Quote:
Originally Posted by Nezil
Fast road is my main concern as well @OzWoz, thanks for being the guiniea pig!
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As promised, here is a very preliminary review. I'm not overly technical and didn't oversee the install, just asked questions of my tech'.
Before you get too judgy on the ride height (it probably looks stock to those outside Australia!), I found out we have a "bad road" package on our cars which adds 10mm to the height.
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f87-m2-competition-cou/repair-manuals/31-front-axle-front-suspension/31-00-front-axle-in-general/1VnYgjyGlB I went for a 15mm drop because of driveway clearence concerns, but in hindsight should have gone for 20mm which I may do in the near future.
The kit came with bump stops, 2 rubber slip mats that are supposed to replace rubber spring seats in the rear and "eliminate resonant road noise" ..my tech scratched his head on that one as he couldn't see what the mats did or why they were included as the standard seats were fine.
My specialists are a BMW performance shop here in Sydney, with ex-BMW techs working for them. The kit got a general thumbs up from them for its quality, as they had not seen one here before. They did make one observation which I will pass back to Evolve (Imran...if you're reading this please chime in). Either end of the standard springs are slightly curved to sit in their spring perches. The MSS ones apparently are not. They seat well with no issues and certainly aren't going to move anywhere, but the installer pointed it out.
On to the road test. I have minimal mileage-time (maybe 100?) so take this as preliminary, but I could feel no difference in comfort to the stock springs. That is a major compliment to MSS and Evolve as I've ridden in Eibach and KW equipped cars, which felt OK to me comfort-wise, but tended to bounce over rougher roads. We have MANY rough raods here in Sydney, as does the UK, and this kit handles them like a pro. It's clear to me that developing the kit in these crappy road conditions has paid dividends.
My early morning circuit / coffee run has a variety of off-camber turns, dips, variable tarmac and potholes. I've learned to drive with these conditions, and depending what mode I'm in (generally Sport), I know exactly when to expect the traction light to start blinking at me. Here's the thing...it's no longer blinking at me. The rear is finding traction where on stock (and I'd imagine on stiffer rate springs) the tyres where leaving the road just enough to trigger the traction control. Now, they just grip and go. Very impressive and it's repeatable on roads you know well.
Spacers are the last part of the puzzle. Even with such a mild drop, the tyres (especially the fronts) are visibly recessed. I'm toying with 10mm all round. Like most things fun, Australia considers these illegal, but hey ho.
I've just found out I no longer have a Flickr account for some reason, so can't upload photos. If you have any recommendations of hosts, I'll try and add some pics later.
Cheers and beers
Woz