Quote:
Originally Posted by KennyPowers
completely agree with this guy.
there are a few certainties with modifying suspensions
1) if you go cheap on coilovers OR lowering springs only, your car will not only ride worse, but handle worse on anything but the smoothest surfaces. it is CRITICAL to have high quality dampers, AND to have the length of the dampers shortened to compensate for any lower ride height.
2) you must spend money on quality coilovers in order to make the minimum amount of sacrifice possible in your ride quality and handling balance. IMO and personal experience, this means nothing lower than an Ohlins DFV kit. KW v3 is decent, but still will not ride as well on regular roads and be jittery.
Finally, IF the new calibration is anywhere near the new gen PASM in Porsches, it will take one hell of a nice coilover system to handle better. And finding one that will blend ride comfort with handling will be very expensive and probably impossible.
I would NOT go aftermarket on the suspension on this car unless I was willing to spend a lot of money and sacrifice everyday ride comfort. To me, I wont do that because the thing about the m3 that is the best is its blend of DD usability and track prowess.
there is none outside of a very expensive coilover kit, such as an Ohlins DFV kit or higher.
I would personally stay stock and then retrofit the soon to come competition package suspension.
If you need it lower than that, buy the most expensive coilovers you can justify and just get ready to deal with a worse ride and more hassle. Depends on the person whether those sacrifices are worth it.
IMO based on my experience with a LOT of suspensions on road and track.
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completely agree. I learned this first hand from replacing my stock adaptive suspension on my e92 with KWV3. here are a few observations:
1. the ride quality was way worse. anybody who tells you that the ride quality is similar or better is either smoking crack or driving around on billiard tables. I had the suspension adjusted to its softest setting and it's highest height (which is still a drop compared to stock) because it was just too uncomfortable. only then was it bearable, but when I re-installed the stock setup, I fell in love with the car all over again. so much better from the factory. never again will I tinker with the suspension.
2. don't confuse a car that corners flat with one that handles well. you can always make a car corner flat through stiffening. and cornering completely flat in and of itself isn't necessarily a good thing for handling/speed.
3. lowering the car messes with the suspension geometry and can compromise how the wheels/tires move in relation to the road under cornering loads. this takes a truly expert suspension tuner a long time to perfect, and I think you'd have a hard time making any lowered aftermarket system handle as well as the stock setup. As KP stated, you have to spend big dollars to make it right, and even then you've compromised the daily driveability that makes this car so great.
EDIT: to be clear, coilovers were the only mod I made to my M3 that I thought would enhance performance, but instead made it worse and made the car less enjoyable to drive. the only mod I regretted.