[Darius_E46]

Hi guys, so I purchased this car recently, it's a 2001 330. (Month or so ago I purchased it)

http://imgur.com/N8desrK

It's my first BMW and is in good shape. It's been serviced regularly and all that goodness. I changed fluids, battery, spark plugs etc.

What I *would like* to know is, are there any if at all many good spring/shock combos that will give me slightly better performance cornering wise? As it's a great car I just want to eliminate as much body roll as possible (IF Possible) without sacrificing too much of the ride quality. I know sacrifices will be made in that category but I was wondering if it would be better going full coilover or spring strut combo? As I don't not need a lot of the adjustability that comes with some coilovers. And suggestions will be great!!. Any kind of criticism/suggestions are welcome. I know what I want visually with the colour being what it is so I'm pretty excited on how it'll turn out, I just want to get this stuff outta the way before I start charging the look.

Thanks in advance
-Darius.

EDIT: it's my daily as I have a young family, I already have my weekend warrior. I just want the ability to have some fun when I'm in the car by myself from time to time. I want the extra maneuverability when I'm in traffic too, but I don't want to go 'over the top' of what I actually want as I'm imagining it won't be much.

 

[YoitsTmac]

I have Koni FSD's on Eibach pro kit with a 27mm front sway and my ride is comfortable enough to say it is more comfortable than her Hyundai Elantra. It actually handles big bumps well too and I can handle really well with the sway's contributing to the biggest difference. Tires go such a long way too

 

[Darius_E46]

Ok thanks for the reply il look into it and see what I think. How long have you had them installed for? Was the pricing good for the quality? Do you do much highway or open road driving?

 

[Darius_E46]

What suspension does your car have now? Standard or sport?

I don't think it has the sport option, I read somewhere that they were standard on coupes but optional on sedans 2001 back. Any thing past 01' were meant to come from factory with the sport suspension standard. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTOOD. I have no clue if that's true.

 

[YoitsTmac]

Ok thanks for the reply il look into it and see what I think. How long have you had them installed for? Was the pricing good for the quality? Do you do much highway or open road driving?

8 months
I got them used with low miles for very little money. Still, I'd say so. I personally want something rougher
Not lots but enough. But my highways are butter smooth, sooo it's nice

 

[Gmas]

Have a read through this suspension refresh post:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years

Just reading the first post you'll see his goal was to keep the suspension relatively stock feeling, with a slight performance upgrade. You'll see after installing it all and testing, he comments "I would highly suggest this setup for anyone wanting to keep their car's ride comfortable but still agile"

 

[E46Envyy]

I'm currently running the Bilstein and H&R combo. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a firm ride but yet not too harsh. Theres a couple threads on this specific setup.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assembl...springs-with-bilstein-shocks-struts/29368bsc/

Cheers, Lachlan

 

[YoitsTmac]

Said it once and I'll say it again, a fat sway bar goes a long way for handling without sacrificing comfort. And again, tires too.

 

[vali02]

I have a sedan with sport package. If you have the sport package then you'll have the 3 spoke steering wheel and the leg extension on the seats. I changed all of my ball joints and bushings all around and I'm using Koni FSD shocks. They are surprisingly comfortable. I got them because around Milwaukee the roads are pretty bad. At this point I felt my car had significant body roll so I decided to get the Hotchkis sway bar kit. The body roll on the car is very low now and it handles great! My buddy can't get over how well the car handles and how comfortable it is.

When I was looking to buy my car I remember trying out a car with the bilstein shocks and eibach springs and I walked away from it because the ride was just too stiff over city potholes. With my car I can go over bad roads without a problem.

 

[Darius_E46]

Have a read through this suspension refresh post:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years

Just reading the first post you'll see his goal was to keep the suspension relatively stock feeling, with a slight performance upgrade. You'll see after installing it all and testing, he comments "I would highly suggest this setup for anyone wanting to keep their car's ride comfortable but still agile"

I had a quick gaze over the thread, looks promising il have a proper look later tonight after my son goes to sleep, the amount of variety and such is a bit overwhelming as he stated early on, but with more research and reading up try to narrow it down to my liking.

I'm currently running the Bilstein and H&R combo. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a firm ride but yet not too harsh. Theres a couple threads on this specific setup.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assembl...springs-with-bilstein-shocks-struts/29368bsc/

Cheers, Lachlan

I've heard good things about that particular combo and have looked into it. It was a pretty high contender for what I wanted..we will see tho.

Said it once and I'll say it again, a fat sway bar goes a long way for handling without sacrificing comfort. And again, tires too.

Yeah it looks like a great way to go body roll wise. Still unsure tho as I have a lot more research to do. Tires will be a definite though reguardless, I have 235s all round but I'm gonna change it up a bit depending on what happens.

I have a sedan with sport package. If you have the sport package then you'll have the 3 spoke steering wheel and the leg extension on the seats. I changed all of my ball joints and bushings all around and I'm using Koni FSD shocks. They are surprisingly comfortable. I got them because around Milwaukee the roads are pretty bad. At this point I felt my car had significant body roll so I decided to get the Hotchkis sway bar kit. The body roll on the car is very low now and it handles great! My buddy can't get over how well the car handles and how comfortable it is.

When I was looking to buy my car I remember trying out a car with the bilstein shocks and eibach springs and I walked away from it because the ride was just too stiff over city potholes. With my car I can go over bad roads without a problem.

Yeah I don't have sport suspension lol. Been reading a lot about the hotchkis sway bar kits and they sound a lot like what I'm looking for, a mate has the setup but he's not really happy with it for some reason, (we never went into detail as to why). Il talk to him about it tho.
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Thanks guys, while I see there is a lot of variety and many different routes to go, I think il research more just so I'm sure as I don't really want to waste money and time with something il regret due to poor decision making. I just want to be 100% sure of what I want. Even with all the suggestions coming in and advice etc. I feel like pricing might be quite a deciding factor. With what route I decide to take I want to be able 'to expand' it in the later future MAYBE, when it gets retired from daily to track car.

 

[YoitsTmac]

Yeah it looks like a great way to go body roll wise. Still unsure tho as I have a lot more research to do. Tires will be a definite though reguardless, I have 235s all round but I'm gonna change it up a bit depending on what happens.

I was more so saying that the type of tire compound does a lot rather than the width. I mean surely the width will too, but you would probably need new rims and just picking the right compound from the get go is cheaper.

If you want a suspension you can "grow with," you'll probably want adjustable dampeners. A bunch of people here are happy with Koni Yellows. On the Bilstein side, there's the B6 fully adjustable dampers with a "limited lifetime warranty" which goes a long way in my opinion. That way you can keep it all mushy and soft and stiffen it up for when you're ready to change the attitude of the car. That's the route I wish I took.