Standard or sport suspension?
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Look up your VIN on a decoder to see if your 328i has sport suspension option or not. I think it is option code S226A.
Sport suspension has shorter springs. You can buy some good used stock sport springs and convert over if you don't have sport suspension already.
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Sport suspension has shorter springs. You can buy some good used stock sport springs and convert over if you don't have sport suspension already.
After checking a bunch of 1999 328i VINs I finally found one with the sports suspension option code.
226: Sports Suspension Settings
226: Sports Suspension Settings
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Awesome info, thanks! Great info about the sport springs. I'm wondering if it's worth the extra money. It'll probably be another month before I do this so plenty of time for research.After checking a bunch of 1999 328i VINs I finally found one with the sports suspension option code.
226: Sports Suspension Settings
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As far as BMW is concerned, sport springs and dampers should go together.
The sport damping IS a pleasantly bit stiffer. And the wheel travel is lesser,
so there's more preload, in bikespeak.
If you want to go from one to the other, do buy a 'sport' spring
(there are several aftermarket versions, too, with varying degrees of stiffness)
rather than try sport dampers with non- sport springs.
I gotta say, for the 'commuter,' the factory sport suspension is about as stiff as I'd find comfortable-
and I drive racecars to get rid of all of my extra cash that's just lying around...
t
The sport damping IS a pleasantly bit stiffer. And the wheel travel is lesser,
so there's more preload, in bikespeak.
If you want to go from one to the other, do buy a 'sport' spring
(there are several aftermarket versions, too, with varying degrees of stiffness)
rather than try sport dampers with non- sport springs.
I gotta say, for the 'commuter,' the factory sport suspension is about as stiff as I'd find comfortable-
and I drive racecars to get rid of all of my extra cash that's just lying around...
t
PM sent! LOL
Turns out I do indeed have the 226 sports suspension already. Guess that settles that then...After checking a bunch of 1999 328i VINs I finally found one with the sports suspension option code.
226: Sports Suspension Settings
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I did run the idea of an aftermarket kit past my bmw mechanic but he told me not to be stupid
For USA models, yes. Might be different in AU. I don’t think we can directly compare USA and AU optioned cars.
But it does look like I've got standard on mine, according to the readout I linked?
I don't mind, I'm happy with standard height, but I want to order the right stuff from FCP.
It doesn't definitively mean anything either way. People don't always appreciate that the sports, comfort, SE, M-Sport, whatever-the-importer-for-your-market-called-them packages are just packages. Importers would bundled together options the factory would happily fit individually and offered them at a price lower than buying them all separately. (Importers do that partly to help protect residuals and partly so they can order cars before having sold them when demand is quiet) For example, in my market, we had "SE", which came with standard suspension by default, or "M-Sport" , which came bundled with sport suspension, seats, steering wheel, gear knob, 18" wheels etc by default. But it was perfectly possible to option sports suspension on the SE or standard suspension on the M-Sport. And some people did.
I daily drive mine, and I would not want my car any lower or any more stiff than the stock sport suspension, FYI.Turns out I do indeed have the 226 sports suspension already. Guess that settles that then...
I did run the idea of an aftermarket kit past my bmw mechanic but he told me not to be stupid
Good to know. My mechanic told me I would ruin the car and that I don't even get near the limits of the stock suspension
So the million dollar question is, how do you really know what part you have? Get the part out and check the number? Would be good to know without pulling the part out
Coincidentally, I posted the answer to that in an almost identical thread just the other day. By far the easiest way to tell for certain is to look at the coloured paint marking on the springs.
Alternatives are to use a VIN decoder, but that doesn't take into account any retrofits that might have happened in the 15-20 years since the car left the BMW network. Or to measure the ride height, but you'd have to load the car with the appropriate weights in the specified locations and also doesn't take into account worn springs.
He's talking about packages, but S226A on your build sheet shows definitively that you have sport suspension.
That's good advice for the sports suspension cars. If you just replace with identical new parts (springs included) you won't believe the difference. Night and day. I did it a few yrs ago with the sports suspension on the same car as yours. Same Sachs shocks as the kit you've listed and all the goodies.I did run the idea of an aftermarket kit past my bmw mechanic but he told me not to be stupid
Yes, the lack of 226 means no original sports suspension.
To be sure, take photos of the coil spring color markings and look for the thread on here that documents them.
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