean top adjustable konis? Koni yellow sport are right?

Here is my alignment last week. What do you think? Also I have about 1/2 or so maybe more of strut travel before hitting the bump stop as I cut off 3/4 inch off the stock one. The E36 M3 is the same height as stock or damn close so its taller than what I have now. Should I put the E36 M3 one in or leave it the way it is?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

I got an alignment after the eibachs. I dont like what the tires look like at -1. they lean in, Makes my wheels look like they need spacers.

However -1. Would be acceptable. But I have -.9 now. If i drop the front 1/2 to 3/4 more what will I have -1.2? What do you mean top adjustable konis? Koni yellow sport are right?

Here is my alignment last week. What do you think? Also I have about 1/2 or so maybe more of strut travel before hitting the bump stop as I cut off 3/4 inch off the stock one. The E36 M3 is the same height as stock or damn close so its taller than what I have now. Should I put the E36 M3 one in or leave it the way it is?

Alignment looks fine. Don't worry about getting front camber back to stock specs, a) you can't; b) you don't want to.

Get some spacers. Use the M3 stops. Front neg camber is good and ideally should be equal or more than rear (ergo some remove pins).

At some point you may want to start driving this thing hard and notice how it handles with these mods, a bit more front camber than you presently have is better. IOW there is a functional reason to have more front camber esp on McP strut cars. Lowering and camber etc are not fashion statements, they have real world effects on handling (positive when done right) though certain poseur types imitate them to look racey or whatever not understanding why. Which is fine but life is a lot more fun when you know what is going on and your car can actually do the thing instead of just looking like it can do the thing.

Koni sport rears are not top adjust, you need to remove them to adjust each time, which can be a PITA for some. Fronts are top adjust.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Alignment looks fine. Don't worry about getting front camber back to stock specs, a) you can't; b) you don't want to.

Get some spacers. Use the M3 stops. Front neg camber is good and ideally should be equal or more than rear (ergo some remove pins).

At some point you may want to start driving this thing hard and notice how it handles with these mods, a bit more front camber than you presently have is better. IOW there is a functional reason to have more front camber esp on McP strut cars. Lowering and camber etc are not fashion statements, they have real world effects on handling (positive when done right) though certain poseur types imitate them to look racey or whatever not understanding why. Which is fine but life is a lot more fun when you know what is going on and your car can actually do the thing instead of just looking like it can do the thing.

Koni sport rears are not top adjust, you need to remove them to adjust each time, which can be a PITA for some. Fronts are top adjust.

Should I have TC drop the struts 3/4 or 1/2? I am still wondering if 3/4 is too much with eibach pro kit springs.

Also I am running 19x8.5 ET35 front and 19x9.5 ET35 rears. Can I run a 15mm spacer up front and a 10mm spacer rear?

Here is a few pics.

[ajsalida]

I was thinking about the drop for my car too. I would probably go 1/2" 1/2". The thinking is this would then take the strut body and perch down to where a non XI is relative to wheel centers. The heavier XI would then give you a bit more drop than non XI on eibachs, but it would be level and have more travel in front.

On the spacers, forgot you had different wheels. Would leave that alone until you get the suspension where you want it, and you know clearances etc. On my car, I went with 12/15mm F/R but I have stock 189's 18". You will likely need less than that or none at all given you have 8.8/9.5 width.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

I was thinking about the drop for my car too. I would probably go 1/2" 1/2". The thinking is this would then take the strut body and perch down to where a non XI is relative to wheel centers. The heavier XI would then give you a bit more drop than non XI on eibachs, but it would be level and have more travel in front.

On the spacers, forgot you had different wheels. Would leave that alone until you get the suspension where you want it, and you know clearances etc. On my car, I went with 12/15mm F/R but I have stock 189's 18". You will likely need less than that or none at all given you have 8.8/9.5 width.

So the xi is about 1/2 higher in the front than non xi?

How much of a drop do you think I got on car with them? The rear is supposed to be 1" but I saw where you posted it's closer to 1.5".

The front is claimed 1.4" for sedan however xi is heavier but the perch on struts sit higher. Does this mean I likely got less drop? Like maybe 1.25"?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

So the xi is about 1/2 higher in the front than non xi?

How much of a drop do you think I got on car with them? The rear is supposed to be 1" but I saw where you posted it's closer to 1.5".

