[bluespeed117]

excellent write up with loads of info. How does the stance look after the conversion?
With that low of a camber angle, how would you predict the life of your tires?

[Speediance]

Originally Posted by 335togo

How much $$$$ for all this....Fun...I mean work...just curious

I've already answered this multiple times. Read the post again.

Also remember there is a difference between price and value. Something that is valuable to me is priceless. Thats my philosophy!

[Speediance]

All,

I just got back from a good drive. For those in Norcal and are familiar with the roads, I exited CA-280 off of Woodside Rd and took CA-84 west, all the way to Alice Bar & Grill, and further to the coast! As you all know, it is a FANTASTIC road, especially during daytime when there is not much, or none, traffic.

I have to literally use profanities to describe how mindblowing that run was. The car just grips, grips, and grips; doesnt complain! Just throw it into a turn and forget about everything (obviously dont forget to use brakes where necessary). It glides thru corners. I took 20MPH (if you know the road then you know they are not kidding when they say 20mph max) turns at nearly 32-38MPH and the tires barely squeal. The car is simply planted; almost as if its got claws and its hooked to the ground. The best parts of the run were the S-turns; just couldnt believe how the car reacts to fast, left-right weight shifts.

I've said this multiple times in the initial post as well, that the suspension is perfect for my taste; very quick and very predictable. Let me share with you what I mean by quickness. There was a part of a turn where there was a weird fold in the road that came from the right side and ended somewhere in the middle of my lane. The bump was around 5-6in tall, fairly sharp, kind like the ones you see in parking lots to slow you down. What this means that only the right side of my car would feel the bumps. I was at around 62MPH, turning left (speed limit 40MPH). Turning left means, the right side of the car is heavier than left, which means it needs traction at all times. Now as soon as I saw the bump, I was like, "This should be interesting", nervous and curious at the same time. As I was on top of the bump, I could feel the compression, and I told my self, I hope I have traction coming out of this or else the DTC will kick-in and I'm gonna have to slam the brakes to slow down to recover. What I experienced was quite the contrary, the car simply drove over it with ease. The compression was quick and rebound even quicker. Felt like I tire never stopped touching the road. No DTC! The driving line was not lost, no distraction, I simply approached the apex at 65MPH and darted out at 90MPH.

Two adjectives for the ride quality: firm, docile. The ride is "quieter" than ZSP; there is much lesser road noise compared to ZSP.

Again, locals welcome for a ride.

[A1rjrdn23]

crazy stuff!

[Speediance]

Originally Posted by bluespeed117

excellent write up with loads of info. How does the stance look after the conversion?
With that low of a camber angle, how would you predict the life of your tires?

Thanks. I will post pics soon. Its roughly 1.3 inch drop in front and 0.9 in the rear. But the car is corner-balanced, so the drop is slightly different left vs right.

I dont predict anything... I will let you know in about 5K miles. I run Michelin PS2s and IMO rubber is expendable!

[Hedges]

Geez, you sound like your about to get a orgasm! Yet I'm very intrigued and I really wonder If this will be a great setup for me. I know the quality is there with Ground Controls, how about daily driving and occasional spirited driving! Definitely interested in getting these coil-overs as well!

[Speediance]

Originally Posted by Hedges

Geez, you sound like your about to get a orgasm! Yet I'm very intrigued and I really wonder If this will be a great setup for me. I know the quality is there with Ground Controls, how about daily driving and occasional spirited driving! Definitely interested in getting these coil-overs as well!

If you were able to tolerate ZSP, you will love this setup. IMO the ride is less harsher than ZSP. The cabin is quieter than ZSP, if you have a girlfriend/wife, she'll be able to tell instantaneously, just as my gf did.

[Hedges]

Originally Posted by Speediance

If you were able to tolerate ZSP, you will love this setup. IMO the ride is less harsher than ZSP. The cabin is quieter than ZSP, if you have a girlfriend/wife, she'll be able to tell instantaneously, just as my gf did.

Interesting.. what type of "rates" do you recommend? Nothing too harsh, Mostly daily driving and spirited riving. Will these guys be able to start selling as a vendor on here?

