Signal Green M3 and Performance Air?

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by JEllis

At this stage, and keep in mind I am still in the process of getting everything installed, I would recommend the Arilift setup, since its bolt in. Decide if you like it and then maybe upgrade later, which is my plan. Or, get with Airlift (or the company of your choice) and KW (or similar company) and see about the likelihood of getting a custom set of struts built. I know that KW, Ohlins, and JRZ will build to spec with the only caveat being money. I have only done initial test drives on an unaligned chasis but, so far, I have no complaints with the BC struts.

Bottom line, I will be able to answer this better when I completely finish the installation and have the car setup properly.

Awesome info!

Welcome to Texas!

[JEllis]

Originally Posted by e90///M3

just out of curiosity, how you considered the air cup kits kits that can be mounted on your coilovers including your KW's such as the Umbrella VRH kits? if so, was there a reason you went with these over a cup kit?

Just my 2 cents.... Those kits require a full air setup with a tank and compressor but only allow for ride adjustment at low speeds whereas I can adjust on the go, at any speed. The bags, in those cup lift systems, are very small and are intended for quick raising at low speeds. Your also adding even more weight than a full bag setup given that standard full bag coilovers are lighter than their steel coil spring counterparts. I think hydro is better for a low speed lift setup which is probably why Porsche and Lambo have adopted hydro lift systems.

[Vybz]

Lol man that disclaimer at the start is intense ...

It's your car man, do what you got to do. If anyone decides to flame you for it... f*ck em. Your reason doesn't get any more legitimate so it's hard for me to even see why someone would hate.

Are you posting progress on IG? I'll have to check it out.

[JEllis]

Originally Posted by Vybz

Lol man that disclaimer at the start is intense ...

It's your car man, do what you got to do. If anyone decides to flame you for it... f*ck em. Your reason doesn't get any more legitimate so it's hard for me to even see why someone would hate.

Are you posting progress on IG? I'll have to check it out.

Ha, yeah man, but I have seen a lot of "air suspension" threads fall under the weight of argument. Weather or not I keep the air suspension, I wanted to present the information in way that was informative and hopefully free of useless arguing.

[JEllis]

Some final updates

I re-covered the compressor/tank/module pallet. I added two new holes that line up with two OE bolts used to secure some in-trunk electronics.

IMG_3100 by JEllis, on Flickr

Bolt extenders/couplers added

IMG_3103-1 by JEllis, on Flickr

Recovered the pallet and cut out these little support to give the platform a little more support.

IMG_3101 by JEllis, on Flickr

IMG_3102-1 by JEllis, on Flickr

IMG_3104 by JEllis, on Flickr

Use these long bolts and chopped the heads off.

IMG_3105 by JEllis, on Flickr

Then used these thumb bolts to secure the platform.

IMG_3107-1 by JEllis, on Flickr

Almost done. Not as clean as I would like but I can access everything for maintenance.

IMG_3109 by JEllis, on Flickr

Then I took some pics. For reference, this is not "aired out". This is about as low as the car can go with the meaty front tires. The rears can go much lower but I don't really see the need.

FullSizeRender-1 by JEllis, on Flickr

IMG_3114 by JEllis, on Flickr

IMG_3112 by JEllis, on Flickr

IMG_3111 by JEllis, on Flickr

IMG_3110-2 by JEllis, on Flickr

IMG_3115-1 by JEllis, on Flickr

I will hopefully get an alignment tomorrow.

[WOLF-PACK]

Looking good sir

[m3_aaron]

Keen to hear your driving experiences once you've had them for a while.

[JEllis]

Originally Posted by WOLF-PACK

Looking good sir

Originally Posted by m3_aaron

Keen to hear your driving experiences once you've had them for a while.

Thanks, I believe I finally have everything sorted and will report back after a little more driving.

[Cyrax91]

Out of curiosity how many miles do you have on your M3?

[JEllis]

Originally Posted by Cyrax91

Out of curiosity how many miles do you have on your M3?

14K ish.... why do you ask?

[Cyrax91]

Originally Posted by JEllis

14K ish.... why do you ask?

Just wondering how often you drive it. I started driving my Dakar more often and the miles rack up ha. With all the mods ive seen go through your car I was just curious as to how they did driving around daily. Love your car as always.

[JEllis]

Originally Posted by Cyrax91

Just wondering how often you drive it. I started driving my Dakar more often and the miles rack up ha. With all the mods ive seen go through your car I was just curious as to how they did driving around daily. Love your car as always.

I have started driving it a lot more now with the air suspension. Partly to get it dialed in, partly because I can always raise it up if I need to.

One of my favorite things about the air suspension is that I can try a bunch of different ride heights, instantly, and see how well the car handles the crappy roads, driveways etc.... I have found I can get around pretty well at a much lower ride height than I expected.

[Cyrax91]

Originally Posted by JEllis

I have started driving it a lot more now with the air suspension. Partly to get it dialed in, partly because I can always raise it up if I need to.

One of my favorite things about the air suspension is that I can try a bunch of different ride heights, instantly, and see how well the car handles the crappy roads, driveways etc.... I have found I can get around pretty well at a much lower ride height than I expected.

Awesome. Sounds ideal.

[TonyTone]

Love your setup! Well done on the trunk setup. It's never easy trying to hide wires.

