Yes, another thread about shocks/springs

[BMWE46M3]

I have a 2002 M3 coupe with 73,000 miles and original shocks. I read great things about Koni shocks on the E46 M3s so am leaning that direction. However, I've also read that some say that the stock springs are a bit too soft which leads me to contemplate the Koni Yellow & Eibach Pro Kit. Apparently these specific Eibach springs have been paired precisely with the shocks. The problem I'm having is finding reviews from E46 M3 owner's who have the Koni/Eibach kit. So if any of you guys have reviews/insight you can share I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks...

[Sid_E46]

I used to have Koni shocks and Vogtland springs. They were great and I have no complaints.

[01SG]

The Pro-kit is bascially the same spring rate as factory. They are not specially mated to any off the shelf shock. They're off the shelf springs rated to the car.

If you want a lower car for the look, then get generic lowering springs. If you really want to change the handling, then you've got to order custom springs with custom spring rates.

Do you personally feel the springs are too soft? Do you track the car? I don't know that the car needs stiffer springs for the street, but everything comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. Maybe you'll be fine with them after refreshing the other components.

You can't go wrong with Koni, Bilstein, or fresh factory Sachs. You'll get every opinion. Mine is for the Bilstein. For build quality, theoretically superior monotube design, and no adjustments to fool with. I don't think any will really make that much of a difference, they're all good and competent.

[BMWE46M3]

I should have elaborated more. I really like the look of the E46 M3s lowered a bit, but not too much. But I’m also concerned about it being an issue with daily driving. And that is something worth noting, the only time I plan on tracking the car is at the biannual charity laps at VIR, the rest of the time it will be a daily driver. I have no other impressions of what an E46 M3 should feel like, but I know mine is not what it should be - as in not planted on the road and bouncing all over the place. I should confess that I also a 1997 M3 that I've owned for 19 years and have replaced the shocks twice and both times with Sachs. I feel much more confident driving that car than the E46.

I just got through doing a full brake job including a caliper swap from a 2005 911. I had the calipers powder coated but rebuilt them and installed everything else. I'd like to install a set of Titan T-S5 black wheels too to compliment the look I'm trying to achieve but the drivability takes priority over looks., hence part of the reason for lowering springs. Thanks guys...

[BMWE46M3]

Crap, I forgot to mention that I bought this car a year ago in March right before COVID got hairy so I've only driven it less than 2,000 miles. So it essentially had tired shocks when I bought it so I don't have a good feel of what an E46 M3 should feel like without worn shocks. Thanks...

[01SG]

Looks like it just comes down to whether you want it look better or ride better. The pro-kit is the go to off the shelf option. It's a nice conservative drop. Just wanted to point out that It's not going to change the actual performance.

As a daily stock is something to consider, but Koni on Eibachs will still ride nicely, it's certainly not jarring, but pot holes will be less fun.

[SteelGreyM]

Came to say nice looking brakes

[FBloggs]

I have a 2002 M3 coupe with 73,000 miles and original shocks. I read great things about Koni shocks on the E46 M3s so am leaning that direction. However, I've also read that some say that the stock springs are a bit too soft which leads me to contemplate the Koni Yellow & Eibach Pro Kit. Apparently these specific Eibach springs have been paired precisely with the shocks. The problem I'm having is finding reviews from E46 M3 owner's who have the Koni/Eibach kit. So if any of you guys have reviews/insight you can share I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks...

Here's a short journal.

1.Stock 83 k mile suspension:
two dampers blown...no suppleness.

Refreshed suspension.

2, bilstein B6/oem springs:
nice cruise ride.
terrible body control when flogging it.
car could not be placed accurately.

3, BilsteinB6/Eibach pro kit (sold as bilstein B12 kit):

nice ride, improved handling, and body control when flogging the car.
on bumpy roads, ride was crashy and brittle...front bumpstops killing travel resulting in the body jerk-rolling over bilateral bumps...really hard on the neck, then you start bracing yourself...causing fatigue/irritation. Did 8k on this kit.

