Pics of 2011 M3 so pristine it displaced my Porsche Turbo from the garage. :-)

[GVIFlyer]

Nice brace of cars. Great photography.

[Longboarder]

Hey Can,

Nice to see you here too. I guess I agree with the others on the plasti-dip...but thanks for showing us what it looks like.

[cannga]

Looking back at my initial impression, can't help but have a chuckle. Bottom line, I was a little wrong. Anyway, although car was bought a few years ago, only recently have I inherited the M3 from my wife as she switched back to a SUV (car still only has about 43k miles on it, mostly driven by the SO). As I put on the miles in the M3, what I've noticed is that although the BMW Electronic Damper Control algorithm seems much better than Porsche 997.1 Turbo, it exhibits the same problem, just to a lesser degree: Comfort setting is overly soft with lots of body roll, Normal setting not much different, and Sport setting very harsh/jittery, yet still with body roll. There is an overall ponderous/lazy feel to the M3.

After much reading/research, I narrowed the choice down to the Ohlins Road & Track and last week had it installed by Auto Talent in LA. I know, a little late to the party but, better than never. Initial impression is it's BEYOND EXPECTATION . Body roll is much less, subjective feel quite a bit more "sporty" (min body roll, fast turn in, no excessive motion in corners). Car is stiffer but paradoxically road imperfections are less harsh. What had bothered me most about the car, the lazy/ponderous handling, has been taken care of by upgrading to the Ohlins coilover. I'm actually relieved that I've found the solution; actually have thought of selling the car. Not anymore.

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[InspireSiR]

I missed this thread when it was originally created. Good thing you bumped it. I'm in RPV also. Would be good to meet up a fellow E92 M3 owner at a local meet or to caravan to one some time!

[cannga]

Originally Posted by InspireSiR

I missed this thread when it was originally created. Good thing you bumped it. I'm in RPV also. Would be good to meet up a fellow E92 M3 owner at a local meet or to caravan to one some time!

Hi - yeah I used to caravan and went to Car & Coffee, etc. but not as much anymore (getting older). Also found out a caravan of sports cars is a magnet for tickets btw. Those cops .

[cannga]

Not for the seasoned veterans, but for those are new to suspension modification: The feel of a car when it comes to stiffness/sportiness is very subjective (personal preference, no wrong or right), but if what I describe of stock M3 behavior matches your thoughts, I would recommend the Ohlins extremely highly. The Ohlins (plus more aggressive alignment) does transform the feel of this car.

Essentially what happens in the stock M3, IMvHO, is that stock springs are very soft, and "stiffness" is adjusted by altering dampening force as you change from Comfort to Normal to Sport. This is the opposite of what is usually recommended. If you want car to be stiffer and lessen body roll in curves, increasing spring rates, then adjust dampening force to fit that spring rates, would probably yield better result.

By solely varying dampening force, BMW hopes to satisfy all "tastes," but by trying to do everything (large range of comfort to sport), the stock M3 doesn't do anything very well. Stock M3 is ponderous & has so much body roll in Comfort and Normal mode (soft springs), and jarringly stiff in Sport mode (too much dampening force). Ohlins' approach is different: stiffer spring rates as befit a car that is so heavy, and manually adjusting the dampening force. The result is FANTASTIC!

[akkando]

Originally Posted by cannga

Looking back at my initial impression, can't help but have a chuckle. Bottom line, I was a little wrong. Anyway, although car was bought a few years ago, only recently have I inherited the M3 from my wife (car still only has about 43 thousand miles on it, mostly driven by the SO). As I put on the miles in the M3, what I've noticed is that although the BMW Electronic Damper Control algorithm seems much better than Porsche 997.1 Turbo, it exhibits the same problem, just to a lesser degree: Comfort setting is overly soft with lots of body roll, Normal setting not much different, and Sport setting very harsh/jittery, yet still with body roll. There is an overall ponderous/lazy feel to the M3.

After much reading/research, I narrowed the choice down to the Ohlins Road & Track and last week had it installed by Auto Talent in LA. I know, a little late to the party but, better than never. Initial impression is it's BEYOND EXPECTATION . Body roll is much less, subjective feel quite a bit more "sporty" (min body roll, fast turn in, no excessive motion in corners). Car is stiffer but paradoxically road imperfections are less harsh. What had bothered me most about the car, the lazy/ponderous handling, has been taken care of by upgrading to the Ohlins coilover. I'm actually relieved that I've found the solution; actually have thought of selling the car. Not anymore.

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So you just have the EDC coded out?

[GRUESOM3]

Pictures of the wife that's going to be responsible to destroy this beautiful species?

[cannga]

Originally Posted by akkando

So you just have the EDC coded out?

Yes. I had picked up car before the coder guy showed up so it's not done yet, but will be in near future. For now I just have to click OK for the alarm to go away.