The front is claimed 1.4" for sedan however xi is heavier but the perch on struts sit higher. Does this mean I likely got less drop? Like maybe 1.25"?

You probably got closer to 1.5" front.

Yeah it is confusing. Front XI lower spring perch sits taller by 1/2". But stock XI springs are also stiffer so sit higher above spring perch than non XI. So the drop is more on an XI from where it started. Plus it is heavier front and rear. A lot of the front weight does not weigh on the springs, half shafts and hubs do not add to sprung weight. Just front diff. Rear has a transfer case.

So eibachs drop the front relatively more before/after than non XI just due to springs difference, and due to weight. But spring perch on non-XI is lower, so relative to rear, XI drop looks goofy as the front sits higher. Bringing the perch down 1/2" would make the front rear drop even, but it will sit a bit lower due to the extra weight XI vs non XI. Then you want the extra travel in the front shock to not bottom out so much.

The way I solved this for now was put on some rear ZSP springs from a lighter car, #D2 (keeping front eibachs). It evens out the rake, brings the rear up slightly and the wheel gaps front rear look the same. That is a kludge though, would rather have the same stance but more travel in front the roads are awful here.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

You probably got closer to 1.5" front.

Yeah it is confusing. Front XI lower spring perch sits taller by 1/2". But stock XI springs are also stiffer so sit higher above spring perch than non XI. So the drop is more on an XI from where it started. Plus it is heavier front and rear. A lot of the front weight does not weigh on the springs, half shafts and hubs do not add to sprung weight. Just front diff. Rear has a transfer case.

So eibachs drop the front relatively more before/after than non XI just due to springs difference, and due to weight. But spring perch on non-XI is lower, so relative to rear, XI drop looks goofy as the front sits higher. Bringing the perch down 1/2" would make the front rear drop even, but it will sit a bit lower due to the extra weight XI vs non XI. Then you want the extra travel in the front shock to not bottom out so much.

The way I solved this for now was put on some rear ZSP springs from a lighter car, #D2 (keeping front eibachs. It evens out the rake, brings the rear up slightly and the wheel gaps front rear look the same. That is a kludge though, would rather have the same stance but more travel in front the roads are awful here.

I currently have 1/2 inch of shock travel before hitting the cut bump stop. With these custom konis I lower the perch and strut contact point the same which means I will keep the same travel I have now.

So with the m3 bump stop I am sure I will be close to riding on it if not will be.

Do you have the part numbers for the proper bump stops? I checked the boards and found some but they come back as a Z3m for the front and not E36m3. Also the z4m part number I found comes back as a Z4 non M.

[ajsalida]

Z4 rear is fine, e36m3 front:

31332225377

I do not think your cut bump stop is shorter than M3, if you only took 3/4" off. It is hard to tell with the strut assembled what is going on.

[ajsalida]

Thinking out loud here, you could go 1/2" on the perch and 3/4 (or 5/8) on the travel, giving you more travel.

What I am considering doing is going with D6 ZSP front springs (already have D2 rears) and 1/2 1/2. That would roughly keep my current rake/height but give me 1/2" more travel.

BTW in case you do not know Eibach spring rates are virtually identical to stock. There is a good thread called "i springs on xi" that you should read if you have not. At some point you may want rear M3 subframe bushings and either UUC F/R sway bars or M3 rear and UUC front.

Presently I am torn between modding the XI suspension even further or throwing it away and going with the true match TC Kline coil overs. Already have UUC front and M3 rear bars, and Whiteline subframe bushing inserts. I am generally very pleased with the set up, except time to time I bottom out hard in front and would like more front travel. Before you found out about the custom option on ordinary Konis I was set on the TCK kit. Kit would be nice with adjustable ride height, much more travel, + camber plates. May be farther than I want to go though.

[WhiteFury]

I just talked to TC the owner of TC Kline racing again.

I asked them to cut the strut body down 1 inch, and drop the perch 5/8 of an inch.

So I get 5/8 of an inch draw, but I get an inch of travel. That means I will get 3/8 of an inch more travel than I have now.

That will give me a total of about 1 inch of travel, so I put the E36 m3 bump stops in place they are about 2 inches long and my cut bump stop right now is about an inch and a quarter. So I'm going to lose 3/4 inch of travel. However with these nice bump stops I will still have at least 1/4 travel.

Seems like the best possible solution that anybody could ever offer.