325 Sports owners

[bmwjunkie]

HI, any lucky owners of this beautiful baby out there? Please share with us your experience on the car, is the suspension really harder? Does the iDrive work properly? etc? Cheers

 

[KL2DC]

This may come as a surprise to you...from much discussion and my own experience (which I shared in another post), switching to the 18" RFT actually gives you a better ride! The 16" and 17" on standard or sports suspension is actually 'crashier' over bumps, ridges etc.

I upgraded to 18" RFT stagerred and couldn't believe how much the new wheels/tires soak up initial thuds and shocks. Don't get me wrong, its still hard but its cushier than my 16" set up.

Option code 704 M-Sports suspension (packaged into the 325i sports) has a generally stiffer suspension calibration. Iirc the spring rates are uprated but I believe the dampers are softened with uprated anti-roll bars. Combined with the hard and heavy RFTs, supposedly this is the best setup.

This mirrors what our members (Schwepps, Juan Powerblow, e46fanatic etc) have observed when they went out to test the 325i Sports recently. Just ask them for more details.

 

[Schwepps]

+1

Read my post about my testdrive in the other long 325i Sports thread. I actually found the Sports with 18" RFT smoother over the bumps and ridges than the Standard. The iDrive worked very well, much better than the fiddly menu buttons in the Merc. Like in a PC or cellphone, using a joystick is always better than using up, down, sideways keys. It's like comparing Windows Vista with Windows 3.x. The Satnav and proximity sensors were very impressive. And it all shows on the same big screen.

It's one honking car!

 

[David Yong]

that means I need to quickly switch my 17" rims to 18" rims ASAP

 

[Spaceman]

does that mean i need to to a swap from CBU E90 325i to CKD E90 325i M-Sport?

butt is getting itchy...

 

[rookie]

that means I need to quickly switch my 17" rims to 18" rims ASAP

Don't forget the M-Sport suspension package

 

[Schwepps]

does that mean i need to to a swap from CBU E90 325i to CKD E90 325i M-Sport?

butt is getting itchy...

If you've got the dough, we won't say no
Satisfy that itch, make the switch


(Hey maybe I'm a poet, and I don't know it! )

 

[beemers3]

i am not quite often in here but i have posted a bit here the last time.... concerning my problem with bmw malaysia as well as selling my rims and bodykit for the e90... I have changed my e90 bodykit to the M Aero Kit and also the radical 216 styles rims but my concern now is whether to jus go for the Eibach Sport Springs only or go for the M suspension package.... I find the original suspension quite hard already but will the M Suspension package be better??? My budget do allow me to stretch to a Bilstien Kit.... who do all sifu here recommend?????

 

[KL2DC]

beemers3, as far as OEM setups go, the M-Sports calibration in conjunction with the RFT 18"s is arguably the best setup/compromise.

If you're concerned about ride quality, I'd go aftermarket:

1) Ditch the RFTs for some quality tires like P-zeros, F-1s or PS2s.

2) Go with coilovers! Folks who did KW Variant 2 and 3 swear by the renewed ride comfort despite the agressive drop. The V2 and V3 are fully adjustable so you can set the rebound rates (and compression rates on the V3) to your heart's content. The Bilstein PSSS9 is recommended as well although for some reason the KWs are more popular.

Some folks have tried the Tein and eibach coilovers with some success. Generally speaking the H&R springs and coilvers tend to be on the hard side.

I was wrestling between H&R Sport spring and Eibach Pro-kit for my E90. They both give a moderate (and classy) 1.2-1.4 inch drop but the eibachs is said to be more comfortable (what I was looking for) than the popular H&R Sport.

Some folks argue you'd need a true coilover or damper upgrade in conjunction with the springs, to lessen the strain on the OEM struts/shocks. My thoughts on this is that 1.2-1.4 inches is not much of a drop and the OEM struts are robust enough to handle the heavy unsprung mass of the RFT/wheel combo, so they should last ok. Besides, I'm not keeping my car that long with an upgrade on the horizon, but its something to think about.

Btw, if you're looking for handling improvements, I recommend upgrading the factory anti-roll bars to the H&R or eibach units.

