[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Little background info:

Car: 2013 335i xdrive, bought CPO last year Oct with 50k km on it. Current km-82k.

I immediately had buyers remorse as I started driving on 401 and DVP (Toronto guys would know) which have quite a bit of undulations and I would notice that there would be a lot of vertical movement, especially on the front end after going over an undulation. It was especially unnerving at high speeds where you would get this sensation of airtime (brief period of total lack of steering sensation,which obviously meant there was no front end grip). This has been referred to as "bounce" in these forums. I honestly did not expect this from a BMW and it was clear to me that this needs to be fixed.I drive my friends e90 325i and it feels like a track car compared to mine, and my car feels like a honda odessey. I once got my ass handed to me by a frickin g37 coupe coz he cought me in a winding section of the highway where I had to slow down to make the turn and he flew past me...embarassing.

I swapped out the runflats which had run their course and were just torture on some bad roads. Few months ago one of my shocks and a rim succumbed to a Chicago pothole and it had to be fixed, BMW replaced the left front strut and the strut mount under warranty. However the bad behavior of the suspension was still there and I started researching shock/springs and coilover options.

KW Streetcomfort came to mind, but was kind of above budget and I read that its only really comfortable with minimum or no drop, and it gets twitchy with further drop. I decided to look into Bilstein struts and i was also hearing good things about AC Shnitzer springs from folks in UK who installed them with great results. Also I realized that Bilstein has a huge history and good reputation for BMW cars.

Then I came across mtenhoven's thread..and I took the leap.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1282356

Initial impressions..Very very satisfied. Should have done this as soon as I got the car.The car drives like a true BMW should..I imagine like a true decendent of e46 and e39 and not a wannabee buick. Must say my front shocks were busted at 80k kms and rears were shot 9 ways to sunday.Wouldnt come back up after compression..would take a good 20 seconds to come back. All shocks I could compress by hand.No wonder there was so much bounce.

Setup actually feels a tad bit more comfortable even though stiffer. You feel imperfections that you didnt feel earlier but feeling is not the same as being bothered by it.You know your car went over a sharp feature on the road but it doesnt bother you.the impact is cushioned.Hope that made sense.The car takes the bigger bumps..manhole covers with much more plushness..you get a whump and you move on..theres no aftershocks.

So far, i feel that this setup has transformed my car and how the road is communicated to me. I will try to explain it:

Earlier: When I hit a bump, the front end would begin its routine,tire goes into the bump,spring compresses from the weight,but during rebound instead of slowing down or resisting the spring extension, the soft damper would allow the spring to rapidly extend back to its position,therefore causing a "bounce" and by the time the front end had settled the rear would have begun its routine and this would prolong the settling routine of the front end. This made the ride really wobbly. I am not sure if this is because my shocks were bad but this isnt acceptable for a car which had 50-60k kms on it and cost 40k CAD.

This wobbly behavior was noticeable everywhere, at slow speeds in parking lots, where you would just rock back and forth.

Now: Its a whole different experience. You actually feel the 4 corners of your car acting independently and not upsetting each other. this is the most noticeable difference after my upgrade. Say you hit a bump on the left, the front left would recover immidiately, the shock would slow down the spring from decompresing/compressing again and then the rear would take it (independently) without affecting the front end.

Highway speeds-turning: I havent driven much on the highway, there were a few bursts on 401, but boy, what a transformation. this is what I expected from a BMW when I bought it. It just sticks to the road as if a giant hand is holding down the roof,you would feel like you are in a toy car a toddler is holding down

When you hit those bumps and undulations I talked about,you will get this sensation that the car sits/squats and slooowly comes back up.Its amazing,you have to feel it.

Its too early to tell,but I think the suspension has improved my braking, it could be because slight nosedive on the stock suspension has been eliminated,which meant the fronts had to do all of the stopping.

I also feel better steering feedback, cant figure out how..but it is there. I havent taken it on the twisties but I can say this:

remember how the rear end was a spectator in the whole process of turning like,on ramps and stuff,,where you feel the rear end is being dragged around..well no more. Its alive!! The rear end joins the party and sticks,making the job of the front end a bit easier. the square setup of 255 PSS helps too I guess.

Here are some pics for those who are on the fence.. First 2 are before shots, Final 3 are after. Suspension hasnt settled in yet, so the drop might be a tiny bit more after a month probably. I need an alignment done too..I will keep you guys updated.

Tires: 255/40/18 Pilot super sports on 18x8.5 with 35 offset.

