Street/Canyon Coilover Help

[86Zed]

About to tick over 1.5 years with the M coupe and I am finding the currently installed KW Clubsport coilovers do not suit my true needs. The car sees the track 2-3 times a year but spends the majority of its miles in the canyon or driving to work.

The KW CS setup is noisy and jarring – no way around that, trusted local indy shop looked at the entire suspension and said there is a small chance something is messed up within the KW assembly but more than likely it is a performance setup that makes noise.

The shop recommended Ohlins Road & Track as a quality, street/canyon setup that won’t be so noisy or stiff. Seeing as Ohlins does not offer a solution for the M, what other brands can I look at that are similar.

Motion Control 2-way, no remote – could also be noisy, or overkill?
KW V3 – hard to imagine this would be much better?
Bilstein – no real experience here

Left field solution??

[inTgr8r]

MCS are more performance oriented than KW CS ,
I went from Clubsports to MCS for more track emphasis.

kW v3 are definitely more DD type of setup should definitely be on your list. ( one of the few I don't have personal experience with)
They have progressive fronts, where Clubsports are linear front springs.

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

kW v3 are definitely more DD type of setup should definitely be on your list. ( one of the few I don't have personal experience with)
They have progressive fronts, where Clubsports are linear front springs.

Is it worth investigating progressive springs on the CS? The noise is predominantly coming from the front of the car - it does not seem to be sticking perches or springs (solved by Rogue or GC pieces)

[3GFX]

I don't have experience with higher end coil overs, but a bit of noise is common.

A V3 setup seems ideal for your use, you could look at spring rates of comparable options from TEIN, H&R etc. to see a softer or harder setup.

Good luck.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

Is it worth investigating progressive springs on the CS? The noise is predominantly coming from the front of the car - it does not seem to be sticking perches or springs (solved by Rogue or GC pieces)

IMO, no.
You will go to the trouble of playing around with rates, lengths etc. and may still not work out.

The CS are in good demand from guys upgrading their car for track use.
I would just sell and move to something else like the V3

[86Zed]

Verdict from KW is also that the CS components and non-OEM top mounts are prone to noise. Either stay the course and get a louder exhaust or swap out to KW V3 for smoother, quieter ride.

[3002 tii]

Have you ruled out obvious noisemakers like strut brace to firewall, camber plates needing rebuild, subframe bolt, etc?

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

Have you ruled out obvious noisemakers like strut brace to firewall, camber plates needing rebuild, subframe bolt, etc?

I need to take a deeper look with a friend. The shop I trust spent time inspection the whole suspension and said everything short of the coilovers looks fine - they have no way to tell if something is going on internally and the performance seems to be fine. It would be nice to hear if other Clubsport owners have excessive clanking and spring noises.

I am not sure dropping $3K to purchase and install KW V3s is the best route to go as the car is headed for weekend use only soon enough. Fortunately a friend of mine also has a Z4MC with V3s installed and a back-to-back test drive could be illuminating.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

I need to take a deeper look with a friend. The shop I trust spent time inspection the whole suspension and said everything short of the coilovers looks fine - they have no way to tell if something is going on internally and the performance seems to be fine. It would be nice to hear if other Clubsport owners have excessive clanking and spring noises.

I am not sure dropping $3K to purchase and install KW V3s is the best route to go as the car is headed for weekend use only soon enough. Fortunately a friend of mine also has a Z4MC with V3s installed and a back-to-back test drive could be illuminating.

Mine drove me nuts with spring noise around town.
At the track they were OK.
I had them apart several times to clean and inspect top mount bearing etc.

Good that you have someone to try the V3.
They do come up occasionally in the classified section.
You might also find someone willing to swap.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

Is it worth investigating progressive springs on the CS? The noise is predominantly coming from the front of the car - it does not seem to be sticking perches or springs (solved by Rogue or GC pieces)

You can easily convert a CS setup into a V3 setup.
Just use/buy the progressive springs and use the OEM rubber topmounts instead of the KW pillowball topmounts.
The struts themselves are internally the same (the valving etc).
I'm sure you can sell the KW topmounts for good money.

You can also go to a less stiffer linear spring.
For instance the V3 setup for the normal z4 uses a linear spring, but with a lower springrate. (I think 50N/mm instead of 70N/mm compression)
Still pretty stiff though.

How much noise (or what kind of noise) do you hear?
I'm thinking about installing the kw pillowball top mounts but the idea of extra annoying noise sets me off a bit.