[Anonymoose]

I'm running Ohlins Road and Track suspension with 3DM RoadSport spring set using Swift springs: Front: 70 N/mm - Rear 160 N/mm

I gave Barry @ 3DM my goals. Track less than 10 times a year, a good amount of backroad and mountain driving.

The first track day I was running OEM factory specs and it didnt feel as tight. Changed the setting and im at 5 clicks from full adjustment on all 4 corners. I'll let you know next Friday how the change helped

[MASHCT]

Originally Posted by OneFlyFatGuy

Not going to lie those numbers seem kinda low. I believe ThicWhips made 407whp on a bm3 OTS map. Either way great write up on the coils I can't wait to grab mine!

Did you order yours yet? What spring rate did you go with?

I am gonna post more thoughts as I drive around on these some more. Definitely some things I like, but the settings right now - seems a little bouncy when the road dips. I noticed that on a long drive last night on a known road.

ThicWhips white M2 he has 2 custom tunes & a catless downpipe. I watched his Cary Jordan tuning process videos - convinced me to do it myself, but turned out my car already had it done by the prior owner. I don't know if TW's exhaust results in an increase in HP due to freer flow or not (I have the MPE on mine).

I have a sport catted downpipe. All the mods on my car were done by the prior owner. I don't think the dealer had a clue what was on that car because i got it for a great price.

[MASHCT]

Took some pics in the sun today. Gotta say I am loving the wheels more & more - especially when I keep hearing other people compliment them.

The installer said they lowered the car about 1/2" - I like it a lot, but I do think it rubs in the rear a little, hard to tell.

The front wheel gap looks bigger than it is because the Richland Forged width + offset tucks the wheel vs stock. May try a SMALL spacer to get it to poke out a little more. But to the tread, only my fingers can slip in there.

I know I can go more, but I am old & my hips hurt as it is. LOL (Don't get old if you can avoid it.)

[TripleU]

Just out of curiosity, did you find the coilovers to be more comfortable than the stock suspension?

I saw on the F30 section where a guy also got FA 500s for his F30 340i and he found the FA 500s to be firmer than the stock suspension, though he did say it was still livable.

[MASHCT]

Originally Posted by TripleU

Just out of curiosity, did you find the coilovers to be more comfortable than the stock suspension?

I saw on the F30 section where a guy also got FA 500s for his F30 340i and he found the FA 500s to be firmer than the stock suspension, though he did say it was still livable.

It firmer, and I would also recommend you stay on the firm side of center. The shop that did my install set mine at about 4 clicks from full soft & it was too soft, floaty & "busy" on the road.

I think I am +2 firm of center & it feels good. Personally, even though I can't do a comparison, I probably would do the 7K/14K spring rates. 8/16 is what I did and it is firm. Not unlivable, but firm.

I would describe the ride like this:

• Definitely planted/sure-footed. Minimal body roll when taking turns. Ride is overall enjoyable & better than OEM suspension. I would say the suspension helps inspire confidence to have a bit more (safe) fun on the road vs OEM. I am more willing to take an on or off-ramp a little faster than I would ordinarily. Sure-footed definitely describes it all very well.
• I think the FA set handles road surfaces in really poor condition better than stock. You will feel the "busy-ness" of a poor road surface, but the shocks absorb it better so it's less skittish than OEM. I definitely did not like the softer settings as much as the current +2 firm. (I have not tried center setting yet.)
• Bumps, minor potholes & minor uneven surfaces are handled really well. The shocks do a great job of absorbing this kind of stuff without bounce or "floaty" feeling. This to me was one of the big benefits vs stock, and a firmer setting.
• Hit a big pot hole or unevenness in road surface, you get a pronounced "boom" that will make you think your shocks or wheels are toast (but they're not). I think this is because of the firmer 8/16K springs.
• I don't notice any difference in normal road noise transference into the cabin.
• Changing settings is easy, too.

I think you're going to get similar performance to any after-market, high quality coilover set. The question comes down to price-vs-performance. Personally, I think other high-end suspensions, you get diminishing returns. The cheaper sets, I'm just not as trusting, I guess.

I went with FA because:

• Made is USA
• Custom built
• Can be rebuilt/re-valved if you blow the shock
• Can be upgraded
• 5 year warranty
• Enough settings to dial in your preferences without being overly complicated.
• Easy height adjustment.
• Has a well-documented history & race heritage (even though I don't race, if ultra-high performance motorsports trust 'em...)
• Hits the sweet spot for price-vs-performance
• Even though you can't really see them - they look real nice.

[esoj37]

Originally Posted by MASHCT

Took some pics in the sun today. Gotta say I am loving the wheels more & more - especially when I keep hearing other people compliment them.

The installer said they lowered the car about 1/2" - I like it a lot, but I do think it rubs in the rear a little, hard to tell.

The front wheel gap looks bigger than it is because the Richland Forged width + offset tucks the wheel vs stock. May try a SMALL spacer to get it to poke out a little more. But to the tread, only my fingers can slip in there.

I know I can go more, but I am old & my hips hurt as it is. LOL (Don't get old if you can avoid it.)

Makes me miss my MG F30s

[MASHCT]

I chose a local tuner who handles BMWs to do my install. Sadly, I found out they completely botched the install. If there are other central CT folks looking for a tuner - just stay away from a tuner shop in South Windsor. Honestly, they are clueless on BMWs. I show up for my appt & they're asking me what fluids go in my car - and even installed the WRONG oil filter, way too small for the N55. I found that out when I installed a new billet oil filter cover. Good going, guys!!

I thought I was picking a solid tuner, and maybe they are for other brands, but not BMW & not my experience at all.

The "pronounced boom" I mentioned in an earlier post - well, I was getting tired of it & really felt there was something wrong with the install that was causing this.

