Most comfortable street ONLY suspension setup?

[Sharocks]

PSS9's or PSS10's.

I have had my TCK DA's for 15 years and I adore them but they aren't comfy even at the spring rates you're considering.

LOL KW

And contrary to popular belief, Ohlins on the E46 chassis is not great. It's much better on the E9X platform (I have both).

The last option that could work is the a shock and spring setup, but that's pretty nitty gritty for LA.

[0-60motorsports]

PSS10s are what i'll be going for once shipping costs calm the F down after this Peace deal

[tnord]

Something seems off. This should be your DGAF - go on a 3 hour highway drive in comfort then hit the mountains car and it should be achievable. Perhaps driving another well-sorted members car in LA might help you figure out if it's an expectation gap or truly a setup issue with your car. I hope you're able to find that happy medium.

This.

The major variables that affect NVH are all there. 18'' wheels being a big one, stock bushings, and not an overly aggressive coilover setup. The objective of reducing body roll while also increasing softness seems unlikely. Maybe you'd incrementally improve ride quality with PSS10s, but I don't think you'll reduce body roll at the same time.

I haven't really spent any time in cars other than my own, so I don't know what I don't know, but I find the ride quality in my car to be very good. Are you on stock top hats or camber plates?

[oceansize]

Are you running stock sway bars?

All the talk of reducing body roll, but in my experience on some of my other cars sway bars are more effective at reducing roll than shocks/springs/coilovers.

On my coupe I've got stock springs and shocks paired with sticky tires and like OP I'm not going to the track. The setup is good enough for whatever spirited driving I want to do.

Maybe try a slight stiffer sway bar set up and leave the stock suspension.

[tnord]

I believe bigger swaybars effectively increases the spring rate, so I wouldn't add them to the current setup, but if you went to a softer spring/damper combo you could try bigger bars. That might end up right where you started though.

[SQ13]

What’s your ride height? Do you have strut spacers up front?

[maupineda]

I ride on what many will call super soft springs, and have H&R coil overs front and B8 shocks (yes B8) on the rear. Front springs are 225 linear swift springs and rears are eibach which I found in the internet these measure from 400 to almost 800.

i paired it all with a CSL front sway and is good, but can still be crashy on concrete joints and bad roads but roll is minimal on the street, when I took her to an AX event, it was very flat with little roll.

all that to say that upgraded shocks (B6) with stock springs will do it, you can go to lowering springs but the moment you lower the car, ride goes to crap with B6. If you want a flatter cornering but with stock springs, CSL sway front and Z4M rear (or e46 m3 cabrio).

the above is why I kept the coil over strut, to be able to setup the car at OE ride height. Eibach rears were paired with thicker pads for this very reason.

[LSB4Me]

what exactly is it about the ohlins ride you are looking to improve? in general, everything except behavior on smooth pavement
head toss on low frequency large undulations? yes
At low speed? yes
At highway speed? highway is the least obnoxious, but still unsettled over large bumps, expansion joints and bumps
Pitching sensation? pitching is under control
high frequency stuttering and bad pavement surface making its way into the cabin? definitely
too much body movement on yumps? yes
road transitions e.g. expansion joints causing a harsh snap into the chassis? yes, expansion joints are the worst; it is akin to riding a horse
large bumps causing suspension to bottom out? no bottoming out, fortunately

Good questions--notes above.

[LSB4Me]

PSS9's or PSS10's.

I have had my TCK DA's for 15 years and I adore them but they aren't comfy even at the spring rates you're considering.

And contrary to popular belief, Ohlins on the E46 chassis is not great. It's much better on the E9X platform (I have both).

Thanks for the feedback re DAs. Kind of a bummer as I was leaning that way.

Ohlins on my prior e92 were fantastic. They felt more road than track on that platform. Seems they have skewed more track than road for the e46. They confirmed as much to me over the phone.

Are you running stock sway bars?

Maybe try a slight stiffer sway bar set up and leave the stock suspension.

Yep, I am running stock sway bars and have been hesitant to “upgrade” either for fear of making things worse. The plan was to turn to sway bars if/when I was happy with the Ohlins. Best laid plans . . .

Bay Area roads are surprisingly horrendous and mine does well on a 400/650 MCS 1WNR setup without bumpstops. It's better in compliance than my 991 GT3 which is typically regarded as very tolerable + well riding.

