[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by JaeP

One inch lowered from stock front and rear.

Testing now, the instructions say must be 15mm higher in the rear but may not do it. My guy says its as high as it can go ( I think he doesn't want to adjust above the threads. He'd rather raise the back than lower the front from here. So I'm not going to lower the front.

Front will settle more than the rear.
What's your thread gap?

[JaeP]

Originally Posted by James Cole

Hows the ride?

Did you end up installing the sleeves and is there any noise?

I’ll provide a more detailed write up later as I put more time in but in short - my impression is very positive, the ride is transformed in more ways than discussed in the forum so far I think.

Yes, the worst aspect of the bouncy ride, is gone as is the harshness. Result is exactly what people have been saying, it expanded the range of usable settings for a wider range of road conditions.

Comfort setting will be great for everyone going over rough roads, Sport and Sport Plus are very usable now. Sport firms things up where Comfort might be a tiny bit too soft under certain conditions (One gets used to the superb handling and expect it all the time). Sport Plus, is great. I think it’s still a superior ride to the original Comfort in more subtle ways while maintaining the incredible handling.

On the highway, it’s more composed in every setting. A smoother ride, its as if your tires got perfectly balanced.

It's still not a Mercedes ride but that's not why we bought the M, so that's a good thing. The sounds you hear when hitting the bumps could use some improvement. My next project is adding a little insulation to the trunk where I do not have a spare but a large empty space.


I did not install sleeves and there is no clunking noise.

As a test, I went over 10 sharp, large speed bumps. There was squeaking similar to what I used to get in my 993 in the winter from the front. The kind of sound, not loud, not bothersome for me, and seems like it would go away with grease. Again, its only on steep speed bumps at 1 mile per hour so it really doesn't matter. Not sure if I heard it but once during normal driving on rough roads.

My guys marked up the front springs to see what is rotating if any that may cause the sound. I'll be back to them next week for a tweak. Sleeves can be wrapped too if needed they said.

I got it done at Pro-Spec Autosport in Quincy, Ma. I was very impressed with their knowledge, hard work. Owner Andy's been in business 20 years there, Timmy, a mechanical engineer grad worked for BMW 8 years, did recalls and was very familiar with the ride of the X3M as he was one of the first invited to test them. He races BMW's SCCA too. Started a little after 10am and skipped lunch, didn't stop until it was done, test drive together, tweaked it. Tyrell was another hard worker there. They exuded confidence and I liked that. All it all it was a fun day watching them work and answer my questions.

[JaeP]

Originally Posted by r33_RGSport

Front will settle more than the rear.
What's your thread gap?

Not sure as we didn’t measure it. He said the adjustment is flush at the top, where all the threads are used. It is the highest he would go, which resulted in a 1 inch drop from stock.

Here’s a picture of the front:

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by JaeP

Not sure as we didn’t measure it. He said the adjustment is flush at the top, where all the threads are used. It is the highest he would go, which resulted in a 1 inch drop from stock.

Here’s a picture of the front:

Looks to me like 20mm gap.

Next week when you goes back, have him measure it and PM me before you leave.

As I mentioned, front will settle more than rear.

I always install the front a little higher than rear initially. Because once settle it will be at the correct height and rake.

[kzg1969]

Originally Posted by JaeP

I’ll provide a more detailed write up later ......

Good write up! Cheers.

[James Cole]

Thanks for all the info JaeP, looking forward to a more detailed review as you drive it more.

[sys64738]

Originally Posted by elisiX

Honestly, if you just make sure they don't go lower than 25mm front and 20mm rear, install the springs front and rear per the above documentation, move the bump stop per the instructions, nothing else will go wrong. These are simple steps but some seem to overlook them.

Are you referring to the adjuster gap above (pic attached to illustrate how gap is measured), or the actual amount of drop from stock after the springs are installed?

This is one point of potential confusion with regards to MSS, as logically (at least, in my mind) the adjuster gap should be smaller in the front than the rear in order to maintain the forward-facing rake of the car.

Sorry to beat a dead horse here, but I am going back in today to have a final adjustment made to eliminate the clunking over sharp bumps that has been recently discussed here.

My current adjuster thread gap is:

35mm rear
29mm front

The measurement from center of wheel to underside of fender is what I used to judge the overall drop.

Here are my before/after measurements:

BEFORE:

425mm front
434mm rear

AFTER:

413mm front (drop of 12mm)
425mm rear (drop of 9mm)

So roughly a 1/2" drop from stock in the front.

I plan to go closer to the full 1" drop in front, which means I will probably end up with roughly (I am rounding) the following adjuster thread gap:

23mm rear
17mm front

Keep in mind that the ride quality is still great, I am just trying to eliminate the spring fully compressing, which is a common occurrence in my neck of the woods, as we have some of the worst roads in the US (orange traffic cone is the state tree I believe :P)

[sys64738]

Originally Posted by sys64738

I plan to go closer to the full 1" drop in front, which means I will probably end up with roughly (I am rounding) the following adjuster thread gap:

23mm rear
17mm front

Keep in mind that the ride quality is still great, I am just trying to eliminate the spring fully compressing, which is a common occurrence in my neck of the woods, as we have some of the worst roads in the US (orange traffic cone is the state tree I believe :P)

Ok so after trading E-mails with BG @ RGSport this morning, it appears I had some things wrong. First, I was measuring my rake based on my adjuster gap difference, which isn't the right way to do it. Rather, I should have been measuring the actual drop as measured from center of wheel.

