[jdmfrogg]

It's been years since I last posted... my F10 has been stagnant with the mods.... up until now.... My H&R sport springs & stock struts felt worn, so it was time for a refresh. I originally was going to run some new KW V3 coilovers dialed down just a bit lower than the H&Rs… but the problem is my new home’s driveway.

I wouldn’t even call it a driveway, it’s more of an abrupt "curb", I blame our crazy San Francisco home prices and how newly developed single family homes build vertically on small plots of land. If I wanted to go lower (I’m not looking to run hella flush or stanced, just no gap) I'd end up scraping my lip and bumper daily.

What options do we have to get a bit lower but still not kill daily driving functionality?

Some of my friends run full air suspensions (airbags with Accuair or Airlift management) and as much as they try to convince me to bag the car, I still wanted the peace of mind that I'd always be able to drive the car, regardless if something in the system wasn't working properly.

Ultimately, for my needs (not debating static vs air vs air cups) I thought the next best option was an air cup setup. For those not familiar with these – its simply an aluminum air piston on a coilover that is only used/aired up for a short period of time just to clear an obstacle…i.e. my driveway or the other crappy streets and inclines here in the SF bay area - so you are NOT supposed to drive long distances aired up.

After researching options, Fortune Auto came out on top since they have done a F10 already. You can see a video of their F10 lifting/lowering here https://www.facebook.com/FortuneAuto...4652188547144/

While I was scouring various forums (BMWs, Subarus, etc running air cups) some of those setups with varying air cup + coil over manufacturers plus the varying cars they were installed on had differing results on how high the air cups would actually lift the car. Given Fortune’s results with their Air cup + coilover combo, it looked like a proven setup that would not have me guessing at the results or high I’d be able to lift.

If there is any interest on how the install goes and what the end results are like, just let me know and I can do more of a diary or DIY as well as a final review after everything is installed.

Just offering my honest opinion and feedback (I paid full price for the coilovers) in case others were like me and not finding much details on F10s and air suspension setups on the forums. Thanks - Jo


How the coilovers shipped


Front, comes with new end links


Rear


Top hat, our make/model does not have a camber plate option


They include extensions for the rear dampening knob since ours are buried deep beneath the rear speakers, nice touch


Aircup/piston closeup, note how they ship with 1 inch of spring droop, and the kit comes with the upgraded Swift Springs


They also include a build sheet

[Aeasley]

They look super nice; for sure I'll be following along. I like the option of being able to lift it as I have to drive at a slant to get into and out of my driveway. And I don't want to sacrifice ride quality or handling. I've considered bagging it but I just don't trust that it wouldn't negatively effect handling plus the other concerns you shared.

Let us know how it goes!

[lsturbointeg]

interesting. how do you get it to raise up? and what did you pay for these? have you installed these yet?

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

interesting. how do you get it to raise up? and what did you pay for these? have you installed these yet?

Their web site says $3400 for front and rear...

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by Aeasley

They look super nice; for sure I'll be following along. I like the option of being able to lift it as I have to drive at a slant to get into and out of my driveway. And I don't want to sacrifice ride quality or handling. I've considered bagging it but I just don't trust that it wouldn't negatively effect handling plus the other concerns you shared.

Let us know how it goes!

Thanks - I'll post some additional pics tomorrow. While waiting for the coilovers (there is a 4-5 week wait since these are built to order) I've been working on some things related to how I'm going to mount the air compressor as well as the switch box... I'm trying to make the install as clean and stock looking as possible.

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

interesting. how do you get it to raise up? and what did you pay for these? have you installed these yet?

Sup LS - similar to bags, these still need a compressor and tank setup as well as air lines running to the pistons. They are not installed yet - I'm still waiting on the final parts... I decided to run a different air compressor and valve setup than what comes with the Fortune Auto kit, I'm going to be using an AccuAir CVT setup... it should be sick, I'll post more details about that when it comes in.

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Their web site says $3400 for front and rear...

Yup, that is the price for their full kit (front + rear plus a manual air management kit). Since I was about to spend around $2200 or so for KWs, I figured that 1k more wasn't that bad to gain the convenience to avoid scraping as well as less anxiety on driving the car to certain places and cities in the bay area. There are some really steep hills in San Francisco where you bottom out on your side skirts as you drive through the intersection (I'm sure some of the bay area members know what I'm talking about) and steel plates all over the bay since they are always redoing or digging up the streets.

Since I ordered their kit minus their air management, the price was lower. The CVT setup I purchased separately is kind of OVERKILL (newest setup for bagged cars) but the features it gives me (compact, silent, minimalist install) I think will be worth it in the end.

