[osunick]

A few months ago I picked up an E93 335i, partly because I thought it would be fun to have a convertible that the entire family fit in, and partly because I found one with every option except for the Style 230 wheels. (Yes, including ACC and Active Steering)

This car was mint, being a one owner California car that was always garaged, but it did have 120K miles on it and some questionable RE050a RFT's. Dampers had seen better days, so I did two things. First, PS4S tires, and I will tell you that I would love to see a review of an E92 M3 on modern tires because they have moved on a lot. No single upgrade is better, not the M3 control arms, or even a Quaife LSD are better than just putting state of the art tires on your car. Ride was better, grip was amazing, and just a huge upgrade all around. Dampers were still shot though, lots of bounce over speed bumps and slight undulations on less than perfect pavement.

There's been some discussion on B6 vs B8 Bilsteins on factory sport suspension. I went with B8 and it seems like the right choice as ride height seems the same a stock. Handling isn't. The dampers do a great job of balancing ride comfort with body control and grip, and as an added bonus they are inverted like a GT3 or a rally car, for extra volume and stiffness. Nice bonus for under $1K. Highly recommended, you'll still have a comfy GT car, just one with proper body control.

[bluewater328]

Been deciding on Koni adjustables vs B8. Nice to see the input.

That said, shocks/struts should never adjust ride-height (unless they are part of coilovers). All they do is dampen the oscillation speed up/down. Springs (or coilovers) are the main thing that plays into ride-height.

[osunick]

Originally Posted by bluewater328

Been deciding on Koni adjustables vs B8. Nice to see the input.

That said, shocks/struts should never adjust ride-height (unless they are part of coilovers). All they do is dampen the oscillation speed up/down. Springs (or coilovers) are the main thing that plays into ride-height.

You are right for the rear, not for the front. Struts are coilovers, we just don't call them that. Just because the perches aren't adjustable doesn't mean they can't be in a different place, or the actual assembly could be shorter.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by osunick

You are right for the rear, not for the front. Struts are coilovers, we just don't call them that. Just because the perches aren't adjustable doesn't mean they can't be in a different place, or the actual assembly could be shorter.

I would agree. Though as a practice, I haven't noticed any aftermarket McPherson struts ever change the ride height (vs oe) without making it an adjustable "coilover." Not with any reputable brands anyway.

[osunick]

Pretty common for lots of Koni applications to have 3 spring perch settings to adjust ride height on the basic performance dampers. Many hondas have a front strut/rear coilover with a split ring on the shock body that lets you move the steel perch.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by bluewater328

I would agree. Though as a practice, I haven't noticed any aftermarket McPherson struts ever change the ride height (vs oe) without making it an adjustable "coilover." Not with any reputable brands anyway.

Pretty common for bilstein mono tubes to raise the ride height because of their high gas pressure. They effectively raise the spring rate.

Trade offs.