When to replace your suspension? 2003 2.5L

K

Kore

New member
Hi gents, I've been following the two big Z4 forums since I bought my car 4 months ago. I've got it here in Berlin Germany, and thankfully thanks to the very German ownership, it's been taken care of fairly well.

One thing I already know about these cars is the suspension wears out pretty fast and you need to replace the struts (and sometimes the springs) of the car. But one thing I can't feel, because I just don't have enough experience with this vehicle, is if the harsh ride of the car (very bumpy and stiff chassis feeling) is it because my struts are blown out, or is it just the ride of the car?

Is there an easy way to tell, or to test this so that I can figure out if I clearly need new struts to fix the issue? What I really don't want to happen is for me to replace the struts and the ride quality is the same (Just as stiff). All comments and suggestions are welcome.

2.5L 2003 with 134,000 km
 

Attachments

  • 20210331_173806.jpg
    20210331_173806.jpg
    258.9 KB · Views: 323
when I bought my first E85 3.0i, it was 3 years old and I was close to selling it because I found the ride too harsh. if you want a softer ride I'd suggest going for adjustable suspension so that you know you'll get what you want to the money spent.

weirdly, I've just bought a 17 year old E85 3.0i and the suspension doesn't feel as firm. that might just be because it isn't my daily this time so doesn't annoy me so much.

NB: i think both cars had the sports suspension option even though they were SEs so that's not the difference.
 
My 2.2 was a real crash/bang ride when I got it, replaced all arb bushes and drop links that helped and wasn't expensive/difficult

Rear shocks made a big difference and again fairly simple, front shocks not such a big difference though

Reality is on a 2003 car if those parts are original they will be nearing the end of life so worth a look
 
From what I've read and been told if you want adjustable suspension then don't expect comfort as its mostly geared towards the sportier drivers.
Worn shocks should really give a softer ride as they loose damping.
 
Rockhopper said:
From what I've read and been told if you want adjustable suspension then don't expect comfort as its mostly geared towards the sportier drivers.
Worn shocks should really give a softer ride as they loose damping.
Click to expand...
Not really. The shock absorber is in fact the spring. What most people refer to as the shock absorber is in fact the damper, which regulates the spring's reaction. Therefore, if the unit with the piston in it is knackered it won't regulate the shock absorbing spring and every bump will shoot straight though the car without any damping being applied.
(Well it made sense in my head............ :roll: )
 
Take the dampers off and bounce the car up and down and see what happens. The damper controls the spring. If the damper isn’t working it’ll bounce all over the place.
 
My '03 2.5iSE was at 73k miles (117k km) back in March '18 when I fitted new Bilstein B4s all round. The original Sachs dampers were absolutely worn out with almost no resistance left in them at all....you could compress and extend them by hand VERY easily. I also fitted new top mounts, trailing arm bushes, front lower control arms etc at the same time and it all totally transformed the car.
From my personal experience and many others on this forum I would say that your dampers are also probably well past their best :thumbsup:
 
I would suggest if your car is still on its original suspension then the dampers will need replacing. First thing I did when I acquired my E86 was confirm it was on it original units then replaced them all with bilstein B4s, new front springs and top mounts front and back. The rear spring were only a few years old and are easy to replace when they next snap.
The B4s are equivalent to the standard sports suspension and I find they are an excellent fit for our cars on today’s roads. I personally would not go for anything firmer and I would certainly not lower the car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom