[///M3NACE]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

lol epic thread is epic

[u170who]

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

If someone wants to put ebay angel eyes, i say go for it.

Do Amazon Angel eyes count? i put them on yesterday and they suck, but oh well. I'm not trying to light up the road with them. :-)

[u170who]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

And here is another person who installed some DDM coilovers and they failed almost immediately after he installed them. This was the result:

Now this is a real argument. Ouch!

[WesleyC]

Originally Posted by u170who

under 1k (so i assume pretty decent, right?) i am NOT looking to lower, that's partially why i'm avoiding coilovers. I like a ride like butter, but that cuts like a Gingko knife :-)

Look at the Koni FSD. They offer better performance than OEM shocks/struts, but are also designed for comfort. I believe you can use OEM springs with the FSDs (you will probably want to upgrade to the OEM sport springs, though), or you can use Eibach springs which will be better. Eibach springs are lowering springs, but I believe the drop is the most conservative of all lowering springs.

[u170who]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

Look at the Koni FSD. They offer better performance than OEM shocks/struts, but are also designed for comfort. I believe you can use OEM springs with the FSDs (you will probably want to upgrade to the OEM sport springs, though), or you can use Eibach springs which will be better. Eibach springs are lowering springs, but I believe the drop is the most conservative of all lowering springs.

Thanks Wesley. long term durability for both? which one do you think is better? I am afraid of going to sport springs because of the terrible roads i have to drive over in NY. Is there a particular reason to do it? i am satisfied with the handling, and my wife and 8 month old daughter won't let me drive too crazy anymore anyways, lol.

[kamek]

Listen, OP, I'm all for cheaper solutions myself, but I can't say I'd cut corners if my safety were involved. I'm supportive of you taking this daring leap of being the first to put cheap (yes, they're in fact cheap) coilovers on your E9X, but please (and God forbid) if your coils fail on you and (again, God forbid) do some damage to your vehicle, own up to it and post it for the community to see. You'll undoubtedly get flooded with "I told you so" posts, but people need to see the result of cheap suspension mixed with a little bad judgement.

[WesleyC]

Originally Posted by u170who

Thanks Wesley. long term durability for both? which one do you think is better? I am afraid of going to sport springs because of the terrible roads i have to drive over in NY. Is there a particular reason to do it? i am satisfied with the handling, and my wife and 8 month old daughter won't let me drive too crazy anymore anyways, lol.

Koni and Eibach are both top notch companies. You shouldn't worry about any long-term durability issues. I've had Koni Yellows on my car for 10k+ miles and they have been perfect. Eibach springs are stiffer and will offer improved performance over the OEM springs, but if performance isn't your concern, you should be fine with the sport springs. The only reason why I suggest the Eibach or OEM sport springs over OEM non-sport springs is because of possible compatibility issues. I don't know how the FSDs (or any other aftermarket shocks/struts that are meant for lowering springs) will work with the OEM non-sport springs. OEM sport springs are shorter than non-sport springs ( your car will sit ~1/2 lower with OEM sport springs) and are probably a better match. The drop is minimal and you will feel an improvement in the handling of the car.

[longliven54]

adding to the post above. just make sure that if you have a sedan ,get sedan sport springs . coupe sport springs are shorter for rear and will make the car look like it got junk in the trunk
going with koni fsd with zsp springs is a great option. it will absorb bumps better than oem yet sharper handleing. service life is around 40-50k miles and koni can be rebuilt. there is a reason why you dont see many koni products on for sale section and if they do show up, they get sold rather quickly. if you havent got rid of your run flat tires, that will change your comfort level day n night

Originally Posted by u170who

Not trying to argue here, but his post stated he got el cheapo ones and then traded up after it crapped out. He didn't state what the new ones were. Thanks for trying though.

A simple search would have answered your own question...he went with Megan. A huge step up indeed lol budget

[idrift4wd]

Originally Posted by pits200

No offense man but let's use some logic why you're getting judges so harshly.