4, Koni/Eibach pro kit:
konis 1/3 off full soft.
cruise is serene and unflustered...there's more finess over bumps.
deletes the brittle ride and is less temperature sensitive.
rounds off bumps like you went up in tire wall height, but more agile.

The front end was more planted and precise.
I drive with dsc on all the time. Less dsc intervention getting out of corners on dubious surfaces.

More stable in slippery conditions despite tire wear during this time.
I'm happy with it, and it has a better stance than the B12.

[FBloggs]

As an addendum:
if you go with the Koni/eibach, use shorter front swaybar end links.
I used new E46 M3 end links and there was a heavy steering wheel shimmy and tramlining.
The shimmy was rythmic and ebbed and flowed from 55-65 mph.
At 70 mph up, the steering just vibrated steadily.
I suspected that the front sway bar was preloading during the installation, and that the endlinks were under bending stresses with the car off the ground.
I use shorter by 30cm, E30M3 end links which cured the shimmy and vibration.

[Jimbo's M]

I've been on Koni yellows and Dinan springs for about 15 years now and still happy. It's a modest drop, about half an inch and tire wear is perfect as well.

[EthanolTurbo]

Put over 25k miles on Koni Yellow + Eibach Pro Kit. For the money, it's extremely good suspension overall for mixed usage. From what I've read, Koni spent hundreds of hours developing the E46 M3 specific Koni Yellows and it shows. They're better than OEM at an extremely reasonable price.

I will honestly have to get Ohlins, JRZ, or MCS to get a meaningful upgrade over this setup.

[BMWE46M3]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback and comprehensive reviews.

FBloggs - really great feedback. I had wondered about the sway bar links. I figured I'd have to install adjustable links, at least up front, but the E30 are another option I wasn't aware of. Any particular reason you didn't just go with adjustable links? And any problem with the links in the rear? Thanks...

[MarcZCP]

I literally went through the same thought process, probably reading the same threads, and had the same concerns about the stock springs not being stiff enough for Konis. In the end I ended up just getting Koni yellows, kept the stock springs, and set the dampers to "just off" full soft, about 1/8 of a turn both front and rear.

I'm happy to say, I'm very satisfied with the result. Ride is great, no extra harshness vs. stock but with much better body control. In fact, ride seems improved over really rough roads (like potholes), I suspect this is because the extra damping is reducing impact with the bump stops.

When I made the choice to stay with stock springs, I told myself I could always go back and install something else (probably the Eibach pro kit) if I found the stock springs to be too soft. As of now I have no plans to do so.

For reference, my car had 148k kms (about 92k miles) on original shocks and struts. No bad leaks (a bit of weeping) but the fronts were very tired, the rears less so but certainly not new. Also, my car is a late build, ZCP so it has softer springs than earlier M3 coupes.

Regarding your comment on how the car feels: Make sure to check the suspension components thoroughly. Bad RTABs in particular will make the car feel really sketchy. But if that's all good, then I would say that better damping will certainly help.

[BMWE46M3]

I agree 110% about the RTABs. I have a 1997 M3 also as mentioned above and installed Powerflex RTABs years ago, because I was tired of the OEM rubber bushings failing every few years. What I found was the tire rear on the rear tires at least doubled if not tripled. However, the one negative about them is you always feel like your riding on bald tires (the feeling you get when there is barely any rubber left to help absorb road imperfections - especially train tracks...). I've only owned the 2002 M3 for only one year and have confirmed the RTABs have been replaced a few years ago with OEM and still look good to me. However, I'm considering swapping them with Powerflex when I do the shocks to extend tire wear but am concerned about the NVH tradeoff as I've experienced with the E36.

[FBloggs]

I stayed with the factory style end links as the joints are sealed and the car is an all weather appliance.
Ihave to service those found on my se7en kit car.
I doubt it will see track activity in my hands.
I bought mine in sept 2019 at 82k miles and had to replace the entire front suspension except swaybar.
The rear also required rtabs and the four outer lateral link bearings.