I'm looking forward to my eibach springs. It's going to give the aggressive look to go with the staggered 197s. My concern right now is there might be some rubbing as I'm running 15mm spacers at the back with the 255/35/18s. I don't see much clearance, but then again the drop will give a slight negative camber at the back so the rears will clear nicely, I hope...giving me that flush fat-wheel-in fender look.

A friend photoshopped me a drop in this pic. This is what I'm shooting for!

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Hey, I'm a temporary E90 325i (std) driver for the next 2-3 weeks. I've explained why in the E90 thread. With active steering, I find the need for sports suspension to be far less apparent in the E90 than the E46. I would still do it if this is my own car and probably go for MSports suspension with 18" staggered set-up. Yet again, the more aggressive set-up I've seen in the picts here at E90post.com suggests the E90 looks remarkably "macho" with lower stance and bigger and wider shinies!

 

[KL2DC]

Yet again, the more aggressive set-up I've seen in the picts here at E90post.com suggests the E90 looks remarkably "macho" with lower stance and bigger and wider shinies!

I agree! But then again, most contemporary Bangle designs are noticeably stance and wheel size dependent.

To me this is the perfect E90 stance. The BBS CH in these pics are also my dream setup. That's M3 fitment in the rear *sigh* one day It doesn't get better than this!

Drop and BBS CH in less agressive offset/fitment

 

[beemers3]

hi kl2dc,
would you recommend that i jus change the stock spring to eibach pro kit as i will be changing the rims to the radical 216 style? do i actually need spacer.... i don't really thibk so b cos it the original rims from bmw anyway... i have thought of changing the anti roll bar but to the M Tecnic from bmw!!!! they actually sell the parts individually in malaysia from M Suspension set up..... but my friends has been urging me to go for H&R because they are adjustable!!! what do you reckon?

 

[KL2DC]

beemers3: I recommend good coilovers since you were concerned with ride comfort. But for a quick and cheap alternative, I'd pick the eibachs over the H&R sport springs.

Good choice with the radial 216 motorsports wheels.

Of course you don't need the spacers but they help push the wheels out a little to make them look flush with the rear fenders. Try a good set of 12mm spacers (go with Rogue Engineering, they're arguable the best). 15mm works better for me as the 197s are orginally E92 fitment. E92s' have slightly different offsets than the E90 wheels.

Save some money and go with the H&R. Besides being adjustable, I believe they're slightly thicker than even the M-tech ones. Watch out for the installation of the rear bars, they're quite tricky. You'd need to lower the rear subframe to swap out the bars.

 

[beemers3]

kl2dc,
hi there thanks for the advise. i will be going over to singapore later this week to get the rims install... hopefully i will be able to get the coil spring there as well... but as you mentioned H&R coil spring is a better choice if money is not a problem right? Cause I want to lower the car a little now but haven't got enough to change the entire suspension...... maybe if i go for the H & R then i could change the absorber at a later stage maybe in july when i save up enough!!!!

 

[KL2DC]

beemers3: If you stick with H&R Sport springs you'll be ok with the standard shocks. The ride would be harder though and there might be some bounciness due to the mismatched spring/damper rates. There might be accelerated wear to the shocks in the long run. If you're concerned about those things, I would look into replacing the shocks in the near future.

It would also be optimal to do a 4-wheel alignment after the drop.

Also answered your PM about tire widths.

Be sure to post pics after the install.

 

[Spaceman]

kl2dc,
hi there thanks for the advise. i will be going over to singapore later this week to get the rims install... hopefully i will be able to get the coil spring there as well... but as you mentioned H&R coil spring is a better choice if money is not a problem right? Cause I want to lower the car a little now but haven't got enough to change the entire suspension...... maybe if i go for the H & R then i could change the absorber at a later stage maybe in july when i save up enough!!!!

some guys over in S'pore changed to Eibach with Koni FSDs, the feedback is very positive, he runs 19" BBS CK and 'finally' found his prefered comfort level (as comfortable as OEM 16" RFTs) after installing the Koni FSD shocks.

i might try the Koni FSD with H&R since i like a little lower at the back of my ride compared to Eibach Pro-kit which seems not lowered at the back after changing it.

 

[Spaceman]

If you've got the dough, we won't say no
Satisfy that itch, make the switch


(Hey maybe I'm a poet, and I don't know it! )

too bad, the CKD 325 M-Sport doesnt come with Active Steering....sad... ...
otherwise, i would really give it a go....kekeekeee