Quote:
Originally Posted by Huz-Z
Hey Deemo - got details on the new suspension and ride improvement? The roads here are terrible (So much so that in addition to the awful ride I avoid many city streets to avoid damaging my car) so I’m keen to get your thoughts!
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Hey,
My suspension is probably regarded as slightly aggressive. When I was considering my suspension refresh I didn't want coilovers since I drove the car around 3,000 miles/year. So I couldn't see spending $3,000-$5,000 on coilovers. So after much due diligence I found Vogtland out of Germany which seemed fairly interesting.
After some thought I called Vogtland NA and spoke with a rep, and she (cool lady) was highly knowledgeable about the application and how it would work on the car. She went into depth about shocks and struts. The spring rates which she wouldn't divulge but said they would be an excellent addition over OEM springs.
She said the struts and shocks were not proprietary but the spring rates were. They use Bilstein shocks and struts at that time but I am not unsure about now.
I ordered the kit and there wasn't a single one in the country so it took a extra two days but they drop shipped one from Germany.
When I read it would lower the car 1.25 inches I thought it would settle somewhere around that but my car was low immediately after we finished the installation.
Took it for a road test and thought it was roughly 10% stiffer. After a couple of years with it I am glad I got it. The ride is improved in regards to turn in and cornering.
Two road-trips from Orlando to Greenville, SC proved that it's slightly stiffer than stock but lower and the new shocks and struts feel like OEM but it's really the spring rates that add some firmness to the ride.
On smooth roads it's beautifully balanced but on choppy ones it's rough. My aggressive wheel setup (E90/E92/E93 M3 219M) isn't an issue for the most part. The car is really low but since I have a 3.0si it was low on the stock suspension to begin with.
Looking back I think I should have went for those coilovers for the adjustability but that in no way means I dislike those sport suspension kit. It's a well conceived package just for the E85 Z4 that doesn't break the bank.