Suspension upgrades?

M

msportpanda

Member
Hi All,

Hoping for a bit of help and advice if possible please.

I've owned my MR for just over 3 years now and ticked past 115k, as far as I'm aware it's on all original suspension (aside from the RTABs that I was advised to do in the first year of ownership).

It's primarily a road car and I also drive in a city with harsh speedbumps and horrible surfaces for the most part, can anyone advise me on a non coilover based upgrade solution to improve the ride quality & handling (if such a thing exists).

Also aside from springs and dampers, what can I be doing to improve ride/handling? I've currently got the following list:

- Lemforder front arms
- Lemforder rear arms
- Roll bar bushes
- RTAB done
 
Don't dismiss coilovers. Some allow you to maintain OEM ride height and offer better compliance than OEM. The only non-coilover solution other than OEM is the Bilstein package which lowers the car, reducing wheel travel and ability to deal with speed bumps.

Other than that, refresh all moving parts: front arms, balljoints and lollipop bushes, RTABs and upper/lower rear axle-carrier bearings. That should tighten things up nicely. To go the whole hog, refresh subframe and diff bushes.
 
I’d suggest KWs if the budget allows, not cheap but new OEM springs and dampers are not cheap either!!
As already mentioned, front lower arm rear bushes, anti roll bar bushes and drop links along with front / rear top mounts. Sticking with the OEM wheels and tyre sizes will also help.
 
I've run many different setups but my opinion is that a refreshed OEM suspension + good tires are the best setup for a street car. Many owners picked up these cars secondhand, or in general forgot how a "new" factory ride feels. And considering how many people still scrape their bumper, I think the factory ride height is low enough even from an aesthetic POV.

On my prior MR, I did a full refresh at 40k, which consisted of:
- new struts/shocks
- new strut mounts
- upper strut bearing
- front upper & lower spring pads
- sway bar bushings
- rear bump stops
- rear upper & lower spring pads
- front lower control arms
- rear trailing arm bushing

Some of the above items were perhaps overkill but at same time, the parts didn't cost that much more and fell in the camp of may as well replace while I got everything apart. And of course I did some minor upgrades which I considered were best bang for buck

Minor upgrades:
- CSL front sway bar
- Turner camber bolt kit
- Rogue Engineering rear shock mounts
- 12mm front, 15mm rear spacers (purely aesthetics but the fronts helped offset the effects of the camber bolt kit)

So I basically replaced everything minus springs and subframe bushings. All of those upgrades, coupled with a fresh set of Michelin PSS (yes, I still opted for PSS over PS4S due to price), the MR handled amazing with a perfect balance of sport and comfort. Yes I felt bumps in the road but it wasn't anything jarring. I imagine this is what Hammond felt like during his review against the Cayman many years ago.
 
Just want to add, many of the items above were OEM (e.g., Lemforder) as opposed to BMW genuine so price wasn't too bad. Not sure about about across the pond, but in the states we have few sites now offering 'lifetime warranty' where any parts can be replaced for "free" (via store credit) even after normal wear n tear. My maintenance expense budget has come down significantly over the years (e.g., on my 3rd set of free CSL/ZCP rotors)! So full refresh may not be as costly as you think if you go with OEM + sites like FCP Euro. I wonder if any UK vendors offer similar policies since shipping back to states wouldn't be the most economical option for folks here.
 
Dubbedown said:
I've run many different setups but my opinion is that a refreshed OEM suspension + good tires are the best setup for a street car. Many owners picked up these cars secondhand, or in general forgot how a "new" factory ride feels. And considering how many people still scrape their bumper, I think the factory ride height is low enough even from an aesthetic POV.

On my prior MR, I did a full refresh at 40k, which consisted of:
- new struts/shocks
- new strut mounts
- upper strut bearing
- front upper & lower spring pads
- sway bar bushings
- rear bump stops
- rear upper & lower spring pads
- front lower control arms
- rear trailing arm bushing

Some of the above items were perhaps overkill but at same time, the parts didn't cost that much more and fell in the camp of may as well replace while I got everything apart. And of course I did some minor upgrades which I considered were best bang for buck

Minor upgrades:
- CSL front sway bar
- Turner camber bolt kit
- Rogue Engineering rear shock mounts
- 12mm front, 15mm rear spacers (purely aesthetics but the fronts helped offset the effects of the camber bolt kit)

So I basically replaced everything minus springs and subframe bushings. All of those upgrades, coupled with a fresh set of Michelin PSS (yes, I still opted for PSS over PS4S due to price), the MR handled amazing with a perfect balance of sport and comfort. Yes I felt bumps in the road but it wasn't anything jarring. I imagine this is what Hammond felt like during his review against the Cayman many years ago.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that’s incredibly helpful. Agreed I just scraped the front bumper this morning!! I’d prefer to keep it at its current height.

If you felt a difference at 40k then I’m sure I’ll feel it quite substantially! How long did you feel that it stayed at an acceptable level for?
 
msportpanda said:
Dubbedown said:
I've run many different setups but my opinion is that a refreshed OEM suspension + good tires are the best setup for a street car. Many owners picked up these cars secondhand, or in general forgot how a "new" factory ride feels. And considering how many people still scrape their bumper, I think the factory ride height is low enough even from an aesthetic POV.

