I have been running the AST 4200 coilovers with Vorshlag camber plates since October and wanted to post a quick review. I stumbled on the AST brand when I was at a track day last year and got a ride along in a 135i that had AST 5300’s (triple adjustable remote reservoir shocks). The handling and ride quality totally blew me away! As an instructor for 8+ years, I have experienced all kinds of cars and setups, and the 5300’s were one of the best I’ve felt! I spoke with the owner of the car a bit and learned that he operated a local shop with his father called BRracing and the 135i was one of their project cars.
BRracing
A few months later, I checked out their shop and was very impressed. They weren’t just your average repair shop, but a fully capable, knowledgeable race shop with practical experience. I also noticed that my car was the cheapest car in the joint so they must be doing something right.
A few emails and phone calls later, I ordered up a set of AST's and became the M3 beta tester.
Vorshlag Camber plates
They work.. High quality, easy adjustment and NO NOISE. What more can you ask for? I arrive at the track, jack up the front of the car, loosen 3 bolts and max out the camber to -3.5 deg. Front end grip is phenominal with the additional camber. Tire wear is even and tire temps are right where I want them.
Vorshlag as a company was awesome to deal with and were very patient with me as I hounded them for various spacers and top rings to get M3 application just right (which we did).
This is the first upper mount that I've ever owned that doesn't make any noise.
AST 4200’s
I daily drive my M3, but still want a setup that is more track focused. The beauty of the AST’s is that even though they are very capable on the track, they also behave very well on the street when dialed down. And just like the Vorshlag plates. They don’t make any noise! This is an important point for me. For the 1st time ever, I have a track capable car that doesn’t sound like a popcorn machine.
While not quite as trick as the 5300's, on track the 4200's feels very crisp with well controlled body motion. The shocks react quickly and absorb bumps without upsetting the chassis. Each click of adjustment makes a difference that you can feel in the balance of the car.
I just got back from the NASA TT season opener at Infineon and was pleasantly surprised to muster up a 1:53 with a baby seat in the back
. Of course my GoPro died just before that session but I’ll try and dig up something from the morning run and post it up shortly.
Here are some pictures.
#1 shows the AST rear spring perch that sits right inside the stock cup. One attention to detail includes a small rubber ring for noise isolation. Oddly enough they leave the bottom of the spring right on the bare metal of the lower control arm, but as I mentioned, no noise here.
#2 shows the compression adjustor on the bottom of the front shock. Easy enough to reach with the wheels at full lock.
#3 shows the rear compression adjustor. It's reacheable with the car on the ground if you snake your hand behind the back tire. Don't even think about it after a hot session though.
#4 Look closely at the sway bar end link tab. Notice that it is adjustable on the shock. Nice detail, although moot here because the stock end links are too long and won't work. I got shorter links from Turner. Vorshlag camber plate up top.
BRracing
A few months later, I checked out their shop and was very impressed. They weren’t just your average repair shop, but a fully capable, knowledgeable race shop with practical experience. I also noticed that my car was the cheapest car in the joint so they must be doing something right.
A few emails and phone calls later, I ordered up a set of AST's and became the M3 beta tester.Vorshlag Camber plates
They work.. High quality, easy adjustment and NO NOISE. What more can you ask for? I arrive at the track, jack up the front of the car, loosen 3 bolts and max out the camber to -3.5 deg. Front end grip is phenominal with the additional camber. Tire wear is even and tire temps are right where I want them.
Vorshlag as a company was awesome to deal with and were very patient with me as I hounded them for various spacers and top rings to get M3 application just right (which we did).
This is the first upper mount that I've ever owned that doesn't make any noise.
AST 4200’s
I daily drive my M3, but still want a setup that is more track focused. The beauty of the AST’s is that even though they are very capable on the track, they also behave very well on the street when dialed down. And just like the Vorshlag plates. They don’t make any noise! This is an important point for me. For the 1st time ever, I have a track capable car that doesn’t sound like a popcorn machine.
While not quite as trick as the 5300's, on track the 4200's feels very crisp with well controlled body motion. The shocks react quickly and absorb bumps without upsetting the chassis. Each click of adjustment makes a difference that you can feel in the balance of the car.
I just got back from the NASA TT season opener at Infineon and was pleasantly surprised to muster up a 1:53 with a baby seat in the back
. Of course my GoPro died just before that session but I’ll try and dig up something from the morning run and post it up shortly. Here are some pictures.
#1 shows the AST rear spring perch that sits right inside the stock cup. One attention to detail includes a small rubber ring for noise isolation. Oddly enough they leave the bottom of the spring right on the bare metal of the lower control arm, but as I mentioned, no noise here.
#2 shows the compression adjustor on the bottom of the front shock. Easy enough to reach with the wheels at full lock.
#3 shows the rear compression adjustor. It's reacheable with the car on the ground if you snake your hand behind the back tire. Don't even think about it after a hot session though.
#4 Look closely at the sway bar end link tab. Notice that it is adjustable on the shock. Nice detail, although moot here because the stock end links are too long and won't work. I got shorter links from Turner. Vorshlag camber plate up top.
?
