E36 Solo Werks S1 Review - 1997 328i

[Chapel]

So, let's see what $499 gets you. I've heard some good things about these Solo Werks coils on Audis and VWs and the support from AMI Motorsports has been well received.

Review will be in multiple parts. Today we'll take a look at the unboxing and the quality of the parts

Packaging - 3/10


Big generic brown box, no labelling. Packaged a bit too loosely for my tastes. Thin bubble wrap not offering much protection, but after pulling everything out it seemed that nothing was damaged. The oil spots were a little disconcerting but I eventually found that the rear coils were coated in oil. Not exactly sure why, but whatever.


Can of BoeShield (anti corrosion spray)


Rear struts secured pretty well.

under another thin piece of cardboard is the front struts, rear height adjusters, spanners and some stickers.

Again, packaged pretty loosely. SoloWerks or AMI may want to consider better packaging. As a 50lbs package, the odds of this getting dropped are pretty high.

Same thin layer of bubble wrap around the front coils


Spanners are pretty normal looking. No surprises.

Overall, the packaging needs some attention. Even at $500, securing the bits tighter would be great. Maybe even some more package stuffing (even just some dense paper) to keep things from shifting around would work and some thicker bubble wrap.

It's not the worst packaging, but it's not even 'good' packaging. I'm not looking for full color photo boxes. Even a brown box packed like this would work:

I'd give the packaging a 3/10

Ok, let's look at the Construction
Top of the shocks look pretty well machined

Springs are pretty thick, bump stop is nice and dense, strut seems nice and thick. Helper spring is isolated from main spring with a black plastic ring.



Threading is nice and clean and the collars move without any effort (off the car anyway). Collars are pretty normal. I'm not sure what they're made of, so they're going to get a coating of anti-corrosion spray. I'd hate to see these get welded together by rust



Welds are actually pretty good. Not fantastic-stack of dimes good... but they're complete welds with what looks to be good penetration. Unlike some cheaper coilovers I've seen, they're also stamped with their brand.





Rear adjustment collars look pretty normal.


Rear springs are reasonably thick. The central springs are all 'dead' though. They practically touch without even being installed.


Rear struts don't have bump stops... hard to say what I'm looking at with these rear struts. Pretty generic


Overall, I'd say they LOOK very good for $500.
at the price I paid, I'd say they're a 10/10 for looks based on expectations. Compared to more expensive coilovers, they'd rate about a 6/10.

So, what am I getting myself into?
My expectations are decidedly low, but I'm looking forward to installing them and driving it. Why did I go with 'cheap coilovers'? Simple: I drive my car about 2000-3000 miles a year for fun. I don't plan on tracking it. My car needed suspension. I thought I'd take a chance and give it a try after talking to a few guys that had tried ST Coilovers and these and rated them equals (even going so far to say the SoloWerks riding a bit smoother.)
Also: 3 year warranty.

Fix that packaging and bump the price a few bucks and you'll have a competitor in the looks and packaging department.

Tune in closer to the end of winter and I'll have them installed and dialed in with new front control arms and bushings.

[405style]

I already have these installed, and they are pretty good, much better then my koni yellows of unknown age!


This is at halfway down...

[Chapel]

Your initial reaction nailed it down for me. That and the guy who replaced his ST coils

[Chapel]

Just found this info out:

One question I have been getting a lot of lately is about Spare Parts...

Yes, every component of the Solo Werks kits is available separately , just PM or email us with what you need and we can get you your price delivered to you!

Let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Glen @ AMI

that's impressive.

[405style]

Just found this info out:



that's impressive.

oh sweet! definitely sold. Did you install yours yet? I am not driving as its -10F outside right now...

[Chapel]

Not until after winter

[FranklyIDC]

Need spacers? What are your wheel specs?

[Chapel]

I ordered some 10mm spacers just in case

[FranklyIDC]

Okay thanks! I may end up doing the same anyway.

Winter's officially over btw. Installed yet?

[Chapel]

the pile of snow my car is buried in begs to differ.

[E36Meanie]

Definitely gonna look into these, do you have a link to their site? Or where you purchase them from? Looks to me like a good pick up, thanks for the Pic Breakdown btw.

[Chapel]

http://www.amimotorsports.com/store/...detail&p=31256

tell them Chapel sent you
I dunno if you'll get anything, but I'll be writing more of a review soon. just waiting for my front strut mounts

[FranklyIDC]

Ouch sorry to hear that. Only wet snow here so its mostly gone.

[YoPaulyzSIck]

This is a great review, I just wanna know if they are drift and track proof.

[E36Meanie]

Hey ^^ found this from a similar forum while searching i didn't find much on functionality for drift/track courses but it seems to be a viable setup across the board. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...oilover-Review .

[E36Meanie]

I looked it up and this is another review i found on a VW forum. Seems to be pretty legit, and goes a little more in depth about the setup. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...oilover-Review

[61stude]

If they're worth it I'll have to see about getting a set. I'm on a budget (got a family to support) and these are priced within my range.

[E36Meanie]

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...oilover-Review Read that , pretty good and a bit more thorough in detail.

[Chapel]

I'm hoping to get the rears installed soon at least.
Sorry this is taking so long. lots of new babies, new houses and family stuff getting in the way

[YoPaulyzSIck]

Any feedback yet???

[Chapel]

Hoping to do the rears this weekend or next. it's still a bit chilly. it's like 30 right now and I don't have a garage
also, I'm battling a check engine light.

[YoPaulyzSIck]

Anytime now lol, I think I'm gonna order them and install them before you will . I just wanna know performance wise are they reliable and won't brake on a burn out or a drift ..

[Chapel]

should be this weekend actually.
Due to some unforseen circumstances, I won't be documenting the install with photos because in order to get this done, I worked a deal out with my best friend who is a mechanic to have him install it for me. In exchange, he's getting some ST Coilovers for his Scirocco II.

[405style]

should be this weekend actually.
Due to some unforseen circumstances, I won't be documenting the install with photos because in order to get this done, I worked a deal out with my best friend who is a mechanic to have him install it for me. In exchange, he's getting some ST Coilovers for his Scirocco II.

I drove 5000 miles on em so far. Happy to report they hold up very well. 2000 of those miles were driven on max height across country. No issues. My stock spring perch bushings however failed

Car waa loaded down with passenger and another 300lbs. The only complaint: rear end settled with weight almost as if I never raised it. Once unloaded it sprung back.

[FranklyIDC]

I drove 5000 miles on em so far. Happy to report they hold up very well. 2000 of those miles were driven on max height across country. No issues. My stock spring perch bushings however failed

Car waa loaded down with passenger and another 300lbs. The only complaint: rear end settled with weight almost as if I never raised it. Once unloaded it sprung back.

Sounds good. Did you not replace the bushing when you got them installed? Got pics of the max ride height?