suspension shopping list complete?

[coupe du jour]

I'm getting close to ordering TCK S/A's, Rogue RSM's, and IE subframe bushings. Am I missing anything? From everything I've read, this seems to be a good place to start, but don't want to miss anything important either. Also...any valid suggestions to recommend as alternates to the above are welcome too. Car has 39k and I won't ever track or even auto-x...for some backround info. Thanks in advance!

[KBH22102]

You may consider the IE Rear camber/toe kit. The negative camber will increase after lowering. Are you going with standard rear springs or shorties? You'll need height adjusters with the shorties

[cafeconleche]

camber plates, if they arent included with the coilovers

[coupe du jour]

Originally Posted by KBH22102

You may consider the IE Rear camber/toe kit. The negative camber will increase after lowering. Are you going with standard rear springs or shorties? You'll need height adjusters with the shorties

i was going to go w/ the tck 'true match' coilovers...but didn't see a spring choice. they have height adjusters...so i'm guessing shorties?

Originally Posted by cafeconleche

camber plates, if they arent included with the coilovers

read a lot about vorshlag plates. i'll probably look into those, since it doesn't look like they're included w/ the tck kit. besides height adjustment, i'm really looking to 'set up and leave it alone' i'm hoping that i can expect that with wheel alignment and such.

[Sky1Z3]

Car is low mileage, but since you are in there... why not get a set of OE RTABs to swap out while you have everything apart?

and +1 on vorshlag plates.

[PbFut]

Call Pete at TCK in Ohio. He will get you on the right path based on your needs. Camber plates are rarely needed on the street. If you are that aggressive, simply swapping hats will likely be enough. Even though you only have 39K, may want to think about replacing TA and LCA bushings. Age is going to catch up to them soon and may as well get everything in shape all at once. The rear camber kit is one of those things that may or may not be needed. Wheel width, offsets, driving style and a few other things come to mind when the subject of rear camber comes up. They are kind of a pain to set up and many shops will cut corners when aligning. So unless you have a good trusted alignment shop, the rear kit can go to waste.

[dougmcintyre]

Why the need for the IE rear camber kit? As the OP doesn't track/auto-x, no need to increase negative rear camber. As for decreasing rear camber, for a 9 or 10 year car with 39k, I doubt tire life is a major concern.

Originally Posted by coupe du jour

i was going to go w/ the tck 'true match' coilovers...but didn't see a spring choice. they have height adjusters...so i'm guessing shorties?

Check out http://store.bimmerworld.com/shared/...t=products.asp

Actually I just upgraded to this system (except I went with Rogue rsm's)

As for spring rates, I found this thread http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1326920 very useful. I followed fmcfad01 advice and went with 450/500 springs on my daily driver. Very happy.

[BenH]

Originally Posted by coupe du jour

I'm getting close to ordering TCK S/A's, Rogue RSM's, and IE subframe bushings. Am I missing anything? From everything I've read, this seems to be a good place to start, but don't want to miss anything important either. Also...any valid suggestions to recommend as alternates to the above are welcome too. Car has 39k and I won't ever track or even auto-x...for some backround info. Thanks in advance!

You'll all set If you want to slam the coupe you may want to go with shorty rear springs and adjustable perch, but the regular TCK springs provide a nice balance between ride height, performance and looks. M suspension's rear geometry is pretty flexible so no worries on excessive camber. Get an alignment done after installation and remember only the front toe is adjustable, everything else isn't. If rear toe and camber are outside factory ranges then most likely you'll need to replace the worn OE trailing arm bushings with OE again. Also if you get 500 lb rear springs from TCK, it's not necessary to replace OE sf bushing with stiff IE ones. Plenty of rear end control with TCK coilovers on street and track. I can see how IE bushings help the wobbly rear end on roadsters but a M coupe with TCK suspension is about the best money you can spend to gain better handling and a nice ride to boot.

[coupe du jour]

hmmm...varying opinions, more to think about...

Originally Posted by PbFut

Call Pete at TCK in Ohio. He will get you on the right path based on your needs. Camber plates are rarely needed on the street. If you are that aggressive, simply swapping hats will likely be enough. Even though you only have 39K, may want to think about replacing TA and LCA bushings. Age is going to catch up to them soon and may as well get everything in shape all at once. The rear camber kit is one of those things that may or may not be needed. Wheel width, offsets, driving style and a few other things come to mind when the subject of rear camber comes up. They are kind of a pain to set up and many shops will cut corners when aligning. So unless you have a good trusted alignment shop, the rear kit can go to waste.

i'll be calling him asap...and looking into replacing these other bushings as well. thank you!!!

Originally Posted by dougmcintyre

Why the need for the IE rear camber kit? As the OP doesn't track/auto-x, no need to increase negative rear camber. As for decreasing rear camber, for a 9 or 10 year car with 39k, I doubt tire life is a major concern.



Check out http://store.bimmerworld.com/shared/...t=products.asp

Actually I just upgraded to this system (except I went with Rogue rsm's)

As for spring rates, I found this thread http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1326920 very useful. I followed fmcfad01 advice and went with 450/500 springs on my daily driver. Very happy.

tire wear is a concern, in that i don't want to be replacing tires every year. i've put more miles on the car in the past year that i've owned it (about 6k) than any average of it's previous years. i'll probably go with the 500 lb spring rates you mentioned here. it's not a dd, so the firmer ride is not going to bother me.

Originally Posted by BenH

You'll all set If you want to slam the coupe you may want to go with shorty rear springs and adjustable perch, but the regular TCK springs provide a nice balance between ride height, performance and looks. M suspension's rear geometry is pretty flexible so no worries on excessive camber. Get an alignment done after installation and remember only the front toe is adjustable, everything else isn't. If rear toe and camber are outside factory ranges then most likely you'll need to replace the worn OE trailing arm bushings with OE again. Also if you get 500 lb rear springs from TCK, it's not necessary to replace OE sf bushing with stiff IE ones. Plenty of rear end control with TCK coilovers on street and track. I can see how IE bushings help the wobbly rear end on roadsters but a M coupe with TCK suspension is about the best money you can spend to gain better handling and a nice ride to boot.

yes, i'll probably go with the shorties. i know that it sounds juvenile, but i really want this thing as low as i can get it w/o issues...but at the same time, i'm also trying to solve some high-speed floating issues. although i don't drive this way a lot, this thing gets up to triple digits very quickly and the feeling when cresting hills, etc. is a 'oh sweet jesus, i'm backing off' experience, to say the least. as for the subframe bushings...everything i've read seems to indicate that they really tie the rear-end together and MAYBE give a bit of subframe peace of mind, regardless of shock/spring choice. i hate that feeling of 'four wheel steering' through tight turns...but maybe that's not the bushings? i can't imagine the factory marshmallows back there are doing anyone any good. input anyone?