Second, my assumption that the adjuster gap should be lower in the front than the rear is incorrect. If you keep a 25mm adjuster gap front and rear, it results in a 15mm rake in front according to Ben. He explained that this was due to the spring design and spring rate. If you lower the rear to 20mm adjuster gap, it results in a 6mm rake.

So, that's what I am going to do. Will report back.

[Bmwtech113]

Originally Posted by sys64738

Ok so after trading E-mails with BG @ RGSport this morning, it appears I had some things wrong. First, I was measuring my rake based on my adjuster gap difference, which isn't the right way to do it. Rather, I should have been measuring the actual drop as measured from center of wheel.

Second, my assumption that the adjuster gap should be lower in the front than the rear is incorrect. If you keep a 25mm adjuster gap front and rear, it results in a 15mm rake in front according to Ben. He explained that this was due to the spring design and spring rate. If you lower the rear to 20mm adjuster gap, it results in a 6mm rake.

So, that's what I am going to do. Will report back.

I have also been emailing Ben at RGSport trying to get mine set properly. As of last night I'm at the recommended 25mm front and 20mm rear thread gap and so far it's been a much improved ride over my previous settings.

[JaeP]

This is my second X3M, the first had a spare and I think it was less boomy over bumps. When I first got my 20 inch AS tires, the ride was improved but I was hearing the noise over bumps. Now with the MSS, the ride is much better. While I was advised that added insulation will not help, I had to take a better look at what I was dealing with.

So I looked under where the spare would have been in my current X3M and saw a lot of metal here:

[JaeP]

As a first test, I placed various insulation from Noico 80mil, 315 mil and 394 mil where the spare tire would go. I can confirm that riding around with the back stuffed with insulation didn’t help at all.

But I had to believe that if you attach some Dynamat or Noico in my case, as it seemed easier to work with, to the metal, I’d be able to deaden some of the metal drum effect that I was hearing.

Just got done with adding Noico 80mil and also added a little 315 on top of it. Not very thoroughly but not a bad starting point. I took a quick drive and I think I can definitely hear and feel an improvement. We’ll see as I drive it more.

[JaeP]

I had a chance to drive 200 miles to CT near Hartford from South Boston area.

I made this trip a few weeks ago in my X3M with same tires. On that trip, which was mostly highway, I
encountered sections under repair, where black top was removed to the concrete. As you enter
and exit the areas, there were warnings sign - BUMP. There were sections that were smooth, but through
out the trip, there were enough areas under repair that the suspension would get bouncy and
I felt the crashing. There were enough instances over the 3 1/2 hour round trip where
I clearly noticed the suspension, thinking this could be better. I enjoyed the trip but it was not relaxing as it could be and would think twice taking the X3M on any road trip where the roads will be worse than this.

Fast forward 3 weeks and I make the same trip with MSS springs. During the entire trip, I never
experienced those moments where I said "ouch". It was a relaxing, enjoyable trip. A trip where I could keep
changing the suspension setting from Comfort to Sport to Sports Plus to develop a good sense of
what I would enjoy more.

At the start of the trip, I was energized and found my self in the Sport setting or Sports Plus setting
more often than Comfort. When I came into the sections under repair, Comfort was the best
setting but Sport was fine, even Sports Plus provided a more controlled, comfortable ride than the
factory spring Comfort setting.

If given a hard choice of picking just one setting, Sport would be my choice but Sport Plus would be ok too.
Comfort I feel would not take full advantage of the X3M's capabilities but that's the whole point of having a Comfort setting isn't it ?
Set it so you can go through really poor roads in stride, instead of cringing or if you have sensitive passengers.

At the start, I was driving North and there was a North wind. At 85 MPH, a fair amount of wind
noise could be heard. I was thinking - acoustic glass replacement would shut that down nicely.
The rest of the trip was fine so I don't think you need the acoustic glass unless you cruise at
very high speeds and want silence.

Sports Plus setting feels like the car is being lowered, even though its not and settling into the
business of really driving hard. You can do the same in Sport it just doesn't give you the super tight, race car
feeling.

Comfort doesn't do the car justice if you are in the mood to really drive. But on the way
back, after having a nice lunch, feeling a little sleepy, Comfort and Sport setting are perfect.
My car has Driver Assistance Plus so just turn that on, turn on the music and you're all set to
just cruise along. Hit traffic and it drives itself.

As others have mentioned, you just drive and not think about the suspension.
That is the best compliment. Comfort is similar or a bit sportier than the basic M40i I drove a few times.
It may be softer than the M40i Sport setting on the adaptive suspension option but I only drove it one time so
I can't really compare.