Before





After

[BimmerFan]

Good review. Your suspension will settle further, but not by a whole lot. I put Dinan springs on less than a couple months of owning the car. I could not stand the stock M-Sport suspension. I now have Koni Yellows ordered. The AFE control sways arrived last night. I can barely wait.

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by BimmerFan

Good review. Your suspension will settle further, but not by a whole lot. I put Dinan springs on less than a couple months of owning the car. I could not stand the stock M-Sport suspension. I now have Koni Yellows ordered. The AFE control sways arrived last night. I can barely wait.

Thanks..is your drop similar to mine? pics?

[BimmerFan]

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...=950978&page=3

[mtenhoven]

Congrats! Great review!

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by BimmerFan

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...=950978&page=3

Thats seems like a tad bit more aggressive drop..maybe 3-5mm or so more.

Originally Posted by mtenhoven

Congrats! Great review!

Thanks to you.You pioneered this setup

Took it for a spin last night and smoked some Audis

I am still blown away. This setup turned my car into a track car lol..The limits went up exponentially and I am just astonished at the speed I am able to carry in turns.

Also the ride is so compliant.Not jarring at all.You feel the imperfections and your springs/shocks reacting/working but you dont feel uncomfortable. Love it.

TBH, before investing in tires in these cars,the suspension needs to be swapped to Bilstein/Konis and ACS/Dinan springs or go full Coilovers. Otherwise its just money down the drain. I am fully appreciating Pilot Super Sports tires now.

[RedKloud]

Originally Posted by T4NZ4NIT3 335i

Thats seems like a tad bit more aggressive drop..maybe 3-5mm or so more.

Thanks to you.You pioneered this setup

Took it for a spin last night and smoked some Audis

I am still blown away. This setup turned my car into a track car lol..The limits went up exponentially and I am just astonished at the speed I am able to carry in turns.

Also the ride is so compliant.Not jarring at all.You feel the imperfections and your springs/shocks reacting/working but you dont feel uncomfortable. Love it.

TBH, before investing in tires in these cars,the suspension needs to be swapped to Bilstein/Konis and ACS/Dinan springs or go full Coilovers. Otherwise its just money down the drain. I am fully appreciating Pilot Super Sports tires now.

Do you have adaptive suspension?

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by RedKloud

Do you have adaptive suspension?

Nope.Standard xdrive suspension.

[RedKloud]

Originally Posted by T4NZ4NIT3 335i

Nope.Standard xdrive suspension.

I don't have adaptive suspension either and really tempted to go this route. TBH the B14 coilovers would cost the same, but I don't want to drop the car that much. Your drop is just perfect.
Still trying to justify the cost on a leased car.

[Bob@NC]

Great review.

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by RedKloud

I don't have adaptive suspension either and really tempted to go this route. TBH the B14 coilovers would cost the same, but I don't want to drop the car that much. Your drop is just perfect.
Still trying to justify the cost on a leased car.

I havent driven a car with b14 but read on the b14 thread..few members found the setup a bit too stiff for their liking.I find this setup more comfortable than stock especially on the bigger bumps.. not the sharper ones where its same as stock.I think B6 with ACS must probably be simillar to the B16 komfort version. So I feel B6/ACS is a bargain..no ride height settings to deal with..more comfort..very very sporty handling..no more float... perfect drop.

I would say upgrading the suspension is still worth it ..even on a lease car..provided you have atleast 2-3 yrs left on it. Trust me when I say..its not the same car anymore. Come to think of it..I was so unhappy..I wanted to pay off the finance early or trade it in and take the loss and I was reluctant to spend on upgrades.Now I am thinking downpipes...tune..borla atak ..guess this setup isnt good for your wallet.

Also..I was anticipating it to be stiff and uncomfortable and thought about swapping out the pilot supersports to the softer pirelli Pzero all season plus to balance it out.But not needed.PSS will stay on.No sacrifices in comfort with this setup.

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by Bob@NC

Great review.

thanks.. 😁 let me know how your setup goes.

[Bob@NC]

Originally Posted by T4NZ4NIT3 335i

thanks.. 😁 let me know how your setup goes.

Will do.

Like you, I find the OEM suspension just too soft and floaty. I want something that's tighter and more controlled.

But, I have concerns about going with Bilsteins, namely a ride that's too harsh for daily driving. You say that you feel smaller impacts more than with OEM, but that it's not uncomfortable. That's my concern; I don't want to get niggled to death with every ridge and crack in the road. I also don't want a ride that is harsh and irritating. Would you mind elaborating a bit more on this and what the B6s are like in this regard as contrasted with OEM?