[jdmfrogg]

Another update

You’ll need at least 2 switches (1 toggle for front and 1 for rear) mounted somewhere. I decided to mount the momentary switches on the drivers side door sill to avoid cutting up any major panels (easy to replace/reverse) and to simplify running the wires to the trunk.

Found a very small project box on amazon


Cut and sanded the base to follow the panels contours


Cut and filed the top panel holes to get a snug fit for the momentary toggles


Mounted the switch box to the door sill trim with some allen bolts


The switches are easy to reach right next to the seat controls

[ezaircon4jc]

For some reason the pics didn't post...

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

For some reason the pics didn't post...

same here!

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

For some reason the pics didn't post...

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

same here!

Morning guys, I guess the urls didn't copy over correctly via my phone... just redid them via a PC... let me know if they are showing correctly now.

Thanks Jo

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by jdmfrogg

Morning guys, I guess the urls didn't copy over correctly via my phone... just redid them via a PC... let me know if they are showing correctly now.

Thanks Jo

Nope.....

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Nope.....

1 more try.. i just hosted the pics here on the forum servers vs a photo hosting service, so they should show now, if not - let me know again


thanks

[ThaiBruin]

pics work now. Wish I knew about these when I got my KWs. While I love the handling, getting rid of the gap has virtually destroyed my front bumper underneath while driving around Los Angeles... was thinking of getting a front lip to hide it, but that would, in turn, get even more destroyed.

[xxpanipuri]

how did these interact with the EDC is there a plug in that will cancel out any errors?

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by xxpanipuri

how did these interact with the EDC is there a plug in that will cancel out any errors?

Hi, I don't have electronic dampers so didn't need them. I don't see any options on the Fortune site, so you'd need to run an EDC delete kit from another manufacturer (KW kit) or find someone to code them; I remember seeing a post using ESYS to code them out

thanks - Jo

[MOBF10]

Any updates on these? I been a fan of fortune auto for awhile and saw these when they first came out and immediately wanted them. Just a bit too steep in price for me at the moment.

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by MOBF10

Any updates on these? I been a fan of fortune auto for awhile and saw these when they first came out and immediately wanted them. Just a bit too steep in price for me at the moment.

Thanks for the note - I ran into some delays with the install waiting on trunk liner carpet and a few other parts to wrap things up... but I'm just about 90% done and will try to post more details and pics tonight after work.

Until then - I was able to upload a short video to give you an idea of how the front is working and how much lift I'm getting. Try to ignore my messy garage workbench and the background TV noise. Also, the airing out sound was a lot louder in this video since I didn't run the exhaust line yet.

[MOBF10]

Im diggin it so far. Looks like full height is a bit taller than stock height, which is good, and air'd out has a decent drop. Was hoping it would go a tad bit lower though. What size wheel and tire are you using?

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by MOBF10

Im diggin it so far. Looks like full height is a bit taller than stock height, which is good, and air'd out has a decent drop. Was hoping it would go a tad bit lower though. What size wheel and tire are you using?

Good news is that the height from the video is what I'm currently considering "conservative" while I wait for the swift springs to settle. I'm also gauging how this height does with my driveway and commute to work over the next 2 weeks.

The coilover body still has about 2 to 3 inches of threads to adjust the height via the lower shock mount. So if you were looking to tuck the fender right to the rim's lip or close to it... I think its TOTALLY doable. On first install, I was actually about an inch lower than what you see, couldn't get the jack out from under the jack pad without airing up. Just remember, the lower you go will also change how high the final lift height can get.

The front wheels are 20s - Forgestar 20x9 on Hankook 245/35/20

[MOBF10]

Originally Posted by jdmfrogg

Good news is that the height from the video is what I'm currently considering "conservative" while I wait for the swift springs to settle. I'm also gauging how this height does with my driveway and commute to work over the next 2 weeks.

The coilover body still has about 2 to 3 inches of threads to adjust the height via the lower shock mount. So if you were looking to tuck the fender right to the rim's lip or close to it... I think its TOTALLY doable. On first install, I was actually about an inch lower than what you see, couldn't get the jack out from under the jack pad without airing up. Just remember, the lower you go will also change how high the final lift height can get.

The front wheels are 20s - Forgestar 20x9 on Hankook 245/35/20

Good stuff man. I've had a few of my bmw's pretty low so I'm familiar. I'm re-interested so far. I wonder if they'll have a black friday deal this year. Looks like I may have to start saving for a set.
FYI, thats my old e60 static. Miss that old girl.

[jdmfrogg]

Originally Posted by MOBF10

Good stuff man. I've had a few of my bmw's pretty low so I'm familiar. I'm re-interested so far. I wonder if they'll have a black friday deal this year. Looks like I may have to start saving for a set.
FYI, thats my old e60 static. Miss that old girl.

Nice! Never would have guessed that was static