Suspension vs. Wife Dilemma...(LONG READ)

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by jpy1980

Four questions.

How would these hold up on a couple of track days a year? In the other thread you guys created, the guys at KW kept saying to go with the club sports if you track, but were they referring to if you tracked consistently?

I also heard that KW suspension runs low, height Wise. I think the drop in my Swift springs are perfect. Would it be lower than the Swift springs?

How is the comfort mode setting in these coilovers? Now that you know my wife's stance on the car, will the comfort mode be more plush?

What's the lead time on these?

KW didn't say you can't track them, they said you can occasionally but if you are a hardcore track person then coilovers dedicated to the job is better than DDC since DDC is more of a hybrid, jack of all trades deal.

KW has always run low but I'm fairly certain you can ask them to send springs that will lift the car a bit more.

Rest is just preference. ZCP "improved" the suspension but what ppl tend to forget is BMW stiffened up the rebound, which was the biggest complaint originally for the F8x. The non-ZCP cars, rebound floats a lot. But BMW over dampened it. It isn't jarring but you will realize how overly dampened the OEM ZCP suspension is until you put KW DDC on.

I would even say my current setup on my M3 is almost as good as the Macan S I drive, and that is a damn SUV.

[Budget M3]

Stop trying to fix the car! Her perceived comfort is the issue, not the car. Short of swapping springs and shocks with a 330i, no amount of tuning the suspension is going to make the M3 demonstrably more comfortable. I suggest getting her one of these.

https://gelcoproducts.com/products/gseat-lite/

It fits the seat base quite cleanly between the side bolsters and takes the edge off the harshness that may be transmitted through the seat. The base is made of a rubber compound so it stays put and does not slide around on the leather. Worked like a charm for my wife who suffers from the occasional bout of sciatica. She had no pain or complaints on a recent 200-mile long drive. When she’s not there, just fold it and store it under the seat. I confess to using it myself during especially busy commutes and it really does make the car feel more comfortable. Worth a try for $50!!!

[AutoTalent]

Originally Posted by jpy1980

Four questions.

How would these hold up on a couple of track days a year? In the other thread you guys created, the guys at KW kept saying to go with the club sports if you track, but were they referring to if you tracked consistently?

I also heard that KW suspension runs low, height Wise. I think the drop in my Swift springs are perfect. Would it be lower than the Swift springs?

How is the comfort mode setting in these coilovers? Now that you know my wife's stance on the car, will the comfort mode be more plush?

What's the lead time on these?

They can easily hold up a couple track days in a year, the reason why KW states club sports are better for the track is because the club sports are designated specifically for track use, which is why they come equipped with linear "race" springs and camber plates.

KW height wise can sit much lower than other brands, however at max height, the front can be higher than swift, while the rear at max height would be right around the same height. I have a few pics that I can text you of near max height.

Comfort mode is considerably more plush and absorbent than stock and especially stock shocks with lowering springs.

OEM shocks are not designed to work with a shorter spring regardless of however much people tinker with spring rates and lengths.

Conservatively, lead times are 6 weeks to deliver to the end-user

[AlterZgo]

How about running 265-35-19 and 285-35-19 PS4S all around. They are meatier than stock sizes and should ride better. You also get better rim protection, plus, you will have noticeably better grip all around than the stock 255/275s.

[Budget M3]

Originally Posted by AlterZgo

How about running 265-35-19 and 285-35-19 PS4S all around. They are meatier than stock sizes and should ride better. You also get better rim protection, plus, you will have noticeably better grip all around than the stock 255/275s.

This is also a very good suggestion...more sidewall. Also, you could consider dropping down to 18’s for family duty and switch to 19 or 20 when “needed”

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by jpy1980

What you said about harshness hits the mark on the spot. I think new michelin tires will help tremendously.

Yeah, to echo some of the others here, this is a VERY harsh riding car no matter how you slice it. I see marginal changes possible at best and nothing that will radically change the overall nature of this beast.

Note - I am not knocking the F80 as I think it's simply amazing. I've owned 36/46/90/80 M3s over the last 15 years and the F80 is by far the most focused and sharp and as a consequence, the most direct/harsh riding model, easily.

All that said, these three things can make a marked difference in harshness:

- For every inch you decrease wheel diameter (whilst not decreasing overall tire diameter) you decrease harshness notably. Since you're already running 19s, your only options at this point are to A) increase tire diameter (read: sidewall) or B) drop to 18s (but really, the car almost never looks good with 18s, imo).

- Tires can and do make a huge difference. The PSS is not a comfortable tire. The PS4S is notably less harsh.

- PSI can have a dramatic affect. Shoot for 30psi cold and nothing more for street driving. These modern PSS/4S tires have such rigid sidewalls that anything more will destroy ride quality AND simply isn't necessary for even the most spirited street driving (I run 30 cold for canyon runs.... hooks like a mofo).

BUT - at the end of the day you must be realistic. The car is hardcore.

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by AlterZgo

How about running 265-35-19 and 285-35-19 PS4S all around. They are meatier than stock sizes and should ride better. You also get better rim protection, plus, you will have noticeably better grip all around than the stock 255/275s.

I agree with this by the way.

Justin.AutoTalent suggested it to me when I picked up my FI-R so I ran it on PS4S. I had my M4 still at that time and the difference between the two cars on 19s were big. My M4 had PSS, my M3 has the PS4S and the difference is very noticeable.

[Racer20]

Check my threads from a couple months ago. The CS calibration is good, yes, but the ZCP dampers are significantly improved as well. The improved damping quality helps both impacts and body float/jerk while also making the car flatter and more stable in corners. I'd highly recommend the full CS set-up.

Damper valving is one of the hardest things to get right on a car, especially while spring/bar rates and tire constructions are changing as well. The damper valving a car launches with is rarely truly optimized, and engineers will often revise the valving shortly after launch or when special modes are released.