jlopez3983

Hey Everyone... I noticed that after around 39k miles my OEM suspension doesn't quite feel like it used to on day 1. I know this is expected. Here's my info, any advice would be helpful.

Issue..... So the best way i could explain the suspension is that it feels "Clunky", or not as tight as it used to be.

Fix... I just recently replaced springs with RSR Down Springs (I know this affects the ride, but I was having this issue before the spring replacement). I thought it may be the OEM struts in the vehicle, but when i pulled them out to do the springs they looked and felt great. So back they went, along with the new springs. On top of this I also swapped out the LCA Bushings from RRRacing to fix the tire wear issues.

Questions... What else could I replace to get the solid suspension feel back. again it feels loose and clunky.

CLUM

i've honestly never heard anyone describe their suspension as clunky unless they were describing actual "clunk" noises.

So having that said, i'm not sure what it is that you're experiencing. If you think your ride feels sloppy, bushings would help tighten things up, but I wouldn’t think bushings need replacing after only 40K miles. The rubber in bushings would typically last 130K+ miles before they deteriorate enough to warrant replacing. Shocks would probably be a good thing to replace as they get worn faster and would make more of a drastic change in feel. Lastly, if you want a firmer ride, you can choose springs with a stiffer spring rate. This is tricky though because you don’t necessarily want to pick a spring that’s too stiff for your stock shocks, but stiffer springs would help the car feel more solid and planted (with more harshness of course—there’s always a tradeoff).

jlopez3983

Thanks for the response. The best way to describe it, is that everything in the front end feels looser than when bought. Just trying to feel the same tight feeling vehicle like when i first purchased it.

Egk20r

E46CT

Bushings/rubber is not an on/off switch. Over time they sag and loosen up and your whole suspension is moving around. I'd say at 80k, they've reached life expectancy. And life expectancy should not mean total failure--this is a performance oriented vehicle and when your vehicle starts to feel loose, consider that a failure. So at 40k, your bushings are at half performance which in my mind is a soft failure, maybe not a hard failure. So in other words, replace your bushings, dampers, and mounts. At your mileage, i'd replace the CABs and go from there. They're cheap and easily accessible and are responsible for a lot of your front end handling/stability.

Then from there, the sky's the limit. Upper A arm bushings, inner control arm bushings, rear control arm bushings, subframe bushings and whatever other bushings are back there

this is a pay to play car, just as any BMW. This is discussed/done all day long on BMW forums. everyone concerned w/ performance redoes all their bushings their BMWs. our intervals for the above are something like 40k/40k/50k/75k. i've written articles on this.

LexoDAV