m325i 709 Report post Posted September 25, 2019 What up! Looking at a refresh of my suspension / dampers as I am assuming they are toast after 180km, (hard to know how bad they really are right?) I've read a lot of international forum suspension posts, but interested in the 'local road' feedback and what everyone is running? I'm trying to keep it affordable, simple and comfortable for a daily. Options that seem to be be most popular I am considering: Sachs OEM replacements (comfortable, but am I missing the opportunity to 'upgrade') Sachs with Eibach or Dinan springs (lowered car compromises?) Bilstein B12 kit AKA B6 dampers with Eibachs - apparently the B6 alone will raise the ride height - I don't want that. Koni (with maybe with Eibachs or Dinan Springs) - getting dearer Keen to hear anyones NZ experience / opinion. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted September 25, 2019 I think its worth the money to upgrade the shocks konis or bilstiens, as the stock shocks are not renowned for their longevity. To save money have a look at importing from demontweeks in Wales as its usually the cheapest source even after taxes and shipping. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m325i 709 Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Good tip - I'll check them out thanks! I'm not too worried about longevity - what is it, like 5 years until they would need to be done again? (It's probably been 17 to this point!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnM575 112 Report post Posted September 25, 2019 I currently run the Eibach Pro Kit on my M3 with stock shocks - it's a mild drop and not impractical at all in terms of ride height. My stock shocks only have +/- 70k on them and still feel as if they're in reasonable order hence I haven't upgraded those yet. If my M3 saw more use and spirited driving I would be upgrading the shocks sooner rather than later however. I did purchase a set of Koni Yellows through George Stocks for my E46 Touring and that made a big improvement to the ride. I recommend them if you want to avoid the cost and hassle associated with the coilover option. The only problem with those is that rear rebound adjustability is a nightmare if you intend on playing around with the settings. Unfortunately in NZ there aren't many options for locally supplied coilovers other than BC's. As mentioned above, Demontweeks, Schmiedmann etc would likely be your best bet if you're after a decent set of coilovers. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Karter16 407 Report post Posted October 1, 2019 I went Koni Yellows with stock springs, didn't want to really lower the car given NZ's roads. The Koni Yellow's at full soft are equivalent to OE. I've firmed mine up slightly and am very happy with the setup. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 1, 2019 On 9/26/2019 at 11:22 AM, JohnM575 said: I currently run the Eibach Pro Kit on my M3 with stock shocks - it's a mild drop and not impractical at all in terms of ride height. My stock shocks only have +/- 70k on them and still feel as if they're in reasonable order hence I haven't upgraded those yet. If my M3 saw more use and spirited driving I would be upgrading the shocks sooner rather than later however. I did purchase a set of Koni Yellows through George Stocks for my E46 Touring and that made a big improvement to the ride. I recommend them if you want to avoid the cost and hassle associated with the coilover option. The only problem with those is that rear rebound adjustability is a nightmare if you intend on playing around with the settings. Unfortunately in NZ there aren't many options for locally supplied coilovers other than BC's. As mentioned above, Demontweeks, Schmiedmann etc would likely be your best bet if you're after a decent set of coilovers. Eibach springs for the E46 M3 are (IIRC) a 20-25mm drop in height. The springs themselves are firmer than stock, and ride better. I supplied a couple of sets of Eibachs to people a few years ago. I wonder if the Koni adjustment is something they expect you to do before fitting - the rears in particular are a bit of a pig to get to/hold correctly to adjust once fitted. If you want a 'budget' coilover, look at the Bilstein B16 (PS10) kit. Sooo much better than BC Golds or anything similar. 6 minutes ago, Karter16 said: I went Koni Yellows with stock springs, didn't want to really lower the car given NZ's roads. The Koni Yellow's at full soft are equivalent to OE. I've firmed mine up slightly and am very happy with the setup. ? I love the Koni yellows on my Mercedes. Given the choice between those and Bilstein B8s, there is no competition - Konis every time. I've used yeloows on several cars and always been very, very pleased with them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m325i 709 Report post Posted October 1, 2019 15 hours ago, Karter16 said: I went Koni Yellows with stock springs, didn't want to really lower the car given NZ's roads. The Koni Yellow's at full soft are equivalent to OE. I've firmed mine up slightly and am very happy with the setup. This is the set up I think I am going to go with. Koni + OEM springs. $760+$140 USD shipping form ECS tuning. It's annoying FCP Euro don't stock them as I have never been pinged on import with them. I've emailed George Stocks twice with no reply - if anyone knows a better place to source, please let me know. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted October 1, 2019 George Stocks is overpriced and not good with warranty claims in my experience. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted October 1, 2019 $1325 nzd including shipping from demontweeks in Wales for koni yellows. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 2, 2019 41 minutes ago, zero said: George Stocks is overpriced and not good with warranty claims in my experience. They have (had) good engineers but the guys I knew who worked there have left. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted October 2, 2019 Had a bad experience where the engineer rebuilt some shocks only to have them leak, and then they tried to charge to fix them. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m325i 709 Report post Posted October 8, 2019 On 9/25/2019 at 10:35 PM, zero said: To save money have a look at importing from demontweeks in Wales as its usually the cheapest source even after taxes and shipping. Thanks again. Didn't get pinged for import duty or GST. I've noticed some places seem to fly under the radar. ECS Tuning is not one of them, been charged every time. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted October 8, 2019 Pictures or it didnt happen. ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bandit 194 Report post Posted October 10, 2019 On 10/9/2019 at 10:36 AM, m325i said: Thanks again. Didn't get pinged for import duty or GST. I've noticed some places seem to fly under the radar. ECS Tuning is not one of them, been charged every time. Same.........door to door (their's to mine) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
