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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Suspension | Brakes | Chassis > Fortune coilovers



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      01-19-2021, 09:24 PM   #1
Amp9827
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Fortune coilovers

Just ordered a set for fortune coilovers the Gen 7 500 series.
Just wanted some feedback from anyone that has used them.
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      01-23-2021, 11:28 AM   #2
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I don’t have anything good to say. I’m sorry. Two out of two sets leaked out. Very prematurely. Like in years or so.
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      01-24-2021, 12:17 AM   #3
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better hope you got the 510s those are actually worth the money. the 500s are meh, subpar quality.

it's like they had the 510 in mind then cut a bunch of costs to make the 500
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      01-24-2021, 08:55 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by feuer View Post
I don't have anything good to say. I'm sorry. Two out of two sets leaked out. Very prematurely. Like in years or so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by feuer View Post
I don't have anything good to say. I'm sorry. Two out of two sets leaked out. Very prematurely. Like in years or so.
Well shoot now I am bummed out I appreciate your feed back
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      01-24-2021, 08:56 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aphael View Post
better hope you got the 510s those are actually worth the money. the 500s are meh, subpar quality.

it's like they had the 510 in mind then cut a bunch of costs to make the 500
Quote:
Originally Posted by feuer View Post
I don't have anything good to say. I'm sorry. Two out of two sets leaked out. Very prematurely. Like in years or so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aphael View Post
better hope you got the 510s those are actually worth the money. the 500s are meh, subpar quality.

it's like they had the 510 in mind then cut a bunch of costs to make the 500
Oh gosh I got the 500 since they are upgradable now I'll have to see what I can do with these.
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      01-24-2021, 09:04 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Amp9827 View Post
Oh gosh I got the 500 since they are upgradable now I'll have to see what I can do with these.
I’m thinking of purchasing fortune coilovers the Gen 7 500 series.
Just wanted some feedback from anyone that has used them.


^^^^^

That would have been correct approach! Now is little too late. I would try to sell them. If that doesn’t work throw in garbage. To me personally, even if I get them for free they aren’t worth the labor of installation. Sorry.
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      01-25-2021, 02:50 AM   #7
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depends on what you expect, they are still better than the Taiwan bcr crap. run them and see if you like them if your installing yourself. the job isn't too hard
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      01-28-2021, 10:57 AM   #8
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FA 500

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amp9827 View Post
Just ordered a set for fortune coilovers the Gen 7 500 series.
Just wanted some feedback from anyone that has used them.
I have just installed some 500's and will provide some feedback once I get an alignment and miles on them.
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      02-04-2021, 05:55 PM   #9
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Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amp9827 View Post
Just ordered a set for fortune coilovers the Gen 7 500 series.
Just wanted some feedback from anyone that has used them.
I have just installed some 500's and will provide some feedback once I get an alignment and miles on them.
Keep me in the loop
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      02-04-2021, 08:40 PM   #10
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I will add that I recently took my e92 in for an alignment. Unfortunately they couldn't adjust the front camber with the camber plates. They told me it was because the Allen bolts that must be tighten down were not accessible once they added the camber. Now after they told me this I called fortune auto and they told me that in order to adjust camber they coil over needs to come out of the car and adjusted.
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      02-05-2021, 03:49 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by 335xi_full_throttle View Post
I will add that I recently took my e92 in for an alignment. Unfortunately they couldn't adjust the front camber with the camber plates. They told me it was because the Allen bolts that must be tighten down were not accessible once they added the camber. Now after they told me this I called fortune auto and they told me that in order to adjust camber they coil over needs to come out of the car and adjusted.
Incorrect. Neither the tech working on the car nor who ever you talk to from FA know their job.
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      02-05-2021, 10:19 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by feuer View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by 335xi_full_throttle View Post
I will add that I recently took my e92 in for an alignment. Unfortunately they couldn't adjust the front camber with the camber plates. They told me it was because the Allen bolts that must be tighten down were not accessible once they added the camber. Now after they told me this I called fortune auto and they told me that in order to adjust camber they coil over needs to come out of the car and adjusted.
Incorrect. Neither the tech working on the car nor who ever you talk to from FA know their job.
I mean no disrespect, but could you explain how. Is there a special tool?
I should add I asked for -2.5 camber in the front. But any advice on adjusting the camber plates will be appreciative.
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      02-06-2021, 02:55 PM   #13
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Quote:
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I mean no disrespect, but could you explain how. Is there a special tool?
I should add I asked for -2.5 camber in the front. But any advice on adjusting the camber plates will be appreciative.
There are 4 inbus bolts on the plate to adjust camber. You absolutely do it with these mounted on the car. Not very easy to do. Stupid design. These coil overs are crap so is to be expected.
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      02-06-2021, 02:59 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by 335xi_full_throttle View Post
I mean no disrespect, but could you explain how. Is there a special tool?
I should add I asked for -2.5 camber in the front. But any advice on adjusting the camber plates will be appreciative.
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      02-07-2021, 04:13 PM   #15
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He probably wanted to say the stupid non m strut bar was in the way and not enough space. Also, please go to a GOOD custom alignment shop that knows how to work with custom setups. Any normal alignment shop will screw it up or say its within OEM range. Everything needs to be matched up properly
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      02-07-2021, 06:08 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aphael View Post
He probably wanted to say the stupid non m strut bar was in the way and not enough space. Also, please go to a GOOD custom alignment shop that knows how to work with custom setups. Any normal alignment shop will screw it up or say its within OEM range. Everything needs to be matched up properly
I had a dinan strut bar, but I removed it before taking it in so they could have full access. This shop was recommended by my towns car page, but your probably right. I'll try another shop.
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      02-10-2021, 04:56 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335xi_full_throttle View Post
I had a dinan strut bar, but I removed it before taking it in so they could have full access. This shop was recommended by my towns car page, but your probably right. I'll try another shop.
Theres certainly should be shops around washington if thats where your from. Ask any local evergreen speedway drivers for recommendations if your near seattle
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      06-04-2021, 05:47 PM   #18
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Agree with the statements that you CAN adjust the camber with C/O's installed and it is NOT hard. Any shop worth their salt can handle this job.. If the shop you go to, says they can't do this, is trying to rip you off and do not know what they are doing. I suggest you never go back to them..

