[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by 213e90n51

Well the ride was bad cuz of the 19 inches. It has gotten much better with 17 inch wheels. It is very comfy on the highway tho. Still its a bit stiff but its fine for me. I feel everything on the road and handling is superb. Even my driving instructor praised how a sedan like this can handle and feel great. My B4 shocks are 20,000 miles old now and my mounts and springs are 140,000 now

My E92 is very comfortable on the highway, it is cushy 90% of the journey - no complains on the highway for me. City comfort is not that bad - just the thuds and crashing over bumps which is due to a flaw in the pre-lci BMW suspension from the factory. The LCI shocks sorted out most of these flaws withe the B4s apparently.

I sat in the back of my car 3 days ago for the first time. It is totally different - no thuds or crashing over bumps like in the front and less road noise as well, despite 19" 255/30 wheels with budget tyres!!

If your shock mounts are 140,000, I would personally change them as they could cause a bad ride to some extent and also beware of the 3 shock mount nuts as you don't want them too tight or too loose (can cause noises during drive) and beware of a tapered washer under the mount, which many people put upside down and can cause things to mess up. My mechanic did this and when I got him to put the washer the right way, the ride improved than with the washer the wrong way.

[213e90n51]

Originally Posted by bmw_solid

My E92 is very comfortable on the highway, it is cushy 90% of the journey - no complains on the highway for me. City comfort is not that bad - just the thuds and crashing over bumps which is due to a flaw in the pre-lci BMW suspension from the factory. The LCI shocks sorted out most of these flaws withe the B4s apparently.

I sat in the back of my car 3 days ago for the first time. It is totally different - no thuds or crashing over bumps like in the front and less road noise as well, despite 19" 255/30 wheels with budget tyres!!

If your shock mounts are 140,000, I would personally change them as they could cause a bad ride to some extent and also beware of the 3 shock mount nuts as you don't want them too tight or too loose (can cause noises during drive) and beware of a tapered washer under the mount, which many people put upside down and can cause things to mess up. My mechanic did this and when I got him to put the washer the right way, the ride improved than with the washer the wrong way.

But doesnt the whole shock have to come out to do that? I wonder if it is that way.

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by 213e90n51

But doesnt the whole shock have to come out to do that? I wonder if it is that way.

Yes, whole strut out job. Not very hard tbh provide you have at least 2 jack stands, car jack etc and the right tools... YouTube has some very good videos on the E90 front shock replacement by the way.

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by 213e90n51

But doesnt the whole shock have to come out to do that? I wonder if it is that way.

Generally speaking also, when shocks are replaced, it's a very good idea to replace the shock mounts, bump stops and dust covers also. It's worth every penny.

The rubber in the mounts can eventually crack and not support the shocks properly plus the bearing in the mount also wears out.

Not sure why you are trying to compare Sachs with B4 dampers...at the end of the day it's likely going to be a marginal difference, if any, between the two as B4s are factory replacement equivalents any way. Sales materials have told you that. First-hand reviews have told you that.

Instead, do the car a favor and actually give it what it should have come with straight from the factory:
- If you decide to go w/ non-sport springs swap in B6
- If you decide to go w/ sport springs swap in B8

Otherwise all that time, effort, cost, etc. will be pointless just to end up with the same ole factory damper garbage that you started with...

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Not sure why you are trying to compare Sachs with B4 dampers...at the end of the day it's likely going to be a marginal difference, if any, between the two as B4s are factory replacement equivalents any way. Sales materials have told you that. First-hand reviews have told you that.

Instead, do the car a favor and actually give it what it should have come with straight from the factory:
- If you decide to go w/ non-sport springs swap in B6
- If you decide to go w/ sport springs swap in B8

Otherwise all that time, effort, cost, etc. will be pointless just to end up with the same old factory damper garbage that you started with...

The reason being is because here in the UK, the LCI models used Bilsteins (B4s) whereas the Pre-lci models like mine had Sachs.

According to the UK forums and even on here, majority of the E9x LCI owners report a much more improved ride compared to the Pre-lci.
So I take it that it must be the B4s that made the improvement because the main flaw in the Pre-lci was those Sachs dampers (for the UK market).

I know you might be thinking that in the US the Pre-lci models also used B4s, but I doubt they were the same B4s that were used on the LCI...

The UK Bilstein website only lists the B4s for the LCI models, however it says it can be fitted on the Pre-lci as well.

So, the LCI B4s surely would improve the ride??

Again, comparing factory equipment is pointless when there are better options available.

You need to be analyzing reviews of peeps that have actually upgraded their dampers to something worth the effort instead of splitting hairs between marginal differences in model years.

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Again, comparing factory equipment is pointless when there are better options available.

You need to be analyzing reviews of peeps that have actually upgraded their dampers to something worth the effort instead of splitting hairs between marginal differences in model years.

I know there is better stuff but even the B6 is too expensive for my pocket let alone the Konis and stuff like that.

