BMW performance sus

[FDM68]

Will be buying a 135i shortly down the road. Please if you have experience give me your opinon on the BMW performance suspension. I've read quite allot on the aftermarket but it's light out there on the BMW Perf Sus due to it's newness. I've driven the M-sport a few times and though I feel it's decient it could improve especially during high speed. As far as what I'm looking at it will be a daily driver, no real track interest, it will be used high speed ( I live in Germany and comute on A62 everyday which where I drive is unregulated) so I desire good road manners. I will eventually be getting the Breyton GTS-R's and will likley stay with 18's and dump the RFT's. Doubtful that I will mod the ECU w/JB etc.... at least for awhile. Deliberating as to get it or go aftermarket. Thanks in advance...

[miamie92m3]

I have it on the 2011 135i coupe we just picked up. I think its great. I can't compare it to a regular sport package suspension because I never drove one. I can compare it to the dinan stage 2 i have on my m3 and I think i like the 135i better. No body roll yet its nice and compliant over bumps. I got it for very cheap through pre order on the car. If I had to install it after the fact proably would have gone with KW V2 since the price would have been comparable. then again its for my wife so I had to find something relatively maintenance free (coilovers would have been a pain to adjust for her) and probably too stiff. I would recommend PS if you are just a street driver and dont plan to track it. It also lowers the car enough to make it look more aggressive but not too much where its rubbing, etc.

[tgxmike]

i put the performance suspension on my 128i because it also included the sway bars. So far I'm loving it. Check out the full review here. http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=383090

I agree with above, DD and light track duty for the PS, coilovers for heavy track time.

[FDM68]

Looks like good news and thanks for your reply's.

[///M1]

Based on what you are looking for, I'd say you would be happy with the BMW PS. If you do eventually plan to do serious track days, you may find it lacking. But it is a huge improvement over stock, and combines comfort and performance. I actually felt the comfort improved on my car, maybe it is indeed better suited for non-RFTs which I have been on ever since I got the car. Search this forum, lots of threads on the matter.,

[miamie92m3]

I would agree the car rides very supple with the bmw performance suspension yet stays flat in the turns. I like it.

[wlm50]

I had the BMW PS installed two weeks ago, along with M3 front and rear subframe bushings. The car is really transformed. I also put on Michelin PS2s (225/245). The ride is fine, and the handling is what I would have expected from the car in the beginning. I'll be taking the car to the track in the next month or so, and we'll see how that goes. So far, I think the PS is an excellent compromise between road and track. Of course, I can't tell how much of the handling is due to the subframe bushings. But I can tell that the wobble in the rear is gone - thank goodness!

[FDM68]

All sounds good and again thanks.

[Alow]

I also have it on my 128i and have been very happy with it. I had the sport suspension and changed to the PS. The ride is just as comfortable, maybe a tiny bit less, but it is much more responsive to driver input.

On some of my favorite roads, if I turned in at the same spot as I did before I installed the suspension, I'd find that I had to unwind the steering wheel to make the same apex. I had to adjust and turn-in later. I gather it is because the car is more responsive and turns in faster, instead of the car taking its sweet time on my steering input. I was pleasantly surprised by this.

Another great aspect is much less body roll. Under hard cornering, the car would not make me feel very confident. It would roll a lot, and I felt uncomfortable pushing it too hard. 0.75g of cornering force was the most I could confidently do on the street. With the performance suspension, under hard cornering the car just sets on the suspension and is firm and stable. Making wonders for my confidence. I have now done 0.91g of cornering force on the street, up to the limit of traction of my tires - squeaaal through the corner (should've gotten stickier tires!!) and I still felt fully under control and the car was firm, stable and responsive. It is not like my track car, but its not intended to be. It delivers very well in this department. I was also pleasantly surprised by this aspect of the suspension.

Squat and dive are greatly reduced, but still there under hard acceleration and braking. But honestly, it is to be expected. If the suspension was firm enough to eliminate it, the ride would not be comfortable for every day driving. So it is more of a "that's perfectly fine, I can live with it" and not a "this sucks".

Another aspect is that if something rattles on your car, it will rattle more. Not a big deal for me, but FYI.

Trouble free, no weird noises or rubbing or anything. Just fun. And you get to keep your warranty.

