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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Coilovers vs. Lowering Springs



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      06-12-2020, 02:20 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 213e90n51 View Post
So is M sport already low? Does any one scrape with M sport suspension? Also anyone with B12 eibach kit think its to low for daily and driveways? Also how does it compare to your previous shocks.
I got B12s on xdrive. It works well for me. Itll still scrape on really steep driveways but so far I've only ever scraped twice. One on my friends driveway thats so steep his Corolla scrapes either way, and one on my own driveway when I angled too much. Other than that its still got plenty of clearance imo. Its stiffer/firmer than stock for sure, not as comfortable but it also performs 10x better. Much reduced body roll, more feedback from the steering wheel, better control when cornering during spirited driving, and of course its lower than stock too. Quite a bit lower thsn base and ever so slightly lower than M Sport
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      06-14-2020, 11:19 PM   #24
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My experience & trial as a E90 330i owner for the last 3 years:
- 70% with family on the car, so i care about how passengers affect the ride quality
- on 19" rims
- in Hong Kong ( mixed with good and bad roads)
- milege: 80,000KM

The car first came with Eibach pro kit with OEM strut - front one finger, rear 2.5 finger gap, very comfortable, will bottom out the rear and scap when 5 ppl in the car. Soft cornering.

So I swap to BC racing BR coil-overs (8k 12k ), front zero gap, rear 0.5 finger gap.
First thing first, height adjustable was a big thing to me at that time (now not so much) so i can finally have zero gap and perfect stance, very easy to adjust the damping on top. Played around for 3
months and the front bolt eye top mounts start to create ticking noise, oh not to mention I have to live with the grinding noise during hard cornering on day one. 32 way adjustment is not usable which I can only use the first 10 way from soft, beyond that would be rock stiff for me. Discussed with couple users and concluded the damping ability is the weak points of the BC BR. In fact it is impossible to find the ideal setting. Set it softest is still not comfortable as the eibach setup, especially sitting 3 people in the back is disaster... the dampers fail to absorb the bumps and car would jump up and down... Set it harder, every panels inside would create noise which is so annoying and suffering. I blame the linear springs, yes the handling would be much more responsive -- but only on flat perfect road....

So I sold the BC BR and swap to combo setup after 6 months: Koni yellow + H&R sport springs.
front zero gap, rear 1 finger gap. still very nice stance. The sport springs are still stiff but the koni would absorb much more imperfection of the roads. Loved the OEM rubber front top mount so much, it is quiet and comfort. I set it 1 turn at front and half turn on rear from soft and love it very much, the cornering information i felt is much clearer than the BC BR, and I can drive faster on the bumpy road with now with more confidence now.

During the time, I have tried my friend's car with Bilstein PSS10, it is a very comfortable setup which I believe is due to the super progressive springs ( just look at how close the gaps on the rear few bottom coils). The ride height is relatively low even it is adjustable. Lot more comfortable than my setup, but the corners ability is no match with me since it is much more softer even on the hardest setting. I would say PSs10 is very suitable or a family man. Discard the Pss10 front shocks are known to be not very liable. I might consider to purchase the PSS10 in the future, not too expensive like KWv3 and Ohlin DFV.

After i installed front and rear whiteline sways bar to see how much it would change my car. As many ppl said, installation of the rear bar is pain in the ass. Anyways, the sway changed so much on the corner handling on the car. First thing I notice is how the front sway tighten up the steering wheel. Turn a little would ends up turning much more now. I would say it makes the car much lighter and sharp during corner, which is a interesting feeling you should try. However, it somehow stiffer the left and right suspensions which would twist your car on uneven road. It also instantly stiffened up the car by 10-20%.

Therefor, I Recently purchased the yelllow BMW performance springs, which I hope it would soften the ride up a little.
I would finish the installation this week and will see.


thanks for reading.
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      06-15-2020, 10:22 PM   #25
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I too have the Eibach B12 set up. The Eibach/Bilstein combo provides a firm and compliant ride that is not harsh and does not rub. It is definitely a step above the sport suspension's capabilities.

My only complaint is the stance, which I have never liked. I have never been a fan of the front rake since the front is visibly lower than the rear. In fact, the B12 kit raised the rear instead of lowering it.

To me, this is where coilovers would be ideal so I could "dial in" the exact height that I prefer. I just don't think I can justify the cost for my usage, however.

