[speedyb]

Many thanks to the DIY's and other advice listed on E90Post. As a result of the wealth of information available, I was able to complete my install of the BMW Performance Suspension/Springs and save some serious $$$ for other mods.

I figured I would share a few things that may or may not already be mentioned in the other threads but perhaps could be helpful to other folks thinking about installing this kit themselves.

When I did the install, these are the things that stuck out in my mind as kind of important to mention, so figured I would share it with all of you fine folks.


A few highlights of the install:

The most important thing is to make sure you have all of the tools before you start and/or another car to go to Sears as they have a pretty impressive line-up of tools (and in my case, make sure the BMW Suspension kit has all the pieces too!)

The things I bought or already had that seemed to make the job the easiest are:

1. Battery powered Dewalt 18V Impact Wrench - $300 at Lowes, along with lots of different size impact sockets (21MM is a must to get the big bolts off...would not want to do those by hand)
2. Small 12" Pry Bar from Sears ($12.99)
3. Two jacks (Racing jack from harbor freight and another crappy one from Autozone)
4. OEM Spring compressors - bought on Amazon for $40

Lot's of other tools are required so I won't go to all the trouble of listing them here as they can be found in the DIY for springs & struts, but these tools mentioned made the job so much easier.

Most important was the fortitude to actually pull apart a perfectly good car while having faith that it can be properly put back together. That was a bit intimidating, but the price quotes I was getting for install pushed me into doing it myself.

The suspension I got from Tischer, and aside from a mix-up with the front springs not being included, Evan (thanks!) overnighted the front springs so I could complete the install last week.

Things I learned while installing.

1. The white box that comes with the kit contains two items, one goes in the rear of the car (top shock mount dampers, I think they are called) and new spring seats for the front shocks. Only reason I mention this is because it was not clear which end of the car these items were for, and when I completed my first rear strut I made an executive decision that I should have included one of these pieces (had to undo the whole thing).
   
2. The pry bar is used to force apart the front strut mounting point...without using a pry bar, it will be very challenging (and maybe impossible) to remove the front strut without prying part the compression fitting.
   
3. Make sure you un-clip the brake sensor wires from everything. First time doing this I had the full front suspension/rotor and all applying force to the sensor line. It is a pain, but un-clipping it makes it less likely to cause damage.
   
4. There are little pieces of paper on top of the strut from the factory. One came off, one was stuck. I kept these on as it seemed like the right thing to do.
   
5. With the kit from Tischer, they give you a bag of nuts. I used all of the included nuts on the front of the car. None of the nuts seemed to fit anywhere on the rear of the car.
   
   You do not get new nuts for the rear strut towers. i double checked and was suprised to find that they were not included.
   
   I had four of the same nuts left over...still can't figure out that they were for...oh well - and no, they were not for the rear strut towers
   
   
6. For the fronts, after compressing the springs and swing the assembly under the fender, when loosening the springs it takes a while. Most important part of the job here is to make sure the top and bottom of the spring are properly aligned with the bottom and top spring seats. If not, you will find yourself having to re-tighten the spring compressors and re-align things, which just slows things down.\
   
7. If you find your plastic jackpoint things missing, just make some new ones out of a 2x4.
   
8. As mentioned deep in other threads, you only have to undo one bolt on the swing arm to drop the rear strut and install the rear spring. If you are doing more than one bolt, you are doing it the hard way.
   
9. Take your time...it took me almost 10 hours to do the sway bar, springs & struts. I examined everything before removing it, making notes as to how things were put together. This process is so straight forward that common sense applies greatly, but as they say, commene sense is not so common, so just pay attention makes things much easier to put back together.
   
   
   

If I had to do it again, I could easily have it all done in 4 hours. Kinda makes me sick that so called "professionals" were quoting 8-10 hours.

So far I really like the new suspension!

It has been cold in Boston this weekend so I really can't go flying around like I want to as my summer tires don't like cold weather too much. But so far the body roll that I always hated in this car is mostly gone, and things just seem so much more planted at higher speed which leads to more driving confidence.


I am pretty new to these boards, and will be at the NE-SVT autocross on April 3, and at the BMW Advanced Driving School April 11, and the Evo School May 9/10, all at Ft. Devins in MA. Can't wait to test things out and hopefully meet some of you folks in the coming months.


Below are some pics about 2 days after the install. The car is definitely lower both front and rear from stock height, and it will probably drop a bit (maybe another 1/8 of an inch) over the next few weeks.

If you see me on the road, give me a wave. If you are chipped, please don't race me as I am not and I have a fragile ego

Cheers,
Speedyb

[stltri]

Nice ride!!

Do you have before-pics? Or at least some measurements of the change in height before and after Performance Suspension. BTW, did you have stock sport (ZSP) suspension before?

[speedyb]

Hi stltri,

Once the kit was in my hands, I think I was more focused on getting it installed than documenting what I had. I should have taken some good pics, but it is pretty well documented in other posts that the drop is a little less than 1/2 inch in the front and just a bit in the back. At least the front does not stick up like it used too...I really disliked that look.

Below are a few pics from an autocross last year.

The first pic is just standing at the gate, and you can clearly see the front is higher with the OEM sport suspension (all E92's in 2007/2008 came with the sport..not sure about 09/10's).

I don't have any good pics of the rear but it doesn't drop too much, if at all. It may just be the fact that the front is lower so the rear looks lower.

The next two pics are what I am trying to address with the new suspension. The car just leans like crazy...it seems to have gotten better with the Performance suspension, but I won't know for sure until I get out there and push the car this auto-x season.

