My review: Koni Yellows / Eibach Springs on a daily driven M3

[cobra]

So adjust the Koni .
That is the brief of the Koni. Designed to be adjusted stiffer as they age.
They took advantage of tendencies of the customer base adjusting them stiffer from the get-go by then advertising 'em as "Sport" dampers.

As K Dawg says, rebound adjust is not a good way to make it feel 'stiff' and will reduce grip dramatically.

[K-Dawg]

So adjust the Koni .
That is the brief of the Koni. Designed to be adjusted stiffer as they age.
They took advantage of tendencies of the customer base adjusting them stiffer from the get-go by then advertising 'em as "Sport" dampers.

Only rebound damping is adjustable on Koni Sports, which wouldn't help with bottoming out and could actually make it worse by increasing jacking down.

[FBloggs]

I've had my Koni/Dinan setup for quite some miles now and I'm no longer totally in love with them. They are more comfortable than stock and have a good feeling overall, but really suck and bottom out easily on bumpy roads. I wonder if they are starting to wear out or if I am just being picky.

So adjust the Koni .
That is the brief of the Koni. Designed to be adjusted stiffer as they age.
They took advantage of tendencies of the customer base adjusting them stiffer from the get-go by then advertising 'em as "Sport" dampers.

[heinzboehmer]

Did the car end up dropping more with time? Or was that the final ride height?

Yeah I never did update this huh

I think the car dropped down slightly more, but I can't find too many recent pics that showcase it well. Here's the two best ones I found:




I'll try to go to that garage again soon and get some updated pics from the same angles.

[cobra]

I've had my Koni/Dinan setup for quite some miles now and I'm no longer totally in love with them. They are more comfortable than stock and have a good feeling overall, but really suck and bottom out easily on bumpy roads. I wonder if they are starting to wear out or if I am just being picky.

[PipeUy]

Just installed this same setup on my car and took some pics. Tried to keep the angles/lighting/etc as consistent as possible. The pics were taken hours after I installed the springs, so I'm expecting the car to drop more with time. I'll take some more pics in the future. Top are before and bottom are after.

Did the car end up dropping more with time? Or was that the final ride height?

[BMWE46M3]

Update after I drove the car today on a long highway drive and also some REALLY nice on/off ramps and a very winding two-lane highway with no cars on it:

This thing is a new car. It's simply incredible to me how much of a night and day difference it feels driving. Now I lived in Germany for 10 years, owned a Scirocco R, a GTI, been in all kinds of cars at 150mph+ for hours on the autobahn and from this experience, I have gained a feeling of how a car should feel at high speeds. The cornering ability is key in some turns even though such a road is absolutely suited for all vehicles that are put out there (as are the cars to handle those speeds) - with cars that have over 250hp and are capable of 150mph+, there is a certain feeling you have in the turning ability, the way weight is transferred, the way that your confidence sits at all times. This is different though completely as you go up in horsepower and speed. For example, driving a mk7 GTI at 150mph vs. a 991 911 at 150mph is a night and day difference. A GTI feels at its limit at 150mph where a 911 feels like it's just getting warmed up and you can cruise at that speed comfortably.

With all of that being said - I've felt my M3 go from a GTI to a 911 with this suspension change. Hands down, night and day difference. The way the car feels in higher speed curves on that winding two-lane highway, it took it with such ease. Where I would be going say 60mph and feel like "alright that's enough", I can be going 90 and feel like "oh this feels like 40". That's what I experienced today. I've not felt such a difference in a car - granted my previous suspension on the car was a hack job that needed to go to a junk yard asap - but it really handles itself incredibly. Today, I absolutely by accident, hit 135mph in the car today just trying to pass a truck. Now I know, the car has no power difference, but why I said by accident is because I felt absolutely no change in my comfort, confidence, or ability to control the vehicle at such a speed whereas before, I would hit 100 and be like ok, that's enough.

So yes, I'm a happy guy and yes I can't wait to continue to drive this thing again! It's such a blast.

What RTABs are you using?

[Jimbo's M]

Planning on going with the Koni/Dinan springs pairing soon.

Have been on this setup for 15-ish years. Still am.

[EthanolTurbo]

Think I need to change my rear spring pads because after looking at everyone's setups in here, mine is way higher in the rear than front.

[AvusM5]

Planning on going with the Koni/Dinan springs pairing soon. Thanks for the write-up and glad to see that it’s Storrow Drive approved haha! That road really gives the suspension a workout.

[yhp2009]

Icecream That would be an interesting comparison especially for someone whos driven a single setup for awhile. Also to mention those are probably the 2 most popular routes without going coilovers
You mention youre in LA. I do wonder how much of the B12 reviews are significantly affected by the climate. I would guess that a monotube shock like B12 would be much more sensitive to cold weather and can be mistaken as bad valving. Im in NY metro area and hoping its not a big issue.

[Icecream]

THanks all for the very informative pics and replies. Ive heard of the B12 being less popular especially with the front shock travel. Although i have also read very positive reviews on it which seems confusing. So I'm hoping its a matter of subjective feel and i'll try it out at least for a year.

Most people don't compare these things in controlled environments nor have the qualifications or have bias so opinions are all over the place. I have it on mine (and I wouldn't call myself qualified since my experience is limited), but the bumpstop issue is overexaggerated and comfort wise feels fine, not harsh. The only complaint I have is at high speed going over very uneven surfaces (what feels like a mini 5" ramp/jump on the highway) the car doesn't feel planted and does become unsettled (which I do not think is acceptable and I don't know if it's because the spring is too soft or the shock to stiff or what). I never noticed it since traffic is so bad in LA but with the shutddowns, 80+ is normal and our freeways are exceptionally messed up, feels like there are literal jumps in the pavement. I'd love to see how other setups manage ( I think my rear camber is way too positive so maybe that is making it worse. Canyons and spirited driving though is very nice and I have no real desire to change it up unless I'm going super high end. If someone wants to do a back to back drive sometime with mine vs koni/eibach, I'm down.

[yhp2009]

THanks all for the very informative pics and replies. Ive heard of the B12 being less popular especially with the front shock travel. Although i have also read very positive reviews on it which seems confusing. So I'm hoping its a matter of subjective feel and i'll try it out at least for a year.

[FBloggs]

1st is Koni/eibach. Then koni rear B12 front. Then B12

[FBloggs]

@heinzboehmer It looks really tight. I just purchased the B12 so Im hoping for a very similar drop. Btw did you use any of the thicker spring pads or strut reinforcement plates?

The B12 will be a little higher... not much but will clear a dead possum, while this koni set up is less likely to.
The B12 gives the look of reversed rake...nose up.
I switched from B12 to koni the day after Christmas.
If you haven't installed the B6 dampers, I'd encourage you to send them back and get Konis.
I used E30 M3 front swaybar links but I don't think they are necessary..