Track coilovers

[sjh00u82]

I know this subject has no doubt been covered a million times, but I thought I would just play back my research and see if I had missed anything or anyone could add to the below.

I am looking to put some coilovers on my Z4M track car project. Car will mainly be used for track days but will get driven to the track, so some element of road capability is needed.

I used to have HSD Mono-pros on an E36 M3 and while they were very adjustable, you pretty much had to take them off the car to adjust them and they had really poor corrosion resistance.

Therefore I am looking for corrosion resistant, easy to adjust when on the car, track day suitable coil-overs. From what I have managed to read up on the options are;

Bilstein pss9 – Sensible money, easy to adjust on the car, but need separate camber plates. Not sure if these are too road orientated?

KW Clubsport – Good reviews on track plus stainless steel but reports that very hard to adjust on the card and 2 way adjustment puts me off slightly.

Intrax 1k2 – Great reviews, easy to adjust on track but serious money and not sure if they make them anymore for the Z4.

Nitron R1 – Very little info using them but a good write up but crazy money

BC’s – Decent for what they are, but putting sub £1K coilovers on a ~£20K performance car feels like the wrong balance.

Currently leaning towards the Bilstein’s unless I come across a cheap set of Intrax going second hand. Have I missed anything?

 

[Beedub]

i went with clubsports, such a top damper, i love mine. Fairly teeth rattling, but definitely well damped, car literally feels like its on rails. The quality of the actual damper is top notch and a quick wipe and they look brand new thanks to the innox SS bodies. NVH is increased substantially due to the solid uniball mounts, ( i went with R.E reversed rear mounts that are also a much better design ). This platform with a good damper will blow your mind!

 

[Argenta]

KWV3, can't go wrong there either.
Although, I must stress the orignal front bumpstops are too short, best use a pair of Bilstein (etc) stops.

 

[TomK]

KWV3, can't go wrong there either.
Although, I must stress the orignal front bumpstops are too short, best use a pair of Bilstein (etc) stops.

Spring rates are too soft really plus he'd need to buy camber plates, so I don't see any point in ordering v3s at all.

If it were me I would be going 1k2. Clubsports I have are ok but not great imo and a faff to adjust.

 

[Ed Doe]

I have Intrax 1k2, bought a new set in ~Feb 22.

They certainly are easy to adjust!

Speak to Martin Hollands at MS Motorsport, he'll see you right

there's another gent floating about on here who also has a set - he's arguably done more mileage than I have, but yeah they're certainly decent!

 

[Argenta]

Spring rates are too soft really plus he'd need to buy camber plates, so I don't see any point in ordering v3s at all.

Maybe for a trackrat, but for daily use + occasional trackday (which I think was the case) on my car -2deg camber is enough (no camber plates) but we also have the option of washers at the bottom strut mount, can get more than -3 deg. Makes the top mount adj. window [-1 to -3deg] etc.
Springs are perfect on tracks like Nordschleife (which they're made for), sure for Silverstone they'd be too soft, I get that.
Faff to adjust, yes, especially rear left if you haven’t made a custom hatch for it.

I do think the (too short) bumpstops are a bigger issue, as the front dives much deeper than OEM levels, which of course upsets the rear. To the point the diagonal rear wheel almost lifts from ground, as the suspension travel’s shortened on the Z4M (compared to E46 M3). Easy fix tho.

 

[Beedub]

As noted from tomk, i have the original clubsports and the adjustment is painful..... i have them set to the KW nurburgring settings which works well for me! if i were to do it again.... id still choose the clubsports ( they are not cheap at all looking at todays pricing) but my car is very much a clubsport build, not an out and out track beast like some of the members on here.
My first track session is booked for may and its a sprint circuit scene which ive grown up with and love. Will definitely be at donny this year and hopefully silverstone as like to finish off my semi slicks. Was out of action for a last few years with an unexpected sickness and my driving skill with this car had massively dropped to the point where it actually frightened me and i felt completely out of control / borderline dangerous on my first track outing of 2022.

 

[TomK]

Maybe for a trackrat, but for daily use + occasional trackday (which I think was the case)

Not what he wrote.