Ah cool. Congrats on the 991. I can confirm that my 997 GT3 is tolerable and well riding also. That is about the limit for “acceptable,” but it passes.

We suffer from equally poor roads in SoCal but, like your Macan, our G on air suspension soaks it up. Maybe that’s the move . . . haha. Or maybe I should convert the e46 into an off road vehicle.

[sd561]

I researched this topic for many months, too many months, before pulling the trigger, and my criteria then sounded very similar to yours - if i were to distill each of my finalists/strategies into distinct go-fwd plans they'd be as follows and i'll explain what i went with and why:

1. rebuild the car with 100% stock components
   • i, along with many, have never experienced the car in its original early-aught form with fresh rubber bits and all the other fixins
   • It's safe to assume that motorsport engineers got it fairly right out of the box, though the arguments to the contrary (i.e. constraints to deliver to a mass-market vehicle) were compelling enough for me to evaluate other options, paired with the robust aftermarket for these cars 20y later
2. true OEM+ build. I understand this is a highly-subjective, even controversial if not annoying, over-utilized term
   • To me, OEM+ a car in this context means nearly 100% stock components and aftermarket for a few tiny select components, for example: hollow adjustable front sway, monoball RTABs, and solid subframe bushings
   • I was so close to doing this. shoutout to Chas3n - whose notes and anecdotes were instrumental in my research, there were others too but i specifically remember his
3. Non-coilover, but aftermarket shocks/springs
   • like Koni shocks and Eibach springs
   • what killed this one for me is that i wanted to set it up once and be done with it and just enjoy driving it - the idea of this solution - inevitably hitting limitations (i.e easy adjustability in each corner) and possibility of wanting to change setups a few years from now was not ideal
   • I know many on here swap out setups like changing a shirt - i decided to "future-proof" the build as much as i could - which meant, keeping the setup nimble enough to tweak things down the road
4. Reputable, well known aftermarket setup - but OEM setup/spirit
   • I chose from Bilstein PSS10, TCK and Ohlins ---- went with TCK SA
   • Could have easily gone either way here - but decided against Ohlins because flamesuit-on - these cars tend to look at a little low, maybe too firm, for my desires (not in a bad way, i realize i am Unc now; still leaving flamesuit on)
   • Decided against Bilstein, this is dumb but i hate the way they look like they've been sitting right outside chernobyl after a few years. And got spooked reading some anecdotes about transatlantic warranty and support ops, not sure if that's real honestly
   • TCK, given it's koni-based system (aka softer side) made the most sense. they're US-based, you can call them and they pick up right away, and they've been doing it for decades. The other day i watched a BMW Classic video on YT, and was pleased to see one BMW NA's race cars fitted with a TCK system. If it's good enough for BMW NA, it sure is good enough for me -- lol just not bone stock i guess
   • i didn't even know if or why i needed DA, which answered my question (re: do i get SA or DA)
   • i went against TCK's "recommended" spring setup on their site (which i think is 500F/400R) --- and went with 300F and 600R for a more OEM-ish (dare i say flat-ride) setup
   • unintentionally backdoored my way into a PSS10-esque setup anyway in terms of spring rates, of course TCK is linear unlike the billys, but nonetheless
   • i added:
     • front sway from BW (hotchkiss supply issues at the time)
     • Solid sub-frame bushings from BW
     • monoball RTABs from SPL
     • ARCA from SPL (prob overkill for my needs honestly, the subframe bushings aren't "raising" ones which i blv require ARCA, but it unlocks for play with diff setups in the future if i get bored, keeps spirit of adjustability etc.)
     • Adjustable front-end links from Turner (to dial-out preload)
     • Genuine everything else: front hubs, rear bearing, driveshaft bits, guibo, any bushing not listed, rebuilt rear axle shafts, you name it, it got done. everything but full diff rebuild, which was a mistake in hindsight
     • unrelated, but took care of the RACP too (CMP bottom + top stuff). sidebar - first car tech had seen ever, and he worked on them new for BMW, with nary a fracture. not even a hairline anything. oh well did it anyway.
   • car sits at stock ride height currently, which looks a teeny tiny bit lower with the TCKs? hard to tell honestly
     • it was initially (id say a lot) lower, i raised it up during corner balancing and final dial-in which was about 300 miles after install. it was rubbing like a mfer on abhorrent-Raleigh NC (city-limits) pavement. looked sick though
     • i have urges sometimes to drop it ever so slightly, might do this later this year but tbh it's fine