Also, I like the idea of ACS springs. But, my car is not X drive and it is M sport. M Sport is dropped 10 mm from the base suspension. So, I'd be 10mm lower than you. Maybe more, if X drive sits even higher than base suspension. Do you know if it does? Do you think I'd wind up with too much drop with my M Sport springs? I could just go with B6s and keep the OEM springs, as I'm concerned that the combination of ACS springs and B6s would be too harsh.

[Bob@NC]

Originally Posted by Bob@NC

Will do.

Like you, I find the OEM suspension just too soft and floaty. I want something that's tighter and more controlled.

But, I have concerns about going with Bilsteins, namely a ride that's too harsh for daily driving. You say that you feel smaller impacts more than with OEM, but that it's not uncomfortable. That's my concern; I don't want to get niggled to death with every ridge and crack in the road. I also don't want a ride that is harsh and irritating. Would you mind elaborating a bit more on this and what the B6s are like in this regard as contrasted with OEM?

Also, I like the idea of ACS springs. But, my car is not X drive and it is M sport. M Sport is dropped 10 mm from the base suspension. So, I'd be 10mm lower than you. Maybe more, if X drive sits even higher than base suspension. Do you know if it does? Do you think I'd wind up with too much drop with my M Sport springs? I could just go with B6s and keep the OEM springs, as I'm concerned that the combination of ACS springs and B6s would be too harsh.

Wait, I have this wrong, I think. If I go with ACS springs I'll have the same drop as you, right? My M Sport springs have a 10mm drop, but they'll be gone and no longer an issue, right? Would my drop then be the same as your X drive car?

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by Bob@NC

Will do.

Like you, I find the OEM suspension just too soft and floaty. I want something that's tighter and more controlled.

But, I have concerns about going with Bilsteins, namely a ride that's too harsh for daily driving. You say that you feel smaller impacts more than with OEM, but that it's not uncomfortable. That's my concern; I don't want to get niggled to death with every ridge and crack in the road. I also don't want a ride that is harsh and irritating. Would you mind elaborating a bit more on this and what the B6s are like in this regard as contrasted with OEM?

Also, I like the idea of ACS springs. But, my car is not X drive and it is M sport. M Sport is dropped 10 mm from the base suspension. So, I'd be 10mm lower than you. Maybe more, if X drive sits even higher than base suspension. Do you know if it does? Do you think I'd wind up with too much drop with my M Sport springs? I could just go with B6s and keep the OEM springs, as I'm concerned that the combination of ACS springs and B6s would be too harsh.

B6/ACS is not harsh..uncomfortable or bothersome by any means. Comfort is a very broad term. The stock suspension masked the smaller imperfections on the road but doesnt handle the big bumps quite as well and the ride is very unsettling due to not enough rebound dampening..I explained in my review.Wobbly and bouncy ride.The stock suspension although soft was largely uncomfortable in my book due to not enough dampening.

I think a lot of people have this misconception that always.. soft = comfortable and stiff = uncomfortable.Couldnt be further from the truth.Its a bit more complicated than that.

B6/ACS transmits the minor imperfections to you..it doesnt mask them like the stock suspension.However..I am making a very important point here..you are not bothered by those signals the suspension is sending you because they are nicely damped. Infact you will acknowledge them..kinda like..that was a crack..o that was a manhole cover..etc.So although you are getting more "signals" overall your comfort isnt negatively impacted at all. Mind you I am also running stiff sidewalled Pilot Supersports..you can have even more comfort with softer tires if thats what you like.I wouldnt coz I am happy with the comfort on my setup.If you go back and read mtenhovens thread I was concerned about sacrificing comfort too..but now that I took the leap, I am glad I did as there is no sacrifice in comfort..you actually gain more comfort overall.

Moreover as I mentioned the setup is vastly more comfortable over deeper undulations..manhole covers potholes etc...sharp crater potholes are bad regardless of what setup you run.but there is a drastic improvement with the B6 on bigger hits overall.

I daily drive my car..and comfort is a huge priority for me.My roomate didnt notice a drop in comfort but he did notice that on an on ramp..he didn't get pushed into the seat bolster.. like he is used to.. he used to hold the handlebar on top whenever I got on the ramp at crazy speeds refusing to be deterred by the soft suspension. heck I paid for you BMW.. obay me.. it didnt... Anyways.. he said I shud have done this earlier.This thing corners flat..no more body roll.

