Koni FSD/Eibach combo kit.

[ulrichd]

Came across this and was thinking for those of us who just want a subtle drop (1" or less) this may be an alternative to coilovers. I had a good experience running the FSDs with subtle lowering springs on my old 03 Cooper S. I know the BMW performance kit is not much more, but the lowering is pretty subtle (3/8"-1/2") and with all the pieces installs are pretty pricey.

Any thoughts?

http://www.jlevistreetwerks.com/BMW-...duct_info.html

[lib]

^ Just be careful when ordering. The 1-series & 3-series uses the same FSDs but the springs are not the same.

Unless things have changed in the last few weeks there is not an official kit that combines the 1er springs with the FSDs. Some vendors are making their own kits though by swapping in the correct 1er springs (Jlevi is one of the vendors that sells the correct springs).

[wa128]

I pretty much decided against the FSD/Eibach combo after seeing pics of 1ers dropped on the Pro-Kit springs. For my taste they were a bit lower than expected. So I've decided to try H&R OE sport springs with the FSDs. The H&R OEs claim to have a slightly less drop than the Eibachs (1" or less vs 1.2"). We'll see. Plus, someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just guessing the H&R's slightly longer springs might equate to a slightly softer spring rate than the Eibach and better match the comfortable dampening of the FSDs when the car is not being pushed. I have no basis for saying this about the spring rate; just a guess.

The problem is the H&R has been on national backorder for an eternity. So I had the FSDs installed first. I know...in the end total installation costs will be almost double of what it should have been had I done both at the same time. But I was impatient; I couldn't wait.

[MastaMind]

I also thought the eibach's were a bit lower than what I wanted. The drop looks good though.

After waiting on the H&R OE Sports for 6 months, I've decided to go another route. It really pisses me off, too, because nobody at H&R could tell me anything about availability.

[wa128]

I called H&R this past Thursday. A lady that answered said they would be receiving 1er OE sport springs on April 28. A couple of days after that the springs would ship out to retail vendors. The Tirerack has an ETA of June 30. I hope Gill or someone at Tirerack regularly monitors backorder situations and will check with H&R to verify this. If it turns out to be true then hopefully they can move up their ETA date.

[ulrichd]

Claimed drops are all over the place. Some vendors claim the H&R OE springs only lower 1/2" (which is what I wanted), some claim 1". I had an order for these and the FSDs at tirerack until they changed the date to June, so now I don't know. It seems silly to get coilovers just for a 1/2" drop and the BMW Performance suspension will run $2K with install.

[SV Concepts II]

Getting coilovers just for a 1/2 inch drop is definitely not the right reason. But getting coilovers for the ability to fully adjust to your preference, ride height, compression, and rebound in all four corners independently is a great reason.

[M3R1]

Originally Posted by wa128

I pretty much decided against the FSD/Eibach combo after seeing pics of 1ers dropped on the Pro-Kit springs. For my taste they were a bit lower than expected. So I've decided to try H&R OE sport springs with the FSDs. The H&R OEs claim to have a slightly less drop than the Eibachs (1" or less vs 1.2"). We'll see. Plus, someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just guessing the H&R's slightly longer springs might equate to a slightly softer spring rate than the Eibach and better match the comfortable dampening of the FSDs when the car is not being pushed. I have no basis for saying this about the spring rate; just a guess.

The problem is the H&R has been on national backorder for an eternity. So I had the FSDs installed first. I know...in the end total installation costs will be almost double of what it should have been had I done both at the same time. But I was impatient; I couldn't wait.

Is the ride quality improved with FSD's and stock springs? This is the set up I want for my car, however no one can seem to give me a definitive answer...

[SV Concepts III]

The FSDs will be stiffer than factory so they will not be more compliant than stock. With that said, they are the most comfortable of the suspension offerings I have experienced so if you want to improve handling without compromising too much comfort, then these are the way to go.

[wa128]

Originally Posted by M3R1

Is the ride quality improved with FSD's and stock springs? This is the set up I want for my car, however no one can seem to give me a definitive answer...

For me the ride quality improved in the sense that it reduced alot of the choppiness of the stock suspension. For example, on patched asphalt I could feel the sharpness (or hardness) of the bumps and jiggly up and down motions of the car with the stock suspension. I could also hear some banging coming from the wheels. With the FSDs the ride is firmer and as a result I feel more undulations and bumps in the road than I thought had existed. But as I go over those bumps and undulations they are not so sharp. I don't glide over them as if I'm in a top of the line Lexus. I still feel the up and down motions. However, it's as if someone skimmed off some of the edges of the bumps and made the tops a little flatter. Hence, the ride over them feels smoother, less sharp and less pronounced, therefore more comfortable. Also, the car seems to jiggle less and instead has a more tolerable rocking motion. Please understand that "comfortable" does not mean "cushy" in this application.

Hope this helps.

[SLO]

Where are you guys getting your lowering rates? I show the H&R springs lower 1.4" rear and 1.8" front and the Eibach are 1.2" all around.

[ulrichd]

Originally Posted by SLO

Where are you guys getting your lowering rates? I show the H&R springs lower 1.4" rear and 1.8" front and the Eibach are 1.2" all around.

You are looking at the wrong H&R springs. Check out Tirerack they list all versions for the 1er, and the OE springs show 1" lowering.

[Dr_Jones]

i had this setup on my a3. improved the handling tremendously but thought the springs were a little too stiff.

[M3R1]

Originally Posted by wa128

For me the ride quality improved in the sense that it reduced alot of the choppiness of the stock suspension. For example, on patched asphalt I could feel the sharpness (or hardness) of the bumps and jiggly up and down motions of the car with the stock suspension. I could also hear some banging coming from the wheels. With the FSDs the ride is firmer and as a result I feel more undulations and bumps in the road than I thought had existed. But as I go over those bumps and undulations they are not so sharp. I don't glide over them as if I'm in a top of the line Lexus. I still feel the up and down motions. However, it's as if someone skimmed off some of the edges of the bumps and made the tops a little flatter. Hence, the ride over them feels smoother, less sharp and less pronounced, therefore more comfortable. Also, the car seems to jiggle less and instead has a more tolerable rocking motion. Please understand that "comfortable" does not mean "cushy" in this application.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the review... To recap, would it be safe to say that small bumps are absorbed better than large bumps, ehile controlling body roll better than stock? This is what one of the retailers told me with his VW GTI...

[wa128]

Originally Posted by M3R1

Thanks for the review... To recap, would it be safe to say that small bumps are absorbed better than large bumps, ehile controlling body roll better than stock? This is what one of the retailers told me with his VW GTI...

Smaller bumps and very shallow potholes are absorbed better. No jarring at all, just the up and down motions of the car. For larger bumps a lot of the harshness is taken away. That's all relative as what is considered as harsh to one person might not be to another. But you will definitely feel a decrease in harshness on all surfaces. The FSDs will mute the impact of larger potholes but I would try to avoid them anyway.

The car feels more planted and composed when taking a turn, especially in a tight right hand turn. It takes the FSDs just a small fraction of a second to load up with a fast turn-in. The car remains steady through the turn with less lean and exits the turn composed.

I don't know how the FSDs would perform in fast, tight S-turns like when you are going through a chicane on a track. In my mind, however, for spirited street driving the FSDs are a worthwhile investment and adds to the enjoyment of my car.