[Speediance]

Originally Posted by Hedges

Interesting.. what type of "rates" do you recommend? Nothing too harsh, Mostly daily driving and spirited riving. Will these guys be able to start selling as a vendor on here?

They should be shortly. If you are getting anxious, just call them.

I've been trying different springs for the last 2-3 weeks to find the one that suits my needs the most; not too different from my initial 430/550; I wanted something stiffer. I'm 95% there. I've relayed all my feedback to Jay. If you want my honest opinion, shoot me a pm. I dont want to start another pointless math discussion.

[italy430]

Originally Posted by Speediance

All,

I just got back from a good drive. For those in Norcal and are familiar with the roads, I exited CA-280 off of Woodside Rd and took CA-84 west, all the way to Alice Bar & Grill, and further to the coast! As you all know, it is a FANTASTIC road, especially during daytime when there is not much, or none, traffic.

I have to literally use profanities to describe how mindblowing that run was. The car just grips, grips, and grips; doesnt complain! Just throw it into a turn and forget about everything (obviously dont forget to use brakes where necessary). It glides thru corners. I took 20MPH (if you know the road then you know they are not kidding when they say 20mph max) turns at nearly 32-38MPH and the tires barely squeal. The car is simply planted; almost as if its got claws and its hooked to the ground. The best parts of the run were the S-turns; just couldnt believe how the car reacts to fast, left-right weight shifts.

I've said this multiple times in the initial post as well, that the suspension is perfect for my taste; very quick and very predictable. Let me share with you what I mean by quickness. There was a part of a turn where there was a weird fold in the road that came from the right side and ended somewhere in the middle of my lane. The bump was around 5-6in tall, fairly sharp, kind like the ones you see in parking lots to slow you down. What this means that only the right side of my car would feel the bumps. I was at around 62MPH, turning left (speed limit 40MPH). Turning left means, the right side of the car is heavier than left, which means it needs traction at all times. Now as soon as I saw the bump, I was like, "This should be interesting", nervous and curious at the same time. As I was on top of the bump, I could feel the compression, and I told my self, I hope I have traction coming out of this or else the DTC will kick-in and I'm gonna have to slam the brakes to slow down to recover. What I experienced was quite the contrary, the car simply drove over it with ease. The compression was quick and rebound even quicker. Felt like I tire never stopped touching the road. No DTC! The driving line was not lost, no distraction, I simply approached the apex at 65MPH and darted out at 90MPH.

Two adjectives for the ride quality: firm, docile. The ride is "quieter" than ZSP; there is much lesser road noise compared to ZSP.

Again, locals welcome for a ride.

I'd almost drive down from Vancouver, BC for a ride! sounds fantastic!

i've been running Bilstein PSS for just over a year now and overall they're crap. i've been extremely disappointed in them and don't think i'll be getting any more Bilstein anytime soon. i've had the whole suspension replaced once already, both rear shocks were leaking very badly and the front struts were both seized! after a month with the new suspension my right rear shock started leaking!

i'd been looking at getting some Konis and this is now making me want to pursue that more. i don't think i'll ever get a coilover suspension ever again. they're just way too rough for normal driving. the ONLY time it's nice to drive is when the pavement is as smooth as glass. i feel like a high school kid driving a POS rice rocket that has to dodge potholes because it sounds/feels like something's going to snap (probably just my spine...), and be SUPER careful pulling out of parking lots so as not to scrape! i'd love to have your setup! I see no reason for these harsh suspensions, most new cars/supercars these days have an excellent ride as well as excellent handling now.

i'm so fed up with my Bilsteins now that i really feel like going back to my stock, NON-SPORT setup.... it's that bad! but I will reconsider switching to Konis instead.

[Speediance]

Originally Posted by italy430

I see no reason for these harsh suspensions, most new cars/supercars these days have an excellent ride as well as excellent handling now.

Good point; they are called magneto-rheological dampers. Its kinda like BMW M3's EDC on drugs. They can instantaneously (within 20milliseconds) adjust to the road surface, thereby, hardening or softening the shock. Pretty expensive though, if you ask me. The new Porsche GT3 has an engine mount just with such a suspension in it, to simply reduce the jerkiness of engine torque.

