Quote:
Originally Posted by ajsalida
I think you have 2 or maybe 3 problems. One the RFT's have to go. Worst tire ever. Cold makes them ever harder, like bricks.
Next the Eibachs are pretty soft for the drop they give on the Xi. Remember they are not made for the XI, and the rear will always sit too low WRT front. As discussed in this thread, i ZSP springs give you a little more ride height at approx same spring rate, plus you can swap F/R codes to get more level front rear. Reports on H&R is they are pretty harsh. No direct experience though.
Last I do not know what you set your Konis at. Remember rebound damping controls rate of weight transfer F/R, side side, and corner corner (low piston speed damping) as well as rate of wheel rebound (higher speed speed damping). Too little rebound is as bad as too much in either of these areas but unless you go to very expensive shocks you cannot adjust separately.
WRT that sway bars helped my car out a lot, limiting asymmetric wheel travel and weight transfer side side.
So if it were me I would get rid of RFT's first, then try some combo of ZSP springs and keep the Konis. Then tune with the konis. OEM shocks are horrible. Another thing you could try is keep the Konis and try the OEM springs, though they are very stiff. You will not get a better shock in this price range, not even close.
Sway bars I'd leave alone until spring and not do until the other stuff is sorted out.
OEM XI suspension is terrible, you may have forgotten how bad it is. I live up in the mountains in semi-rural CO, on a dirt road, was bottoming out all the time on stock staggered 18" RFT's and stock suspension. I still bottom out every so often, but nowhere near as much as OEM and not as hard. OEM literally felt like something was always broken or left out, worst suspension ever conceived by BMW.
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The RFT's are an issue I know. Unfortunitly BMW in their infinite wisdom didn’t provision a space for a spare in the trunk well and I use the space an added spare would take.
I have the Koni’s set to the standard recommended 1 full turn up front and ½ turn in back. The ride height front/rear IMO looks level on my car to perhaps a very slight rake in the rear. The ZSP spring route is an expensive experiment to find the right D# at over $100 a pop new. Less used. The rear Eibach’s have been perfect, just the fronts are the problem. So perhaps a set of ZSP’s in the front only could work if the ride height is decent..