1.) These aren't a cosmetic mod where if you go cheap to try something there really isn't any harm

2.) You say its your car and you can do what you want, obviously you're right. But you live in ny, what happens if you hit a pothole at 65mph, blow a
shock and take out someone because of these low quality shocks, and no offense they are low quality at that price point, its not speculation its fact.

3.) You say its only 350 but unless you are doing everything yourself its gonna cost you 500 more for install and alignment. Edit: just saw you are installing yourself.

4.) More than likely you're going to slam the car and I'm guessing you couldnt find a $45 camber kit so you're skipping those. You are going to eat through tires like crazy and there goes another unsafe aspect.

Sorry man, I'm not judging , actually I am but if you can't see why people are being harsh to you then oh well. And about being able to afford asts or some higher quality coils. It's like if you were in hs again and passing up a date with a hot girl with a good personality because you want to give the annoying ugly girl a chance because she might eventually become good looking one day. If you can date the hot girl, why wouldnt you?

1. you can say that about any mod. especially with engine mods. Look how many people put cheap DP, intercoolers, intakes. people get flamed for that. If products are at a higher price doesnt mean they are a better product. people run VSFR because its much cheaper then AR. its just pipes. Now i understand how dangerous it might be but honestly the only way things can go "bad" is if the coils some how explode. You guys make it seem like 1000 dollar coils will last forever.

2. Its not like im aiming for potholes. Yes i do live in new york and the roads do suck. so if anything its a more of a stress test for them.

3. allignment shouldnt be more then 100-120. Which is what i would need if I do any suspension mod. So you cant really say that. In terms of comfort im sure springs and struts will be better and may last longer, but its much more expensive, most are non adjustable and some say its still bouncy, thus people moving onto coils.

4. ahh, another person jumping to conclusions. What do you take me for? lol yeah im just gunna slam my car bro, rub and scrap everywhere cause its cool. No, im going to set it to a reasonable equal height. i have a slight incline on my driveway i need to get up. I like to have my tires intact also. Ill try to post pics on highest and lowest setting. people like to see how low coils can go.

people are talking about dude safety man. why do you guys think im going to do 100 mph, hit a bump, coil "breaks", and somehow I crash. what world do you live in? people drive with blown struts all the time. it doesnt make the car any more undriveable. yeah maybe you shouldnt take corners fast but by no means does it make your car just stranded.

i dont mind the hate at all. its expected. I told everyone that ill tell people what happens. I have no reason to hide it. Ill tell you if the ride is donkey shit, ill tell you if something breaks, ill tell who ever what ever they want to know. For some people it may be pretty cool if these last, give a decent ride, and can lower your car to your liking. you can tell me how bad these are going to be and how much danger im putting myself in, but ill take the risk. same risk of running over a nail on the highway without rft.

wesleys picture is so construed. absolutely no info just a picture of a broken coilover and a crashed car. anything can break when you hit a severe pothole...

[WesleyC]

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

wesleys picture is so construed. absolutely no info just a picture of a broken coilover and a crashed car. anything can break when you hit a severe pothole...

It seems like you absolutely refuse to learn anything, even when evidence is shown to you; either that, or you just don't want to accept the facts. That's how it goes, I guess.

Enjoy your new coilovers. Hopefully they are of better quality than other low-cost options. Let us know how everything works out.

[sohcpunk]

Let us know how it goes. I'm curious. Did you mount them yet?

[SE3P_to_E90]

in for reviews.

[R.G.]

OP thanks for being the guinea pig on these
Nice to see information that can actually be useful to others in the future being posted on the boards
Looking forward to hearing more

Tooty Fruity: Hahahaha, your hilarious bro. You should have a e90post podcast

[Techevo]

Originally Posted by u170who

You sound like you know a good deal about suspensions. Could you give me you're opinion? I am looking for the best bang for the buck setup and lowest cost for my '06 e90 non sport with stock springs. I am looking for better ride quality then stock and to maintain the same handling. I am in Brooklyn, NY, so have to deal with severely under maintained streets in one of the richest cities in the world. I also want longevity for the suspension. I am thinking about Bilstein HD shocks while using the stock springs. Watcha think? Oh, and peeps, if he wants to put a crappy suspension, let him, and let us all watch...should be fun, no? What's the update OP? How's the ride and your opinion?

