[Joebie]

I know this topic has been beaten to death, and trust me I've spent many many hours reading all the threads i could find - but I want more input form people with suspension experience.

I have a 2018 OG M2 that I'm looking to buy coilovers for. My main goals are

-Performance: My M2 is my daily (unless its rainy or snowy) and it sees 99.9% street use. I may do some autocross with it in the future, but I dont have track days on my radar. Track time isnt completely out of the question, but its not something I'm seriously considering when picking a suspension system. My main complaint about the stock suspension is how unsettled, boaty, and twitchy the car feels at times, especially when hooking up or recovering from a loss of traction. 90% of this is probably my own lack of skill as a driver but I think at least some of it is from poorly tuned stock suspension.

-Height: Not much lower than stock ride height: I think the car looks fine at its stock height. If anything I'd only go 5-10mm lower. I want a suspension system that allows for this.

-Comfort: I literally dont give a rat's ass about comfort, I bought this car to be a rocket go-kart for the street, not a luxury ride.

-Price: If possible I'd like to stay below $3500 but I'm a big proponent of buy-once-cry-once so the absolute max max id like to spend is probably around $4000-5000 if I have to to get what I need.

With the budget I have in mind, the common options are

-KWV3
-BMW Mperf (which from what I read is basically just a worse, but cheaper, version of the KWs)
-Ohlins
-Bilstein PSS10s

-The OG Shark Nitrons have been a hot topic here lately, but theyre at the tippy top of my budget. They do come with camber plates though.

Does anyone have any strong feelings on the best kit for what im trying to accomplish? Any advice or comments are welcome. Thank you!

Picture just to have a picture

[HP Autosport]

Sounds like Ohlins R&T if you tend to like a stiff ride and looking for a minimum drop.

We can bundle Ohlins R&T and Vorshlag at your budget. Shoot us a PM.

[WedgeSalad]

I have KW V3's with Millway street camber plates. They've been great and i have no complaints, car handles really well. Friends with e92 m3's have said they prefer my cars feel. The millway street camber plates are amazing and give you the feel and adjustment without the noise. This setup is about $3600 prior to install.


That said if i were to re do it I would probably go with the og shark nitrons. I think single adjustment appeals more to me with a street car and makes finding your settings easier, they come with end links and camber plates, they use standard springs up front which allow for better wheel fitment whereas KW's are larger which limit aggressive wheels/tires and reviews are really good but they're a bit more expensive.

[AlpinewhiteM2C]

I was also debating between the PSS10, KW V3, MPS, and Ohlins a few years back and ended up with MPS on stock top mounts and camber correction hubs to achieve approx. -2 degrees front camber and good ride comfort. I chose the MPS over KW V3 strictly due to pricing; MPS could be had for a bit cheaper than the equivalent KW V3 at the time and they are essentially the same.

I drove an M2 with the PSS10 and they were a bit stiffer than the MPS. I believe this is due to slightly stiffer spring rates. Other than that, there wasn't much difference. They were third on my list.

I've had Ohlins on other platforms such as my old STI and my GR86. They were a close second when I was looking into coilovers. The only reason I didn't go with them was out of the box they had stiffer springs and didn't want to have to experiment with different spring rates to achieve the settings I preferred. In hindsight I should have worked w/ HP Autosport or 3DM Motorsport as they have already done the experiments and have spring packages that aligns the Ohlins with what the owner wants to get out of them.

One thing I will say is sometimes it's better to spend more now than have to buy twice. I ended up moving away from the MPS and are now on MCS 2WNR as I found myself autocrossing and tracking the car more. I'm saying this as you may say that you'll only do a few autocrosses and not really track the car. But once you do, I think you'll catch the bug and may find the KW V3, MPS, and PSS10 leaving you wanting for more adjustability. Not to say that they are not capable, but the Nitrons from OG Shark will give you what you want now and will be able to handle more in case you want to do more with your M2 which I'm betting you will. I've been in the passenger seat of some capable E92 M3s with Nitrons on and was impressed with the ride. If I didn't have the MCS now, I would have probably moved from the MPS to the Nitrons.

Hope this info helps you with your decision.

