[Burnall4]

Hi all,

New to the forum. Just acquired a 2009 e83 xdrive 3.0 (non sport). I have been sorting out some things on the car, figured out one of the metallic / chain like sound coming from the rear whenever I went over bumps, the bottom of the spring broke (passenger rear) and was inside the spring banging around

Therefore, my time table to swap the suspension has been moved up, I was wondering for those who have either, what are your thoughts? This car is a daily driver for me (m3 is going to be weekend car from now on), this is my first BMW SAV.

So, lets hear some thoughts on either variant. Ride, noises, camber issues, etc...


Thanks!

Burnall4


P.S. /u/sunnyw979 is the reason I went with the x3

[C ///M]

Originally Posted by Burnall4

Hi all,

New to the forum. Just acquired a 2009 e83 xdrive 3.0 (non sport). I have been sorting out some things on the car, figured out one of the metallic / chain like sound coming from the rear whenever I went over bumps, the bottom of the spring broke (passenger rear) and was inside the spring banging around

Therefore, my time table to swap the suspension has been moved up, I was wondering for those who have either, what are your thoughts? This car is a daily driver for me (m3 is going to be weekend car from now on), this is my first BMW SAV.

So, lets hear some thoughts on either variant. Ride, noises, camber issues, etc...


Thanks!

Burnall4


P.S. /u/sunnyw979 is the reason I went with the x3

Well I probably won't be a great example for you as I came from a road course setup E30 which was bone jarring on the street and now even my heavily modified E83 still feels soft for me.

Anyway, the broken spring is super common on the E83. I actually have a used set of Eibach lowering springs with M-Sport shocks/struts and M-Sport sways (50k mile M-Sport stuff/20k mile eibachs) but you're probably too far away and shipping would be rough.

I currently run KW v2's and H&R Sways along with adjustable rear camber arms so it does handle great with no tire wear issues. I love my setup, but for the money, the eibachs and factory M-Sport setup was a great daily setup. It won't be your M3, but highway ramps and twisties will be enjoyable and the ride is still very comfortable. With any lowering, the rear camber increases a little bit and the factory arms with eccentric mounting points don't have much adjustment. You'll get ever so slightly faster inner tire wear if you don't get adjustable rear arms. Honestly, I'd just get the rear adjustable arms too.

I recommend staying away from the Bilstein HD shocks/struts for this car. They use the same dampening as Bilstein Sports, but the shock body is taller for the SUV ride height, so they're not really a better match for lowering springs. And the valving has a much too harsh initial compression, but then not enough dampening at higher compression.

[ObsidianX]

I also have a non-sport E83. Can I use OE sport springs with H&R sport springs? I see you are recommending against the Bilstein B6. I don't see a Bilstein sport shock/strut available for my X3. Would the Bilstein B4 OE replacement shocks & struts be suitable?

[C ///M]

Originally Posted by ObsidianX

I also have a non-sport E83. Can I use OE sport springs with H&R sport springs? I see you are recommending against the Bilstein B6. I don't see a Bilstein sport shock/strut available for my X3. Would the Bilstein B4 OE replacement shocks & struts be suitable?

What's your end goal? Just replacement/comfort, same ride-height with sportier characteristics, lower ride-height and sportier characteristics, etc..?

[ObsidianX]

Lower ride height and sportier characteristics. I really like this look. I don't plan to go with coilovers, but would like to close the wheel well to tire gap. I want my X3 to be nimble and look a tad closer to a 3 series touring.

My primary use for my X3 is highway driving. It won't see unimproved roads. I'm in CA now (no snow), but will likely move to Wash DC (snow) in Summer '16 and will be commuting up and down I95 (approx 70 miles daily). So first snow in late fall '16.

[C ///M]

Originally Posted by ObsidianX

Lower ride height and sportier characteristics. I really like this look. I don't plan to go with coilovers, but would like to close the wheel well to tire gap. I want my X3 to be nimble and look a tad closer to a 3 series touring.

My primary use for my X3 is highway driving. It won't see unimproved roads. I'm in CA now (no snow), but will likely move to Wash DC (snow) in Summer '16 and will be commuting up and down I95 (approx 70 miles daily). So first snow in late fall '16.

