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      09-28-2008, 11:54 AM   #1
TazioNYC
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Coilovers + sway bars?

I thinking about getting a set of KW V2 coilovers for my 1. Originally, I was going to get upgraded sway bars only to help cure some body roll, but all of the glowing reviews of the KWs on the forum caused me to reconsider. Here's my question: if I get the KWs, is there a real need for me to get the upgraded sways on top of that? Or should the coilovers be pretty much all I need?
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      09-28-2008, 03:19 PM   #2
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+1, I'm pondering the same question.
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      09-29-2008, 03:42 PM   #3
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BMW's performance package only replace the front sway bar for the 135. So, it does raise a good question, do we need to upgrade both or none if we are going to get the KW V2?
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      09-29-2008, 04:56 PM   #4
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This questions all depends on what you will being doing with your 1?
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      09-29-2008, 05:40 PM   #5
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This may not be what any one else had in mind, but what if you wanted to maximize on-street handling (the body roll and floating) and adjust for the additional softness from replacing the RFT's?
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      09-29-2008, 06:19 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by **********s View Post
This questions all depends on what you will being doing with your 1?
Ding-ding-ding. This is the right question.

If you are only going to drive on the street and the only think you want to get is mitigate bodyroll then just go with the swaybars.

If you plan to occasionally autocross/track or HPDE your car then you would find value in utilizing the coilovers and sway bars.


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      09-29-2008, 06:28 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red135 View Post
This may not be what any one else had in mind, but what if you wanted to maximize on-street handling (the body roll and floating) and adjust for the additional softness from replacing the RFT's?
I've always been a suspesion guy myself, power is nothing without control is what I always say. As to your question about maximizing street handling, sway bars will be fine. For me personally I would go with an entry level coilover such as the KW Variant 1, nothing like having a shock valved to match the springs. On top of that I like the option of being able to adjust the height of my car to however high, or low Id like.
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      09-29-2008, 07:07 PM   #8
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What do you think of the Eibach / Koni FSD kit?
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      09-29-2008, 07:20 PM   #9
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After installing the Cross coilovers I'm very impressed with the adjustability and control they add. I lowered the car 1", adjusted the fronts to three clicks and zero for the back for stiffness, and set the front camber at 1, rear at 0 for street. The roll is all but gone even in very aggressive driving. The rear setting needs some adjustment to say two clicks and I'll be very happy without the use of sway bar change outs.

Needless to say come track days you will need to dial in differently but then that depends on the track you will be on or the autox setups.

Having said all of this...in the back of my mind I'll still go for front and rear sways with adjustable rear camber links as soon as I can push the button on the brand...just to take care of the added aggressiveness inherent for the track.

I'm not totally sold on just the sways for street unless little to no aggressive driving is planned...but then that's a moot point isn't it:biggrin:

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      09-29-2008, 10:31 PM   #10
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I recommend doing the suspension one step at a time. Start with a coilover setup and see what you can get out of the car with that. You may find that after playing with the settings, the car still understeers in corners so you will want to upgrade the sways. But you want to learn the car and each modification in stages, not all at once so you make sure to take full advantage of each improvement.
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      09-30-2008, 02:51 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by **********s View Post
This questions all depends on what you will being doing with your 1?
Personally, I just wish to minimize body roll and improve cornering for daily street driving with less-than-occasional track use.

By the way, how easy is it to adjust the coilovers at home? My knowledge of adjusting coilovers is next to nil.
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      09-30-2008, 04:52 AM   #12
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For best results u have to change everything from coilovers to sway bars to give u the maximum street grip, if u wanna go more extreme then u gotta modify cambers/toe's. Personally i'd go with KW V2 with Sways to minimize roll body and have a great handling daily driver plus it will give it a meaner appearance and will it make the 1'er sit nicely on the road. And dont forget the road legal slicks
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      09-30-2008, 09:07 AM   #13
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I was leaning toward the BMW Performance suspension, but since they tune it for the RFT's, I am afraid that when I get rid of the RFT's I will, essentially, be back where I started.
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      09-30-2008, 09:28 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red135 View Post
I was leaning toward the BMW Performance suspension, but since they tune it for the RFT's, I am afraid that when I get rid of the RFT's I will, essentially, be back where I started.
Hmm, I was looking into the same... That may be an ibterestin issue since I have aftermarket wheels now
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      09-30-2008, 10:43 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red135 View Post
I was leaning toward the BMW Performance suspension, but since they tune it for the RFT's, I am afraid that when I get rid of the RFT's I will, essentially, be back where I started.
Perhaps a set of upgraded bushings/front control arm, like the Dinan bushings set, would work well for this purpose.

All I can say that in my SP 335i, switching from RFT to non-RFT hi perf all seasons (not even aggressive summers) has improved things across the board:
- More settled ride, less prone to skittering and juddering
- Better turn in (went one size plus width)
- Same grip in the dry, better grip in the wet, gets me home in light snow

Truly, I think getting rid of the runflats and installing the Perf suspension (including springs) should greatly improve handling and responsiveness. I'd still do adjustable sways with that though.
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      09-30-2008, 10:59 AM   #16
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I had previously read that BMW tuned their suspensions with regard to the high rigidity of the RFT's sidewall. As a result people that went with a standard (non-RFT) tire believed the stock suspension felt softer. You didn't notice the same thing?
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      09-30-2008, 11:07 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red135 View Post
I had previously read that BMW tuned their suspensions with regard to the high rigidity of the RFT's sidewall. As a result people that went with a standard (non-RFT) tire believed the stock suspension felt softer. You didn't notice the same thing?
Mostly bushings, as I understand it. If that is a major concern to you, I bet you can mitigate some loss of the RFT sidewall stiffness by installing aftermarket bushings, or choosing a lower profile hi perf tire, or one which is known to have stiff sidewalls.

As I said, I personally found absolutely no ill effects from swapping out the runflats. And the situation could only be improved if I installed the Perf catalog suspension. (I'm not doing it in the 335i because I plan to get rid of it next year).
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      09-30-2008, 11:25 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adc View Post
As I said, I personally found absolutely no ill effects from swapping out the runflats. And the situation could only be improved if I installed the Perf catalog suspension. (I'm not doing it in the 335i because I plan to get rid of it next year).
That is helpful info. Thanks!
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      09-30-2008, 12:12 PM   #19
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I am leaning toward replace the spring/shock with coil over first and then later decide to replace front/rear sway bars or not since I can install the coil over myself but I can't do the rear sway (which means I have to spend more money). Do you think that it is a good idea?
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      10-07-2008, 07:16 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TazioNYC View Post
I thinking about getting a set of KW V2 coilovers for my 1. Originally, I was going to get upgraded sway bars only to help cure some body roll, but all of the glowing reviews of the KWs on the forum caused me to reconsider. Here's my question: if I get the KWs, is there a real need for me to get the upgraded sways on top of that? Or should the coilovers be pretty much all I need?
If you go with KW V2s, you'll be happy with what you have from that point on. Typically, most of our customers stop there because KW offers such great performing coilovers. Of course, we have 1-enthusiasts that really want the ultimate in handling, so they go with sway bars, strut tower bars--the works. It's completely up to you at that point. Majority of our suspension sales are from KW V2s, and any other sales on suspension after that come from customers that decided that they want an even more improved handling 1-series.
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