Notes

• I had trouble finding even 1 bad review on TCK across 20 years of foruming, even across platforms (studied not just E46) (even went to wayback machine and started mining M3F where i could, thankfully many of the greats are here though - Obioban's suspension thread was super clutch. i reviewed it word for word more times than i want to admit). jvit27 - who has tried virtually every different setup has a great post out there in the archives talking through his experiences w/ each that i found illuminating too. although given you already have ohlins, realizing that some of this might be redundant for you
  • attached some specs from the famous flat-ride spreadsheet from FCM, i also have my alignment/corner balancing results too if you're interested in checking that out
  • i was a little worried about how it would come out given i have a 100% fully optioned, SMG + Moonroof, 3,656 lb (w driver) car
  • i am not an expert on suspensions or how to set them up (at least not prior to this)
  • for our needs - we are thrilled with how it came out. I love it, wife loves it too
• if I had to do it over again, i'd change nothing. while I don't know what it felt like in brand new in 2006, car is dialed-in in 2026!

hope this is a helpful anecdote and good luck with the program

[0-60motorsports]

I researched this topic for many months, too many months, before pulling the trigger, and my criteria then sounded very similar to yours - if i were to distill each of my finalists/strategies into distinct go-fwd plans they'd be as follows and i'll explain what i went with and why:

1. rebuild the car with 100% stock components
   • i, along with many, have never experienced the car in its original early-aught form with fresh rubber bits and all the other fixins
   • It's safe to assume that motorsport engineers got it fairly right out of the box, though the arguments to the contrary (i.e. constraints to deliver to a mass-market vehicle) were compelling enough for me to evaluate other options, paired with the robust aftermarket for these cars 20y later
2. true OEM+ build. I understand this is a highly-subjective, even controversial if not annoying, over-utilized term
   • To me, OEM+ a car in this context means nearly 100% stock components and aftermarket for a few tiny select components, for example: hollow adjustable front sway, monoball RTABs, and solid subframe bushings
   • I was so close to doing this. shoutout to Chas3n - whose notes and anecdotes were instrumental in my research, there were others too but i specifically remember his
3. Non-coilover, but aftermarket shocks/springs
   • like Koni shocks and Eibach springs
   • what killed this one for me is that i wanted to set it up once and be done with it and just enjoy driving it - the idea of this solution - inevitably hitting limitations (i.e easy adjustability in each corner) and possibility of wanting to change setups a few years from now was not ideal
   • I know many on here swap out setups like changing a shirt - i decided to "future-proof" the build as much as i could - which meant, keeping the setup nimble enough to tweak things down the road
4. Reputable, well known aftermarket setup - but OEM setup/spirit
   • I chose from Bilstein PSS10, TCK and Ohlins ---- went with TCK SA
   • Could have easily gone either way here - but decided against Ohlins because flamesuit-on - these cars tend to look at a little low, maybe too firm, for my desires (not in a bad way, i realize i am Unc now; still leaving flamesuit on)
   • Decided against Bilstein, this is dumb but i hate the way they look like they've been sitting right outside chernobyl after a few years. And got spooked reading some anecdotes about transatlantic warranty and support ops, not sure if that's real honestly
   • TCK, given it's koni-based system (aka softer side) made the most sense. they're US-based, you can call them and they pick up right away, and they've been doing it for decades. The other day i watched a BMW Classic video on YT, and was pleased to see one BMW NA's race cars fitted with a TCK system. If it's good enough for BMW NA, it sure is good enough for me -- lol just not bone stock i guess
   • i didn't even know if or why i needed DA, which answered my question (re: do i get SA or DA)
   • i went against TCK's "recommended" spring setup on their site (which i think is 500F/400R) --- and went with 300F and 600R for a more OEM-ish (dare i say flat-ride) setup
   • unintentionally backdoored my way into a PSS10-esque setup anyway in terms of spring rates, of course TCK is linear unlike the billys, but nonetheless
   • i added:
     • front sway from BW (hotchkiss supply issues at the time)
     • Solid sub-frame bushings from BW
     • monoball RTABs from SPL
     • ARCA from SPL (prob overkill for my needs honestly, the subframe bushings aren't "raising" ones which i blv require ARCA, but it unlocks for play with diff setups in the future if i get bored, keeps spirit of adjustability etc.)
     • Adjustable front-end links from Turner (to dial-out preload)
     • Genuine everything else: front hubs, rear bearing, driveshaft bits, guibo, any bushing not listed, rebuilt rear axle shafts, you name it, it got done. everything but full diff rebuild, which was a mistake in hindsight
     • unrelated, but took care of the RACP too (CMP bottom + top stuff). sidebar - first car tech had seen ever, and he worked on them new for BMW, with nary a fracture. not even a hairline anything. oh well did it anyway.
   • car sits at stock ride height currently, which looks a teeny tiny bit lower with the TCKs? hard to tell honestly
     • it was initially (id say a lot) lower, i raised it up during corner balancing and final dial-in which was about 300 miles after install. it was rubbing like a mfer on abhorrent-Raleigh NC (city-limits) pavement. looked sick though
     • i have urges sometimes to drop it ever so slightly, might do this later this year but tbh it's fine