I am very happy with it for my every day car.

[madostrich]

should I swap out the RFs before considering the PS?

[///M1]

Originally Posted by madostrich

should I swap out the RFs before considering the PS?

Should be the absolute #1 thing you do! No doubt about it!

[old1]

Originally Posted by madostrich

should I swap out the RFs before considering the PS?

Yes, but... Getting rid of the RFT's made a huge improvement in reducing the harshness and eliminating the horrible tramlining of the stock sport set-up, but IMO it worsened the high speed instability. The stock springs are too soft and combined with the softer sidewalls of non-RFT's the car really moved around a lot at speed, especially the rear end, even after bumping up the tire pressures.

I have since installed the PS kit and springs and have found it to be a much better match with the non-RFT's.

[///M1]

Originally Posted by old1

Yes, but... Getting rid of the RFT's made a huge improvement in reducing the harshness and eliminating the horrible tramlining of the stock sport set-up, but IMO it worsened the high speed instability. The stock springs are too soft and combined with the softer sidewalls of non-RFT's the car really moved around a lot at speed, especially the rear end, even after bumping up the tire pressures.

I have since installed the PS kit and springs and have found it to be a much better match with the non-RFT's.

Fully agree with the last statement, seems the PS was designed with non-RFTs in mind.

I found moving to non-RFTs even on stock suspension a win on all fronts. Wet weather (on stock suspension and RFTs) gave me a royal scare (very easy to aquaplane with the RFTs), luckily I changed to non-RFTs only after 2K miles, but even those first few miles was a pain driving on a subpar tire and suspension (being very diplomatic here).

[S54dan]

+1 to most everything said in here!

I haven't found a person unhappy with the setup.. heavy duty track guys are going to be disappointed.. but it's perfect for a daily driver with occasional HPDE/Auto-X days.

[FDM68]

Alow Great write up. One important item is warranty for me. I know I've had my friends M-sport up in the high triple digits and thought to myself "damn my wifes non S Mini tracts better that this!" Quite un-nerving rolling "just say way up there" and the car to me felt like it just couldn't decide exactly where it wanted to keep the tires. I talked to the dealer here and can get the PS plus install for 2K (euro not green backs) which I priced out at 2.4 K current conversion rate. I imagine I can take the happy bits that the PS repleces and sell'em here easy enough to a 128er.

[Alow]

Originally Posted by FDM68

Alow Great write up. One important item is warranty for me. I know I've had my friends M-sport up in the high triple digits and thought to myself "damn my wifes non S Mini tracts better that this!" Quite un-nerving rolling "just say way up there" and the car to me felt like it just couldn't decide exactly where it wanted to keep the tires. I talked to the dealer here and can get the PS plus install for 2K (euro not green backs) which I priced out at 2.4 K current conversion rate. I imagine I can take the happy bits that the PS repleces and sell'em here easy enough to a 128er.

No idea if that's a good deal in Germany, but for a dealer install, that is about average here - Except for Dan and his awesome prices

Just to clarify, I also have non-runflat tyres. Have had them since before I installed the performance suspension.

Also, I think the rear subframe bushings from the M3 would tighten up the rear end a bit more. That would be a very welcome addition to my setup. But honestly, I don't know if I will do it. The PS is such a big improvement from the stock sport suspension; and my car is a daily driver. I may just leave it as is.

[FDM68]

I agree the RFT's cause allot of "bang" my wifes car has them and I an't stand them. Mini/BMW has a knack for specking just the "right" size tires so your stuck with company's they have a throw bock with. With Mini it's Conti's and the only tire for her size wheel comes in RFT's. I also find RFT's slide around, if you will, because of the lack of flex. I know the dealer here well and I have a purpose to get non-RFT's installed prior to pick up.
I figure the deal is fair enough and close to compairable to stateside.

[derekL]

is there any way to get performance suspension without the sway bars?

[///M1]

Originally Posted by derekL

is there any way to get performance suspension without the sway bars?

If you have the 135i sport you don't get a rear sway bar anyhow, just the front. I don't think the dealer will sell you the BMW PS without the front bar and give you a discount, if that is what you are ultimately asking. If you use aftermarket sways, you can alsways sell the front separately.