B6 is also monotube..and technically superior than twintubes amd lasts longer.

I would go with ACS springs.With B6 the drop is perfect ..do they make that for non xdrive?

Edit: I would like tonadd that I drove my friends 2015 335i xdrive which has the m adaptive suspension and in comfort mode its actually just as communicative in terms of communicating road imperfections but its nicely damped and bigger hits are absorbed well. However my setup is superior to his in sport mode in terms of handling and body roll.Adaptive dampers cant change the spring rates.

[Bob@NC]

Originally Posted by T4NZ4NIT3 335i

B6/ACS is not harsh..uncomfortable or bothersome by any means. Comfort is a very broad term. The stock suspension masked the smaller imperfections on the road but doesnt handle the big bumps quite as well and the ride is very unsettling due to not enough rebound dampening..I explained in my review.Wobbly and bouncy ride.The stock suspension although soft was largely uncomfortable in my book due to not enough dampening.

I think a lot of people have this misconception that always.. soft = comfortable and stiff = uncomfortable.Couldnt be further from the truth.Its a bit more complicated than that.

B6/ACS transits the minor imperfections to you..it doesnt mask them like the stock suspension.However..I am making a very important point here..you are not bothered by those signals the suspension is sending you because they are nicely damped. Infact you will acknowledge them..kinda like..that was a crack..o that was a manhole cover..etc.So although you are getting more "signals" overall your comfort isnt negatively impacted at all. Mind you I am also running stiff sidewalled Pilot Supersports..you can have even more comfort with softer tires if thats what you like.I wouldnt coz I am happy with the comfort on my setup.If you go back and read mtenhovens thread I was concerned about sacrificing comfort too..but now that I took the leap, I am glad I did as there is no sacrifice in comfort..you actually gain more comfort overall.

Moreover as I mentioned the setup is vastly more comfortable over deeper undulations..manhole covers potholes etc...sharp crater potholes are bad regardless of what setup you run.but there is a drastic improvement with the B6 on bigger hits overall.

I daily drive my car..and comfort is a huge priority for me.My roomate didnt notice a drop in comfort but he did notice that on an on ramp..he didn't get pushed into the seat bolster.. like he is used to.. he used to hold the handlebar on top whenever I got on the ramp at crazy speeds refusing to be deterred by the soft suspension. heck I paid for you BMW.. obay me.. it didnt... Anyways.. he said I shud have done this earlier.This thing corners flat..no more body roll.

B6 is also monotube..and technically superior than twintubes amd lasts longer.

I would go with ACS springs.With B6 the drop is perfect ..do they make that for non xdrive?

Got it. Thanks! I think ACS springs work with both xdrive and non-x drive.

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by Bob@NC

Got it. Thanks! I think ACS springs work with both xdrive and non-x drive.

check edit..and good luck

[RedKloud]

T4NZ4NIT3 335i Where did you get the B6 shocks from?

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by RedKloud

T4NZ4NIT3 335i Where did you get the B6 shocks from?

pmd

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

So we have a minor problem..

I noticed yesterday that the gap on my rear drivers side is a little more than rear passengers side. I measured and its about 2 and a half fingers gap on passengers side and 3 fingers plus on the drivers side. I called my mechanic and dropped of the car there,just got a call from him and he said everything seems okay with the installation,springs are properly seated..and bushings too but he agreed there is about a 10mm more gap in the rear drivers side compared to the rear passengers side. Thats a LOT IMO.

I have emailed Ac Shnitzer and sent a pm to Neema from tag where I got the springs from.

left is drivers side,right is passengers side. I doubt its because it hasnt settled yet, Do I have a bad spring? i dont notice anything while driving but it looks odd and I dont think its right for the suspension to be this way long term.

[BimmerFan]

That is quite a difference in gap. My Dinan springs exhibited similar behavior in the beginning, granted not as obvious, but it evened out over a few thousand miles. My left side was about half and inch more gap than the passengers side. Some argue it's because of the battery, but I disagree.

[T4NZ4NIT3 335i]

Originally Posted by BimmerFan

That is quite a difference in gap. My Dinan springs exhibited similar behavior in the beginning, granted not as obvious, but it evened out over a few thousand miles. My left side was about half and inch more gap than the passengers side. Some argue it's because of the battery, but I disagree.

damn..but isnt half an inch about 12mm..so same as mine. I am waiting to hear back from ACS.