Coilover Selection

[MaximusB]

Yes, I know there are many coilover threads and I have read most of them. But I am looking to upgrade my suspension and would like to get some comments on what is ideal for me.

I have been doing HPDE for the past 4 years with around 15 track days. Past couple of years, especially this year I've been placed in mostly the advance group. Looking at my logs, my pace have been improving year over year. This year I was able to beat my previous PB by a full 4 seconds at one of the track. Going forward I do see myself doing 5-6 track days a year, possibly more down the road.

So far the only suspension upgrade I have is GC camber plates. Other than that, I am on stock ZCP suspension. Do I feel the stock suspension is holding me back? No, probably not and there is definitely more pace I can get out of the car as is. For example when an experienced instructor drove my car he got an extra 4-5 seconds out of it comparing to my time.

Having said that my car has 86000km on it and it is a weekend car, not daily. So I don't mind experimenting with a new setup that is more track oriented. Yes yes I know the train of thought is don't upgrade till I extract all the potential out of the car. But I am itching to try something new for next year. Given the car is not a daily I don't mind giving up some comfort for performance. However the two popular tracks near me are about a 5 hour drive away, one way. Even though the drive is all highway, I still do want some comfort.

I have reached out to Bimmerworld and they recommended MCS 1 way with Eibach 700F/1000R springs, Vorshlah camber plates and GC rear articulating spring perch. And yes, I am ready to ditch the EDC. Last year my edc started to feel a bit "different" where I no longer feel much difference between comfort and sport setting.

My questions are:
- Is 700F/1000R spring rate too stiff for some street driving?
- Should I go with softer springs and upgrade just springs later when my driving improves more?
- Given my level of HPDE, should I go with something like Ohlin R&T or KW instead? Although my preference is buy once cry once. I rather spend the money to get the right setup and not having to upgrade again shortly down the road.
- Should I consider MCS or other 2way dampers instead of 1 way? Price wise is not much of a difference between MCS 1 way and 2 way non-remote.

Thoughts?

[spxxx]

Personally, I run 15+ events a year and still chose to go with MCS 1WNR shocks. Do I wish that I had 2WNR shocks at certain tracks? Yes. Do I think that I'd be significantly faster with 2WNR? No. Haha I'd definitely go with 1WNR and reduce the headache of having one more thing to tune on your car, especially if you're not at the track 1-2 times a month to get them dialed in.

I don't think you'll want to go with 700/1000 to start, I'm running pretty light aero and still prefer 600/900 rates as I still street drive the car occasionally. If I move to real aero I'll likely bump up to 700/1000 range and maybe 2 way shocks once/if I hit the limit of this setup.

The MCS 1 way shocks are extremely capable shocks for how simple they are to tune/setup. There are some really fast guys on here running 1WNR. Look at the lap times fast specE46 drivers are putting down, those are off the shelf 1WNR MCS's with a much lower power/weight ratio than an E92.

[sc_tr0jan_m3]

MCS or bust. Don't bother spending money with anything else.

[leftfootbr8king]

Originally Posted by sc_tr0jan_m3

MCS or bust. Don't bother spending money with anything else.

Have you tried everything else?

If not, such a silly statement.

[Gossypiboma]

Whats a complete MCS 1WNR setup cost? Does anyone sell a complete ready to go kit?

[leftfootbr8king]

Originally Posted by Gossypiboma

Whats a complete MCS 1WNR setup cost? Does anyone sell a complete ready to go kit?

If it's 1wnr that you're looking at, I think the ohlins DT is underrated. From what I've heard and experienced (I don't have them on my own car) they are sublime. Also about a grand less than a ready to go mcs 1wnr kit.

[MaximusB]

Originally Posted by Gossypiboma

Whats a complete MCS 1WNR setup cost? Does anyone sell a complete ready to go kit?

Bimmerworld can put together a turnkey kit.

[s0ldats]

this is exactly where i'm at. my oem suspension is so harsh now. i'm saving for the MCS, but it's so tempting to get something cheap to hold me over, or a cheaper alternative that i can afford now. seems futile tho so i'm gonna just wait

[s0ldats]

Originally Posted by Gossypiboma

Whats a complete MCS 1WNR setup cost? Does anyone sell a complete ready to go kit?

also i think buildjournal does full mcs kits

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by s0ldats

this is exactly where i'm at. my oem suspension is so harsh now. i'm saving for the MCS, but it's so tempting to get something cheap to hold me over, or a cheaper alternative that i can afford now. seems futile tho so i'm gonna just wait

I'm sure people will have differing opinions but I ran Fortune Auto 510 Coilovers on my "1M clone" track car after running MCS 1WNR. This was ~3yrs ago and I've definitely improved as a driver since then but my lap times didn't change after moving from MCS.

FYI - The reason I moved to FA Coilovers is that I won a set at a Time Attack race and wanted to see how they performed... Needless to say, I was shocked and decided to keep them and sold the MCS - I do run MCS 1WNR now on my E92.

