[MrAC]

Hi all,

I am currently stumped on these 2 as my next purchase. I have been quoted $1200 CAD for the ST v1 and $1500 CAD for BC.

I've searched the forum for responses but the threads I found weren't that recent so I've decided to make this thread.

I currently have a 2010 e92 335i sitting on 18's. I don't want to be slammed but I do want the tires sitting flush/slightly tucked to the fenders.

In terms of how long can these go, which is the best for that? Which is the best for comfort and which feels like oem suspension?

From what I'm aware of, ST does not have dampening adjustability and the BC does and has better warranty.

And are rear extenders needed for the e92?

and BC comes with front camber plates? Don't think I'd ever use them anytime soon but I guess they're nice to have.

If anyone can shed some light on this, that would be great.

If you can provide some information from experience and also provide a photo of your setup, that would be greatly appreciated as well!

Thanks everyone!

[doru]

I ran coilovers on a different car. Had Bilstein PSS9 on my 5 series e39.
The car drove on rails. On the softest setting, they were a tad harsh. After the 2nd winter, (being a DD), the adjustable rings got seized, and I wasn't able to change the settings (you know, Alberta winters), but I was OK with that, being already quite low. After another year, the front coils started to develop coil binding, driving me nuts every time I hit the smallest road imperfection, which are plenty. The coils were good, but I couldn't change the teflon ring between the 2 coils because the rings were seized. If you plan on driving during winter, and you plan on adjusting ride height winter/summer, then forget it. Even if you teflon tape, it wouldn't help much with the "pickle" they spray on the roads. I just took them off and replaced with original M sport suspension. The difference was that the car leaned more in corners, had a more civilized ride and I got rid of the noise. The PSS9 were compression and rebound adjustable 9 ways, but I think on the firmest setting it was like riding on bricks.

[Underground6t9]

Get the kwv1's they come with SS bodies so they won't rust. I run those on my 335xi and love them.

[n55jb4]

^ What he said. In Toronto your STs will seize and corrode all over, not only you won't be able to adjust them, but it will look like shit and you won't be able to resell them - and if you'll ever decide to sell your car with ST coilovers - buyers will question rusty suspension not even appreciating that you put $1-2k in it. KW V1s and ST are same thing otherwise and are AFAIK softer than BC. That being said - it will be firmer than stock, so don't expect soft rebound like stock suspension has. Many forum members who say coilovers have same ride comfort wise as stock - are lying lol
Also and again this is just my opinion, coilovers are PITA to adjust and you'll get tired of it soon. It's better to get balanced and optimized already from factory KW V1s (or STs) than buy rebound adjustable BC or KW V2 or even V3 and then spent countless attempts to find perfection.
Also, sorry for bringing all negative things out, but I should say that you may run into troubles with jacking your car in case of flat tire (most shops will have issues), many automated car washes that have a guiding rail for front wheel - you won't be able to get in. Not to mention speed bumps and steep angles on the roads. To avoid going too low - try spacers - they can bring wheel out and flush and you won't need too low to sit tuck. Coilovers also put strain to your CVs and even change geometry of your sway links - thus making front suspension stiff - which makes ride even more jittery. There are lots of pros tho, looks will be better and car will handle better, less body roll

[MrAC]

Thanks for the input.

I wouldn't have a problem with STs corroding since I do have another vehicle to use during the winter time and this car will just be sitting in the garage. So I guess that would prevent the STs from being exposed to the salt and snow on the road.

So is it worth to spend the extra $$ for KW v1s??

Originally Posted by n55jb4

^ What he said. In Toronto your STs will seize and corrode all over, not only you won't be able to adjust them, but it will look like shit and you won't be able to resell them - and if you'll ever decide to sell your car with ST coilovers - buyers will question rusty suspension not even appreciating that you put $1-2k in it. KW V1s and ST are same thing otherwise and are AFAIK softer than BC. That being said - it will be firmer than stock, so don't expect soft rebound like stock suspension has. Many forum members who say coilovers have same ride comfort wise as stock - are lying lol
Also and again this is just my opinion, coilovers are PITA to adjust and you'll get tired of it soon. It's better to get balanced and optimized already from factory KW V1s (or STs) than buy rebound adjustable BC or KW V2 or even V3 and then spent countless attempts to find perfection.
Also, sorry for bringing all negative things out, but I should say that you may run into troubles with jacking your car in case of flat tire (most shops will have issues), many automated car washes that have a guiding rail for front wheel - you won't be able to get in. Not to mention speed bumps and steep angles on the roads. To avoid going too low - try spacers - they can bring wheel out and flush and you won't need too low to sit tuck. Coilovers also put strain to your CVs and even change geometry of your sway links - thus making front suspension stiff - which makes ride even more jittery. There are lots of pros tho, looks will be better and car will handle better, less body roll

[MrAC]

Originally Posted by Underground6t9

Get the kwv1's they come with SS bodies so they won't rust. I run those on my 335xi and love them.

How long have you had them for and how is the ride? And how much of a drop did you get with these?

[Underground6t9]

I have had my KWV1's for about a year now. They ride nice to too hard or soft. The drop is nice fronts and rear can go really low, I have the rears all the way up and the fronts half way down.

[shadow191]

I believe KWs are progressive springs and BC uses linear. That's probably a much bigger difference than camber plates. Personally I find progressive springs to be more suited to daily driving since you can have it be a little more compliant initially and then ramp the rate up. With linear springs, the rate stays the same which is great for handling since you're not ramping up the spring rate mid compression but there is more initial harshness.

I have KW V3's on my 335 (for ~20K miles) and I run BCs on my Infiniti FX (for ~50K miles). There is a lot more initial harshness on the BCs over small bumps and uneven roads. V3's do a better job on the roads around me.

