[avivienni]

Sorry for the repost*
Hey guys, a few months ago around mid October, I bought a 2009 E93 335i. I love the car and everything about it is great. My issue however is that the previous owner, rather than buying lowering springs, decided to just cut the springs instead. Because of this the car is extremely uncomfortable over imperfections in the road like cracks and small holes. My question is what suspension should I get to be a little lower than stock ride height while also being fairly comfortable still. I’ve seen on a couple forums that Bilstein and Koni are good options but I thought I’d get some input before making any decisions. I’m willing to buy whatever is necessary, shocks, springs, bushings etc as long as it’s worth it. Any help is appreciated thank you! P.S. the car doesn’t have M Sport suspension.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by avivienni

Sorry for the repost*
Hey guys, a few months ago around mid October, I bought a 2009 E93 335i. I love the car and everything about it is great. My issue however is that the previous owner, rather than buying lowering springs, decided to just cut the springs instead. Because of this the car is extremely uncomfortable over imperfections in the road like cracks and small holes. My question is what suspension should I get to be a little lower than stock ride height while also being fairly comfortable still. I’ve seen on a couple forums that Bilstein and Koni are good options but I thought I’d get some input before making any decisions. I’m willing to buy whatever is necessary, shocks, springs, bushings etc as long as it’s worth it. Any help is appreciated thank you! P.S. the car doesn’t have M Sport suspension.

Too many options and everyone will have a different opinion for you! Just check archives and start coming to a decision. If the car is a daily, I recommend not dropping any more than sport springs. I'm just conservative in that. Lower means you're dragging the front end on everything plus it's a bit of a hassle it get in/out. It looks great though, especially with some wheel spacers. But if it's a DD, sport springs with some basic Bilsteins or Konis are pretty hard to beat.

Check out Strut Monkey... he builds up the kits so they are super easy to install: https://www.strutmonkey.com/store/c2..._3-series.html
I bought sport springs with Konis, and am quite happy with them! Will need another set for the new car sooner rather than later, will go back for some more!

[avivienni]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Too many options and everyone will have a different opinion for you! Just check archives and start coming to a decision. If the car is a daily, I recommend not dropping any more than sport springs. I'm just conservative in that. Lower means you're dragging the front end on everything plus it's a bit of a hassle it get in/out. It looks great though, especially with some wheel spacers. But if it's a DD, sport springs with some basic Bilsteins or Konis are pretty hard to beat.

Check out Strut Monkey... he builds up the kits so they are super easy to install: https://www.strutmonkey.com/store/c2..._3-series.html
I bought sport springs with Konis, and am quite happy with them! Will need another set for the new car sooner rather than later, will go back for some more!

I appreciate the help 🙏 I looked at other forums as well and they seemed to say about the same stuff you said. Only difference I noticed was that people recommended Eibach Pro-Kit Springs instead of sport springs. The kit is $249 and it gets me a drop of about 1.3 - 1.5 inches which I think is perfect for a daily.

[lowrydr310]

I have a 07 335i E93 and I installed Bilstein B4 shocks and struts a few months ago. They're horrible on this car. I don't know if they're under dampened or defective but they're really bouncy and sloppy over rough roads and very soft over big dips, I even had the front bottom out a few times. So my recommendation would be to avoid those, at least for the E93.

I have the same exact part numbers on my 330i (E90 sedan; Bilstein and all vendors list the same parts for both platforms) and they're absolutely amazing on that chassis. For some reason they just don't work well on the E93, it feels like a totally different car.

Are you certain your car doesn't have M-sport suspension? I thought all E93 335i cars came with that but I could be wrong.

Once I tackle some more preventative maintenance on this 335 (brakes, water pump, thermostat, and heater hoses) next up is swapping those relatively new B4s for something else, perhaps Koni sport? They're adjustable which is a huge benefit. B12 or B14 seem like a great value but I would like to test drive a car that has them before I'd commit, or least hear some reviews from trusted forum members who have them.

Since you want to ditch the cut springs, you will need new springs anyways so you should look into coilovers or even a pre built kit that includes springs like the Bilstein B12. However I am really interested to hear if anyone's used the B12 or B14 kits on a E93 335i. My concern is that they're all listed as compatible, which they are, but don't take into account the significant weight differences between the sedan and convertible.

