Hey guys I hope everyone is doing great! I just wanted to inform the community on my knowledge/understanding of the F80 M3 after all the research and hands on experience I've had.
I bought my car brand new in 2015 (MY2016 NON ZCP) and drove the car stock for about 7K miles. At this point I swapped my OEM springs for Swift Spec R springs. This dropped my car 1" in front and .4" in the rear. The drop really helped with the overall lofty feel that OEM had. I also feel it made the car look more aggressive, but this came with trade-offs. Most of the time when I had Swift springs I would track/autocross a lot, and I would drive it daily for the most part. I would swap around between my E36, E90 and F80 M3 for daily use. The Swift springs did a great job achieving the look I wanted, but the ride wasn't quite there. Now comes the beauty of the forums, and why I think it will always have a place in the car community. There is actual data and thought process, as opposed to the bashing type behavior I see on Facebook that truly provides very little value.
After tons of research, everyone stated that ZCP coding would help. So I contacted Alex Alpine got it done and I felt as though comfort mode felt better, but the stiffness in sport and sport+ almost made it unbearable especially when there were passengers were in the car. Then fast forward to the release of the M3 CS, and when the coding became available everyone was praising the coding. I was skeptical, as the ZCP didn't impress me. But I was VERY HAPPY to report that the M3 CS coding makes a world or difference and the car actually soaked up bumps rather than fumbling around. So I was very happy with the ride, but the issue that still remained was the ride quality with passengers and the ride with less than perfect roads.
I decided to do some more research. I know everyone is probably saying just get coilovers already lol. But I feel I paid for the EDC and I wanted to use it and I liked the adjustability of various drive modes. I understand certain coilovers do that as well, and I will be pursuing that at a later time. But in the mean time I wanted to see if there was any difference between Eibach and Swift springs. Once I learned more about linear vs progressive springs and ride heights, I felt as though Eibach could be the ticket.
Ok you guys still with me? Now you would think it would be an easy decision, ok just buy and swap. Butttt there are Eibach Euro V1, US V1 and US V2. Now this made it a little more confusing, but after studying the HUGE thread on Eibach springs and reading first hand experience. I knew that the Eibach Euro V1 were hopefully going to be the ticket. My buddy and I installed the Eibach Euro V1 springs and the ride height is acceptable, the ride quality is amazing and coupled with the M3 CS coding it is truly a winner! I'm no brand affiliate and I get nothing when anyone buys Eibach. So any type of linear spring should be the answer, now when we get into spring rates that could also play a huge factor. But so far the Eibach does a great job working with the stock EDC dampers and never falling on its face when roads are bad. I made a video so you guys can see visually the difference between the two style of springs, my opinions and just overall ease of install/working on the F80 M3.
I'm very appreciative to the community because without this forum I couldn't make informed decisions. And basically I would have to listen to all the retailers, who I feel have ulterior motives. Unlike myself who does this for the community and won't get a penny back in return. So rest assured my review is honest and unbiased. If anyone has questions please feel free to ask! I'm always happy to help, and if your not subscribed already think about it. I got a lot of content coming your way, and my collection of cars seems to never stop growing
Swift Spec R Springs:
Eibach Euro V1 Springs:
*During Install
*After All 4 Corners Complete
*Eibach Euro V1 Springs Settled (200+ miles)
JD