[rgol]

Have a '09 e93 335i MSport w/ 70k miles. It is a DD and I put < 10k miles on it annually. Looking to upgrade suspension, possibly a refresh. I am not interested in coilovers or lowering the car too much; not going to track it. Would not mind a small drop in front. It has the m-tech suspension w/ 26.5 mm and 15 mm sway bars installed.

I have searched the forum ad nauseam and it seems that outside of H&R or Eibach, my choices are limited. I have had Dinan suspensions in the past on other BMWs and loved them and it seems that BMW Perf. and Dinan both do not have kits for the e93 convertible, although Dinan has rear springs for the e93 328i which is identical in back.

Would upgrading struts and shocks with my OEM springs, new OEM bushings and SPP front spring perches be a good upgrade? Should I consider an e93 M3 front sway at 28mm? Should I drop runflats too? Do I really need to invest in M3 front & rear parts?

I appreciate your help here. Just seeking a solid value upgrade.

Rob

[tlow98]

Rgol, we need an idea of what you're after in order to help advise you. Do you want a more compliant ride? Do you want less body roll? Are you after better shock control?

[rgol]

Ok, well I am obviously someone who really does not know much about this stuff. I would say less body roll and a more compliant ride. Not looking to increase stiffness so that I feel every crack in the road. I do not care about shock control if that means being able to 'dial in' settings. I guess I would say I want a Stage 1 upgrade to my MSport suspension if that makes sense.

[tlow98]

You know quite a bit it seems. Good to have you on here.

Good to know you're familiar with what Dinan does - their suspensions are typically pretty well thought out.

Less body roll and a more compliant ride would be most effectiely addressed by sway bars and using non run flat tires, respectively. Depending on what you're expecting from your tires (all seasons I'm guessing) you can go michelin A/S 3 for more edge/handling or continental DWS for a slightly more compliant ride.

I would probably start with those couple items and see what you think.

A more impactful upgrade would be to put in some Konis FSD or bilstein B4 shocks. Both are basically stock replacement units with no adjustability, but very high quality units.

The m3 control arms will increase feel and accuracy in the front, but I don't think I'd make that step without new shocks first.

The sways and tires are easy and cheap, low hanging fruit. Cheap to install, etc. you can easily dial it up a notch with shocks, but the install will be appropriately more expensive to go with it.

Overall, the shocks, followed by the tires will have the largest impact.

I wouldn't worry too much about springs if you already have an Msort set up. Further lowering will likely greatly diminish your ride comfort.

[tlow98]

Re-read your last line. Value upgrade.

Bilstein B4 shocks all around. $600ish
Front M3 sway bar $200ish
New tires ~$1000

A Dinan kit would be similar to the above except they would use adjustable Koni yellow shocks. You could of course do this, but they are adjustable and you mentioned you weren't interested in adjustability.

This will have you feeling pretty good I suspect. The m3 parts are great, but I might consider those the next step if you aren't satisfied. There isn't too much overlapping labor charges on those parts vs the shocks either, so you're not missing much potential labor install savings.

[CALWATERBOY]

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Mention of Msport always amusing - primarily eye candy.

Your E93 comes with sport suspension, and Koni FSD's are designed for same, a good fit / highly recommended. Non-runflat tires please, for that feeling of compliance and cornering prowness.

Fix that disconnected rear by installing M3 rear subframe bushings, and easy job with install tool, very noticeable benefit.

E93 has a beefy front sway, but if you wish M3 sway bolts right on, another easy job. Stay away from M3 or other rear sway if no LSD installed.

In fact, don't bother going farther than shocks + rear subframe bushings until LSD is installed - you'll bless the day you got that LSD!

A word about camber: Starting in '06, 335i & 328i were cursed with suspensions designed for runflat tires. That means better efficiency but poorer handling, and when we go to, say, Michelin PSS they roll onto sidewalls under high cornering forces! What to do? Increase camber all 'round to -2.5+ deg - that change in character'll flat put a smile on yer mug, and that smile will stay there. What an increase in cornering comfort and confidence....you won't ever want to go back....you'll handily out-handle other cars, easily and w/o drama....

[Gohan335i7]

Dude, I can't even say anything except, for goodness sake , listen to CalWaterBoy! Period... -Gohan335E90---

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

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A word about camber: Starting in '06, 335i & 328i were cursed with suspensions designed for runflat tires. That means better efficiency but poorer handling, and when we go to, say, Michelin PSS they roll onto sidewalls under high cornering forces! What to do? Increase camber all 'round to -2.5+ deg - that change in character'll flat put a smile on yer mug, and that smile will stay there. What an increase in cornering comfort and confidence....you won't ever want to go back....you'll handily out-handle other cars, easily and w/o drama....

Hey Cal, sort of confused about the camber and how that is related to run flats - are those separate issues? Almost all of the Bmw line up since the 90s has had mild camber set-ups stock that I'm aware of. I understand that the shocks, bump stops and control arms are all engineered to 'soften the blow' of the run flats, but wondering what you meant by efficiency?

Anyway, always looking to learn!

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Hey Cal, sort of confused about the camber and how that is related to run flats - are those separate issues? Almost all of the Bmw line up since the 90s has had mild camber set-ups stock that I'm aware of. I understand that the shocks, bump stops and control arms are all engineered to 'soften the blow' of the run flats, but wondering what you meant by efficiency?

Anyway, always looking to learn!

Camber's related to RFT's in that the suspension was designed for very, very stiff sidewall tires. That resulted in reasonable grip but not great, and delivered a ride that sounds like a rifle shot over sharp bumps/potholes, and many damaged rims! Further, it skips and jumps over bumps, especially when cornering, and is overly firm all of the time. Not inspirational.

M3 has grossly better handling and ride performance - that should be the goal of suspension mods. However, excellent ride comfort, resolution of the rifle shot ride & cracked rim issues, and retention of BMW handling may be had by replacing OEM with Koni FSD shocks. As that doesn't change suspension geometry, increasing camber with softer sidewall non-RFT's results in the unending grip that should have been....the good new is: can be....if you do the work....

[CALWATERBOY]

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Efficiency....RFT's have low rolling resistance.