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

[lvm3sm46]

Chas3n aren't the B4's just a OEM replacement?

[r4dr]

Chas3n aren't the B4's just a OEM replacement?

Yes. I ran B4s with Eibach Pro-Kit springs on my E91, and I was doing dampers again in 50k miles. But the dampers were gone by 40k, I was just too busy to deal with it. Sometimes cheap is too cheap -- I put B8s on there this time, and I wish I had just done that the first time around.

[lvm3sm46]

So pretty much B8's and Eibach springs are The B12 (pro-Kit)

Edit" seems they dont make B8's for our cars

[Tbonem3]

B4s are twin tube like koni and oe sachs and are pretty comfy and will dampen well enough if the spring rate isn't much higher than stock, like Eibach pro-kit.

B6s would be better, but harsher.

[Obioban]

The B4/Eibach pro kit/hotchkis setup is not height adjustable, so you’re not able to corner balance.

The point of the setup is budget flat ride. I wasn’t interested in spending $5,000+ to get a proper setup damper and spring rate conversion. Not saying it’s not worth it, but for how I drive my 46, the cost doesn’t add any more experience to the car.

My s2000 on the other hand I’ll be working with Shaik on dialing that in as it’s already purpose build to see track time.

Yeah, eibach springs and Dinan springs, paired with Bilsteins or Konis, are the cheap ways to decent flat ride.

[K-Dawg]

So pretty much B8's and Eibach springs are The B12 (pro-Kit)

Edit" seems they dont make B8's for our cars

The B12 kit is B6 dampers with Eibach Pro-Kit springs. No B8's for the E46M.

OE springs are also flat ride, but buying new would be quite a bit more expensive than Eibach or Dinan.

[Chas3n]

Yes. I ran B4s with Eibach Pro-Kit springs on my E91, and I was doing dampers again in 50k miles. But the dampers were gone by 40k, I was just too busy to deal with it. Sometimes cheap is too cheap -- I put B8s on there this time, and I wish I had just done that the first time around.

40,000 miles is about 10yrs away for me. I didn't go this route to be "cheap" but rather to achieve maximum comfort without spending the next step up, which would be $5,000+

Price breakdown not including refreshing the OE hardware (links, shock mounts)
Hotckis Sway bars $630
B4 Dampers $450
Eibach Springs $300

So for roughly $1400, which is the cost of most trash "coilover" kits (think BC Racing, KW V1/2, ect.) I have a setup that performance wise is FASTER, and comfort wise is MUCH better. The next step up would be custom valved Billy's from Fat Cat and springs which would run $5,000. B8's are a downgrade in comfort which is HUGE to me. B8's marginally perform better than the B4's but significantly ride worse than b4's. You can send the b8's out Fat Cat, but at that point, they make less financial sense performance wise % than ordering a set of the pss10's and sending them to Shaik..

My ride is sublime in both comfort and performance and for 1/4 the price of a dedicated "track setup". Again, 40k mile interval rebuilds is awesome, easy enough to do and will take me a decade to get to.

[Chas3n]

B4s are twin tube like koni and oe sachs and are pretty comfy and will dampen well enough if the spring rate isn't much higher than stock, like Eibach pro-kit.

B6s would be better, but harsher.

exactly this. Harsher is not what I wanted. Car spends most of its driving being a GT, and partial time me embarrasing locals on the canyon roads. Thing is, with flate ride, and ideal wheel/tire setup, even at the "cheap" flat ride setup, I can easily run away and have loads of confidence with the car.

[cobra]

40,000 miles is about 10yrs away for me. I didn't go this route to be "cheap" but rather to achieve maximum comfort without spending the next step up, which would be $5,000+

Price breakdown not including refreshing the OE hardware (links, shock mounts)
Hotckis Sway bars $630
B4 Dampers $450
Eibach Springs $300

So for roughly $1400, which is the cost of most trash "coilover" kits (think BC Racing, KW V1/2, ect.) I have a setup that performance wise is FASTER, and comfort wise is MUCH better. The next step up would be custom valved Billy's from Fat Cat and springs which would run $5,000. B8's are a downgrade in comfort which is HUGE to me. B8's marginally perform better than the B4's but significantly ride worse than b4's. You can send the b8's out Fat Cat, but at that point, they make less financial sense performance wise % than ordering a set of the pss10's and sending them to Shaik..

My ride is sublime in both comfort and performance and for 1/4 the price of a dedicated "track setup". Again, 40k mile interval rebuilds is awesome, easy enough to do and will take me a decade to get to.

Curious - How do you define comfort and performance objectively?

[Chas3n]

Curious - How do you define comfort and performance objectively?

Most likely at a live higher than average.

Comfort: like a Lexus

Performance: able to chase down GT3’s

[Obioban]

The next step up would be custom valved Billy's from Fat Cat and springs which would run $5,000. B8's are a downgrade in comfort which is HUGE to me. B8's marginally perform better than the B4's but significantly ride worse than b4's. You can send the b8's out Fat Cat, but at that point, they make less financial sense performance wise % than ordering a set of the pss10's and sending them to Shaik..

FYI Shaik doesn't like/want to work on the PSS10s. H&R coilovers (which use bilstein dampers) are his go to starting point.

Flat ride is the most absurdly better thing I've ever done to my car's suspension. Better ride quality AND handling is exactly correct. I can't believe this car was out for 15+ years before there was any real awareness of it. I've moved every car I own to it since sampling it once, and will never go back.

[Chas3n]

Curious - How do you define comfort and performance objectively?

Most likely higher than average.

Comfort: like a Lexus

Performance: able to chase down GT3’s

[Chas3n]

FYI Shaik doesn't like/want to work on the PSS10s. H&R coilovers (which use bilstein dampers) are his go to starting point.

Flat ride is the most absurdly better thing I've ever done to my car's suspension. Better ride quality AND handling is exactly correct. I can't believe this car was out for 15+ years before there was any real awareness of it. I've moved every car I own to it since sampling it once, and will never go back.

Yep! Unfortunately most on the s2000 forums are naive/against this setup.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[lvm3sm46]

40,000 miles is about 10yrs away for me. I didn't go this route to be "cheap" but rather to achieve maximum comfort without spending the next step up, which would be $5,000+

Price breakdown not including refreshing the OE hardware (links, shock mounts)
Hotckis Sway bars $630
B4 Dampers $450
Eibach Springs $300

So for roughly $1400, which is the cost of most trash "coilover" kits (think BC Racing, KW V1/2, ect.) I have a setup that performance wise is FASTER, and comfort wise is MUCH better. The next step up would be custom valved Billy's from Fat Cat and springs which would run $5,000. B8's are a downgrade in comfort which is HUGE to me. B8's marginally perform better than the B4's but significantly ride worse than b4's. You can send the b8's out Fat Cat, but at that point, they make less financial sense performance wise % than ordering a set of the pss10's and sending them to Shaik..

My ride is sublime in both comfort and performance and for 1/4 the price of a dedicated "track setup". Again, 40k mile interval rebuilds is awesome, easy enough to do and will take me a decade to get to.

What are the spring rates of the Eibach Springs?

[Tbonem3]

U.S. M3 Coupe Spring Rates
Spring Rate Front 25 N/mm (143 lbs/inch)
Spring Rate Rear 60 - 120 N/mm (345 - 685 lbs/inch)
Eibach Pro Kit
Spring Rate Front 27 N/mm (155 lbs/inch)
Spring Rate Rear 66 - 132 N/mm (375 - 750 lbs/inch)