e46 M3 suspension setup, or how to not downgrade your car with suspension mods

[cobra]

It's difficult to apply a mileage number to when you should rebuild your shocks.

-If you drive in very dirty environments it will introduce more contaminants into the oil over time and reduce the time between rebuilds.
-If you drive over very rough roads that cause a high number of movement, it will cause them to heat up more which tends to oxidize things (seals, oil) faster, as well as fatigue the valving faster.

Personally I've taken apart old, high mileage shocks that looked clean inside and still performed fine. As well as relatively new shocks that were abused and they needed everything replaced.

Our M3's are not rally cars. I imagine with a quality shock you can go many thousands of miles without needing to touch them. I would only rebuild if there was something obvious (oil leaks, shaft play, noise, loss of damping)

[eacmen]

So I am going through the HP Academy suspension tuning course. And one of the first things they want you to measure is the vertical center of gravity. Has anyone measured this for our chassis yet? I imagine it would change slightly based on ride height and any weight savings mods performed. But curious if anyone has gone through that trouble already or not?

[wahsm]

So I am going through the HP Academy suspension tuning course. And one of the first things they want you to measure is the vertical center of gravity. Has anyone measured this for our chassis yet? I imagine it would change slightly based on ride height and any weight savings mods performed. But curious if anyone has gone through that trouble already or not?

You taken any of their other courses? Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the suspension tuning course and any others.

[eacmen]

You taken any of their other courses? Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the suspension tuning course and any others.

So far love the content. Makes all the concepts very approachable. Would recommend.


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[Kdubski]

Good info in here. Is there a resource on which suspension is best for our cars? Have seen a lot of brands mentioned throughout the years and want to see how they stack up against each other. But more importantly, interested in the best value.

[Tbonem3]

bro

[IamFODI]

bro

🤣

Kdubski, completely reasonable question but much deeper and more complicated than it seems. Too many variables involved to just rank brands.

If you want over-generalized guidelines, here's a list in no particular order:

- Bilstein
- Öhlins
- Koni
- KW
- Dinan
- Swift
- H&R
- Eibach

Not everything from those brands is good value / worth buying. But pretty much everything ELSE is either super niche (i.e., if you're asking about value, probably useless for you) or cheap to the point of being a clear downgrade from stock. There are exceptions, but that's probably a good starting point.

Also, BC Racing is not one of the exceptions. They're firmly in the downgrade category, as is everything cheaper than them.

If you want more, post a thread, tell us about your goals and preferences, and we'll help you. Sound good?

[eacmen]

Any opinions on JRZ relative to the other dampers discussed?


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[IamFODI]

Any opinions on JRZ relative to the other dampers discussed?

Based on my zero in-person experience...

JRZ seems to get excellent reviews for performance; not so much for quality or longevity. Seems like a good option for a low-mile weekend car or track car.

[dukeofchen]

🤣

Kdubski, completely reasonable question but much deeper and more complicated than it seems. Too many variables involved to just rank brands.

If you want over-generalized guidelines, here's a list in no particular order:

- Bilstein
- Öhlins
- Koni
- KW
- Dinan
- Swift
- H&R
- Eibach

Not everything from those brands is good value / worth buying. But pretty much everything ELSE is either super niche (i.e., if you're asking about value, probably useless for you) or cheap to the point of being a clear downgrade from stock. There are exceptions, but that's probably a good starting point.

Also, BC Racing is not one of the exceptions. They're firmly in the downgrade category, as is everything cheaper than them.

If you want more, post a thread, tell us about your goals and preferences, and we'll help you. Sound good?

Just an idea but it would be cool to have a repository similar to the wheel setup thread for suspensions – setup, application, alignment settings, etc. Given lots of members have progressed through multiple setups I think those points of comparison in particular would be valuable.

[oceansize]

Just an idea but it would be cool to have a repository similar to the wheel setup thread for suspensions – setup, application, alignment settings, etc. Given lots of members have progressed through multiple setups I think those points of comparison in particular would be valuable.

I once started a thread for this type of information but most didn't seem to want post their setup. Not sure if it was all super secret info lol. I was hoping people would go into great detail to help others.

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...n-great-detail

[MPowerZ32]

Any opinions on the Bilstein Clubsport kit? I'm considering the kit for a dedicated track car build. So far I've found very little info. The only discussion I found was for E9X M3 where the OP had a very positive experience with the kit.

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1354492

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07fTsF5BiSM

[zaharias]

Bought it used with oem 19s & B6s with stock springs but i wanted to lower the car a bit and also didn't like the way they absorb in our awful Greek roads.
So i went with Koni yellows, Eibach springs (rear bottom pads removed), Ground Control street camber plates and CSL sway bars.
Apex 8.5/10.5x18 235/40/18 - 265/35/18
No track use.
I want to check alignment and i think i will go back to stock sways..
Can't corner balance here that i live, iam trying to find where to go.
Wanted to weight the car out of curiosity since it does not have many extras and i also added SS LTW muffler/Recaro sportsers/Apex 18...

[cornerbalanced]

My understanding is the V3 and Clubsport kits are on their own tier of quality from the V1/V2 which are "entry-level."

Either way, I was thinking about posting the details behind my flatride MCS 1WNR setup at some point. A few things were trial and error, but the setup is dialed now and they are fantastic. I figured someone might make use of the info, but just have to find the time to write it all out...

Following for this!!

[Nate047]

^V3 and Clubsports are the same dampers, differences are different springs, and Clubsports have top mounts. V1 and V2 dampers are definitely not as good, they're cheaper, shouldn't be a surprise.