[smokinu454]

So I have a luxury line 535i rwd. I previously had a 535i m sport rwd. I prefer the way my last car rode and handled. What’s the difference in suspension between the two and what would you guys recommend to get this car to that level of handling?

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by smokinu454

So I have a luxury line 535i rwd. I previously had a 535i m sport rwd. I prefer the way my last car rode and handled. What’s the difference in suspension between the two and what would you guys recommend to get this car to that level of handling?

"M sport" means pretty much nothing except cosmetics like M logos everywhere and a "sport" shifter. Use a VIN decoder to pull options on your old and new VINs and start from there. The old car could have been an option 704 suspension, or DHP with ARS, or...

[smokinu454]

Originally Posted by Surly73

"M sport" means pretty much nothing except cosmetics like M logos everywhere and a "sport" shifter. Use a VIN decoder to pull options on your old and new VINs and start from there. The old car could have been an option 704 suspension, or DHP with ARS, or...

So my last car was S0704 on the build sheet but my new car is not. Neither cars have the DHP. What would it take to make this car handle and ride more like the S0704 car?

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by smokinu454

So my last car was S0704 on the build sheet but my new car is not. Neither cars have the DHP. What would it take to make this car handle and ride more like the S0704 car?

KWv3s

and maybe bars, but I wouldn't recommend straight to the 30mm F / 20mm R options (H&R, Eibach) necessarily.

S704A is rare, has no active gimmicks, 10mm lower ride height and firmer everything. A passive, firmer option like KWs may give you what you're looking for and more.

A damper-only option which might get you part way there is something like Bilstein B6, but it won't firm the springs or trim ride height.

[smokinu454]

Originally Posted by Surly73

KWv3s

and maybe bars, but I wouldn't recommend straight to the 30mm F / 20mm R options (H&R, Eibach) necessarily.

S704A is rare, has no active gimmicks, 10mm lower ride height and firmer everything. A passive, firmer option like KWs may give you what you're looking for and more.

A damper-only option which might get you part way there is something like Bilstein B6, but it won't firm the springs or trim ride height.

Would the KWV1s give me the same ride firmness without the adjustable dampening and compression? Im mainly concerned with stiffening it up and getting rid of the "floaty" feeling.

[paul223]

Originally Posted by Surly73

"M sport" means pretty much nothing except cosmetics like M logos everywhere and a "sport" shifter. Use a VIN decoder to pull options on your old and new VINs and start from there. The old car could have been an option 704 suspension, or DHP with ARS, or...

M sport has 1mm thicker sway bars, few mm lower ride height, possibly slightly different spring rate.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by paul223

M sport has 1mm thicker sway bars, few mm lower ride height, possibly slightly different spring rate.

Only if it's the option 704, otherwise there is no difference in "M sport" on an F10

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by smokinu454

Would the KWV1s give me the same ride firmness without the adjustable dampening and compression? Im mainly concerned with stiffening it up and getting rid of the "floaty" feeling.

v1s would be much better controlled than factory, absolutely, but the ability to adjust has some benefit if you are a "handling" guy.

According to things I've seen, and a limited amount of practice on my own vehicle, the rebound adjustment has one correct setting for your vehicle, it's loading, unsprung mass and damper wear. There isn't a ton of preference involved - it's right or it isn't. This is the first setting to be offered in v2s and most adjustable shocks. Easier to implement by the manufacturer, I suppose.

The compression setting represents your preference on how firm you want it to feel when you're encountering road imperfections. Yes, there will be one optimum setting if you're on track and looking for the best lap time at a particular track, but this is where you tune the car for how sporty you're feeling. Unfortunately this is the adjustment you pay more to get.

The most expensive options offer you both high speed (road imperfections) and low speed (chassis control) adjustments for both.

When I installed my v3s, I set it up for KW's out of the box defaults. After a short while getting used to things I ended up leaving rebound at default and softened compression two clicks. This was the sweet spot for tight body control without feeling too harsh to me.

Around 3 years in I could feel some wheel bounce creeping in, presumably due to damper wear. As a test I moved rebound one click firmer and it almost cleared it up entirely with no change in ride. I stiffened compression one click also as a test, and went back to the setting I had before for the overall feel.

So - the story so far for me is that having a rebound adjustment will allow me to compensate for damper aging, and the compression adjustment gives me the control over feel that I desire. So, despite the fact that for budget reasons I would have liked to have X-Drive options for v1 or v2, in the end I value both adjustments on my v3s. I fear that if I had v1s, the dribbling tire bounce I started noticing last year would be bugging me more and more and there would be nothing I could do about it.