[t5pilot]

Originally Posted by M4_CaptFlashheart

Do you happen to know of anywhere that does this as a set and fits them?
cheers

I believe Larkspeed sells the lot.
Then get them fitted locally by someone you trust. It’s probably about a 3 hour job for somewhere who knows what they’re doing.
You could always go to Evolve I suppose (supply & fit), but you will have Evolve tax on top of M Tax for the privilege…

[TurboWeasel]

Evolve's B6 damptronic set is over £2K I think, just for the shocks.

[danb1979]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

Evolve's B6 damptronic set is over £2K I think, just for the shocks.

IIRC they're for the F8x range; I know Sreten of M539 Restorations fitted some to his E92 M3 IIRC

But don't think they're for run of the mill F3X range cars unfortunately

Silly £££ anyways really

[Jon TDI]

I can recommend the Birds Auto B series kit.
This is basically Bilstein dampers & springs tuned to Birds spec which are intended for British fast road driving.

https://www.birdsauto.com/news/b-ser...35ix-and-335dx

Oh, and holy thread revival!

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Jon TDI

I can recommend the Birds Auto B series kit.
This is basically Bilstein dampers & springs tuned to Birds spec which are intended for British fast road driving.

https://www.birdsauto.com/news/b-ser...35ix-and-335dx

Oh, and holy thread revival!

Quite spicy at £1300 but good value if the kit lives up to it's claims. I'm always dubious of 'better than OEM ride quality' claims, so is that true in your case? Although 335ds ride softer than RWD M sport from the start.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by danb1979

IIRC they're for the F8x range; I know Sreten of M539 Restorations fitted some to his E92 M3 IIRC

But don't think they're for run of the mill F3X range cars unfortunately

Silly £££ anyways really

Oh yeah, good point!

It is silly money but I suppose they have to repay Bilstein's consultation and manufacturing fees I guess.

[Jon TDI]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

Quite spicy at £1300 but good value if the kit lives up to it's claims. I'm always dubious of 'better than OEM ride quality' claims, so is that true in your case? Although 335ds ride softer than RWD M sport from the start.

Yeah, seem to remember reading somewhere that the xdrive M Sports have the SE springs rather than the RWD M Sport springs. Not sure how true that is?

Anyway, in my case I can’t really compare the Birds kit with OEM set up, as my 335d had H&R springs fitted to OEM dampers when I bought it.
The springs were hideous - too low & crashy for anything other than baby bottom smooth tarmac, which let’s face it, is a very rare thing nowadays!

The Birds kit is stiff but not too stiff & compliant when needed. My 335d is a daily driver with a 17 mile commute each way. I can take the normal mundane route or the longer more playful route. Guess which one is taken more often? Not once have I thought that the Birds kit was a bad idea to have fitted.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Jon TDI

Yeah, seem to remember reading somewhere that the xdrive M Sports have the SE springs rather than the RWD M Sport springs. Not sure how true that is?

Anyway, in my case I can’t really compare the Birds kit with OEM set up, as my 335d had H&R springs fitted to OEM dampers when I bought it.
The springs were hideous - too low & crashy for anything other than baby bottom smooth tarmac, which let’s face it, is a very rare thing nowadays!

The Birds kit is stiff but not too stiff & compliant when needed. My 335d is a daily driver with a 17 mile commute each way. I can take the normal mundane route or the longer more playful route. Guess which one is taken more often? Not once have I thought that the Birds kit was a bad idea to have fitted.

Yeah it's true. UK 335Ds were XDrive only and SE suspension. The internet is awash with complaints about it's ride height and boat like handling

I'm not really sure why, but it appears as if BMW intended the 335d to be more of a cruiser than a sports car in the UK market, which is weird given it's power and 4WD. By comparison, the M Sport flavour RWD 30d feels a lot more nimble and firmer out of the box.

Yeah I've always swerved H&R stuff. Every car I've used their springs, ARBs and dampers (made by Bilstein) on have been noticeably harsher than the equivalent Eibach stuff.

Thanks for the feedback A worthy contender for a chassis refresh when the time comes, which at 66K, won't be long for me now.

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

I'm always dubious of 'better than OEM ride quality' claims, so is that true in your case? Although 335ds ride softer than RWD M sport from the start.

My old 340i F31 was awful as standard bought with 8k miles, changed to ACS springs was much better and more confortable than standard, but standard dampers no match for springs. Added ACS dampers (sports suspension) and their claim was spot on great ride, more comfort, more compliant on bumpy B roads.

Expensive but was worth it in my book. You can match Bilstein dampers with ACS springs though.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

My old 340i F31 was awful as standard bought with 8k miles, changed to ACS springs was much better and more confortable than standard, but standard dampers no match for springs. Added ACS dampers (sports suspension) and their claim was spot on great ride, more comfort, more compliant on bumpy B roads.

Expensive but was worth it in my book. You can match Bilstein dampers with ACS springs though.

Thanks for that That sounds good but 2K is even spicier than the Birds kit! How long did you have the car with that kit on it? If it's really good and lasts more than 50K miles (most aftermarket kits don't) then 2K isn't bad value actually.

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

Thanks for that That sounds good but 2K is even spicier than the Birds kit! How long did you have the car with that kit on it? If it's really good and lasts more than 50K miles (most aftermarket kits don't) then 2K isn't bad value actually.

Springs fitted at 19K miles - Shockers fitted 37k. Car sold at 72K miles and as good as the day they were fitted. Some say the birds kit is better? but I can't say.

Think Tengocity has had both so may be he could throw some light on it?

[scotsman335dxDrive]

I've had the Birds B3 Sports kit on mine for 60k and it still feels like it was at the beginning. Obviously after 60k there will be some wear but it's still doing an amazing job. I put the AC springs on it first at 11k but they didn't do it for me so replaced the whole lot. highly recommended.

[Jon TDI]

Originally Posted by scotsman335dxDrive

I've had the Birds B3 Sports kit on mine for 60k and it still feels like it was at the beginning. Obviously after 60k there will be some wear but it's still doing an amazing job. I put the AC springs on it first at 11k but they didn't do it for me so replaced the whole lot. highly recommended.

Yeah I agree.
I’ve done around 8k so far on the Birds kit.
So this is reassuring.

[TurboWeasel]

Hmmmm, I'm leaning towards the Birds custard kit now, especially with 60K lifespan, which is good going for Bilstein B6/B8s. My stock dampers are starting to feel a tad tired now at 66K miles.

[scotsman335dxDrive]

As I previously said mine has now done 60k and still feels excellent with no knocks or squeaks. Still handles the corners and undulations at speeds the stock suspension could only dream of.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by scotsman335dxDrive

As I previously said mine has now done 60k and still feels excellent with no knocks or squeaks. Still handles the corners and undulations at speeds the stock suspension could only dream of.

Music to my ears. Although my starting point is M sport RWD, which isn't as mushy as the 335d's stock suspension, although it is a tad agricultural over broken tarmac.