The OE M-Sport springs aren't going to give you the drop you want. They're ever so slightly lower than non-sport, barely noticeable and not even close to the 3er touring. You'll never get close to the ride-height in the link without coilovers, but I think you'd be happy with the Eibach pro-kit. They're a tad over $200, I had them with stock M-Sport shocks and struts before my KWs and the shocks were only a little under-dampened for the stiffer springs. I don't know what the specs are, so you may want to look for pics of X3's with both Eibach pro kits and H&R sport springs and see what you like better. Just be mindful of comparison pics with different size tires will affect the look of the fender gap.

Speaking of tires, you'll want to buy slightly larger diameter tires to fill out the wheel wells better. I used the F25 X3 overall diameter when I had my Eibachs and it was perfect. I don't know what size your wheels are, but the 19" F25 sizes are 245/45-19 and 275/40-19. It's a much better look IMO. As far as shocks, you can always do the springs first and if you find the ride too bouncy and under-dampened, then pick up the H&R HD shocks and struts. If your roads are pretty good, you'll probably love them. The stock non-sport shocks probably won't keep up with the newer springs, but that depends on what kind of ride you like.

Finally, get an alignment after the springs and try to make sure they try to dial out as much negative camber in the rear as possible. The eccentric bolts don't have much adjustment, but it might be enough to spare your tires from getting completely chewed up too fast on the inside. Again, if the insides wear too quickly, you'll want to grab some adjustable rear camber arms. Honestly they're fantastic to have no matter what. I have 305 rear tires and being able to dial in what I want makes a massive difference in tire wear and grip.

[ObsidianX]

Thanks for the tips. The shocks/struts are due for replacement so I plan to update them when I add the sway bars and sport springs. I can add rear adjustable camber arms if necessary.

The H&R sport springs say they will lower the vehicle 1.6". The Eibach say 1.2" lower, but they cost about $80 more. Is there a reason you recommend the Eibach springs?

[ObsidianX]

And forgive the newbie question on tires...

"Speaking of tires, you'll want to buy slightly larger diameter tires to fill out the wheel wells better."

Wouldn't bigger overall diameter tires mess up the speedometer?

My current OE tires are 235/50R18 on style 113 rims (18x8 ET46). I was looking at going with black Enkei Tuning Raijin's (18x8.5 ET38) with 245/45R18 square or 255/45R18 square. There is a 19x9.5 ET35 Raijin which could take 255/40R19 for a meatier look, but I was concerned with wheel well clearances and camber issues. I don't want to drop $2K and find the tires & rims don't work. I'm debating between Michelin Pilot Super Sports and Continental ExtremeContact DWS. I think I am leaning toward the Continentals because the car will see snow eventually and I like the tread look.

[C ///M]

Originally Posted by ObsidianX

Thanks for the tips. The shocks/struts are due for replacement so I plan to update them when I add the sway bars and sport springs. I can add rear adjustable camber arms if necessary.

The H&R sport springs say they will lower the vehicle 1.6". The Eibach say 1.2" lower, but they cost about $80 more. Is there a reason you recommend the Eibach springs?

Truthfully, when I was looking (been quite a few years), all the Eibach X3 pics looked lower. To this day I still come across pics of E83s with H&Rs and they seem way too high. Although I remember seeing a pic on Turner Motorsports site of an E83 with H&Rs and it looked perfect, so it can also depend on how soon after install the pic is taken, if the springs have settled, etc. You can't go wrong with H&R anything, especially if you're getting their shocks.

Also, when I was crazier with regard to research, I got detailed specs of both E83-versioned springs and the Eibachs were more progressive (softer initial rate) which made using the stock M-Sport shocks and Struts a better match at the time for me. Since I was doing this with the plan to get KWs after a year or 2, it was the smarter choice. IIRC, the H&R progressive range was smaller and started ever so slightly higher.

The H&R sways are fantastic, highly recommended. And if you're doing all this, the camber arms are super easy, while trying to replace every suspension bushing can be a pain but also very worth it.

[ObsidianX]

I think I am leaning toward the H&R Sport Springs with the Bilstein B4 shocks and struts. There are reports of the Bilstein B6 HD shocks/struts failing early with sport springs on X3s. The Eibach springs sound good too, but I think I'll go for H&R due to the increased expected drop as I have a large wheel well gap to close in the X3. I'm going to pick up a pair of Bavauto adjustable rear camber arms for the install.

[C ///M]

The HD shocks tend to fail faster with lowering springs because they're designed for stock ride-height so they're not getting their full designed travel and rebound curve. Regarding the 255s, that width on a 9.5" wheel is very far from "meaty". Truthfully they'll be a little stretched.

Regarding your speedo question, see my post in the other thread. Going slightly taller won't be a problem.