I would 100% go for Koni yellows. I think you would find Bilstein HD too firm for the roads you drive on (which are similar to our crappy British roads!)

I really don't like the internal valving design of Koni FSD's and personally think they are a bit of a marketing product.

The theory sounds ok, but to obtain the ride comfort the damping is compromised in respect that the rebound damping in my opinion is too soft.

I've used Koni yellows and Eibach springs before on an E91and with the Koni's damping set at the midway position, the ride comfort was excellent. Really, really nice, on our bumpy roads!

Another advantage of the yellows is the ability to tailor the setup to your preference. If you fit the FSD's and find them underdamped, you're buggered, with the yellows, you can adjust until you're happy.

The yellows have also been around a long time and are a reliable well proven design which will last years. Again, if after say 5 years the damping softens slightly, you can re-adjust back to how it was.

[idrift4wd]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

It seems like you absolutely refuse to learn anything, even when evidence is shown to you; either that, or you just don't want to accept the facts. That's how it goes, I guess.

Enjoy your new coilovers. Hopefully they are of better quality than other low-cost options. Let us know how everything works out.

Im very stubborn But i do take your comments into consideration. Trust me, im hoping these dont kill me either.

[unrealii]

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

Total weight was around 50 pounds. In terms of quality(visually) id give them a 7/10. they look great, but some welds parts of it just looks poorly welded(ill post pics later).

I would be more concerned of a weld failing over a strut blowing.

You should also corner balance your car when you get it aligned. Coilovers are a precision tool and should be tuned to the car.

[Chris_506]

Originally Posted by Tarty Fruit

Project335i is a straight balla. Always feels the need to shit on everyone else's car and posts.

I guess owning a entry level luxury sedan with some nice wheels has made your head swell up three times its normal size. I see ya bruh no surprise you are from mississauga damn fobs.

true in all counts

[The HACK]

Here's where I have a beef with the whole premise.

A full set of decent sport springs cost ~$200. A full set of decent direct replacement dampers cost ~$400. To me, a reasonable expectation for a height adjustable only "coil-over" should, at the bare minimum, cost around $600 for any manufacturer to have a reasonable expectation to make a very slim profit. So logically speaking, a $350 SET of coil-overs that has any reasonable expectations of being even remotely "quality?" Either said manufacturer is selling the parts at a loss, or some, in fact, A LOT of corners are cut.

While I don't work in procurement, I have worked on the manufacturing side of the automotive aftermarket industry. Just the MATERIAL alone, for a full set of coil-over like this, would likely be in the $80-$100 range. That means, you add in cost of manufacturing and engineering, there's no way in HELL any respectable, fully functional, decently built coil-over should EVER cost $350.

So I suspect, where they cut corners to bring the price down to $350 AND still manage to make a very slim profit, is on engineering, manufacturing, and material. There's a reason why, despite Eibach making probably 90% of all springs sold in the world, it still cost $120-$150 for a simple set of lowering springs. The metallurgy in the alloy used for springs are very specific, to allow it tensile strength without being TOO brittle. Again, while I'm not a chemist or a metallurgist, I can tell you without looking it up, controlled metallurgy like that does not come CHEAP. Sure, you can probably smelt some recycled iron to make the springs for a lot cheaper than say, what Eibach pays for...But do you REALLY think it's going to survive thousands, neigh, hundreds of thousands of stretching and compressing DAILY? If you do, I have a bridge to sell you somewhere in Brooklyn.

