[jakeg104]

jetbill, this thread gives me hope!

I live in Houston, which should be known as having the worst roads in the US, might be a contender for the worst in the world when it comes to major Metropolitan areas.

Drove a M2, absolutely LOVED the car; the size, the look, the wheelbase. Felt a lot like the e30M3 that is playing daily driver currently, except for the way the car behaved over bad roads.

You confirmed my instincts, which is that the springs felt linear up front; the way the whole car would dive/dip into a bump vs the actual wheel articulating into the road...

It is literally the only thing keeping me from getting one. Getting beat up every day on the road isn't fun..

Researched quite a bit online, most folks recommend the Dinan setup to help ease the behavior, but that setup is still linear springs with manual adjustments (as you had said, time will be spent under the car, with panicked bystanders wondering if i got run over!). Not sure if this is the way to go, at least for me.

This hybrid setup of using a F8X M3 EDC damper with DSC Sport controller could be the solution. I looked into the company in earnest for my 997.2S, really seem to be passionate about what they do.

Car will spend 90% on Houston roads, 10% at the track (typically COTA), so priority will be on comfort and how the car can handle undulations on the road.

A few questions for you-

1. Ideally, for daily usage, i think front and rear Progressive springs will be the way to go. Do you know if the F8X M3 springs up front are progressive or linear? If they are progressive, do you know if they would fit in the M2?

2. Same for the rear F8X M3 springs. Do you know the spring rate and whether they are a bolt on to the M2? Assuming its progressive as well?

2. The rear spring rates for all the brands you tested seem really high. I remember many years ago setting up a e36M3 for track use, and we got Ground Control Coilovers with 450/650 spring rates and that rear felt like rock, with no give. Are all the manufacturers using higher spring rates in the rear due to the car's relative weight?

3. The MPS Suspension- Pictures of the system online 'seem' to suggest that the front springs are progressive (they usually are fatter in the middle, no?), so its interesting to see that your findings actually point to them being linear.

Thanks again for all the research you have done and for sharing this valuable info!