Notes

• I had trouble finding even 1 bad review on TCK across 20 years of foruming, even across platforms (studied not just E46) (even went to wayback machine and started mining M3F where i could, thankfully many of the greats are here though - Obioban's suspension thread was super clutch. i reviewed it word for word more times than i want to admit). jvit27 - who has tried virtually every different setup has a great post out there in the archives talking through his experiences w/ each that i found illuminating too. although given you already have ohlins, realizing that some of this might be redundant for you
  • attached some specs from the famous flat-ride spreadsheet from FCM, i also have my alignment/corner balancing results too if you're interested in checking that out
  • i was a little worried about how it would come out given i have a 100% fully optioned, SMG + Moonroof, 3,656 lb (w driver) car
  • i am not an expert on suspensions or how to set them up (at least not prior to this)
  • for our needs - we are thrilled with how it came out. I love it, wife loves it too
• if I had to do it over again, i'd change nothing. while I don't know what it felt like in brand new in 2006, car is dialed-in in 2026!

hope this is a helpful anecdote and good luck with the program

Damn that looks sexy!

Im still leaning towards the PSS10 after my shitperience with GC but after reading your post i might give TCK a call and speak to them at the least. Cheers.

[dreamdrivedrift]

Thanks for the feedback re DAs. Kind of a bummer as I was leaning that way.

Ohlins on my prior e92 were fantastic. They felt more road than track on that platform. Seems they have skewed more track than road for the e46. They confirmed as much to me over the phone.



Yep, I am running stock sway bars and have been hesitant to “upgrade” either for fear of making things worse. The plan was to turn to sway bars if/when I was happy with the Ohlins. Best laid plans . . .



Ah cool. Congrats on the 991. I can confirm that my 997 GT3 is tolerable and well riding also. That is about the limit for “acceptable,” but it passes.

We suffer from equally poor roads in SoCal but, like your Macan, our G on air suspension soaks it up. Maybe that’s the move . . . haha. Or maybe I should convert the e46 into an off road vehicle.

If you find the 997 GT3 acceptable then the E46 should be able to exceed
I would prob rec trying a few members setups before dropping coin and time on something that may or may not work for you
I think you'd be surprised how well MCS or JRZ rides with soft rates.

If you find yourself up in East Bay would be happy to give you a ride.
Do any of our LA members want to volunteer and give this guy a ride?

[2002_FY_CAP]

I used to have PSS10 on my 993 C2S and love it. I am going to install PSS10 on my newly acquired E46 M3 today. Finger crossed.

[Tbonem3]

I used to have PSS10 on my 993 C2S and love it. I am going to install PSS10 on my newly acquired E46 M3 today. Finger crossed.

Don't set the ride height too low, esp up front. Pss10 are pretty great.

[Cronenberged]

Lots of bad advice in this thread. I would suggest:

e46 330ci stock springs with Koni FSDs.

18" wheels (or 17s, if you can stomach it, for extra tire cushion).

Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4's in stock 18" sizes (wide tires ride worse).

Stock bushings and mounts everywhere.

Will ride amazingly and be dynamically great up to ~7.5 tenths.

Koni FSDs truly ride amazingly, but you do need to get some non M stock e46 springs to run them.

The non M versions of these work on our cars?