[Move Over]

Awesome install, I installed Accuair V3 on my old G37 and it is no easy task. Install is key on these setups. I installed air for the same reason as you as the roads here in Orlando are trash, i was tired of scraping everywhere i went and wrecking things.

I'm curious to see your impressions on the track, I've always been under the impression air leaves much to be desired on track, but that was 2-3 years ago since i have even looked at the air options.

Anywho, nice install, always a fan of this car. Nice to see a car on air that aren't running 215's on an 11" wheel. Haha.

[goldsteina9]

if your looking to upgrade to better quality air technology i can help anyone get sorted with a kit. I am dealer for broadway suspension & can offer great deals on air kits for any e9x platform. I am running them on my e92 m3 & love everything about them. they ride very well (not bouncy) & handle better then many coilover applications for these cars. Message me if you are interested

[Hujan]

Such a sexy machine. Hope to see it in the flesh again someday!

[ApexWheels]

Interesting write up, thank you for sharing.

- Ryan

[JEllis]

After a few months I think I am finally ready to write my review of my air setup.

I have been giving a lot of thought to how I am going to write this review. We all come from different places when it comes to how we want to modify our cars. Some owners don't want to sacrifice ride quality and usability while others are willing to sacrifice those things for performance or for style. I have been modifying my cars since I started driving many years ago. I have been the guy that wanted to stay stock, was only performance oriented, and also the guy that was willing to sacrifice a lot for looks. So, I will try approach my review from a couple different perspectives.

First, installation is everything when it comes to these kits. Go back and read some of my first posts. No two installs are the same. It is important to understand that, in a lot of ways, an air install will be what you make of it. What I mean is, you can build your air kit to be performance oriented, looks oriented, comfort oriented, or a combination. The parts used and the install play the biggest role in what you end up with. I chose the Airlift 3H setup because it was a performance oriented kit that had everything I needed. If I had to do things over again. I probably wouldn't change a lot but below are two of the main things I would do differently.

-I would consider more use of hard lines or braided lines. The air line included in the Airlift kit is the industry standard but is susceptible to heat, scratches and things that can compromise the integrity of the system. There is some of peace of mind to be had in using metal braided lines or hard lines. For a long term setup, I would seriously consider this option since there are many options for a beefier air line. I caveat this with the fact that I had no issues with the air line I used. Just something I might change to satisfy my OCD.

-A more performance oriented shock. I am not knocking BC for the shocks that are used in the kit. Air suspensions are expensive and I think going with a BC shock was smart because its affordable. Also, Airlift did a good job curtailing their kit for a variety of users with different tastes. Also, Using something like a multi adjustable KW or Ohlins shock is going to add a grand or more to the price tag. But, if you are truly building a performance oriented setup, I would consider a more performance oriented shock.

I am glad I installed the system myself. I have a lot of respect for the quality air suspension installers of the world. Installing one of these kits is not easy if done right.

So how does it feel? In short, it feels a lot like a firm coilover. Is it floatly? No, if anything the ride is extremely firm. Now this can be adjusted through ride height and pressure adjustments. The higher ride height desired, higher air pressure is required, and thus a stiffer ride. If you lengthen the coilover, less pressure is required for the same ride height, and thus less firm of a ride...but at the expense of performance. So there are a lot of variables. I would plan to spend a lot of time experimenting with ride heights, coilover lengths, and air pressures.

At my ride height the suspension is very firm. For highway driving I would say the ride is about equal to my KW Clubsports. Around town, on cracking pavement, the ride is a little firmer with a tiny bit of bouncing. I think I could probably tweek the bouncing with some more dampening adjustment. The BC shocks are single adjustable and I think this is where a multi adjustable shock would come in handy. Its the quick abrupt bumps, like expansion joints, where the suspension shows it inferiority compared to something like my KW coils.

How do they perform? About what you would expect from an inexpensive, single adjustable coilover. So, not as good as my KWs but not bad. Honestly, if I was really into the aired out look, I would be really happy with this setup. I think it provides a good compromise of affordability, reliability, performance. I think Airlift did an awesome job providing an air solution for this platform. You can read through some of my previous posts about some of things that make this kit more reliable, and in my opinion, better than others.

I, however, am not into the aired out look. But I did love being able to quickly adjust my ride height whenever I want to. One of my favorite things about installing this kit is being able to slightly adjust the ride height at a push of a button. With this ability, I was able to find a ride height that was a mix of the looks I wanted, air pressure I wanted, and gave me the ability to not have to adjust my ride during my regular commute. I had the car aligned at this ride height and I am overall happy. However, now that I don't ever touch the Airlift controller, I am questioning my need for the air suspension since I never air out the car. So, chances are, I will probably go back to my KWs, just to get a little more refined ride and a little more performance.

So that's it, if you have questions feel free to ask. There is a chance my Airlift 3H will be for sale soon if anyone is interested.

Thanks,
Jason

[HELROTM3]

If you don't go back to your KW's...let me know. I might be in the market to buy them.

[WOLF-PACK]

Originally Posted by Sam@ModeCarbon

sooo good

Perfection those wheels, those brakes... and all that colour

[INDOMI]

Keep the air man, this is perfection in my opinion. Cant get over how amazing your car is. So good!