[cannga]

Spring rates - Ohlins comes with springs so it's a complete solution - springs and damper are designed for each other. Ohlins spring rates are higher than stock and IMHO befitting this heavy car. Some comparison (data from web, accuracy not guaranteed):
Stock 160F/550R
KW V3 285F/630R
Ohlins 343F/686R - Compared to stock, the Ohlins are clearly more "sport handling" oriented.
Moton Street Sport 360F/620R
M3 KW Clubsport 508F/800R
Bilstein PSS10 514F/799R (? - surprisingly stiff for street suspension)

Above has been listed in approximate ascending spring rates, with KW V3 having the softer springs, and track oriented KW Clubsport the stiffest as expected. Ohlins takes somewhat of the middle ground. Spring rate is of course NOT the whole story, but does give some idea of "purpose" for the coilover.

Setting for firmness is essentially a trade-off of ride vs handling; nothing new about this, as handling improves, ride comfort, in general, decreases. Manual has recommended settings, a nice and simple guideline.
Rebound setting - number of clicks back from the stiffest setting:
Track 0-7 clicks
Winding Road 5-10 clicks
Street 10-20 clicks
The number of clicks (20) implies system allows much more differentiation than the 3 levels of stock. I live in a mountainous area and prefer min body roll so for now system is set at 9 front/ 9 rear. If you like less firmness, then set it at 15 for example.

Ride heights are also completely adjustable. I don't want mine lowered too much so my car is set at 26 inches (ground to mid fender) all around, versus stock in my car which was 26.5" all around.

Below are shock and alignment settings for my car:
Installing: I asked Auto Talent (Zolti) to set damper 9 click from max stiffness front and rear. I requested that car not be lowered too much, and now it sits at 26 inch ground to mid fender all around (versus 26.5 stock). Zolti said he removed some pin (?) so that more negative camber could be set in front.
Alignment was done by West End Alignment (a very well known Porche/BMW alignment shop in Southern Cal). I requested to set alignment for "moderately aggressive" canyon driving, with camber in 1.5 to 1.8 range, zero toe in front, and this is what they came up with:
Camber: -1.5 front, -1.35 rear
Toe In (Total): 0 front, 3/32" rear
Caster +6.75

Below are pictures of the coil-overs - very nice, almost a work of art LOL, unfortunately you'll see nothing unless wheel is taken off. For the front, the knob to access firmness (change rebound and, to a lesser degree, compression dampening force) is at the bottom of this front coilover. You could change it by turning wheel to full lock and reach under to turn the knob. For the rear, the knob to adjust firmness is at the top (vesus bottom for the front). Access is through the trunk. I haven't done it yet but you'll need to either temporarily remove the trunk liner or cut a small hole to have access to it.
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[cannga]

Summary of my experience with the Ohlins Road & Track shock absorbers - As I put on the miles in the M3, I've noticed some problems with the stock M3 suspension: Comfort setting is overly soft with lots of body roll, Normal setting not much different from Comfort, and Sport setting very harsh/jittery, yet still with body roll. There is an overall ponderous/lazy feel to the M3. In many ways the problems here are similar to my P. Turbo: it's much more of a grand touring, than a true sports car.

After much reading/research, I narrowed the choice down to the Ohlins Road & Track and had it installed by Auto Talent in LA. Initial impression was that thankfully, what had bothered me most about the stock M3, the lazy/ponderous handling, has been taken care of by upgrading to the Ohlins coilover.

Ohlins Road and Track has made the M3 fully competitive with my Bilstein Turbo in "fun factor." My M3 is now a more tightly wound sports car and hugs mountain roads beautifully. The excessive body roll of stock M3 is gone, so is the jittery stiffness of the sport setting. Stock M3 also has a certain laziness in steering response that bothered me greatly and that has now been eliminated. The more sporty Ohlins suspension is firmer, but there is definitely more grace in handling road imperfections. Suspension mod btw alters the subjective sensation of power delivery (more immediate), and the BMW V8 engine is shining even more brightly (what a gem of an engine). I really was thinking about selling the M3 before this mod as it wasn't getting much used, not anymore.

Alignment settings: A change in alignment is equally important in getting the most out of the M3 - see settings in post above. With zero toe and more negative front camber, car has excellent steering response, very fast turn in, and less understeer characteristic. The change in alignment is as important as the addition of Ohlins. I believe my setting above is a good start for aggressive street driving (you'll likely need more neg camber at the track, etc.). Zero toe is not jittery at all, in fact helps to make steering response wonderfully fast.

Bilstein Damptronic's "Automatic Adjustment" in Porsche versus Ohlins "Manual Adjustment" in BMW: The Damptronic Bilstein's advantage is that it is more convenient, the Ohlins' advantage is that with the 20 or so "click" adjustability front and rear, it could be tailored to your taste much more closely. With Ohlins, you could try to adjust the rebound force exactly to your liking, front versus rear for example to affect understeer/oversteer behavior, or both to affect comfort. With Bilstein Damptronic, you are limited to the 2 or 3 factory settings of Bilstein. One could say the Bilstein is more convenient, whereas Ohlins allows more personalized setting and more choices. I enjoy both systems equally.