If I were to do it again, I think I'd go with BMW performance springs with Koni yellows.
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      06-15-2020, 10:38 PM   #26
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I have the B12 pro kit ..if I could lower the front an extra 1/4" it would be perfect.....but the ride quality and hanging makes up for the slightly higher front. I think it still looks pretty darn good.
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      06-15-2020, 11:09 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iqraceworks View Post
I have the B12 pro kit ..if I could lower the front an extra 1/4" it would be perfect.....but the ride quality and hanging makes up for the slightly higher front. I think it still looks pretty darn good.
Supreme Power Lowering Perches will solve that problem.
Lucky for you i have a brand new set
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      06-15-2020, 11:57 PM   #28
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I'm just putting this out there, but you can get the billstein b14 coilovers for dirt cheap right now. $814, multiple vendors to choose from, some even offering further discounts. Something to consider. Not the softest riding setup, if you really want comfort and coilovers you should spring for the KW street comfort. Otherwise just go with with B12 kit.
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      06-16-2020, 10:27 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WantsToBuyA335 View Post
I'm just putting this out there, but you can get the billstein b14 coilovers for dirt cheap right now. $814, multiple vendors to choose from, some even offering further discounts. Something to consider. Not the softest riding setup, if you really want comfort and coilovers you should spring for the KW street comfort. Otherwise just go with with B12 kit.
Where is it at? Ooooh for e90s?
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      07-18-2020, 01:02 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 213e90n51 View Post
Where is it at? Ooooh for e90s?
If you look up the part number: 47-269064 you should be able to find it at a couple of places for that price. Be aware though that it is back-ordered and might take a long time to ship. I've been waiting since May.
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      07-29-2020, 10:59 PM   #31
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I have been running ST coilovers (recommended by a friend) since the beginning of my modding journey...I believe it was in 2013-14? I would have to double check on that. I still have them on. Adjusted the height a couple times mostly according to the steepness of the driveways (moving around) that I have to encounter on a daily basis. No issues with them at all and they are fairly comfortable for a daily driver.
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      07-29-2020, 11:55 PM   #32
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when you guys adjust your coilover ride height, are getting an alignment done? Changing ride height does effect the suspension geometry thus effect alignment. Maybe not enough to need the alignment?
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      07-31-2020, 07:01 PM   #33
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Ok Guys, I've been reading through this thread and hope you don't mind if I jump in here with some questions. I'm new to this forum and new to BMW ownership... I just bought my first one. It's an '08 335xi e90. Both rear shocks are toast and need to be replaced. My plans for the car are: 1. To do some of the more common engine mods to get the engine output to around 400 - 425 whp. 2. Improve the suspension for some light to medium track day use. and 3. To keep it reasonably comfortable for relatively long ( 2k to 2.5k km ) weekend road trips.
I've attached a photo of my car in my driveway and as you can see I'm not really in a position to lower the car... at all. My question is this... should I stay with the original BMW suspension which I believe is Bilstein B4 or equivalent or would stepping up to Bilstein B6 make more sense bearing in mind that I do like to push the car on the track and I love twisty back roads? Do any of you have a better suggestion for some system that will fit my needs? Any help would be appreciated.
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      08-01-2020, 01:20 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xfsjoker View Post
My experience & trial as a E90 330i owner for the last 3 years:
- 70% with family on the car, so i care about how passengers affect the ride quality
- on 19" rims
- in Hong Kong ( mixed with good and bad roads)
- milege: 80,000KM

The car first came with Eibach pro kit with OEM strut - front one finger, rear 2.5 finger gap, very comfortable, will bottom out the rear and scap when 5 ppl in the car. Soft cornering.

So I swap to BC racing BR coil-overs (8k 12k ), front zero gap, rear 0.5 finger gap.
First thing first, height adjustable was a big thing to me at that time (now not so much) so i can finally have zero gap and perfect stance, very easy to adjust the damping on top. Played around for 3
months and the front bolt eye top mounts start to create ticking noise, oh not to mention I have to live with the grinding noise during hard cornering on day one. 32 way adjustment is not usable which I can only use the first 10 way from soft, beyond that would be rock stiff for me. Discussed with couple users and concluded the damping ability is the weak points of the BC BR. In fact it is impossible to find the ideal setting. Set it softest is still not comfortable as the eibach setup, especially sitting 3 people in the back is disaster... the dampers fail to absorb the bumps and car would jump up and down... Set it harder, every panels inside would create noise which is so annoying and suffering. I blame the linear springs, yes the handling would be much more responsive -- but only on flat perfect road....

So I sold the BC BR and swap to combo setup after 6 months: Koni yellow + H&R sport springs.
front zero gap, rear 1 finger gap. still very nice stance. The sport springs are still stiff but the koni would absorb much more imperfection of the roads. Loved the OEM rubber front top mount so much, it is quiet and comfort. I set it 1 turn at front and half turn on rear from soft and love it very much, the cornering information i felt is much clearer than the BC BR, and I can drive faster on the bumpy road with now with more confidence now.

During the time, I have tried my friend's car with Bilstein PSS10, it is a very comfortable setup which I believe is due to the super progressive springs ( just look at how close the gaps on the rear few bottom coils). The ride height is relatively low even it is adjustable. Lot more comfortable than my setup, but the corners ability is no match with me since it is much more softer even on the hardest setting. I would say PSs10 is very suitable or a family man. Discard the Pss10 front shocks are known to be not very liable. I might consider to purchase the PSS10 in the future, not too expensive like KWv3 and Ohlin DFV.

After i installed front and rear whiteline sways bar to see how much it would change my car. As many ppl said, installation of the rear bar is pain in the ass. Anyways, the sway changed so much on the corner handling on the car. First thing I notice is how the front sway tighten up the steering wheel. Turn a little would ends up turning much more now. I would say it makes the car much lighter and sharp during corner, which is a interesting feeling you should try. However, it somehow stiffer the left and right suspensions which would twist your car on uneven road. It also instantly stiffened up the car by 10-20%.

Therefor, I Recently purchased the yelllow BMW performance springs, which I hope it would soften the ride up a little.
I would finish the installation this week and will see.


thanks for reading.
Nice synopsis. Appreciate the impressions.
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