Car will mainly be used for track days but will get driven to the track

-2deg camber is enough

It's nowhere near enough imo for a normal circuit if you're driving fast, unless you fancy killing your front outside left all the time

but need separate camber plates

Here's my front left I took off a few days ago with -3.5deg, I could do with more but the tower top needs some cutting to allow access to the bolts if I go further. Another advantage of the camber plates is also that you can knock it straight back to -1 or so for the drive there/home, takes a few mins.

 

[Argenta]

Thats odd, my AR-1's wear very even..?
I wouldn't say I don't push them.

Then again, my car is pretty low & doesn’t lean very much

 

[TomK]

Thats odd, my AR-1's wear very even..?
I wouldn't say I don't push them

I wouldn't say it is odd, it is a function of driving quite technical clockwise circuits. Any track prepped M3 will be running -3.5 at least for exactly this reason.
Driving on the ring is an entirely different proposition and I'd have no doubt -2 would suffice.
It's not a tyre thing either, here's my last set of AR-1s...maybe you need to try harder

 

[mmm-five]

Look exactly like the Cross-Climates on my Alfa 147 JTDm after 6 laps of the Ring

...although in that car it went dry-line, wet-line, grassy-line most of the time!

 

[Mikey_Boy]

I have Intrax 1k2, bought a new set in ~Feb 22.

They certainly are easy to adjust!

Speak to Martin Hollands at MS Motorsport, he'll see you right

there's another gent floating about on here who also has a set - he's arguably done more mileage than I have, but yeah they're certainly decent!

Yep - that’s me! I bought Intrax 1k2’s last year and have done a few track days on them. Pretty epic honestly and worth the cash. Bilsteins are also a good option, KW well built but a PITA to adjust. My coilover journey can be found in my thread on here.

Martin Hollands is your man for Intrax coilovers, a genuinely super guy!

 

[Ed Doe]

I have Intrax 1k2, bought a new set in ~Feb 22.

They certainly are easy to adjust!

Speak to Martin Hollands at MS Motorsport, he'll see you right

there's another gent floating about on here who also has a set - he's arguably done more mileage than I have, but yeah they're certainly decent!

Yep - that’s me! I bought Intrax 1k2’s last year and have done a few track days on them. Pretty epic honestly and worth the cash. Bilsteins are also a good option, KW well built but a PITA to adjust. My coilover journey can be found in my thread on here.

Martin Hollands is your man for Intrax coilovers, a genuinely super guy!

We're overdue an update on your car mikey, get that thread updated!

Seconded too re Martin - super chap, very patient and knowledgeable!

 

[sjh00u82]

Thanks for all the info. I spent las night re-reading all the threads.

I think it is down to Bilstein or Intrax for what I am looking for. I will see how the other costs come in before committing one way or the other.

 

[AndyBeech]

Thanks for all the info. I spent las night re-reading all the threads.

I think it is down to Bilstein or Intrax for what I am looking for. I will see how the other costs come in before committing one way or the other.

Can only comment on the Bilstein PSS10's but I would imagine the Intrax are quite a fair bit better on track. As a kind of fit and forget, good on road and certainly useable on track I've enjoyed the Bilstein's so far plus easy to adjust without any faff.

 

[Vanne]

Intrax by far.. though if Penske made custom sets for the front for not insane money, i would have gone with those to match up my rear set. Thirding Martin.. super knowledgeable guy

not sure where Billies (had them on the car pre conversion) fit in, but sure as s**t not in the Intrax, KW CS /JRZ/MCS crowd.

 

[sjh00u82]

Thanks All, on a related note. What camber plates is everyone using. Spent last night searching the internet and it turns out, there aren't that many available in the UK. The Nitrons come with camber plates although I need to check if the rears are true coilovers or not.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I second KW Clubsports for regular track use. I bought KW camber plates when I got mine.
They are a bit of a faff to adjust, but it can be done without removing the wheels (albeit this is made easier at the rear by jacking up the side being adjusted).

 

[Ed Doe]

Intrax come with camber plates

Apologies for the rubbish photo, I can't find any others right now but they are fully camber and caster adjustable.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Ed, that’s spectacularly clean! Mine look like this, but they were fitted 9 years and 40k miles ago!