I am not looking to imrpove handling or stability or improving the experience around bends.. Just want to bring down the crashing over 90% of bumps on a normal road to a 'now and then' or even better 'none-at-all' level. I am sure the LCI B4s can do this as they did improve the LCI models. Even better, if I can get just a little bit more comfort as well, that would be the icing on the cake. I'm not asking for a dramatic change to my ride, just some tweaks which are usually done in a LCI model if the pre-lci had issues.

Main priority now is getting those crashing/thuds over normal bumps (not potholes - thats a separate mater altogether lol) reduced - if the B4s can get this done, I would be a happy man and wouldn't be too much concerned about getting more comfort as I can live with the current comfort levels...

Originally Posted by bmw_solid

Main priority now is getting those crashing/thuds over normal bumps

Crashing, thuds, etc. is mostly due to the under-damped factory suspension. This is something that UPGRADED dampers correct.

Sure, B4s may fix it when new, but don't bet on that "feels like new" ride to last for long given that they are marginally better than stock and will get you right back to where you started sooner rather than later.

Sounds like your mind is made up though...good luck.

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Crashing, thuds, etc. is mostly due to the under-damped factory suspension. This is something that UPGRADED dampers correct.

Sure, B4s may fix it when new, but don't bet on that "feels like new" ride to last for long given that they are marginally better than stock and will get you right back to where you started sooner rather than later.

Sounds like your mind is made up though...good luck.

The LCI does not have the same ride as the pre-lci here in the UK, so I can't see the needs for upgraded and expensive stuff tbh.

The main thing here is that BMW did address the flawed pre-lci set-up. So thats the reason why I am keen on the LCI B4s.

I will report how I get on in the coming months or days.

[bmw_solid]

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=352601

Especially Post #9.

[jwrag2000]

In same situation, however in e93. Crashing over bumps and potholes is disgraceful, worth binning the car over. Something drastic needs done, hadn't thought shocks would fix, though definitely interested. Planning to increase ride height and go down to 17s and maybe go up in profile to 50/55. If shocks are part of the problem what one are sufficiently damped?

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by jwrag2000

In same situation, however in e93. Crashing over bumps and potholes is disgraceful, worth binning the car over. Something drastic needs done, hadn't thought shocks would fix, though definitely interested. Planning to increase ride height and go down to 17s and maybe go up in profile to 50/55. If shocks are part of the problem what one are sufficiently damped?

Its a funny situation because from my research on these BMW forums most people say the LCI had a more complaint suspension (~50% improvement) and one of the main reasons for that was because BMW developed their suspension with Bilstein compared to SACHS which was used for Pre-LCI models. But...those LCI owners also say that the suspension still has crashy characteristics...but those people also say that they have run flats on their cars! Its very hard to get solid evidence from owners as they all have their own variations...run flat tyres, worn shock mounts, worn control arms or worn shocks... So the million dollar question is, imagine a LCI with good shocks, good mounts and good arms and no run-flats and tyres inflated to correct pressures? Answer = a decent/good compliant ride in my mind and now maybe a 75% improved ride over the Pre-LC compared to 50% improvement.

I am working on this issue my self. I am keen on installing B4s my self (I have a good mechanic friend who can compress the springs so I will take the shocks and springs and mounts to him, get them all installed and bring the struts back home and install them on the car my self).

However, before I attempt to go for the B4 route, I have just realised one thing that I would like to address before doing that.

That one thing is torquing up the new Febi Bilstein front control and track arms/links (on the front wheels) that I got installed by my local mechanic about 4 months ago.

From what I have read, when new suspension arms are installed, the wheel hub needs to be raised to normal ride height and then the arm bolts need to be torqued to spec. Now, I think my mechanic did not do this because the lift they have leaves the wheels in free air. So, I really doubt they would have been able to torque the arms up and given the fact they are a basic garage and not a BMW specialist the chances are low.

The reason I am keen on torquing the arms up is because the day when they were installed, the ride was much more compliant than before, i.e. less crashy feel and thuds and more firm and stable...but after a couple of days the ride became crashy again like before.

So if I am really lucky, it could be a simple case of torquing up the arm bolts to get a more compliant ride. If the ride does become more compliant and remains compliant, I will then assess how the new current SACHS shocks on my car behave like.

If the ride does not become more compliant after torquing up the arms, then I will consider B4s definitely.

And I would like to add one more thing...We complain about a crashy ride, but tbh all cars have a 'crashy' ride to some extent, bar the luxury class cars like the S-Class, 7-er or A8 etc. They have air struts and other advanced suspension components which give the 'best ride possible' unlike our compact or executive (5-er) class cars. We can't expect that luxury-class ride on these cars!

I don't mind my E92 to have a crashy ride provide it is crashy in a 'compliant' way. This way I would have no complains for the E9x cars...Its expected. Its only a concern for me when the crashyness is very noticeable through the extremely noticeable thuds/bump noises, which does not make the ride 'compliant'.