Help me unpimp ze ride. 2010 BMW 135i. I'm old, it's too low and the ride sucks.

PseudoSport wrote: I also have Eibach Pro Kit springs and Bilsteins B8's on my 2010 135i and its very harsh for a daily driver. It's possible the front is dropped too much without enough spring rate to keep it off the bumpstops. My car is roughly 1" lower then stock and the B8's have internal bumpstops. I haven't decided if I'm going to try stiffer springs or go back to stock. Incase you are looking at other springs the common rates for the E82/135i are: BMW M sport (stock 135i) = F 120/R 350 lbs/in. Eibach Pro Kit F 148/R 456 Eibach Pro Street 134 - 271 lb/in (Progressive) R 456 lb/in (Linear) Dinan = F 144/R 490 Cobb = F 148/R 457 BMW performance = F 160/R 420 Swift Spec-R springs = F 201/R 503

What you described "...possible the front is dropped too much without enough spring rate to keep it off the bumpstops" seems to be exactly what is going on. It also almost seems like my fronts have sagged further over time, as the car is lower than most I've seen pictures of with claimed similar setup. My stock sized snow tires are tucked up in the fenders now.

4cylndrfury wrote: Let us know if you decide to take a crack at correcting the ride, and what you end up with. Your thread suits my interests

I've considered a few options, and at this point it seems that I need to change the dampers to something like a Koni SA to get a softer ride than the Bilsteins. That doesn't help the fact the car is low/soft in front though, so then I'm looking at ditching the setup entirely and swapping springs as well. The alternate piece meal option would be to find a stiffer coil better paired to the current Bilsteins, but the effects of stiff+stiffer probably don't give me the net results I'm after either.

Since aesthetically I don't want to go all the way back to stock, and it's a slippery slope of buying another full set of springs/dampers, right now the most appealing option I'm looking at is the KW "Street Comfort" line of coilovers. They're around $1,600.

http://www.modbargains.com/kw-street-comfort-coilovers-2008-1-series-18020039.htm

More money than I initially wanted to spend, but being able to dial in the ride height perfectly is appealing. Plus they're rebound adjustable similar to the KW V2's, but with a softer linear spring rate.

Everybody who I have read who bought them for their car on purpose for a street application loves them. My thinking is that improving handling through the M3 control arm camber improvements, and M3 rear subframe bushings are a big improvement on these, while leaving the spring/shock towards the softer end will give a better touring car to eat up miles. I imagine some time spent corner balancing the car and dialing in the rebound would net a car that's more "real world fast" than many ill fit over-damped brick suspensions.

What about stock 128 springs? How different are those?

If you this is a daily driver being driven on Michigan roads, you want OEM. You need suspension travel to deal with the pot holes. You need ground clearance for snow. You need components that will last in the annual MDOT salt bath. How do you think the KW coil-overs are going to stand up to MI road salt? My guess us not that well.

Type Q wrote: If you this is a daily driver being driven on Michigan roads, you want OEM. You need suspension travel to deal with the pot holes. You need ground clearance for snow. You need components that will last in the annual MDOT salt bath. How do you think the KW coil-overs are going to stand up to MI road salt? My guess us not that well.

They're stainless bodies so I'd imagine they'll hold up fine. I've run stainless Koni coilivers on a previous car for multiple winters with no ill effects. I usually lather them up a bit with anti-seize to keep the exposed threads coated.

I understand that most people wouldn't want to deal with lower than stock in snow, but I've always managed just fine with proper tires.

Within reason, lower is fine. Just make sure you have enough travel + spring rate to keep it from bottoming out on crappy roads. As you go lower, go stiffer. And don't be afraid to experiment with bumpstops. Bigger, squishier bumpstops can help (they'll engage earlier and more progressively so it doesn't bottom out harshly).

And make sure the springs and shocks are decently matched, as it'll ride crappy if they're not. Too soft springs on shocks valved for stiff ones can ride terribly. I've seen it cause weird wiggles, as the compression damping was over-done enough that the tires would squish before the suspension.

I hate KW's. Worst coilover setup I've ever used and crappy warranty policy to boot.

Every set of Bilsteins I've ever owned were harsh, definitely not a fan. On the other hand, I put a set of Koni FSDs on my 2012 Cooper S this winter, and it to say it transformed the car is an understatement. No longer does it crash over bumps and move around at speed. For a street car, I'd rate them above the Koni Sports in most aspects. Turn in is even better than with the stock sport suspension, and not it goes over most road imperfections without skipping the front end. I only wish I had tried these earlier.

I'm a bit shock sensitive and these are probably the biggest shock change to a street car I've ever experienced.

docwyte wrote: I hate KW's. Worst coilover setup I've ever used and crappy warranty policy to boot.

Gah. Anecdotal? Why?