[IMG]

I did the front M3 conversion already and one thing i must say,the steering is so much better than before.i got about 0.7" on each side giving me a wider turning track.
Doing the rear M3 conversion in a couple of weeks along with Koni yellow,i will post some pics when done.

[Robert]

Good job excellent write up. I have thought of Ground control in the past however few E46M3 owners warned me otherwise due to some past quality issues. I have to say I trust them quite a bit because they are quite an experienced bunch and they race at DE regularly with a couple to the extend, a full roll cage built for safety. However, majority of the reviews have been superb.

[jaybird124]

Sorry for being a stick in the mud, but what's the point?? For the money you spent on a 335 and M3 suspension upgrade you could have just bought the real thing. What was the reason?

[Speediance]

Originally Posted by jaybird124

Sorry for being a stick in the mud, but what's the point?? For the money you spent on a 335 and M3 suspension upgrade you could have just bought the real thing. What was the reason?

I can ask you the same: whats your point? To what point that I made, are you refuting by saying "whats your point" ? You clearly have an assumption in mind which you derived from somewhere.

Again, I shouldnt bother responding your question, but I will do so because a lot of people are reading this, apparently, and I dont want them to get side-tracked.

So what was the point of this post:
1) Share my experience with others about my findings regarding 335i suspension options.
2) Get an amazing suspension; no one said that this has to be like M3. In fact, I would say what I have now is much better than an M3.

Results achieved:
1) I now have a suspension that beats an M3, although it wasnt an initial point of reference
2) It cost me a *lot* less time/energy/hassle/money than upgrading my 335i to an M3

Makes sense?!

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by Speediance

I can ask you the same: whats your point? To what point that I made, are you refuting by saying "whats your point" ? You clearly have an assumption in mind which you derived from somewhere.

Again, I shouldnt bother responding your question, but I will do so because a lot of people are reading this, apparently, and I dont want them to get side-tracked.

So what was the point of this post:
1) Share my experience with others about my findings regarding 335i suspension options.
2) Get an amazing suspension; no one said that this has to be like M3. In fact, I would say what I have now is much better than an M3.

Results achieved:
1) I now have a suspension that beats an M3, although it wasnt an initial point of reference
2) It cost me a *lot* less time/energy/hassle/money than upgrading my 335i to an M3

Makes sense?!

It makes sense to me.

With additional power (piggy/tune) the 335 needs some beefing up in the suspension area. Even with stock power it needs that IMO if you like the twisties, autocross, etc. When I had a 335 with a piggy and the suspension was just totally overpowered and it didn't inspire much confidence when driving the car in a spirited manner on a canyon-run.

Canyon-carving rather than all-out straight-line power is my thing; so had I stuck with the 335 a suspension upgrade would have make for a much better driving experience. Like you said, this is a cost effective solution rather than upgrading the whole car. The 335 is a great base to work from so again, yes, this makes a lot of sense.

I'm glad to see you are enjoying your set-up. And based on the results of your recent drive it looks like the money/effort was well spent!

BTW: I wouldn't be surprised if you find a LSD and a BBK in your future.

[zenderm3]

Great Read! Certainly confirms my investment Thanks!

[chris719]

Are there not significant chassis differences that result in more torsional stiffness on the M3 which wouldn't be present on a normal 3 series, even after the suspension swap?

[Mr.Bimmer]

great post, thanks for sharing!

[MrHarris]

I want some GC parts on my car..

Pretty awesome what you did. I'm sure it handles better than a stock M3. I wonder how it would do against an M3 with coilovers and such? Either way pretty cool

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by Speediance

Again, I shouldnt bother responding your question, but I will do so because a lot of people are reading this, apparently, and I dont want them to get side-tracked.

People like that are a PITA as they don't add any interesting info to the thread and just rile people up that contribute like you do. Don't pay too much attention, your post is much appreciated by the vast majority here.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[Hedges]

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

People like that are a PITA as they don't add any interesting info to the thread and just rile people up that contribute like you do. Don't pay too much attention, your post is much appreciated by the vast majority here.

Alpina_B3_Lux

+1 Its not often we get as much information or detail on a review!