It's up to you which one suits your needs better, but I can say that while cool to have camber plates, you don't actually need them unless you track your car. The range of adjustment isn't typically needed unless you track your car or drive so low you've gone out of the normal adjustment range. And the BC's have adjustable damping, but it again doesn't do much. They're something like 32 way adjustable but the individual clicks don't do much at all - if there were 4 clicks it would probably be better.

I can say that BC has good service. I blew a front shock outside warranty (lots of miles and car is low) and it was a relatively cheap replacement that they got to me quickly.

[MrAC]

Good point on the front camber plates as I mentioned about that I don't wanna be slammed but who knows lol

Originally Posted by shadow191

I believe KWs are progressive springs and BC uses linear. That's probably a much bigger difference than camber plates. Personally I find progressive springs to be more suited to daily driving since you can have it be a little more compliant initially and then ramp the rate up. With linear springs, the rate stays the same which is great for handling since you're not ramping up the spring rate mid compression but there is more initial harshness.

I have KW V3's on my 335 (for ~20K miles) and I run BCs on my Infiniti FX (for ~50K miles). There is a lot more initial harshness on the BCs over small bumps and uneven roads. V3's do a better job on the roads around me.

It's up to you which one suits your needs better, but I can say that while cool to have camber plates, you don't actually need them unless you track your car. The range of adjustment isn't typically needed unless you track your car or drive so low you've gone out of the normal adjustment range. And the BC's have adjustable damping, but it again doesn't do much. They're something like 32 way adjustable but the individual clicks don't do much at all - if there were 4 clicks it would probably be better.

I can say that BC has good service. I blew a front shock outside warranty (lots of miles and car is low) and it was a relatively cheap replacement that they got to me quickly.

General question for everyone, is the KW v1 - ST v1 pretty much similar, only diff is that the ST tend to rust if driven in winter? If so, I shouldn't have a problem with this since I won't be driving this vehicle in the winter. And ST is much cheaper than the BC/KW....from what I've been quoted. I don't wanna seem cheap but I'm also trying to budget myself too, if that makes sense.

[Underground6t9]

Yes ST and KWV1 are exactly the same just that KW has SS body.
I had ST on my Audi and they where exactly like my KW on my BMW

[CantCatchMe]

What about Sonic Tuning? I assume they're in the same price range of the BC's. They come with camber plates too. I know for AWD they're $1,000 with a free upgrade to the S3.

[MrAC]

Originally Posted by Underground6t9

Yes ST and KWV1 are exactly the same just that KW has SS body.
I had ST on my Audi and they where exactly like my KW on my BMW

Were you referring to that they were exactly the same in height adjustment or comfort? Or both?

Thanks

[Underground6t9]

All the above

[MrAC]

Currently KW is having a $100 rebate on selected coilovers.

Regardless, is it worth the extra money to spend it on the KW V1 rather than the ST?

Thanks!

[Underground6t9]

Only if you live in an area that gets snow. Believe me they will seize up if not stainless steel.

[lnxguy]

I ran STs on my TDI wagon for 5 years and never had the adjusters freeze. Have you guys never heard of coilover socks/sleeves?

IMG_3829 by eric_duva, on Flickr

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by lnxguy

I ran STs on my TDI wagon for 5 years and never had the adjusters freeze. Have you guys never heard of coilover socks/sleeves?

IMG_3829 by eric_duva, on Flickr

Those socks/sleeves will soak up salt/reagent mixture and you'll get coilovers being constantly soaked in salt even when it's dry outside. So they will arguably be even worse for coilovers than without them. It's like putting a salt soaked cloth on a metal - it will rust even faster. I am not saying I'm 100% true, but I've read such reports from several forum members. They got rid of socks asap.
To be honest I don't know who to believe - everyone tells different story. I only know that going with KW V1s is a guaranteed choice - not only due to lifetime warranty, but because they are SS

[Bours]

Originally Posted by Underground6t9

Yes ST and KWV1 are exactly the same just that KW has SS body.
I had ST on my Audi and they where exactly like my KW on my BMW

i have a e90 335xi too..

i bought used kw v1
im gettin them rebuilt i hope i dont regret buying new !

so will the ride be a lot less comfortable than stock x drive suspension ( pretty bouncy ) i have a small daughter i dont want the ride to be really harsh you know ? roads here are terrible in the city

i compare some of the streets in montreal city driving to bagdad loll

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by Bours

i have a e90 335xi too..

i bought used kw v1
im gettin them rebuilt i hope i dont regret buying new !

so will the ride be a lot less comfortable than stock x drive suspension ( pretty bouncy ) i have a small daughter i dont want the ride to be really harsh you know ? roads here are terrible in the city

i compare some of the streets in montreal city driving to bagdad loll

That's what i like to know too. It seems those who installed V1s will never admit ride is harsh lol, especially after spending close to $1.5k or more with install. However, whenever someone sells the car - he immediately justifies it by telling how much harsh ride was and that he is glad he sold the car

I wish someone could have balls to tell truth

[Bours]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

That's what i like to know too. It seems those who installed V1s will never admit ride is harsh lol, especially after spending close to $1.5k or more with install. However, whenever someone sells the car - he immediately justifies it by telling how much harsh ride was and that he is glad he sold the car

I wish someone could have balls to tell truth

haha yea that resumes it well id like to know too ! i bought a used set and i have to send them to kw v1 in california for rebuild and then install em etc....

i dont know if its worth it anymore...

only a few times per month i tell my self i hate the horrid body roll
aside from that its pretty comfortable and a blast in straight line

[Underground6t9]

I have KWV1's ride is harsh but its not hard, its way better than stock specially if you have XI.

[BSM n54iS]

Can also spray the ST's with a clear coat before install which would prevent any rust...