Opinions on Performance Parts

[modifiede30]

I'm about to dump some serious dudu into my suspension and would like to hear from the masses about what they're experiences have been. Here are the suspension components going in this winter for next track season.

Full coil-over set-up
Adjustable sway bars

Which have you used and what are the good and bads of them.

[e9nine]

IMHO a well setup Coil-over setup should not need sways.

I am not fully in your criteria for evaluation since I have semi coilover GCs with Koni SAs & Sparco Strut bar. GCs build quality is A+. Having good tires makes a world of a diff...I am running Yoko AVS es 100s nice nice nice grippp for the $ u pay for them.

I am running stock sways and the furthest I might go for shits and giggles are the iC and e30 M3 combo. My spring rates are for me to know (save your opinion till u ride in my car) and I am very happy with my choice.

IMHO eibach pro-kit springs are too soft, same goes for H&R sports, J-stockers were nice but I didn't ride any of them long enough as I do in my GCs but I am convinced I made the right choice. My evaluation of the other springs is based on riding shottie and short test drives in an eta,325iS,325i and 318i.

I have no bads about my setup now and I am not being biased...the only thing you have to be aware of is that you have to sacrifice your soft ride for a harsh bumpy one..I don't mind ...

[M-technik-3]

German's like the FK coil overs to H&R's due to corrosion resistance. I am tempted to get a set of these and try them out.

[gstuning]

M-technik-3 : contact me for KW coilovers from Germany
They are excellent

[rwh11385]

IMHO a well setup Coil-over setup should not need sways.

I am not fully in your criteria for evaluation since I have semi coilover GCs with Koni SAs & Sparco Strut bar. GCs build quality is A+. Having good tires makes a world of a diff...I am running Yoko AVS es 100s nice nice nice grippp for the $ u pay for them.

I am running stock sways and the furthest I might go for shits and giggles are the iC and e30 M3 combo. My spring rates are for me to know (save your opinion till u ride in my car) and I am very happy with my choice.

whoa, the same setup as moi. I have GC coilover, Koni SAs, and sometime in the future to have Sparco bar. Oh, plus camber plates. ES100's...... I bet we both love the handling of our cars.

Anyway, to be helpful to modifiede30 and not just reflect on the common compenents we share, i'll mention a thread there was on E3S. I opened a new topic asking if people could suggest sways for me, if i needed them. The best response was from Randy Walters, who was very helpful. He explained that people with stiff springs don't really need sways because the body roll is already pretty much eliminated.

I cannot share my rates as well - - simply because i don't know them. The PO forgot the #'s, but said they were very stiff, almost race spec. There is little body roll and i love the handling. I do not think sway bars are neccessary, unless you want to tune your ride for handling preference, like under/oversteer and such. BTW, i don't mind the stiff ride, It's a lot better than spongy soft suspension!

ModifiedE30, if you want an excellent suspension, go with GC. Pick up the coilover system, camber plates if you desire, M3 offset control arm bushings, adjustable shocks, and the lot. There really is some crazy stuff you can pick up like rear camber control bushings.....but just a basic GC coilover, shocks, and M3 bushings should be an excellent set-up. Pick up a unhinged front bar, and you'll be in excellent shape.

What are you running right now? Like a cup kit, or the like? And how's your stroker coming along?

[JasonH]

I try to avoid the "me, too...me, too" threads, but I also have the same set-up as mentioned above (including the GC camber plates). Definitely consider what you are going to use for sways. For example, Jeff Ireland designed the sway bars he sells through his shop so you could reduce (within reason) body roll without running excessively high spring rates. This can be helpful if you would prefer to maintain some degree of ride comfort while reducing body roll or if you live in an area where road conditions just aren't conducive to stiff spring rates. I'm not trying to advertise for Jeff, it is just another perspective when you are considering what to do.

[modifiede30]

Well the car will likley be removed from the road in the next 2 years and become a dedicated track car. I'm also looking for cages now. I've been looking almost soley at GC's or Leda. I've also taken an interest in the KW's since they're made to resist corrosion which in New England could be a problem. As for not needing roll bars with coil-overs, I suspect that any body roll on a track car will be much more pronounced than a street car.

Anyone running without modified sway's and coil overs on the track regularly?

The stroker is coming along. Everything is awaiting pistons and assembly will start. Everything is cleaned and ready.

[modifiede30]

M-technik-3 : contact me for KW coilovers from Germany

Gunni, can you get these at a good price?

[modifiede30]

What about KW coil overs? They're also German, but I've not been able to find any info on them aside from their website. Anyone heard of them?

http://www.but.at/high_sport.htm

[modifiede30]

Here's a shot of the Leda setup. Looks reasonably priced compared to the GC, and its adjustable in many more ways. Has anyone used this or heard of it?

[OreoGaborio]

... man that looks hot :shock:

how do you know you're a car enthusiast?... when you look at that pic & get chills ;)

[M-technik-3]

M-technik-3 : contact me for KW coilovers from Germany
They are excellent

Oh I am not looking to buy a set. As i can walk into local shop with tax free form and save 16% plus haggle with cost for 10% percent savings. No shipping is nice too.

[modifiede30]

gstuning wrote:
M-technik-3 : contact me for KW coilovers from Germany
They are excellent

The more I look at the KW's, the more I'm finding that the only option available for the E30 is really low level in terms of performance. I'm really trying to find something that will work long term when this car is off the road. The version available for the E30 from KW looks more like a basic C/O setup you might find from Tokico or something. The Leda is definitely more along the lines of what I'm looking for and I've calculated the total to be in the range of about $1750 shipped. Now I'm just trying to determine if it will be legal in the class I'm aiming for.

[808BMW]

Don't you neeed a weld in roll-cage for the Leda coilovers?

You'll probably have the cage when it becomes a full track car, but until then...

[modifiede30]

Haven't heard anything yet that indicates a weld-in roll cage is necessary but I'll ask when they respond. Thanks...