Not happy with my ///M ride....solutions..??

[Mikey_Boy]

Do take note of Exdos' comments and EXCELLENT thread around suspension - it's a really good read.. I came to the same conclusions as well after driving my coupe for a couple of weeks and saving up to get the suspension sorted as well. It will turn a good car into a great car!!

 

[plowy]

Exdos..... My thoughts entirely... I hear what you guys say about tyres etc but what I'm experiencing is not a tyre issue... I get it the car may feel different and ultimately have better grip on more modern rubber ..not that our road driving habbits are going to identify those differences, we arnt talking 10 seconds a lap here ..!!!!!... The skittish nature of the OEM set up is suspension related .......

 

[plowy]

What are you planning to do Mikey..???

 

[DONDP]

Definitely agree with Exdos. I have been through a few different setups, and have settled on the KW v3 coilovers. They are worth every penny, fantastic on road (even the bumpy stuff) and track.

Happy to give a passenger ride if your local...

 

[Mikey_Boy]

My plan is...

KW v3 coil overs
Rear trailing arm limiter bushes (to stop them flapping around...!)
Front strut brace
New engine mounts
*maybe* uprated anti roll bars, but my mental jury is still out on that one.

Once I have done all this, I will then (and only then!!) consider wheel options. Hopefully I should be able to get away with 19 CSL wheels at that stage..

All good fun!!

 

[BMWZ4MC]

When I bought mine it was on OEM springs. I could tolerate the skittish nature of the car on bumpy roads as it was easily controlled and made life more interesting. In fact it was positively refined compared with my Westfield However, I found that the front end would lift at speeds well in excess of 100mph and the front of the car would wander unpredictably even on smooth surfaces, making high speed driving frankly dangerous. I changed to Eibachs and the car became completely stable at high speed, turned in and cornered more sharply , and to some extent behaved better on bumpy surfaces. However, with 19" CSLs it remains pretty horrible on really furrowed roads. I don't think that any aftermarket springs can make the ride perfect on rough surfaces with OEM dampers, nor do I think that the understeer inherent to the ///M can be removed with this setup - I know I've been trying for a couple of years!
If you want a cheap solution for road use, I would suggest sticking with 18" wheels and swapping to Eibachs. If you have a bit more money and / or plan to track your car, I would suggest aftermarket coilovers.

 

[NeilP]

Important to note however that if OP does go for a set of coilovers that they must be set up appropriately.

Completely different scenario, but straight after having my v2's fitted to my z4c, KW's recommended damper settings were pretty much inline with oem settings. Needless to say adjusting the damping for slightly softer setting has made the car, in my opinion, perfect for fast road use where it otherwise was just passable at best before.

 

[exdos]

Important to note however that if OP does go for a set of coilovers that they must be set up appropriately.

With adjustable suspension the set up is everything. The softer settings are better on public roads (especially at the rear) and the stiff settings are best on track.

 

[DONDP]

My plan is...

KW v3 coil overs
Rear trailing arm limiter bushes (to stop them flapping around...!)
Front strut brace
New engine mounts
*maybe* uprated anti roll bars, but my mental jury is still out on that one.

Once I have done all this, I will then (and only then!!) consider wheel options. Hopefully I should be able to get away with 19 CSL wheels at that stage..

All good fun!!

Nice to see a like minded individual:

KW v3 coil overs - Done
Rear trailing arm limiter bushes (to stop them flapping around...!) - Done
Front strut brace - Done
New engine mounts - Done
*maybe* uprated anti roll bars, but my mental jury is still out on that one. - likewise! Considering the last time I was on track the only real complaint I had was that I didn't have a harness I am not sure I need to fiddle with the setup anymore

However, I am sure I will fold at some point, and if i do go this route do I just get the Z4M spec H&R ones or the thicker e46 M3 ones!?

 

[BonkersBM]

with any luck, i may have to tap you up for your settings exdos. as i am 'hopefully' picking up an m coupe tomorrow, and the KWs are already on order

(Hi All BTW, 1st time poster, been lurking for a while!)

 

[exdos]

with any luck, i may have to tap you up for your settings exdos. as i am 'hopefully' picking up an m coupe tomorrow, and the KWs are already on order

(Hi All BTW, 1st time poster, been lurking for a while!)

Well done! If you need any hints and tips - happy to help!