Secondly, I have finally completed the install of the F/A 500's.

Install went as smooth as was possible. The fronts went in nice and easy and there is plenty of length that allows me to set the ride height that I was after (and the reason why I went with FA). The rears gave me a little trouble only for the reason that the shock tubes I received were shorter that what I was looking for (I'm guessing I was sent the rear shocks that go with their super low spec coilover kits) so I sent those back for the longest shock I could get for the e90 chassis. They sent them out as soon as they could but it was about 4 weeks. Once I received them in I got the ride height set and this time I now had a lot of room for adjustments.

After getting the car balanced and aligned I was able to take it out to the track and mountain roads.

Road feel:
These coilovers had me worried at first. While driving around town/highways, they feel very soft to me, almost like a Lincoln town car... (I have had Bilstein’s and Koni's in the past and those felt stiffer).

I have read a handful of BMW forums, and other car brand forums, comment on their concerns that F/A set high spring rates as the "default" for their car. If you are one of those people, STOP WORRYING.


At the Track:
**I have not tested any other coilover kit** BUT these worked very well! The car was not bouncy, floaty, or soft. These Coilovers made me think of Two-Face the villain for how different they feel on the road vs. the track.

The car was quick to react and felt very BMW M'ish with a sharp nose and rear end I could steer with the throttle without feeling uncontrollable. Having camber plates is also a plus as the lack of negative camber is a weakness for weekend track goers.


A few coilover headaches:

1. The radial bearing included in the Gen. 7's is nice and for the first few hundred miles they were absolutely quiet. A day or two after the first track day they started to bind and make noise. I have come to accept this is a tradeoff to having the camber plates so, it is what it is...

2. the "hammer with a screwdriver" locking ring came loose on of the front coilovers. This caused the coilover to rotate down and shorten itself on my 50-mile commute and make some noise. I raised it back up and tightened the collar. So far so good. I marked the locking collar with a witness mark so I will know if it starts to loosen again.

3. Not F/A's fault but raw material lead times and finished part lead times have shot through the roof in the past couple of months. People are buying up all kinds of products now and it is causing prices as well as lead times to increase. Not something everyone may get right away but I am a buyer and am dealing with similar issues now. This is part of the reason why it took a month for me to get the replacement shock tubes in.


Overall I am happy with the coilovers. I do feel I am more of a cup-kit customer but none of the cup kits available offer a ride height that does not DESTROY the front end. when comparing other Coilover kits, F/A was the only one that A. gave me the time of day to thoroughly answer my questions regarding ride height before I purchased a kit. and B. actually knew how low/high I could set my car. I emailed BC-racing and those guys seemed to busy to care and not very knowledgeable. I did not get KW directly but from what I could read from vendors supplying KW, I would not be able to reach the ride height I was looking for.

I have seen posts where people seem to love or hate F/A. For the people that hate F/A, I am sorry if you legitimately had a bad experience. They have shown me great customer service. you would not be able to get this level of service from Koni, or Bilstein.. Not sure on KW's customer service or Ohlins, etc., but F/A's customer service was great. Will periodically provide updates and will post my ride height photos in my Sal-hoon post.

Last edited by andreu12qw; 06-05-2021 at 11:24 AM..
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      06-10-2021, 02:25 AM   #19
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FA does have great customer service. One of my friends literally snapped the coilover with crazy stance and they replaced it without any issue under warranty. KW customer service is garbage. Their products are okay but they charge 30$ to ship a knob within California which is ridiculous in my opinion. Rebuilds are also 200$+ for each shock which is significantly higher than other brands.

Glad to hear that you enjoy them. FA in general has been known to have too much camber and fitment issues sometimes on more niche platforms. As long its a popular platform, the defects get ironed out over time.
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