[OG Shark]

Joebie I don't want to throw a big sales pitch at you here but do want to mention that our R1 price (4,295.00 shipped) is for a turn key kit - nothing else needs to be purchased to install and enjoy these to their max potential. Camber plates, springs, mounts, front end links - all that is needed is included. If you have any questions though definitely fire away with them.

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by OG Shark

Joebie I don't want to throw a big sales pitch at you here but do want to mention that our R1 price (4,295.00 shipped) is for a turn key kit - nothing else needs to be purchased to install and enjoy these to their max potential. Camber plates, springs, mounts, front end links - all that is needed is included. If you have any questions though definitely fire away with them.

Its okay, actually its welcomed. I like to hear what vendors can offer for me. Thank you and everyone for the comments so far!

[OG Shark]

Originally Posted by Joebie

Its okay, actually its welcomed. I like to hear what vendors can offer for me. Thank you and everyone for the comments so far!

Well then I will say that even though you mention that comfort isn't a priority it also doesn't have to be sacrificed. In our softer settings our kits still greatly outperform the stock setup while also removing the harsh/crashiness from the system. No reason to feel like your feel like you pissed off Mike Tyson every time you drive the car. Also even at those softer settings you will be hard pressed to find another setup that can match what our kits can do. And then you still have the option to dial them up and really put some distance between them and any of the other kits you mentioned. Something else to consider is that even when in the firmer range of our kits the car will still be composed through unsettling events (bumps, etc) due to the time spent dialing in the high speed dampening on our kits.

Another consideration is that Nitron's are on the smaller side of spring perches. This combined with the length that we use in our kits allow for the popular wider aftermarket tire/wheel combinations without any issues. Just fyi there if you plan to run a wider setup.

[ThreeStripes]

OGSM Nitron or MCS or nothing. Real motorsports grade kit is just better.

For me, when deciding between the two options above, the fact that the OGSM Nitrons are refined beyond what’s offered “off the shelf” and have details like spring length pre-sorted to fit wide rubber gave them the edge. That and the customer support just can not be beat. Unless you have a local shop that has demonstrated successful experience with MCS on the F8X chassis, you’re just not going to get the same support as you will with the OGSM Nitron.

[goforwand]

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2092439

Although my suspension experience over 8+ years was with an Evo IX from DD to dual duty, to full race car with KW Motorsports custom GroupN triples- for a 99% street car I would seriously consider the TC Kline offerings....I just put them on my M2C and am really taken aback at how good they are on the street..wasn't expecting them to be that good and based on the many reviews here and across the BMW lineage I'm confident they will do well in a non-competitive track environment if you decide to go that route...

[Joebie]

On the way to work today I took a fast turn over some bumpy pavement and the car kinda skipped and hopped over it and the whole chassis felt really unstable - is this something an aftermarket system would improve or are they dialed in for a nice and flat race track?

I know nothing is going to make a bumpy road feel like youre on a freshly paved oval track, and the 19in wheels probably arent helping, just curious if i would feel an improvement.

[OG Shark]

Originally Posted by Joebie

On the way to work today I took a fast turn over some bumpy pavement and the car kinda skipped and hopped over it and the whole chassis felt really unstable - is this something an aftermarket system would improve or are they dialed in for a nice and flat race track?

I know nothing is going to make a bumpy road feel like youre on a freshly paved oval track, and the 19in wheels probably arent helping, just curious if i would feel an improvement.

Yes - what you experienced was one of the shortcomings of the oem setup. A properly dampened and sprung setup will alleviate this. Keep in mind that not all race tracks are nice and flat. In fact it is the opposite in many cases (COTA is proof of this as they are constantly repaving now to try to smooth it out). Sebring is another that is extremely bumpy. For these cases you want the car to stay composed over the unsettling events so a portion of the development focus is certainly aimed at this area. When the dampers are allowed to do what they are supposed to be doing and everything is in harmony a good setup will absolutely keep the car happy in these situations. We spent a majority of our development time on this actually and it helps us run comparatively stiffer springs than most other setups while still eliminating that harshness.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by Joebie

My M2 is my daily (unless its rainy or snowy) and it sees 99.9% street use.

Not much lower than stock ride height.

I literally dont give a rat's ass about comfort, I bought this car to be a rocket go-kart for the street, not a luxury ride.

