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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > All-Wheel-Drive (Xi / xDrive) Talk > Is this what XI handling feels like?



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      03-04-2009, 09:27 PM   #67
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lets say i get the KWs, bmw will still do my alignment for me right?
also does the coilovers with stock runflats still make that huge bang when you go through bumps? any betteR?
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      03-04-2009, 11:04 PM   #68
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alpine330 View Post
lets say i get the KWs, bmw will still do my alignment for me right?
also does the coilovers with stock runflats still make that huge bang when you go through bumps? any betteR?
Yes (It depends really, they might not want to do it if they are picky), yes they will still WABANG due to the stiff sidewall, but less than the stock shock/spring setup. The upside is you can now drop the car to reduce the awkward gap and most of the floaty wallowy feel goes away.

I dropped mine on v3 with almost no gap for summer and raise in winter.
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      03-05-2009, 06:40 PM   #69
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I like the stock suspension. It's not a track car, but it's a nice medium between comfort and performance.

I wouldn't put coilovers on this thing. It'll be awful.
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      03-05-2009, 10:15 PM   #70
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AWD Addict View Post
I like the stock suspension. It's not a track car, but it's a nice medium between comfort and performance.

I wouldn't put coilovers on this thing. It'll be awful.
Sorry to flame you, but that is your opinion. Most of us are trying to find fixes where we see flaws. If you are cool with it, just go with the flow. As far as the XI suspension goes, this XI is a floaty boat and begs to be fixed. Which is what we are all trying to collectively figure out here. For those that have migrated to HR or KW, we can all atest to the night and day improvement in feel and handling of the car.
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      03-06-2009, 01:58 AM   #71
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How comfortable is the ride with the KWs? I know you can set compression and rebound but is there a healthy medium between better suspension response and daily driving comfort?
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      03-06-2009, 04:19 AM   #72
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This thread is awesome. I have looked around and no one seems to have suspension answers for an XI. My ride seems nice but I would love a tighter feel on turns. But its definitly better then my first car. ( A Ford Contour ) lolololololololololol
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      03-06-2009, 06:10 PM   #73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Septro View Post
How comfortable is the ride with the KWs? I know you can set compression and rebound but is there a healthy medium between better suspension response and daily driving comfort?
I first set my settings per KW's default recommendations. The feel was perfect for me having come from my Mazda 3 and Nissan 350z. Much better than stock. A little tighter feel than my Mazda3 Sport and luxurious in comparison to my 350z. I've since tightened up the front by a further 3 clicks and 1 on the rear.

So net-net, with the KWv3 you can ride almost as soft the OEM shock setup but not suffer the bouncy feel that the stock exhibits. My only hassle with this is it is pricey. 2000$ for product and 400$ for labour. Plus alignment $150.

My 2cents, other's mileage may vary.
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      04-06-2009, 08:55 PM   #74
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With all the m3 parts now easily available, id rather buy some of that before spending the big bucks on KWs. With the rear suspension being near the same as "i" the front is all that is needed.

Switch out the springs and shocks from the "i" and add a few m3 parts and that should be much cheaper then KWs. With so many buying KWs it should be easy to buy stock "i" springs/shocks. Thoughts?
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      04-06-2009, 10:04 PM   #75
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i thought you got v3s prowess? i just got some v1s for the xi and will be installing this weekend. i just want a tighter ride and a lower height and a little less noise when i hit bumps...i'm assuming it's going to do exactly that...
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      04-06-2009, 10:23 PM   #76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony View Post
With all the m3 parts now easily available, id rather buy some of that before spending the big bucks on KWs. With the rear suspension being near the same as "i" the front is all that is needed.

Switch out the springs and shocks from the "i" and add a few m3 parts and that should be much cheaper then KWs. With so many buying KWs it should be easy to buy stock "i" springs/shocks. Thoughts?
Nothing from the M3 front suspension can be used on the XI unfortunately.
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      04-06-2009, 10:29 PM   #77
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I did not get v3s or anything suspension related yet. Im still trying to figure the whole thing out. Coilovers are just too expensive for me right now.....trying to buy a house with some acres.

So switch sport "i" springs/shocks onto the xi. Or go with coilovers. Or aftermarket spring/shock combo. But I can install anything m onto the rear suspension?
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      04-07-2009, 07:11 PM   #78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony View Post
I did not get v3s or anything suspension related yet. Im still trying to figure the whole thing out. Coilovers are just too expensive for me right now.....trying to buy a house with some acres.

