[STiLLsLow]

Originally Posted by Sylverlee

you get em on? how they feel?

Not yet, will be installing this weekend along with a few other things. Definitely let you guys know once it's all said and done!

[kstorm93]

Originally Posted by Surly73

For whatever reason, H&R has published that the bars are not for X-Drive. Yet, they fit and function on my 535xi just fine.

There may still be a reason unknown to me/us - maybe some load would be too high if we tried to track the car or something like that. You need to mod/trim two of the plastic shields at the front bar, but that's not unique to X-drive.

thanks for the confirmation man. What threw me off was that the same rep (Alexander) that the OP had spoken with and gave him the green light with the fitment, is the same rep that told me out right that it would not fit my car. So I was bit concerned. I'll go ahead and purchase. Thanks again.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by kstorm93

thanks for the confirmation man. What threw me off was that the same rep (Alexander) that the OP had spoken with and gave him the green light with the fitment, is the same rep that told me out right that it would not fit my car. So I was bit concerned. I'll go ahead and purchase. Thanks again.

I have to say "YMMV" but so far so good with mine. As mentioned, torque on he front should be in the 80-100 ft-lb area. I did it by feel too.

Look around here for a post by me in the M5/650i thread - I outlined all of the tools and process to do it with ramps, and some lessons learned from my second attempt.

Never mind - found it http://f10.5post.com/forums/showpost...0&postcount=40

[kstorm93]

Originally Posted by Surly73

I have to say "YMMV" but so far so good with mine. As mentioned, torque on he front should be in the 80-100 ft-lb area. I did it by feel too.

Look around here for a post by me in the M5/650i thread - I outlined all of the tools and process to do it with ramps, and some lessons learned from my second attempt.

Never mind - found it http://f10.5post.com/forums/showpost...0&postcount=40

this is great.. thanks for the share sir!

[Sylverlee]

Anyone know a good install place in SoCal? Some places quoting me $200 to install, sounds steep for a 45min job.

[Sylverlee]

Got these installed. Would rate them 8/10, pretty good for the money improvement. Handling has improved dramatically.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by Sylverlee

Got these installed. Would rate them 8/10, pretty good for the money improvement. Handling has improved dramatically.

Can you enlighten us on how it feels?

[Sylverlee]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Can you enlighten us on how it feels?

I used to feel massive understeer, now I can take corners a lot faster and feels like the car has no problem making it. Also, while on the highway I used to feel the car would take uneven roads weird with the steering wheel wanting to go in a certain direction.. now it feels more planted and stable. I've done the rear sway on previous cars, but I think doing both really makes a dramatic impact.

[Surly73]

I know I wrote this out somewhere, but it doesn't appear to be here...

I've had both the M5/650 and H&R sets. I've had different combinations of front/rear and done some running in a couple of configurations. The rest of my suspension is passive base X-Drive (read: soft).

The Internet is full of people saying to do the front only because that has the most impact. My simple response - don't listen to them. Anti-sway/roll bars do control roll, no doubt, but they also balance the handling and grip levels front/rear and influence the oversteer/understeer balance of the car.

Second misconception - firm gives more grip. Incorrect - compliance gives grip. Want less understeer? Then soften the front or stiffen the rear. Want more front grip? Lower the front tire pressure one pound - it might feel squishier, but it's grippier - or raise the rear tire pressure.

Back on topic - F10 passive base suspension rolls like crazy. When I started driving mine it seemed like the steering wheel was connected to roll hydraulics that rolled the car before it turned. It was really, really bad. So something needed to be done.

The origin of the "do the front only" position comes from the fact that the driver sits closer to the front and feels a reduction in lean on the front more than the rear. My E39 with 704 suspension only needed a stiffer rear bar to dial out understeer, the front was stiff enough for general roll control. The F10 needs a front bar to stop rolling so much, and the driver feels the improvement in roll most from the front bar.

However, stiffening the front reduces grip in the front and, despite rolling less, an F10 with a front-only upgrade is going to understeer more. Add staggered wheels and tires and you add even more grip to the rear, leading to even more understeer.

This is why a stiffer rear bar is required too - for handling balance more than the driver's perception of roll control. So - the flat cornering feeling comes mostly from the front, and the rear must balance for good, neutral handling.

The H&R 30mm/20mm pair is a pretty good match. The M5/650i bars remove roll well but aren't quite balanced to my liking (but are a great way to keep genuine BMW parts on your vehicle and not attract undesired dealer attention for example).

Third misconception - anti-roll bars are last after replacing the rest of your suspension. Disagree - it's all I've done suspension wise so far, and I'm extremely happy I did so.