As I hit the local roads, I find I'm perfectly happy in Sport mode as well. I'll probably change all
M1 and M2 buttons to default to Sport and Sport Plus. I always had it set in Comfort before.

All in all it was a great trip. I love my X3M !

[JaeP]

Originally Posted by Bmwtech113

I have also been emailing Ben at RGSport trying to get mine set properly. As of last night I'm at the recommended 25mm front and 20mm rear thread gap and so far it's been a much improved ride over my previous settings.

What was your previous setting? Mine may be 15mm front and 17mm back, based on a rough measure. I’ll find out more accurately when I can next get in to the shop. I’m looking forward to further improvements.

[JaeP]

Originally Posted by sys64738

Ok so after trading E-mails with BG @ RGSport this morning, it appears I had some things wrong. First, I was measuring my rake based on my adjuster gap difference, which isn't the right way to do it. Rather, I should have been measuring the actual drop as measured from center of wheel.

Second, my assumption that the adjuster gap should be lower in the front than the rear is incorrect. If you keep a 25mm adjuster gap front and rear, it results in a 15mm rake in front according to Ben. He explained that this was due to the spring design and spring rate. If you lower the rear to 20mm adjuster gap, it results in a 6mm rake.

So, that's what I am going to do. Will report back.

Looking forward to your report

[Bmwtech113]

Originally Posted by JaeP

What was your previous setting? Mine may be 15mm front and 17mm back, based on a rough measure. I’ll find out more accurately when I can next get in to the shop. I’m looking forward to further improvements.

At first I was adjusting based on ride height, not thread gap of adjusters. I ended up at about 15mm on the front and 30+mm on the rear of thread gap. I am currently at the 25mm front and 20mm rear and so far this is the best my car has been.

[sys64738]

Originally Posted by JaeP

Looking forward to your report

Got the car back this morning. Went with a 22mm adjuster gap in back and a 25mm in front for exactly a 6.35mm rake.

So far, no "bottoming out" feeling/sounds, but I will report back after a day or two of driving around town.

[JaeP]

Originally Posted by sys64738

Got the car back this morning. Went with a 22mm adjuster gap in back and a 25mm in front for exactly a 6.35mm rake.

So far, no "bottoming out" feeling/sounds, but I will report back after a day or two of driving around town.

Any reason you went with 22mm instead of 20mm ?

I'm headed to my shop now to go with 25mm front and 20mm back. I'll have them measure exactly where mine are right now as it was a very rough measure before.

[4151zero]

Just out of curiosity , are these measurements all taken with exactly the same options, ie sunroof, spare tire, full tank of gas... or otherwise?

If a shop is corner balancing your vehicle for an intended purpose, perhaps that is the best route and an added benefit of these semi-coilover MSS setups

[elisiX]

Originally Posted by Bmwtech113

I have also been emailing Ben at RGSport trying to get mine set properly. As of last night I'm at the recommended 25mm front and 20mm rear thread gap and so far it's been a much improved ride over my previous settings.

I'm also running the 25/20 thread gap setup. As mentioned earlier, it's very comfortable. More than stock, and more than when I first installed my springs (which were set too low).

I've noticed however, only on the left front, that it seems to bottom out quite easily on medium and heavy bumps in the road. It doesn't seem to be happening on the RHS (drivers side).

My wife was driving the other day and I also noticed that the car feels much firmer from the front passenger seat. I've got no idea what this is, but now

I'm worried the stock front bump stops weren't moved to the back, with the MSS supplied bump stops added to the front.

Back to the shop to take a look I suppose.

Is anyone else getting a hard thud with the 25mm/20mm thread gap setup? It's not happening on low depth bumps in the road etc, but on medium or higher uneven roads.

[JaeP]

Originally Posted by 4151zero

Just out of curiosity , are these measurements all taken with exactly the same options, ie sunroof, spare tire, full tank of gas... or otherwise?

If a shop is corner balancing your vehicle for an intended purpose, perhaps that is the best route and an added benefit of these semi-coilover MSS setups

The measurements we are talking about is mainly the thread gap. I’ll post some pictures. But you’re right if we are measuring from the wheel center line to the fender gap, we can expect tire pressures, options, gas level, etc all to matter.

At the 25mm thread gap all around, Ben (who’s done more of these than anyone we know) said we have roughly a 15mm rake or 13 actually so should raise the rear a little more.

[JaeP]

Measurements before adjusting the thread gap and after, for the front:

The fronts are very easy, just turn. The rears are a bit more work, and we have to remove the springs and compress them as they are under load.

[JaeP]

Originally Posted by elisiX

I'm also running the 25/20 thread gap setup. As mentioned earlier, it's very comfortable.

I'm worried the stock front bump stops weren't moved to the back, with the MSS supplied bump stops added to the front.

Back to the shop to take a look I suppose.

Is anyone else getting a hard thud with the 25mm/20mm thread gap setup? It's not happening on low depth bumps in the road etc, but on medium or higher uneven roads.

I recall the rear stock bumps stops supposed to be moved to the front and the MSS supplied put in the rear.


I’m planning on going 25mm all around so I can report back.