If possible I'd like to stay below $3500

BMW Mperf (which from what I read is basically just a worse, but cheaper, version of the KWs)

You literally just described the M Performance suspension. There is NO BETTER suspension for the money, end of story.

And the MPS isn't "worse" than the KWV3, it just doesn't go as low, which you aren't concerned with anyway.

The MPS will give you everything you need and then some.

Let me know if you decide on one, I have the hook up on used and new sets.

-Andrew

[ZM2]

Two things the PSS10's have over the other options:

1. Cost. They're very affordable.
2. Ease of Adjustability. There's a dial on the bottom of each damper that you can reach from under the car without taking any wheels/tires off. That's nice when I want to make quick adjustments for the street or track and don't have to drag out the jack and impact.

The springs are a little stiff for the street, but they perform great on track and it's definitely the bang for the buck option here. If you're sticking to the street and want something a little softer, I'd go MPS. I wouldn't go more expensive than PSS10 or MPS unless you're hitting the track.

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

You literally just described the M Performance suspension. There is NO BETTER suspension for the money, end of story.

And the MPS isn't "worse" than the KWV3, it just doesn't go as low, which you aren't concerned with anyway.

The MPS will give you everything you need and then some.

Let me know if you decide on one, I have the hook up on used and new sets.

-Andrew

Thanks Andrew, can a used set of MPS be serviced/rebuilt by KW, BMW, or other vendors?

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by Joebie

Thanks Andrew, can a used set of MPS be serviced/rebuilt by KW or other vendors?

Yes, for sure, but rebuilds are rare. They are made for daily + weekend HPDE to BMW's specs by KW, and most guys don't use them that hard. They are literally perfect for daily driving + some HPDE work. You can buy a more expensive set, but you're wasting your money unless you're really building a track car.

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by Joebie

Thanks Andrew, can a used set of MPS be serviced/rebuilt by KW, BMW, or other vendors?

Do your research. Contact KW to ensure they are willing to service the MPS. On rough roads, it doesn't take much to blow out a damper.

If you want to entertain more expensive options, please PM on Ohlins, AST, MCS, and Nitron. All priced to move!

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by HP Autosport

Do your research. Contact KW to ensure they are willing to service the MPS. On rough roads, it doesn't take much to blow out a damper.

They don't need to be rebuilt by KW, they're a pretty simple set. And the list of how many I've seen that needed to be rebuilt since 2019 is a whole 5, and a big fat 0 for street-driven sets. I'm sure it happens, but it's pretty rare I'd think. I've seen 50x more instances of the stock rear springs cracking.

[AmuroRay]

I think no one has addressed how well these will hold up on daily driving. I seem to remember seeing a lot of KWs and other brands that would need rebuilds from daily driving, which is OPs primary use.

Bilstein PSS10 do hold up to daily driving, but they aren't going to be the "best" compared to something that is triple adjustable, etc. But if you search Bilstein on any platform, they really do hold up well, and can easily be rebuilt IF it's needed. They get my vote - if you want to optimize them further, get some Linear springs to replace their progressive, and you'll still come out less than some other options - with similar performance and likely longer longevity.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

I think no one has addressed how well these will hold up on daily driving. I seem to remember seeing a lot of KWs and other brands that would need rebuilds from daily driving, which is OPs primary use.

MPS is KW, and I'm not finding they need rebuilding from daily driving. Where are you getting this information?

[AmuroRay]

Literally just search KW rebuild and that's all I've seen from the brand. They are also twin tube typically, and those are not as robust as most monotube.
https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...d#post30182665
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1312679

[Joebie]

My experience with suspension is limited - I've had Koni and Bilsteins on other cars in the past, and while the bilsteins were 200000x better, both of them felt like they degraded over time, which is why I value a suspension system that can be serviced by the manufacturer.

I keep my cars for a LONG time. My first car i kept it for 14 years. I wouldnt expect any suspension system to go for that long without needing servicing of some sort.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by Joebie

My experience with suspension is limited - I've had Koni and Bilsteins on other cars in the past, and while the bilsteins were 200000x better, both of them felt like they degraded over time, which is why I value a suspension system that can be serviced by the manufacturer.

I keep my cars for a LONG time. My first car i kept it for 14 years. I wouldnt expect any suspension system to go for that long without needing servicing of some sort.

I would say Bilstein.