[filhotran]

Hello,

I am planning to do a suspension refresh/upgrade in the next few months because I'm approaching 100k miles on my 2008 335i. I don't want to spend too much money because this is just a non-tracked daily driver, but I still want to have a few upgrades and a bit more fun.

A few things I have in mind are:
- Solo-Werks S1's
- M3 front control arms
- Shock mounts

Really any coilovers or strut/spring combo would work, I'm just looking for increase in performance without spending too much money...I'm also not looking to lower the car too much or anything. Is there anything else that I should be adding to my list of replacing as far as suspension? If anyone has suggestions to where to put my money and what parts and products to get, then please let me know. I hope this gave y'all a good feel to what I am looking for. Reliable performance OEM+ on a budget.

[lowrydr310]

I'm sort of going through a similar process. I want to upgrade and despite all my reading I still haven't decided on what to do with.

Bilstein B12 kit sounds great but I'm not sure if that's overkill for my needs. It's not too expensive and includes new springs, but B4 struts/shocks are less half the price. I think the B4s are the best option for "OEM+ on a budget."

I did recently refresh my struts with a set of B4s (bearing was binding on the one side's mount so I just replaced both struts with new mounts) and it seems to be a good improvement over the worn out original struts that had 130K on them, but I'm still thinking about upgrading. I had previously made comments elsewhere that these still feel "harsh" but that's not actually true. They're harsh in the sense that my car isn't as comfortable over rough roads as a Lexus ES350, but they don't rattle my teeth and seem to do a great job soaking up dips. I suspect it's the 35 series sidewall on the tires contributing to that roughness on bad roads more than anything.

Just as I was about to buy the B12 kit I started reading more about the Koni Yellows and how they may be better for daily driver duty, so I'm still undecided however since I just replaced the struts I may leave them alone for now and just replace my rear shocks to match, and also install the M3 control arms.

[F13.KENN]

I have the solowerks s1 coilovers. Love them. Nice and sporty but comfortable enough for daily driving. Have maybe 20k miles on them now. Just bought m3 control arms so cant comment on those just yet.

Highly recommend the solowerks though if youre on a budget & not going for some kinda crazy coilover setup. They are the same exact thing as KW V1 but just different color and different metal used for the shock/strut cylinders

[filhotran]

Originally Posted by SCHWARZ_E92

I have the solowerks s1 coilovers. Love them. Nice and sporty but comfortable enough for daily driving. Have maybe 20k miles on them now. Just bought m3 control arms so cant comment on those just yet.

Highly recommend the solowerks though if youre on a budget & not going for some kinda crazy coilover setup. They are the same exact thing as KW V1 but just different color and different metal used for the shock/strut cylinders

Will they lower your car a lot? I'm not looking to lower my car so I don't really want it to give me too much of a drop.

[aphael]

koni yellows are probably one of the best shocks for under 1k, pretty good valving, decent adjusters and good choice of what kind of springs you want. Since you want to stay close to stock ride height, I would definitely recommend these.

theres no evidence that the solowerks are the same thing as a kw v1, you are thinking of the ST coilovers which use galvanized steel instead of stainless steel. The Solowerks might be produced in the same factory as KW but could use different materials, shocks, damping profile, etc...

The only way to tell is through a dyno test, of course which KW hides even though there aren't really any secrets from a dyno plot. to OP: I have the KW v3 and you can raise the height to pretty much oem level.

[F13.KENN]

Originally Posted by aphael

koni yellows are probably one of the best shocks for under 1k, pretty good valving, decent adjusters and good choice of what kind of springs you want. Since you want to stay close to stock ride height, I would definitely recommend these.

theres no evidence that the solowerks are the same thing as a kw v1, you are thinking of the ST coilovers which use galvanized steel instead of stainless steel. The Solowerks might be produced in the same factory as KW but could use different materials, shocks, damping profile, etc...

The only way to tell is through a dyno test, of course which KW hides even though there aren't really any secrets from a dyno plot. to OP: I have the KW v3 and you can raise the height to pretty much oem level.

Talked on the phone with a Solowerks employee about the fluid/materials used. Same fluid and everything, different materials for the cylinders. From what i heard, they used to work for KW and are a sister brand of KW or something

[F13.KENN]

Originally Posted by filhotran

Will they lower your car a lot? I'm not looking to lower my car so I don't really want it to give me too much of a drop.

They are adjustable. Can probably have them set close to stock ride height, or higher.

Im maxed as low as i can go in the rear and tuck a littlee bit of tire with -2.2* camber. Havent touched the front since i installed them and it came out perfect. Close to flush and doesnt rub

Edit: added pics to show ride hight i have. Front and rear can be raised quite a bit from what i have now

[filhotran]

Originally Posted by aphael

koni yellows are probably one of the best shocks for under 1k, pretty good valving, decent adjusters and good choice of what kind of springs you want. Since you want to stay close to stock ride height, I would definitely recommend these.

theres no evidence that the solowerks are the same thing as a kw v1, you are thinking of the ST coilovers which use galvanized steel instead of stainless steel. The Solowerks might be produced in the same factory as KW but could use different materials, shocks, damping profile, etc...

The only way to tell is through a dyno test, of course which KW hides even though there aren't really any secrets from a dyno plot. to OP: I have the KW v3 and you can raise the height to pretty much oem level.

What springs would you recommend with koni yellows?

[filhotran]

Originally Posted by SCHWARZ_E92

They are adjustable. Can probably have them set close to stock ride height, or higher.

Im maxed as low as i can go in the rear and tuck a littlee bit of tire with -2.2* camber. Havent touched the front since i installed them and it came out perfect. Close to flush and doesnt rub

Edit: added pics to show ride hight i have. Front and rear can be raised quite a bit from what i have now

They look great, thank you for the pictures! They'll probably be the ones I go for because of what you get for such a low cost.

[Yotaismygame]

Solo werks sound like your jam. I have never heard they are the same as the KW V1's but yes Solo werks is part of the KW family. I talk about this and provide evidence in the review thread.