In the last pic I am pretty sure there is a cone under my car! -2 second penalty for me.

[Lobaeux]

Great read, nice pics.
I think the Performance Suspension is the way for me to go as well. I don't need anything crazy, nothing harsh, just a little better than the stock suspension that my E92 has on it now.

[DJKhan85]

Nice that you went ahead and did this yourself! Took me about 10 hours for my KW V2s as well. We have to get together and compare rides!

[speedyb]

Hey DJ,

Yup..I did! It was easier than I thought, and we will definitely have to catch up some time...maybe after I get my bud's 135 put back together.

[stltri]

you have to update us on how it handles in the track after your upgrade..

btw, you forgot to tell us if you had a stock sport or non-sport suspension prior to your performance upgrade..

enjoy!

[speedyb]

All 2007/2008/2009 coupes came with Sports Suspension standard. I have a 2008. So far it seems much firmer, but will update when I get back from the auto-x this weekend!

[808AWD325xi]

Originally Posted by speedyb

If I had to do it again, I could easily have it all done in 4 hours. Kinda makes me sick that so called "professionals" were quoting 8-10 hours.

I'm interested in having my 2007 335xi stock suspension replaced with Bilstein shocks/struts and H&R springs. My dealer wants $1,125.00 for installation and alignment. They said it would take approximately 10 hours.

Apparently your experience was similar. Any idea why they quote so many hours?

Originally Posted by speedyb

Below are some pics about 2 days after the install. The car is definitely lower both front and rear from stock height, and it will probably drop a bit (maybe another 1/8 of an inch) over the next few weeks

Did your suspension in fact settle? Would it be a mistake to let them perform the alignment immediately after installation of the suspension?

Thanks for the information.

[speedyb]

I got quotes from a couple of local shops and was disappointed they wanted to go by the book and want so many hours. I do understand that some jobs can be more difficult than others (took my neighbor 3 hours to change out pad and rotors on one side if his audi because of some troublesome bolts, the other side took 30 minutes).

But on a fairly modern car, it would only take them 4-5 hours. I guess they don't need the business that badly...so much for a bad economy!

It drove just fine with no alignment & the new suspension. I recently put on the M3 control arms & tension rods in front and was forced to get an alignment because the car was not drivable afterward.

But I also have heard if you drop the car you need an alignment, and if you can safely wait a few weeks for things to settle that seems like it might be better, but I am no expert so this is my opinion only.

Good luck!

[stltri]

Originally Posted by speedyb

All 2007/2008/2009 coupes came with Sports Suspension standard. I have a 2008. So far it seems much firmer, but will update when I get back from the auto-x this weekend!

Hi Speedy.. took the plunge as well after our discussion and much research and installed the performance suspension. How did your autocross go? Here is my review on a recent post:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373412

[speedyb]

Autocross was fantastic! I really like how the car handles both on the autocross circuit and on the road. I was at a BMW Advance Driving School primer in New Hampshire this past weekend and had so much fun learning to drift the car around the skid pad. There were so many nice cars it was unbelievable.

I am sure there are better solutions out there, but wanting to keep my car close to stock this was a good solution for me.

Glad to hear you took the plunge. I used to live in St.Louis many years ago...nice place! Where do they do Auto-x in Saint Louie?

[itsbrokeagain]

Just to let you know, a spring install takes about 2 hours at my shop, and an alignment takes about another 45 minutes.

total price? $300.

I dont know where these shops get these outrageous quotes that it takes 8-10 hours to do springs...

[therealm3]

Thanks for the extra tips. I am installing performance suspension and M3 control arms tomorrow! Woo hoo! Can't wait.

[bavarian19]

good review!

[therealm3]

Originally Posted by speedyb

I had four of the same nuts left over...still can't figure out that they were for...oh well - and no, they were not for the rear strut towers

Speedyb

FYI - Did my install and these are for the front sway bar mounts.


I really am enjoying the suspension too. I like how the car feels more like it wants to rotate when in a corner at speed. I can control the car much more with my right foot now. I did the M3 arms and tension struts at the same time. its too bad this is not a box you can check when ordering a car. One thing I was very surprised by and appreciate is how over a decent bump on the freeway (crappy CA roads), the car doesn't "float" with the weight transfer. It reacts and the settles quickly. Not much more I can say that hasn't already been said.

[stressdoc]

The more photos with text DIYs we can put together on this job the better. Anyone contemplating doing these installs please get your cameras ready and document everything for others to follow in your footsteps.

[Blue Liquid]

Originally Posted by Matt@Camber-Toe

Just to let you know, a spring install takes about 2 hours at my shop, and an alignment takes about another 45 minutes.

total price? $300.

I dont know where these shops get these outrageous quotes that it takes 8-10 hours to do springs...

Hey Matt, this kit is more than just springs. What would you estimate to install the entire Performance Suspension package?

[bavarian19]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

The more photos with text DIYs we can put together on this job the better. Anyone contemplating doing these installs please get your cameras ready and document everything for others to follow in your footsteps.

I think Im going to go ahead with the install, but with closing on a new house in June, it will have to wait until July. I will fully document ride height adjustments.

[bavarian19]

The front looks like it has settled almost a full inch, maybe more.

[Blue Liquid]

Hey guys, I've also just installed the BMW Performance Suspension. Here is the link with my initial perspective and pics.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...73#post7527473

[left123]

I know this thread has been dead for 3 years but I wanted to add my post-install thoughts as well, mainly pertaining to installation like the OP. I posted them here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...3&postcount=33

Good luck to those DIY'ers. I know I read numerous posts on here to get a mental picture ahead of time and wanted to pay it forward.