Bank Holiday weekend perma-grin

[billyali86]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

And there was me thinking I've spent ages faffing about which suspension solution to go for Normally I don't take such a long time to make my decisions

I figured with the price I got these for I can take the punt for springs only for now. Hopefully they'll solve the arch gap issue and improve the bodyroll such that I don't feel tempted to do anything else

I'll try and be sure to put up some before and after shots aswell as thoughts about how they behave.

Ade

I got a really good price for the eibachs off another forum member. The acs springs are meant to be very good, with a ride that's slightly better than stock apparently

[Ade_7]

Ok apologies first for

a. hectic Monday morning and forgetting to take "before" pictures and measurements etc
b. not writing up my thoughts etc until now

So Monday morning I dropped the car off at Deutsch Tech in Milton Keynes for them to fit the ACS springs and the HEL brakelines with a high quality DOT 4 fluid they recommended/supplied.

They called me mid afternoon to let me know the car was ready but advised there was a horrible rubbing noise coming from the drivers side rear wheel? I asked what it sounded like etc and they said it sounded like it could be a loose brake art or something and would recommend getting it to BMW ASAP to check under warranty. I was a bit worried by this, to say the least, as I'm quite particular about the car and hadn't been aware of any noise when I took it in so was also concerned that after having work done by an indi that BMW would immediately fob me off.

Anyway I went to collect the car and spoke with the guys there including the tech who worked on the car. I moved it around a bit in the car park to get a listen to what was described and was treated to an unholy metal scraping sounds coming from the rear wheel. To say I was upset is an understatement. But the guys there were great and when they realised it wasn't there before etc agreed to get it on the ramps immediately for a look. I was chatting with the tech and mentioned i'd heard stones could get caught between the disc and the shield he agreed to check it out. Long story short (too late) with the wheel and caliper off a small stone was found properly wedged into a recess between the disc and metal shield! Thank fook for that. massive thanks to the guys there for getting it back on the ramps for an extra look without any fuss etc.
The tech did say the only reason they didn't investigate before was because they'd assumed it must have been doing it before and anything they did could have interfered with BMW and warranty etc but once we'd spoken and they realised that it had only just occurred happy days.

So finally onto the car and the changes

My first observation is that the brakes feel excellent. This is a combination I think of losing the over exaggerated dive I felt the car had as stock and the pedal feeling more evenly pressured over the travel? Before, when applying the brakes it seemed to me that the nose would dive even with relatively low pedal pressure and then the pedal feel would be just ok. Now when pressing the brake pedal the car doesn't make me chinbutt the steering wheel and the pedal just feels more powerful through the same movement but easier to modulate the actual braking pressure being applied. Happy with them so far but will have another early morning run across town to see how they cope under similar conditions to when I noticed fade before.

Onto the springs then, the ride is definitely firmer in default sport mode. Not in an unpleasant way at all though in my mind, the whole car just feels a bit more hunkered down but still compliant? The sort of ride i'd have been very happy with from factory. The car looks better to me with the reduced front arch gap, but not crazy low . Without a before and after picture it's difficult to really appreciate the drop and I don't think many would notice without two cars parked right next to each other.
My first proper drive was to our factory in north Lincolnshire yesterday so I think I've got a decent feel for it already.
On normal roads just driving sensibly it's still a nice comfortable place to be so no issues on the motorways etc
Getting into corners the car feels much better to me. Flatter when cornering is one aspect and I guess as a result it just seems to want to be leaned on a bit more.... so I found myself pressing on around a few bends I know and it was a lot of fun. I couldn't go crazy as with the many patches of rain yesterday it would have been foolish to go too mad but very pleased so far with the change.

I do think that this is a good set up and much better suited to the standard dampers than the stock springs but, I still think the car could be better when making progress down b roads. If anyone knows the A157 between Wragby and Louth, it's a decent enough condition road but when getting a bit of pace up the car can still start to feel a bit unsettled and nervous making for "concentration face" i'm sure if anyone was watching me drive
I guess I think back to some well sorted cars I've had in the past that down similar surfaced roads they would just soak up of the oddities and just give you a feeling of solid connection to the road leading to confidence in the car. However I do recognise that none of them were dealing with this much weight and power, so concede that should be taken into consideration for my opinion.

Also the splitter hasn't touched anything so far nor has any of the wheels rubbed anywhere

Overall am I happy? Yes very much. A very positive improvement to the looks and handling without sacrificing comfort or practicality

Do I think it could be better however....... yes, but certainly not for the same outlay.

I hope this is useful to anyone considering a similar change to theirs

I'll try and get a picture at some point later today before anyone asks

[Ade_7]

Crazy day, nearly forgot to collect my daughter from school

But once there I thought I take a quick snap with the phone.

[DazC]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

Crazy day, nearly forgot to collect my daughter from school

But once there I thought I take a quick snap with the phone.

Thanks for the write up Ade!

[scottc]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

Crazy day, nearly forgot to collect my daughter from school

But once there I thought I take a quick snap with the phone.

Great write up, car looks great and how it should come from the factory!!

[Ade_7]

Right so somehow I've been volunteered to take our babysitter and friends to their prom tonight so had to clean the car, obviously the perfect time to take a few clean car pictures





I'm a much happier person without the egg yolk headlights I'm just not sure what sort of person that makes me.....