Then there's the dampers. Let me just tell you this. When the company I was looking for was looking to purchase a suspension company, I did some research and talked to a bunch of damper engineers. The science that goes into how to build a damper is freakishly complex. There's FLUID DYNAMICS involved. If you ever have a chance to see a set of shocks cut open, you'll be shocked at how complicated the valving is on the shock piston. Here's just a small sample of one SINGLE part of what goes into a shock piston:



It is a work of art, and not something you can just cobble together. So without some real engineering cost that goes into a set of dampers, it is impossible for me to fathom anyone being able to cobble together a set of dampers to mate to some random springs, and package it for sale for $350 and have it be a viable product.

But that's not the real beef I have here. The REAL beef, is someone like OP is probably going to put the suspension on his/her car, and probably has little to NO idea what good suspension is suppose to feel like compared to a bad suspension. Heck, I'll bet he's going to come back here and rave about how his $350 suspension was so much better than stock, how his car is now "slammed" and rides so much better, where in fact he's in no way qualified to make assessment of that sort. Then people are going to say, hey, wait a minute, so-and-so spent $350 for their coil-overs, maybe I should buy it and try it too...Next thing you know, the spring snaps while traveling at 75 mph on a busy highway, killing the poor soul who bought poorly engineered, poorly manufactured, using inferior material suspension based on the OP's unqualified "review" of his $350 coil-over.

Honestly. Anyone here who would think any user buying a $350 coil-over has any real idea what they're doing and is qualified to assess the quality of said coil-over...Well, there's a sucker born every minute I guess. I'm going to give y'all a little analogy. Imagine someone who's dated ugly chicks all his life, having had NO IDEA what real hotness looks like, and all of a sudden Fatsy O'Donnell asks him out for a date and puts out. "Hot damn," he thought, "that was the BEST night of my life and I'm going to go tell everyone Fatsy is the hottest woman I know." Meanwhile, he has no idea Fatsy is actually a tranny. Are you REALLY going to be taking advice from someone like this, or should you be taking advice from, oh, I dunno, someone like John Mayer who's bedded some of the HOTTEST looking women on this planet?

(Actually, never mind. I just scrolled through Mayer's list of conquests and came across the dreaded Armenian Whore.)

[idrift4wd]

^ OK

LOL, ive been in many cars with suspension, spring only, springs and struts, coilovers. hell my brother has a wrx with tein coil w/edfc. i know what a crappy ride is. ive had rides in members cars with kw's, h&r cup kits, stock sport etc.. i can only compare these to my stock suspension because i know how my stock suspension feels like everyday. How exactly do you know how these are? To just disqualify your whole statement.... If i said these were 1000 dollars you wouldnt be saying anything. if you wrote all that to tell me the ride quality is not going to be good then i feel bad for you.

to comfort some. 60 kits shipped zero issues. 3 group buys. a couple threads on bimmerforums. all good there.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1633293

[WesleyC]

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

Im very stubborn But i do take your comments into consideration. Trust me, im hoping these dont kill me either.

Just do yourself a favor and don't drive over any potholes.

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

^ OK

LOL, ive been in many cars with suspension, spring only, springs and struts, coilovers. hell my brother has a wrx with tein coil w/edfc. i know what a crappy ride is. ive had rides in members cars with kw's, h&r cup kits, stock sport etc.. i can only compare these to my stock suspension because i know how my stock suspension feels like everyday. How exactly do you know how these are? To just disqualify your whole statement.... If i said these were 1000 dollars you wouldnt be saying anything. if you wrote all that to tell me the ride quality is not going to be good then i feel bad for you.

to comfort some. 60 kits shipped zero issues. 3 group buys. a couple threads on bimmerforums. all good there.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1633293

Not to bash an entire group of people, but e36 drivers are usually 17 year old kids who don't know left from right. They aren't the most discerning bunch.

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

if you wrote all that to tell me the ride quality is not going to be good then i feel bad for you.

lol

I'm excited to hear a review now. If figured that, at best, you'd only be able to compare these to your stock suspension (as you mentioned), but given that you've had experience with other cars/suspension setups I'm sure you won't be bias in your review.

Good luck with the install!