Billstein PSS10.

 

What does suspension have to do with modding fenders? That's a wheel offset issue. But I concur - Bilstein's PSS series.

 

yes. its all depended on the type of spring you go with, along with a few other variables.

linear springs offer one spring rate throughout their compression -- not recommended for street (but many of us, including myself, use them on the street)
progressive springs have different spring rates as the spring compresses, as it compresses they become stiffer -- much better for street use.

 

I have bilstein PSS series and they are great for daily driving. A little rough over some of the less paved or well traveled roads but for the majority of the time they are great.

 

I have ST coilovers, daily drive my car and think they strike a nice balance between sport and comfort. They're KW V1's without the stainless steel bodies, which might not be the best if you drive on roads that are regularly salted. I have heard many good things about the PSS10's as well. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the lower you set your ride height, the more you're going to feel the road imperfections. Also, make sure you budget for wheel spacers, camber plates and adjustable lower control arms so you can get your alignment back in spec

 

Anyone know if you need to buy new dust tubes/bump stops with the regular PSS system?

 

Comes with:
front struts+springs
dustboots
bump stops
rear springs with perches
rear struts with dust boots and bump stops

To install these you need:
new front strut mounts (or camber plates)
new rear shock mounts
washers for between strut mounts and struts
spacer up front depending on your offset

You don't "need" the parts i listed but I would advise it because 99% of the time if yours are original, they are broken or will break quickly. I would recommend replacing front control arm bushings at least with the kit as well.

 

I was looking into the coilover install kits from ECS Tuning. They're in Ohio so I get a lot of my parts from them. These come with hardware, how necessary is that? Also the front strut reinforcement plate? Lastly, do you use OEM spring pads with this kit?

Thanks man!

 

yea I would get the bolts they offer and the reinforcement plates if you don't already have them. There's two sets, front and rear. The upper spring pads fit but the lowers did not based on the ones I had so I had to cut them up a bit but I got it to work.
Those suspension bolts shear off about 30% of the time so it's a gamble.

 

Lastly! How necessary are camber plates/adjustable control arms if I'm not going to be dropping it down that much?

 

I don't have them and my set up is near perfect as far as alignment goes. I forgot to add one thing to the list though: adjustable sway bar end links, these are a must for coil overs. My car isn't slammed though, just a little aggressive .

 

Looking into these endlinks...it seems pretty clear you only need 1 to remove preload from the swaybar. So it would be much less of a hassle to just buy the 1 from Turner, rather than a pair from ECS?

 

Bilstein PSS (LINK) are a fantastic DD set up. Just to add to the options, several of my guys are singing the praises of the FK Konigsports (LINK) and SilverLine Plus X (LINK) coilovers in the mix as well they both feature Koni adjustable shocks to help you dial the ride in just how you like it.

Camber arms and camber plates, well if you're going for a mild drop these aren't usually needed. The stock suspension has a decent range of adjustment from the factory to allow it to be pulled back in spec. They are never a bad idea, but they aren't 100% necessary.

-James

 

Thanks James, I'll check those out!

I just bought a '04 330Ci with ZHP package last Nov. It came with KW coilovers (I think they are the street ones). It was very low, so I had it raised a bit to about stock height so I didn't have to worry as much about scraping. The coilovers made noises when I bought the car, so I don't know how old they are since they were put on 2 owners ago.

From my past car experiences I understood that coilovers are more likely to wear out/make noises than a good spring/strut combo unless you buy the higher end coilover kits. Bilstein would fit that bill.

I am going to start browsing for a good strut/spring combo because I'm tiring of the groaning noises...

That's interesting because KW should be at about the same tier as Bilsteins from what i've read. I know plenty of people swear by KW. They're even about 300 bucks more for the V1's than Bilstein PSS. Sounds like they may just be getting old!

 

I just bought a '04 330Ci with ZHP package last Nov. It came with KW coilovers (I think they are the street ones). It was very low, so I had it raised a bit to about stock height so I didn't have to worry as much about scraping. The coilovers made noises when I bought the car, so I don't know how old they are since they were put on 2 owners ago.

From my past car experiences I understood that coilovers are more likely to wear out/make noises than a good spring/strut combo unless you buy the higher end coilover kits. Bilstein would fit that bill.

I am going to start browsing for a good strut/spring combo because I'm tiring of the groaning noises...

 

you should always match your end links. To hook the 2nd one up, just compress the strut with a jack underneath the hub and lift it up until you can fit the links. Ideally you would want to do both sides at the same time but you can do one then the other if you are in a driveway

 

I've had the best ride setup in 2 previous BMWs (both e30s), one was a cabrio daily driver and the other a track car... the coilovers from Ground Control are matched spring rates that you decide (they can help you) and in my cabrio, i could have it lowered so far that a sideways can of soda couldn't fit under it, yet it drove so smooth, that when i drove over (the old time parts of town) brick (as in red bricks) roads, my cd-player wouldn't skip..in fact, it only skipped when i would get this car mildly airborn on some parts of the freeway i could manipulate (for fun)... the car(s) have never bottomed out and have always performed flawlessly. they do take a few months to settle down, but after my first install, I really like them.
on the cabrio, i ran 350/500 rates, and for the weight ratio, that was perfect. but call them and talk to them and afaik they all drive BMWs and know first hand how their stuff works and feels... I told them i wanted my first set for 'spirited street' driving and summertime auto-cross style, and also, a side note, i used Tokina illumina (i know, cheapo) shocks...but they all worked great.... I do recomend Koni's these days though... if you can afford them, they're the best.

so, without further a due
try this link here to see what they have for the e46... i will be going this route in a few months if you want to wait for me to complete it before you buy it... if you're in the seattle area, you can drive it too... but it won't be till around June/ July this year

ps, they are also completely awesome when it comes to replacement parts too.. I lost my tool, and they shipped me a brand new one free of charge. also, the rings never got damaged on my track car even after constantly messing with them over and over... imo, for a few hundred bucks, ground control is the leader and also has a lifetime guarantee too.

also, I have the 2002 325ci with sport suspension as well, and if we calculate the price we can sell our sport springs for, it makes their kits very affordable.

hope this helps.

 

BTW I have my PSS10 set to 2 (2nd softest). I'm not sure where PSS would be on that scale. I know their expensive remote control model switches between 2 and 7 equivalent.

 

since were on the topic of coilovers spring rate, whats the best spring rate to get for a DD and occasion tracking?

 

Our wagon, er touring has been on an Eibach pro-street coilover setup for about 100K miles now. Car has 156K on it total. Previous suspension was the stock sport suspension.

Compared to the sport pkg shocks and springs, it's definitely stiffer, but not so much as to be annoying. It's a daily driver friendly combo that has worked well for a bunch of miles. The shocks are actually made by Sachs to Eibach's spec in order to match their spring rates.

I'd love to upgrade to a Bilstein coilover one of these days, but until I see some degradation in performance from this setup, it's going to stay on the car!

No special endlinks required, no camber plates, just knock out the placement pin on the strut bearing mount and you'll be close to -1.0* camber. The rears are at about -1.5*, but even stock, there's about -1.0* already.

 

The stock rear is actually -1.9, removing the front placement pin was good for -1.5 which is just about perfect for me.