 

[exdos]

*maybe* uprated anti roll bars, but my mental jury is still out on that one. - likewise! Considering the last time I was on track the only real complaint I had was that I didn't have a harness I am not sure I need to fiddle with the setup anymore

However, I am sure I will fold at some point, and if i do go this route do I just get the Z4M spec H&R ones or the thicker e46 M3 ones!?

Is your concern about tears to the front ARB mounting point? I think my addition of shims under the ARB bracket should address this problem, but only time will tell.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

My plan is...

KW v3 coil overs
Rear trailing arm limiter bushes (to stop them flapping around...!)
Front strut brace
New engine mounts
*maybe* uprated anti roll bars, but my mental jury is still out on that one.

Once I have done all this, I will then (and only then!!) consider wheel options. Hopefully I should be able to get away with 19 CSL wheels at that stage..

All good fun!!

Nice to see a like minded individual:

KW v3 coil overs - Done
Rear trailing arm limiter bushes (to stop them flapping around...!) - Done
Front strut brace - Done
New engine mounts - Done
*maybe* uprated anti roll bars, but my mental jury is still out on that one. - likewise! Considering the last time I was on track the only real complaint I had was that I didn't have a harness I am not sure I need to fiddle with the setup anymore

However, I am sure I will fold at some point, and if i do go this route do I just get the Z4M spec H&R ones or the thicker e46 M3 ones!?

And another:

KW Clubsports with camber / castor plates
RTAB limiter kit
Rogue rear top mounts
Front and rear ARBs (plus shims as per Exdos)

all waiting to be fitted.

I already have CSLs and a front strut brace, and I'm considering one for the rear too. I'll change the engine mounts when I fit a supercharger next year.

 

[exdos]

I already have a front strut brace, and I'm considering one for the rear too.

I have a rear "butt-strut" on my Z3MC but I'm not convinced that the Z4MC needs one because it's not the same semi-trailing arm suspension design.The RTAB limiter kit should effectively do the same or similar job.

 

[mmm-five]

Mine is/will be (Feb/Mar 2014):

• Bilstein B16/PSS10s
• Rogue top mounts
• RTAB limiters or poly RTABs (although I think I might already have poly bushes from a few years back)
• Not planning on a strut brace
• Vibra-Technic engine mounts
• New bushes/mounts everywhere feasible while the car's off the road anyway
• Alcon front calipers with custom brackets (still haven't remembered to get the exact model/spec off my indy) but staying with OE discs which will need renewing too (they'll have over 50k miles on them by then anyway)

 

[DONDP]

*maybe* uprated anti roll bars, but my mental jury is still out on that one. - likewise! Considering the last time I was on track the only real complaint I had was that I didn't have a harness I am not sure I need to fiddle with the setup anymore

However, I am sure I will fold at some point, and if i do go this route do I just get the Z4M spec H&R ones or the thicker e46 M3 ones!?

Is your concern about tears to the front ARB mounting point? I think my addition of shims under the ARB bracket should address this problem, but only time will tell.

Yes exactly that, and if I were to put on the Z4m version that H&R do as a compromise, I am not convinced it would be much stiffer. I have seen a few posts from you Exdos regarding the plate you made. I even have your template you posted saved in my bookmarks

I was also looking into the use of a chemical metal/epoxy weld to fix it in place to add additional strength as I noted some others had doubts about the strength of just bolting it in place.

 

[DONDP]

And another:

KW Clubsports with camber / castor plates
RTAB limiter kit
Rogue rear top mounts
Front and rear ARBs (plus shims as per Exdos)

all waiting to be fitted.

I already have CSLs and a front strut brace, and I'm considering one for the rear too. I'll change the engine mounts when I fit a supercharger next year.

Nice! What ARBs did you go for?

 

[meditek]

Dammit another of these threads where the original poster disappears into the boondocks so we never find out the result.

 

[Z4M-2006]

Dammit another of these threads where the original poster disappears into the boondocks so we never find out the result.

The thread was only started yesterday..

 

[exdos]

Yes exactly that, and if I were to put on the Z4m version that H&R do as a compromise, I am not convinced it would be much stiffer.

The torsional stiffness of an ARB is proportional to its diameter to the 4th power. The OEM front ARB is 27mm diameter (27x27x27x27 = 531441) whereas the H&R front ARB is 30mm (30x30x30x30 = 810000); that's 52.4% stiffer if the drop links are fixed at the same length. If you fix the drop links so that the arm is shorter then you'll get even greater stiffness.