So switch sport "i" springs/shocks onto the xi. Or go with coilovers. Or aftermarket spring/shock combo. But I can install anything m onto the rear suspension?
Nothing other than KWv3 and HR Coilovers are certified for the XI. I think there is one other manufacturer but other than that, nadda. There are some folks that have tried other combos. I would hit the Suspension/Brake forum and scour there. Someone may have direct parts replacements. I have pretty much given up for now on the XI suspension and have started pursuing a project car for the track. Trying to nuetralize the understeer has proven to be a bitch. Good luck.
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      04-07-2009, 08:35 PM   #79
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgalaxy View Post
Nothing other than KWv3 and HR Coilovers are certified for the XI. I think there is one other manufacturer but other than that, nadda. There are some folks that have tried other combos. I would hit the Suspension/Brake forum and scour there. Someone may have direct parts replacements. I have pretty much given up for now on the XI suspension and have started pursuing a project car for the track. Trying to nuetralize the understeer has proven to be a bitch. Good luck.
Im fairly certain that somebody put the "i" springs on his xi without a problem which is what I was hoping to do. Add m stuff to the rear and the "i" stuff to the front.
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      04-08-2009, 12:07 AM   #80
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hey guys, do you need to raise the car in order to do setup changes on these coilovers? just curious
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      04-08-2009, 09:26 PM   #81
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Bear with my noobness. The fact that the rear suspension is the same on the xi,i,m3 simply means that the layout is the same? Not that the springs, sways, shocks, etc are the same? Anything that fits on the m3/i will fit on the xi rear but because of the xdrive the front layout is not the same making the different aftermarket components not fit?

Fixing the xi suspension is not only for drivability but im also learning quite a lot and just wanna make sure my facts are straight. Thanks
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      04-08-2009, 09:30 PM   #82
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony View Post
I dont really have the money to get an i or m3 after just buying a xi. And I need the awd. Best I can do is upgrade to coils. Cupkits are just as expensive.
I had an 'xi'...but after finding out i'd be moving out of NJ/NY and back to Maryland...I purchased an 'i'...love love the drive...

In my home state of Maryland, i've owned a alot of RWD cars since it doesn't snow as much, when it does it is gone quick, and there are lot more 'i' drivers than in NY/NJ...
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      04-09-2009, 08:35 PM   #83
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony View Post
Bear with my noobness. The fact that the rear suspension is the same on the xi,i,m3 simply means that the layout is the same? Not that the springs, sways, shocks, etc are the same? Anything that fits on the m3/i will fit on the xi rear but because of the xdrive the front layout is not the same making the different aftermarket components not fit?

Fixing the xi suspension is not only for drivability but im also learning quite a lot and just wanna make sure my facts are straight. Thanks
You can replace any of the XI rear suspension components with the M3 components (sways excluded). It will help out some of the slopiness that is found in the XI, but you are still stuck with the front end. Changing out springs alone will not help the cause.
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      04-09-2009, 08:58 PM   #84
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Originally Posted by jgalaxy View Post
Changing out springs alone will not help the cause.
I disagree with that statement. I just had eibach pro springs installed on my car, and while I did it mostly for the cosmetics it did improve the overall performance of the car. the car is no where as "floaty" as it used to be, and it doesn't corner a lot better.
now while it doesn't solve the cars problems completely, it is a major improvement over stock
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      04-09-2009, 09:30 PM   #85
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JP_335xi View Post
I disagree with that statement. I just had eibach pro springs installed on my car, and while I did it mostly for the cosmetics it did improve the overall performance of the car. the car is no where as "floaty" as it used to be, and it doesn't corner a lot better.
now while it doesn't solve the cars problems completely, it is a major improvement over stock
If the springs worked for you and you are happy with them, then that is all that counts. For every day driving there is a large community of XI drivers are equally as happy with the OEM setup. Everything counts in small amounts.
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      04-10-2009, 11:20 PM   #86
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgalaxy View Post
You can replace any of the XI rear suspension components with the M3 components (sways excluded). It will help out some of the slopiness that is found in the XI, but you are still stuck with the front end. Changing out springs alone will not help the cause.
Is this confirmed? I thought Orb had recommended Kev to get the m3 rear sway/m3 front sway bushings for his 335xi instead of the swaybarbarians he was running at the time. I really want to do as much of an m3 suspension conversion as I can, outside of the springs/shocks as I already have the v3's. Sorry if this gets OT but I really want to get a decent list of EVERYTHING suspension-related that can go from the m3 to the xi.
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      04-10-2009, 11:46 PM   #87
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I thought the m3 sways fit. This is the list I have so far. I haven't updated it with some new m3 stuff yet.

-KWs 1,3

-M3 Rear Sway
-M3 Rear Subframe Bushings
-M3 Front Strut Brace

-UUC Front/Rear Sway Bars

-BMW Performance Front Strut Brace (only with aftermarket intake)

-Hotchkis Rear Chassis Brace

-H&R Bushings
-H&R Sport Springs
-H&R Coilovers

-Eibach Springs

-OEM "i" Sport Springs

-Bilstein Shock/Spring Kit

Last edited by deletedelete; 04-15-2009 at 01:26 AM..
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      04-11-2009, 12:22 AM   #88
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Hm...So looking at this list, it looks like I will soon be in the market for the rear sway, the front sway bushings (if i can confirm fitment), the front strut brace, and the rear subframe bushings. That, in conjunction with my current v3's, and the ps2's that are coming for summer, should give me a pretty stout handling xi.

Good list though much appreciated If you find anything else that fits please put it up on the forum, as I intend on dropping that rear subframe only once, and figure I will change everything I can during that 6 hour job.
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