California
Hello Everyone,
I'm posting this as when I was looking for similar information I couldn't find it. My situation was I had just recently purchased a 2005 3.0i and the suspension on all 4 corners was blown. While looking for new suspension I was originally going to buy a set of Bilstein B6's but was driven away by the fact that other owners complained that it was much stiffer over stock. The goal for me was to get something that would be close to OEM, can be daily driven without any issues, and can occasionally be taken to the track. I found that my car had the M-Sport suspension package which meant a smaller/stiffer spring. So while looking I found the Koni Yellows. Being a little cheaper at the time than the B6's and having adjustability it felt like a no brainer. After installing them and driving them for over 3k miles here's my feedback:
1.) Ride- Honestly a little more firm than I expected but absolutely tolerable. For me I think the Z chassis in general is less forgiving than an e46 chassis. You'll know you're in something with sporting intent but it doesn't crash or break your back over bumps. On the highway and over smaller bumps its genuinely more comfortable than stock. Now take all this with a grain of salt because I did have blown suspension. Comparing this to my Golf Sportwagen, I would say on a scale of 1/10 the Golf is a 3 and the BMW is a 5. But, when it comes to roads with more dips and cracks, it can be worse. There are moments where it does get a little uncomfortable but nothing severe.
2.) Handling- Is it life altering levels of different? Not really, but it does make quite a substantial difference. Normal daily driving you more than likely won't feel it as much. It was only after taking it on a canyon run where I felt the difference. The car doesn't heave back and forth as much under throttle and braking. Bumps seem to upset the car less and the car is willing to rotate more. The best improvement is with braking and turn in by far. The car can handle harder braking without becoming unsettled. It genuinely made the biggest difference for me. And the turn-in is much improved. The car enters and stays flat through most corners. One thing I will note is that the car still does get a little unsettled when going quickly over rough patches. I didn't want to get lowering springs, but I might just have to in order to stiffen it a little more.
3.) Would I buy it again?- This really fluctuates on the person but for me personally, I would buy it again. I do wish there was compression adjustment rather than rebound adjustment but having any adjustment at this price point is honestly impressive. I haven't fully tweaked the suspension to what I want but, it's getting better for sure. If you are buying these for your Z4 I cannot recommend the Rouge Engineering rsm enough. They make the rear shock incredibly easy to take off and put on. And since there is no external adjustment for the rear shock you really need that piece. Or else you'll have to deal with removing all the trunk pieces every time you want to adjust it. My goal for this car is for it to be my daily driver that can handle autocross/light track days. I'm sure this suspension can handle the track and I can't wait to go, but comparing the price of all the parts I paid (koni shocks, new mounts front and rear, new bump stops, reinforcement plates, etc) I could have easily gotten a set of entry-mid level coilovers. Specifically ISC V2 N1 coilovers. If you want an oem plus suspension this is 100% without a doubt one of the best bang for your buck kits you could buy. If you're looking for an incredibly drastic difference and you want the most racecar feeling thing, then I would definitely try the coilovers.
(P.S. If anyone has a good recommendation for lowering springs I would love to hear it. Currently looking at either Eibach or Vogtland but don't know how the latter would fare on harder drives. Thanks for reading!)
I'm posting this as when I was looking for similar information I couldn't find it. My situation was I had just recently purchased a 2005 3.0i and the suspension on all 4 corners was blown. While looking for new suspension I was originally going to buy a set of Bilstein B6's but was driven away by the fact that other owners complained that it was much stiffer over stock. The goal for me was to get something that would be close to OEM, can be daily driven without any issues, and can occasionally be taken to the track. I found that my car had the M-Sport suspension package which meant a smaller/stiffer spring. So while looking I found the Koni Yellows. Being a little cheaper at the time than the B6's and having adjustability it felt like a no brainer. After installing them and driving them for over 3k miles here's my feedback:
1.) Ride- Honestly a little more firm than I expected but absolutely tolerable. For me I think the Z chassis in general is less forgiving than an e46 chassis. You'll know you're in something with sporting intent but it doesn't crash or break your back over bumps. On the highway and over smaller bumps its genuinely more comfortable than stock. Now take all this with a grain of salt because I did have blown suspension. Comparing this to my Golf Sportwagen, I would say on a scale of 1/10 the Golf is a 3 and the BMW is a 5. But, when it comes to roads with more dips and cracks, it can be worse. There are moments where it does get a little uncomfortable but nothing severe.
2.) Handling- Is it life altering levels of different? Not really, but it does make quite a substantial difference. Normal daily driving you more than likely won't feel it as much. It was only after taking it on a canyon run where I felt the difference. The car doesn't heave back and forth as much under throttle and braking. Bumps seem to upset the car less and the car is willing to rotate more. The best improvement is with braking and turn in by far. The car can handle harder braking without becoming unsettled. It genuinely made the biggest difference for me. And the turn-in is much improved. The car enters and stays flat through most corners. One thing I will note is that the car still does get a little unsettled when going quickly over rough patches. I didn't want to get lowering springs, but I might just have to in order to stiffen it a little more.
3.) Would I buy it again?- This really fluctuates on the person but for me personally, I would buy it again. I do wish there was compression adjustment rather than rebound adjustment but having any adjustment at this price point is honestly impressive. I haven't fully tweaked the suspension to what I want but, it's getting better for sure. If you are buying these for your Z4 I cannot recommend the Rouge Engineering rsm enough. They make the rear shock incredibly easy to take off and put on. And since there is no external adjustment for the rear shock you really need that piece. Or else you'll have to deal with removing all the trunk pieces every time you want to adjust it. My goal for this car is for it to be my daily driver that can handle autocross/light track days. I'm sure this suspension can handle the track and I can't wait to go, but comparing the price of all the parts I paid (koni shocks, new mounts front and rear, new bump stops, reinforcement plates, etc) I could have easily gotten a set of entry-mid level coilovers. Specifically ISC V2 N1 coilovers. If you want an oem plus suspension this is 100% without a doubt one of the best bang for your buck kits you could buy. If you're looking for an incredibly drastic difference and you want the most racecar feeling thing, then I would definitely try the coilovers.
(P.S. If anyone has a good recommendation for lowering springs I would love to hear it. Currently looking at either Eibach or Vogtland but don't know how the latter would fare on harder drives. Thanks for reading!)
Attleborough, Norfolk