On my prior MR, I did a full refresh at 40k, which consisted of:
- new struts/shocks
- new strut mounts
- upper strut bearing
- front upper & lower spring pads
- sway bar bushings
- rear bump stops
- rear upper & lower spring pads
- front lower control arms
- rear trailing arm bushing

Some of the above items were perhaps overkill but at same time, the parts didn't cost that much more and fell in the camp of may as well replace while I got everything apart. And of course I did some minor upgrades which I considered were best bang for buck

Minor upgrades:
- CSL front sway bar
- Turner camber bolt kit
- Rogue Engineering rear shock mounts
- 12mm front, 15mm rear spacers (purely aesthetics but the fronts helped offset the effects of the camber bolt kit)

So I basically replaced everything minus springs and subframe bushings. All of those upgrades, coupled with a fresh set of Michelin PSS (yes, I still opted for PSS over PS4S due to price), the MR handled amazing with a perfect balance of sport and comfort. Yes I felt bumps in the road but it wasn't anything jarring. I imagine this is what Hammond felt like during his review against the Cayman many years ago.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that’s incredibly helpful. Agreed I just scraped the front bumper this morning!! I’d prefer to keep it at its current height.

If you felt a difference at 40k then I’m sure I’ll feel it quite substantially! How long did you feel that it stayed at an acceptable level for?
Click to expand...

It was probably closer to 45k since I bought the car at 42k and I waited a few months before doing the upgrade. And if I'm being honest, I could've probably stretched it out another 10-15k before it got really bad. But mileage isn't always the best measure since every car is driven differently. And depending on how long you've owned the car, these things are never that super obvious because you've grown so used to it and it's a slow degradation.

For me, it was more apparent only because I had good frame of reference. My prior BMW was a 2013 135is in which I was the first owner. And when I took the MR on my favorite backroad, I was surprised that the 135is handled so much better. Granted the 135is was upgraded with BMW Performance & Dinan suspension bits but the handling difference wasn't even close. The MR had sloppier steering, felt more floaty during undulations, and less planted in the sweepers. Again, if I'm just going A to B, I could've stretched the original suspension longer but this was a weekend car. So felt pointless to buy this car if I couldn't drive it spiritedly with confidence.

I know I'm in the minority here but I cannot stand the Bilstein B12 package. I seriously considered it on my prior cars but after test driving others with that setup, I knew to stay far away. It looks great and performs well when the road is smooth as glass. Add the slightest road imperfection and it absolutely ruins the ride. Anyone that says it takes bumps better than stock is in denial lol.

After upgrading the MR with all new bits (OEM + upgrades), the car felt as good if not better than the 135is in every regard. And that car was no slouch either (m3 control arms, m3 FSB, BMW PS springs, Dinan shocks & camber plates).
 
Also full disclosure, I eventually upgraded the MR to a set of Ground-Control coilovers the following year. But that was only because I missed lapping days. But I eventually pulled those off 2.5 years later when I decided to go back to a coupe. And for a while I had the pleasure of owning both a MC and MR but the MR with refreshed oe bits was my car of choice on weekends.
 
msportpanda said:
Hi All,

Hoping for a bit of help and advice if possible please.

I've owned my MR for just over 3 years now and ticked past 115k, as far as I'm aware it's on all original suspension (aside from the RTABs that I was advised to do in the first year of ownership).

It's primarily a road car and I also drive in a city with harsh speedbumps and horrible surfaces for the most part, can anyone advise me on a non coilover based upgrade solution to improve the ride quality & handling (if such a thing exists).

Also aside from springs and dampers, what can I be doing to improve ride/handling? I've currently got the following list:

- Lemforder front arms
- Lemforder rear arms
- Roll bar bushes
- RTAB done
Click to expand...

It's a very minor thing, but currently new BMW front control arms are a bit cheaper than the Lemforder arms from EuroCarParts. Check the prices from Sytner before you buy.

You can also fit a thicker rear spring pad and a front suspension spacer to maintain close to stock ride height with Eibach springs. They are both part of the BMW poor road package for the E46, but should fit the Z4M too.
 
Checked again today when looking for Christmas presents for my MC. The Lemforder arms are 40% off for the next 8 days at EuroCarParts, so get an order in :D
 
I just put new front coil overs and rear suspension on my 2008 E85 that I’m very happy with. They are from https://www.maxpeedingrods.com. The only thing is that’s on the E85, the installer must install the back suspension from the top down in order for them to fit and then you have to use spacers on both the front and back.
 

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It definitely makes sense to me that improvements when replacing suspension can be attributed at least in part to new versus worn components.

Having said that, although I've not experienced a car on brand-new OEM suspension, reviewers writing in 2006-7 had the same criticisms that I noted when I first acquired my car on used OEM suspension. Most notably, a strange disjointed feeling between the front and rear which I attributed to a rear end that was too stiff/overdamped versus front end being too soft/underdamped. Given people driving the cars when they were new had noted these issues, I feel it's likely that the problem isn't just wear and tear.

Many coilovers are too stiff for the road, but not all. I opted for BC coilovers, one reason for which being that BC openly publish their spring rates and offer buyers a choice of rates. No other coilover manufacturer does that, and neither do Bilstein or BMW. I'm fairly sure that BC coilovers on default rates are more comfortable/compliant than brand-new OEM, and can be specified even softer still if desired.
 
TrackMyZ said:
I just put new front coil overs and rear suspension on my 2008 E85 that I’m very happy with. They are from https://www.maxpeedingrods.com. The only thing is that’s on the E85, the installer must install the back suspension from the top down in order for them to fit and then you have to use spacers on both the front and back.
Click to expand...
My Z4 came with Max's Pedo Rods already installed and they needed setting up as for some reason they were on 2 from hardest setting for the damping and after 2,000 miles of driving seem ok and I'm able to throw it about a bit and it doesn't vear off into the hedge!

I think for normal driving they fine but if you start doing a lot of track days you may notice bit of difference.

I was unsure of them until I watched this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta_O63tJ4nE and now I'm fairly happy with them.
 
I am planning to adjust the front three turns. Also considering adding a different wheel width on the back to bring the rear tighter.
 
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