In short if you are looking for a more "aggressive" M3 (personal preference, no right or wrong), I would recommend the Ohlins without reservation. Simply put, it transforms the feel of the stock M3 towards a much more aggressive sports car, like the GT-class Porsche.

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[E4superfly]

Originally Posted by cannga

Summary of my experience with the Ohlins Road & Track coilover - As I put on the miles in the M3, I've noticed some problems with the stock M3 suspension: Comfort setting is overly soft with lots of body roll, Normal setting not much different from Comfort, and Sport setting very harsh/jittery, yet still with body roll. There is an overall ponderous/lazy feel to the M3. In many ways the problems here are similar to my P. Turbo: it's much more of a grand touring, than a true sports car.

After much reading/research, I narrowed the choice down to the Ohlins Road & Track and had it installed by Auto Talent in LA. Initial impression was that thankfully, what had bothered me most about the stock M3, the lazy/ponderous handling, has been taken care of by upgrading to the Ohlins coilover.

Ohlins Road and Track has made the M3 fully competitive with my Bilstein Turbo in "fun factor." My M3 is now a more tightly wound sports car and hugs mountain roads beautifully. The excessive body roll of stock M3 is gone, so is the jittery stiffness of the sport setting. Stock M3 also has a certain laziness in steering response that bothered me greatly and that has now been eliminated. The more sporty Ohlins suspension is firmer, but there is definitely more grace in handling road imperfections. Suspension mod btw alters the subjective sensation of power delivery (more immediate), and the BMW V8 engine is shining even more brightly (what a gem of an engine). I really was thinking about selling the M3 before this mod as it wasn't getting much used, not anymore.

Alignment settings: A change in alignment is equally important in getting the most out of the M3 - see settings in post above. With zero toe and more negative front camber, car has excellent steering response, very fast turn in, and less understeer characteristic. The change in alignment is as important as the addition of Ohlins. I believe my setting above is a good start for aggressive street driving (you'll likely need more neg camber at the track, etc.). Zero toe is not jittery at all, in fact helps to make steering response wonderfully fast.

Bilstein Damptronic's "Automatic Adjustment" in Porsche versus Ohlins "Manual Adjustment" in BMW: The Damptronic Bilstein's advantage is that it is more convenient, the Ohlins' advantage is that with the 20 or so "click" adjustability front and rear, it could be tailored to your taste much more closely. With Ohlins, you could try to adjust the rebound force exactly to your liking, front versus rear for example to affect understeer/oversteer behavior, or both to affect comfort. With Bilstein Damptronic, you are limited to the 2 or 3 factory settings of Bilstein. I enjoy both systems equally.

In short if you are looking for a more "aggressive" M3 (personal preference, no right or wrong), I would recommend the Ohlins without reservation. Simply put, it transforms the feel of the stock M3 towards a much more aggressive sports car, like the GT-class Porsche.

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thought I was alone.

so many times I watch reviews and people telling me the car is so planted or the handling is so good and I'm like what about the body roll or the understeer or the fact that when pushing hard on a bend and u hit a bump mid corner the whole car gets unsettled.

thought I was going crazy

[cannga]

Allow me to share some impression after replacing stock front end link with Turner Motorsport Adjustable Front End Link. From my measurement, the stock end link is 13.5" measured between the mid points of the two end bolts, whereas the Turner Motorsport link is adjustable and my tuner (Zolti at Auto Talent) has adjusted it to 12.8".

I had a choice between Turner Motorsport, which uses plastic bushings, and SPL , which uses solid/metallic spherical bushings, and opt for the Turner, for now. I had the solid type in my Turbo and quite liked it, more planted, but at the cost of NVH of course.

To my surprise, at same settings, the shorter Turner Motorsport makes Ohlins suspension less bouncy and more compliant. Take with a grain of salt as this is purely seat of the pants impression, but I think I've had enough time with either to make a good evaluation, and am used to subjective suspension comparison from the non ending messing around with the Turbo's Bilstein LOL.

I believe the better compliance is a result of the shorter Turner end link allowing the sway bar arm to be more horizontal as the end link acts on it. I think front sway bar of the M3 has a sharp curve to it and having this curve arm be horizontal with the shorter end link reduces the bounciness. Just want to share this with fellow Ohlins owners. Hope it helps.
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[Redd]

Originally Posted by E4superfly

thought I was alone.

so many times I watch reviews and people telling me the car is so planted or the handling is so good and I'm like what about the body roll or the understeer or the fact that when pushing hard on a bend and u hit a bump mid corner the whole car gets unsettled.

thought I was going crazy

Stock M3 has huge amounts of mechanical grip. But the chassis feels very sloppy.