Honestly, there are tons of good single adjustable shocks out there that aren't $4k+ (PSS10, FA510, Feal, TCKline, ST XTA or KW) - Personally, I'd go for a set of Fortune Auto 510 with custom rates for $2.2k with camber plates if I wasn't such a track rat. They're monotube, known to perform well on track and use similar features seen in Ohlins R&T. My last set lasted 25+ events with 5-10k miles and never leaked or had any issues before I sold the car.

[Tommysalami]

Originally Posted by s0ldats

this is exactly where i'm at. my oem suspension is so harsh now. i'm saving for the MCS, but it's so tempting to get something cheap to hold me over, or a cheaper alternative that i can afford now. seems futile tho so i'm gonna just wait

If your EDC shocks feel harsh now, you probably just need to reset the suspension adaptations using a scan tool or ISTA. Under service/chassis/electronic damping control K, select "Adjustment, shock absorber" and run it for both axles. The EDC system tracks the car's mileage and make the shocks stiffer over time.

[s0ldats]

Originally Posted by Tommysalami

If your EDC shocks feel harsh now, you probably just need to reset the suspension adaptations using a scan tool or ISTA. Under service/chassis/electronic damping control K, select "Adjustment, shock absorber" and run it for both axles. The EDC system tracks the car's mileage and make the shocks stiffer over time.

thank you for the advice, my car does not have edc.

[Hein Jockins]

Originally Posted by leftfootbr8king

If it's 1wnr that you're looking at, I think the ohlins DT is underrated. From what I've heard and experienced (I don't have them on my own car) they are sublime. Also about a grand less than a ready to go mcs 1wnr kit.

I wish there were more reviews on Ohlins DT. Seems like a quality setup but I'd love to see how it compares to MCS 1WNR. 3DM sells Ohlins DT for $3500 so it's honestly not much cheaper than MCS 1 way.

[bleedat]

I went with Ohlins DT based ready to go price of $3500.

I have no complaints with damping thus far with 2 track days on them.

I drive to the track and no complaints with street driving.

I do wish the Ohlins had a locating tab to engage with the slot in the spindle pinch bolt. I've had to rotate mine after 1 track day to get everything lined up again. Might have to crank that pinch bolt some more, I torqued to oem values.

[bigjae1976]

MCS is the standard for its results and also…let's admit…marketing. I'm not a fan of KWs. I think they spec spring rates way too high for bumpy US tracks.

E46 M3…not too different…I run TC Klines and I get just similar results as other cars. I run cheap tires - NT01s and RRs. I'm right there with people running Hoosiers, maybe a second off.

Yes, the TCKs are Koni dampers but they don't require frequent servicing. Mine are 10 years/50k miles and have not been serviced. Still going.

I intend to put TCKs on my E90 M3.

But one thing to consider is setup. That will absolutely be your biggest cost. I'd almost rather blow up an engine than replace the suspension. First, corner balance and alignment - $400-$600 easy. Then the track time to test. More alignments, possible spring rate changes, more corner balancing and then more alignments.

Easy couple thousand.

IMO, the one big factor to consider is support. That's where buying MCS from Bimmerworld pays off. Also TC Kline provides excellent support.

JRZ are nice dampers but I don't know of many proven shops that support them on the E9X platform.

[PrimeBMW]

I have MCS singles on my e92. 500 front and 675 rear. Very comfortable on the street. I would argue that I like it much better on the street compared to the stock competition suspension. And it's fast on track. I've run PS4, BFG R1, R7, A7 and Yokohama slicks. Next up will be Pirelli slicks.

[s0ldats]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

I have MCS singles on my e92. 500 front and 675 rear. Very comfortable on the street. I would argue that I like it much better on the street compared to the stock competition suspension. And it's fast on track. I've run PS4, BFG R1, R7, A7 and Yokohama slicks. Next up will be Pirelli slicks.

are you running true coilover rear? i'm surprised you're not maxing out that spring rate w/ slicks. do you have a lot of weight reduction?

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by s0ldats

are you running true coilover rear? i'm surprised you're not maxing out that spring rate w/ slicks. do you have a lot of weight reduction?

No coil over. Full weight 3800-3900 with driver. MCS singles, Dinan front sway bar and front BBK are the only mods. Is it a little soft? Yes but it is a great duel duty set up.

[s0ldats]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

No coil over. Full weight 3800-3900 with driver. MCS singles, Dinan front sway bar and front BBK are the only mods. Is it a little soft? Yes but it is a great duel duty set up.

glad to hear feedback on a softer full weight setup!

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by s0ldats

glad to hear feedback on a softer full weight setup!

I think the departure from the norm is the relative soft spring in the rear. It helps with street comfort and it just squats and goes.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

I have MCS singles on my e92. 500 front and 675 rear. Very comfortable on the street. I would argue that I like it much better on the street compared to the stock competition suspension. And it's fast on track. I've run PS4, BFG R1, R7, A7 and Yokohama slicks. Next up will be Pirelli slicks.

Damn you’re on Black Forest gummy bears in the rear!! My KW CS came with 628f/685r. It’s now on 628f/1120r (i.e. haribo).