Additionally, I found the front end to be so stiff as to have ZERO give, which I thought was very strange, too.

I contacted Fortune Auto, explained what I was experiencing & they suggested I have the suspension checked as they said it was definitely an installation issue. (I said the coilovers were not damaged, no leaks.) FA said they had experience with their series 500 coils on an M2 & my experience was not indicative of what their system is capable of. Turns out they were 100% correct.

Took my M2 to this family owned, highly rated auto repair shop in Hartford. They got it up on a lift, looked it over & then brought me out to show me the problems.

First problem - the front springs were not pre-loaded, like at all. Free as birds in the mounts. Basically the front end was barely doing its job, bottoming out before engaging the springs. What I thought was uneven surface noise transference was actually the springs rattling.

Second - the rears were incorrectly installed/lowered (instead of setting the ride height correctly by turning the strut body & locking the height adjustment ring). I forget how the tech explained what they did, only that it was lowered incorrectly to such a degree that they could not adjust the height correctly.

Third - the ride height was uneven side to side AND front to rear. I had actually noticed this when I swapped my winter for summer wheels/tires. The jack didn't fit under the jack points evenly/consistently. The driver's front pad - the jack wouldn't even slide under it without wiggling around/forcing it.

So what I thought was a killer ride - well, it wasn't as killer as it could have been/should be.

Roggi's in Hartford reinstalled the entire coilver system and set the ride height CORRECTLY, and WOW what a difference! HUGE & noticeable improvement:

• gone are the rattles in the front end;
• gone is the major "boom" I would hear going over bumps,
• ride is WAY smoother, car glides, handles incredibly well (so noted my instructor at Thompson Speedway when he took my car out!),
• road noise SIGNIFICANTLY reduced, less transference through the suspension into the cabin. I think I have the quietest M2 on the planet now. LOL
• improved road feel through the steering wheel.

[Ooh_M2]

MASHCT good to hear. I've got over 10k miles on mine with no issues. I wish I would have bought them earlier.

[ericlr1225]

MASHCT @Ooh_M2
Any update on how the FA500 is holding up?
I'm about to get a set soon since Bilstein has 4-5 months lead time and I had to cancel my order.
Still couldn't decide between 7k/14k and 8k16k. advice?

[MASHCT]

Howdy Eric!

Excellent call reaching out. I am happy to report these things have been amazing. Absolutely solid coilovers & the range of adjustability is great. I've been on the track multiple times & it's my daily driver when it's nice out. I have had zero issues & love the ride. Car now has 68K on it.

These are real nice coilovers, very robust & I have hit some potholes/bumps in the road (It's CT, afterall! LOL) - perfect for a mix of track & daily driving. Easy to adjust (gotta jack it to expose the knob & adjust the rears).

Jim

Originally Posted by ericlr1225

MASHCT @Ooh_M2
Any update on how the FA500 is holding up?
I'm about to get a set soon since Bilstein has 4-5 months lead time and I had to cancel my order.
Still couldn't decide between 7k/14k and 8k16k. advice?

[MASHCT]

Just saw your other question. I did the 7/14s. I talked at length with the guys at fortune auto & they recommended for a primary street car 7/14 will provide a more compliant ride. But trust me on this - set them firmer for track & you car will GRIP like MAD! I didn't go all of the way firm, maybe 3 clicks less. And even the instructor commented on the car's grip & suspension. When I told him we were on Continentals & not Michelins, he was stunned.

Jim

Originally Posted by ericlr1225

MASHCT @Ooh_M2
Any update on how the FA500 is holding up?
I'm about to get a set soon since Bilstein has 4-5 months lead time and I had to cancel my order.
Still couldn't decide between 7k/14k and 8k16k. advice?

[ericlr1225]

Originally Posted by MASHCT

Just saw your other question. I did the 7/14s. I talked at length with the guys at fortune auto & they recommended for a primary street car 7/14 will provide a more compliant ride. But trust me on this - set them firmer for track & you car will GRIP like MAD! I didn't go all of the way firm, maybe 3 clicks less. And even the instructor commented on the car's grip & suspension. When I told him we were on Continentals & not Michelins, he was stunned.

Jim

Awesome! I think I'm ready to pull the trigger based on your experience. Rear adjustment is the only problem that bothers me a bit.

7K/14k it is. Thank you!

[MASHCT]

Originally Posted by ericlr1225

Awesome! I think I'm ready to pull the trigger based on your experience. Rear adjustment is the only problem that bothers me a bit.

7K/14k it is. Thank you!

For real - these are very nicely made coilovers. Even the speed shop that did the install liked them a lot (they are familiar with FA).

I find the only time I am changing the settings is when I go to the track & then back to my street setting. Do not go full soft - it's so floaty it made me car sick a little. LOL I am not a track monster or anything like that - I just love zipping around the 2 tracks. It's a lot of fun. Wish I could learn to drift...

[ericlr1225]

Originally Posted by MASHCT

For real - these are very nicely made coilovers. Even the speed shop that did the install liked them a lot (they are familiar with FA).

I find the only time I am changing the settings is when I go to the track & then back to my street setting. Do not go full soft - it's so floaty it made me car sick a little. LOL I am not a track monster or anything like that - I just love zipping around the 2 tracks. It's a lot of fun. Wish I could learn to drift...

Nice to hear that. What are your damping settings on the street? I probably just let the shop set it before putting the rears on.

[MASHCT]

Originally Posted by ericlr1225

Nice to hear that. What are your damping settings on the street? I probably just let the shop set it before putting the rears on.

For street, turn it all the way soft, then back off 5 or 6 clicks. That to me is a real nice street setting. CT has very crappy roads.

At the track, the highest I've ever gone is 10 - and that is really firm, very grippy.