Best suspension package under $1000?

[m3ster]

Eventually I will want to upgrade my suspension. I am in no hurry to do it, so I am going to take my time researching. What is the best package for under $1000? I will never take the car on the track, but I want a stiffer suspension that makes the car fell more solid during spirited drives.

Thanks.

[SG_M3]

hr sports with koni sa's, you might be able to grab sways as well for under 1k.

[///MZG]

hr sports with koni sa's, you might be able to grab sways as well for under 1k.

I agree, and if you are never going to track it, consider getting some 10mm pads for the front. From what I have seen the sports with konis drop you quite a bit.

[m3ster]

Where is the best place to buy those? TMS?

[xjeeper]

How does the HR/koni combo compare with a set of coilovers as far as handling goes? M_azn_3 on this board has a set of FK coilovers and his car handles SICK!!!! There is almost NO body roll at all and the car simply feels like a go kart now. Do I have to get c/o's in order for my car to feel like this or will hr sports and konis do the trick? Im not worried about height adjustablity.

[GotBHP?]

How does the HR/koni combo compare with a set of coilovers as far as handling goes? M_azn_3 on this board has a set of FK coilovers and his car handles SICK!!!! There is almost NO body roll at all and the car simply feels like a go kart now. Do I have to get c/o's in order for my car to feel like this or will hr sports and konis do the trick? Im not worried about height adjustablity.

Coilovers just make the car height adjustable, so theres no real advantage of them over regular springs/shocks in terms of stiffness. If this is a street car, skip the coilovers (I am reffering to track oriented ones such as some GC kits) and save a bit of money.

I say go with Koni's, take your pick of a spring (there are lots of choices), and get an X-brace. The X brace is probably the best bang for the buck mod in terms of suspension you will ever find.

[///MZG]

How does the HR/koni combo compare with a set of coilovers as far as handling goes? M_azn_3 on this board has a set of FK coilovers and his car handles SICK!!!! There is almost NO body roll at all and the car simply feels like a go kart now. Do I have to get c/o's in order for my car to feel like this or will hr sports and konis do the trick? Im not worried about height adjustablity.

I doubt H&R sports and konis are going to feel like coilovers, but I could be wrong as I don't know the rates on the COs.

Where is the best place to buy those? TMS?

X-Shocks.com is where I bought my Konis, I think they were 520 shipped. I bought my springs from Tirerack.com for about 240.

[Sammyzuko]

I agree, and if you are never going to track it, consider getting some 10mm pads for the front. From what I have seen the sports with konis drop you quite a bit.

What are the 10mm pads for?

[////\/\ark]

One problem that has kept me from definitely going with Koni SAs is the fact that you have to do a bunch of crap to the front strut housing. I'm not sure what exactly is involved with this, but it certainly is off-putting. And speaking of that, is there a detailed write-up anywhere on the exact process of chopping up the front struts to get the Konis in?

[///MZG]

What are the 10mm pads for?

I guess I was vague . . . I have seen M3s with H&R sport and Konis be pretty low in the front for street driving (depending on the roads where you live). Some people have added a small spacer to give the front .25 to .5 higher height.

[SG_M3]

Spring pads are for the rear. H&R sports drop the rear more than the front, so people use bigger pads to bring the rear back up.

[Fissionx]

H&R Cupkit is an option too, and its cheap.

[SG_M3]

doesn't fit m3's.

[jonnyg]

check out the new UUC sports suspension it comes with shocks and springs. its about $700.http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/SACHS/

[mbanks21]

Im going Bilstein sports and Eibach prokit for my 98

[KnightRider/AMG]

how much do spring pads cost? and how hard are they to install? thanks.

[m3ster]

One problem that has kept me from definitely going with Koni SAs is the fact that you have to do a bunch of crap to the front strut housing. I'm not sure what exactly is involved with this, but it certainly is off-putting. And speaking of that, is there a detailed write-up anywhere on the exact process of chopping up the front struts to get the Konis in?

I definitely don't want to do a lot of crap to my front suspension. I just want something that is plug n' play, so to speak.

[M3318]

Does anyone have pics of the H&Rsport/ Koni setup. Also does anyone know if 6yl suspension work on a 318.

[BMMMW14]

I'de got a GC c/o street kit ready to bolt in with only 7k miles with RSM's you can have them for 900. i've hgot camber plates too , for sale

[clumpymold]

I believe I saw a deal from UUC for $999 for a spring and shock combo WITH the UUC Sway Barbarian kit (front and rear sway bars and rear links). Not sure the quality or ride, but it's under $1000 AND you get sways.

I actually just got a full GC coilover kit (camber/caster plates, bump stops, externally adjustable, and only used for 2k miles) for $1300 shipped. If that's reasonable to spend, you might spend some time looking around. The deals are out there. You just have to be patient.

[clumpymold]

clumpymold : dude i thot u said c/o were over rated? and your daily driver did not need them. ?

-nathan

Really? When did I ever say that? What context was it in? That would be odd of me since my last car (see Audi in sig) was my daily driver and I had H&R coilovers. I switched from H&R springs and HIGHLY recommended coilovers. It IS a bit drastic for the street but I like a more lowered look than most spring/shock combos give so coilovers were my only option.

On top of that, I like the adjustability of it AND I got a great deal.

[Estoril ART]

One problem that has kept me from definitely going with Koni SAs is the fact that you have to do a bunch of crap to the front strut housing. I'm not sure what exactly is involved with this, but it certainly is off-putting. And speaking of that, is there a detailed write-up anywhere on the exact process of chopping up the front struts to get the Konis in?

http://www.druidhillroad.com/koni/

[m3ster]

I believe I saw a deal from UUC for $999 for a spring and shock combo WITH the UUC Sway Barbarian kit (front and rear sway bars and rear links). Not sure the quality or ride, but it's under $1000 AND you get sways.

Do you have a link for that?

[anthony95m3]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but:

Coilovers provide the main advantage of corner weight balancing and ride height adjustability (needed for corner weight). For a street car, it's overkill.

The flatness or lack of lean/roll is primarily from the sway bar. Stiffer spring/shock contributes a bit.

For street, HR/Eibach spring /w Koni/Bilstein will do.

---
anthony

[clumpymold]

Do you have a link for that?

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...&highlight=uuc

Not sure if it's still valid though.