[avivienni]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

I have a 07 335i E93 and I installed Bilstein B4 shocks and struts a few months ago. They're horrible on this car. I don't know if they're under dampened or defective but they're really bouncy and sloppy over rough roads and very soft over big dips, I even had the front bottom out a few times. So my recommendation would be to avoid those, at least for the E93.

I have the same exact part numbers on my 330i (E90 sedan; Bilstein and all vendors list the same parts for both platforms) and they're absolutely amazing on that chassis. For some reason they just don't work well on the E93, it feels like a totally different car.

Are you certain your car doesn't have M-sport suspension? I thought all E93 335i cars came with that but I could be wrong.

Once I tackle some more preventative maintenance on this 335 (brakes, water pump, thermostat, and heater hoses) next up is swapping those relatively new B4s for something else, perhaps Koni sport? They're adjustable which is a huge benefit. B12 or B14 seem like a great value but I would like to test drive a car that has them before I'd commit, or least hear some reviews from trusted forum members who have them.

Since you want to ditch the cut springs, you will need new springs anyways so you should look into coilovers or even a pre built kit that includes springs like the Bilstein B12. However I am really interested to hear if anyone's used the B12 or B14 kits on a E93 335i. My concern is that they're all listed as compatible, which they are, but don't take into account the significant weight differences between [...]

I’m not sure if all E93s have M sport suspension that’s new to me. What I meant to say was I don’t have the m sport package which I thought was the requirement to get that suspension. And thanks for the heads up on the B4 a few people recommended it but I know to stay away now. Also are coilovers as comfortable as my other options? Comfort is the biggest thing for me, if u have any coilovers u recommend I’d definitely love to see em.

[dmatre]

As with everything in life, the best costs more.

I’ve had Koni Soort/Eibach on my E90 for a couple of years now, and it’s a great trade off of firm ride/control and livable drivability over distances.

Cost was the deciding factor for me, as my car is only part of my financial picture.

If your situation is different, and cost is less of a factor, then I would check into Ohlin coilovers. The have some type of black magic that allows the car to be BOTH more comfortable AND more controlled …. but at a higher cost.

While others recommend Bilstein B6/B8, I find them far too harsh at lower speeds for long-term everyday use. They do smooth out considerably at higher speeds, but most of my driving was 45mph or less - so Bilstein was a no-go for me.

[iqraceworks]

I have the Bilstein B12 ProKit on my car (around $900). It comes with the B8 struts, and Eibach Sport Springs. My car didn't have the oem sport suspension on it, and the Eibach springs lowered it around 3/4". Like others have mentioned, the B8 shocks ride pretty firm. On flat nice pavement, they are awesome...the car feels great, and it handles amazing.

On rough country roads.....it makes you wish the shocks were a little softer, but it's not unbearable.

Overall, I'm very happy with the B12 Prokit. It rides nice, didn't cost a fortune, and gave the car a nice stance without being so long that you have to worry about tires rubbing or dragging the car over speed bumps.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by avivienni

I’m not sure if all E93s have M sport suspension that’s new to me. What I meant to say was I don’t have the m sport package which I thought was the requirement to get that suspension. And thanks for the heads up on the B4 a few people recommended it but I know to stay away now. Also are coilovers as comfortable as my other options? Comfort is the biggest thing for me, if u have any coilovers u recommend I’d definitely love to see em.

I don't have any recommendations for coilovers. I'm actively searching myself. The B14 kit sounds nice but I want to hear from E93 owners. I'm leaning towards keeping my original springs and pairing them with Koni Sport (yellow, adjustable.)

My understanding of coilovers is that they're more geared toward performance and not comfort, but there are some kits that manage to find a good balance.

Eibach+Koni has a lot of reviews on this site (but not many E93s) Read around here a lot and maybe call Eibach directly for springs - make sure that whatever suggestion you get takes into the account the extra weight of the E93.

A quick search of the KW coilover kits on their website shows that they have a different part number for the convertibles than the sedans/coupes so that's promising.

[mainbearing]

Some members use Strut Monkey. They will assemble the front struts and help you pick out all the needed parts. they may be able to offer you some advice as well.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...58&postcount=8