[cossteve]

I recently had my springs, struts, shocks, and front end components replaced and thought I would post my thoughts. The car is a 2011 e90 335 with x drive with 107,xxx miles and I am sure none of the parts I had replaced had been touched. I am the 4th owner of the car and I purchased it with 62,xxx miles.

I read countless posts/threads and spoke with some people and ultimately decided a OEM plus type of set up. This is my daily driver, so I wanted some improvement over stock, not a track car. I purchased Dinan springs (from ECS Tuning and Bilstein B8 struts/shocks (from FCP Euro) and the 10 piece front end kit from FCP Euro (control arms, tie rods, ball joints, etc). All mounts were replaced with OEM type parts (no polyurethane bushings). All the parts were installed by a local tire shop along with an alignment.

After two weeks and about 350 to 400 miles, things have settled and I believe what I have now is how the car will ride/handle for the next several years. The front end sits very close to the height just prior to replacement. I am sure this is because the original struts were blown and riding low. The rear is about 0.75 inch lower than just prior to replacement. The ride is noticeably more stiff and there is some more NVH, but not nearly as harsh I was expecting. On broken pavement, it is not comfortable. There is much less dive during braking and squat during acceleration. The car is much flatter during cornering. Bumps are felt once, so the car feels very controlled over large bumps. I did drive through a local mountain pass after just a few days and I really like the results. It should be even better now that there are a few miles on the suspension.

As for the control arms, bushings, tie rods, etc., I highly recommend that 10 piece kit if your front end parts are worn. Those parts have greatly improved the steering feel and turn-in. I know the thrust arm bushing were gone. I am looking forward to more driving with the new parts.