I'm also really happy with the ride height now. Just enough to sit it down without dragging along the floor.

Oh and please try and ignore the rusty discs.... I'll run it up the road later and rinse off the bits if required

[DR12FAN]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

Right so somehow I've been volunteered to take our babysitter and friends to their prom tonight so had to clean the car, obviously the perfect time to take a few clean car pictures


Attachment 1458828


I'm a much happier person without the egg yolk headlights I'm just not sure what sort of person that makes me.....


Attachment 1458829


I'm also really happy with the ride height now. Just enough to sit it down without dragging along the floor.

Oh and please try and ignore the rusty discs.... I'll run it up the road later and rinse off the bits if required

Now that looks very tidy indeed! And I agree the, the ride height looks perfect (not too 'rude boy'!). Was seriously considering these springs for my new arrival (its a ZCP so def needs to be dropped, looks like an X-Drive), but I dont think ACS do springs for the F83 . At least I can go off-roading in it instead...

[gatsojon]

Looks but better now

[Ade_7]

Originally Posted by DR12FAN

Now that looks very tidy indeed! And I agree the, the ride height looks perfect (not too 'rude boy'!). Was seriously considering these springs for my new arrival (its a ZCP so def needs to be dropped, looks like an X-Drive), but I dont think ACS do springs for the F83 . At least I can go off-roading in it instead...

Lol it does seem worse because of the aggressive look of the rest of the car

I do seem to recall on some other threads that there was some movement into springs for the verts? Maybe a cheeky call to Lorcan wouldn't be a bad idea?

[DR12FAN]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

Lol it does seem worse because of the aggressive look of the rest of the car

I do seem to recall on some other threads that there was some movement into springs for the verts? Maybe a cheeky call to Lorcan wouldn't be a bad idea?

Yeh that sounds like an idea, not too keen on hovering around in my ZCP. Was going to wait for the BMW MP suspension to land, but thats a slow burner!

[Ade_7]

Originally Posted by DR12FAN

Yeh that sounds like an idea, not too keen on hovering around in my ZCP. Was going to wait for the BMW MP suspension to land, but thats a slow burner!

I was trying to hold out for that too but, wow, they are taking their time with it!!

Fingers crossed you have some luck we al know what they say about hovercrafts and their propensity for crashing into things...

[DR12FAN]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

I was trying to hold out for that too but, wow, they are taking their time with it!!

Fingers crossed you have some luck we al know what they say about hovercrafts and their propensity for crashing into things...

450bhp, rear wheel drive in hover buggy... You don't happen to have a number for a good body shop

[scottc]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

Right so somehow I've been volunteered to take our babysitter and friends to their prom tonight so had to clean the car, obviously the perfect time to take a few clean car pictures


Attachment 1458828


I'm a much happier person without the egg yolk headlights I'm just not sure what sort of person that makes me.....


Attachment 1458829


I'm also really happy with the ride height now. Just enough to sit it down without dragging along the floor.

Oh and please try and ignore the rusty discs.... I'll run it up the road later and rinse off the bits if required

That looks awesome, love the colour (I am going for MG), stance and the ride height!! Should come from the factory like that!

I think I will be doing the m perf kit, suspension (acs) and 10mm all round spacers

[Ade_7]

Originally Posted by scottc

That looks awesome, love the colour (I am going for MG), stance and the ride height!! Should come from the factory like that!

I think I will be doing the m perf kit, suspension (acs) and 10mm all round spacers

It should look well at that

I assume competition pack if you're only going for 10mm spacers? I'll look forward tonpictures when you get it sorted

[scottc]

Originally Posted by Ade_7

It should look well at that

I assume competition pack if you're only going for 10mm spacers? I'll look forward tonpictures when you get it sorted

Yes going for a comp pack and from everything I have read 10mm should be perfect with the drop..

Need to get the car first

[Ade_7]

Originally Posted by scottc

Yes going for a comp pack and from everything I have read 10mm should be perfect with the drop..

Need to get the car first

That didn't stop me buying loads of parts it helped ease the waiting period

[scottc]

I have resisted so far but I know once I start it will be a slippery slope

[Ade_7]

Originally Posted by scottc

I have resisted so far but I know once I start it will be a slippery slope

Yep you're not wrong there, you'll have a garage full of parts before you know it

[Ade_7]

Minor update as I've been on hols for a few weeks.

Firstly the Lightweight splitter spacers are all the same length and that means the middle two are a little too long, after some time the splitter settles and looks a little lower in the middle. nothing drastic but if you're a little OCD or picky then after you've noticed it, it will start to bother you.

Thankfully a very quick fix. Remove the centre two and remove approx. 3.5mm and refit. Now looks much more level

Lastly, for anyone getting used to the power of their M and finding it doesn't feel as fast anymore I can thoroughly recommend the following;

Go on holiday to Spain for two weeks and hire a Citroen DS4. Marvel and the sponge like feel of everything (steering, suspension etc) dreadful throttle response and complete lack of any useable acceleration. Then come home and climb into your fresh new ballistic missile!!! It's like a new car all over again