E9X Best 335i suspension mods

Irafi

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Aug 1, 2017
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335i e90
I want to go with t.c. Kline coilovers, upgraded subframe bushings. I have a diff brace. And A square setup of 17 x 9 et30 wrapped in 255/40/17 on an e90 lci 335i. Want to do swaybars and tower strut as well. Open to suggestions and would love to see similar setups.
 
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Irafi

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Aug 1, 2017
19
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335i e90
What else is done to the car? What are your goals?

This will help people make suggestions.
Nothing done so far, except hpa foam filter, mhd stage one and I am about to xhp stage 1 the auto tranny . I live in Oregon so the roads are sweet to drive but not as sweet maintience wise. This car is my daily, but when I'm backroad dancing and really pushing her She gets floaty and kinda sketch sometimes( above the ton). I want her to spreken se Deutsche. Tighten up and not feel like we are living on the edge at speed thru the twisties.
 

Irafi

Lurker
Aug 1, 2017
19
6
0
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335i e90
Nothing done so far, except hpa foam filter, mhd stage one and I am about to xhp stage 1 the auto tranny . I live in Oregon so the roads are sweet to drive but not as sweet maintience wise. This car is my daily, but when I'm backroad dancing and really pushing her She gets floaty and kinda sketch sometimes( above the ton). I want her to spreken se Deutsche. Tighten up and not feel like we are living on the edge at speed thru the twisties.
 

Hassans

Specialist
Jul 2, 2017
69
15
0
Ride
E90 LCI 335i N54
You could go with front and rear m3 control arms to dial in a bit more steering response.

As far as the floaty feeling, my initial response to that would be to make sure your coilovers are dialed in to the style of driving.
 

JSans

Lurker
Nov 13, 2016
18
4
0
NY
upgrade bushings and as hassans said, m3 control arms. Sway bar would help too in those twisties
 

Irafi

Lurker
Aug 1, 2017
19
6
0
Ride
335i e90
You could go with front and rear m3 control arms to dial in a bit more steering response.

As far as the floaty feeling, my initial response to that would be to make sure your coilovers are dialed in to the style of driving.
You mean dial in the factory ones? I can do that? It is an msport if that helps. If I can adjust them I would love to know how.
 

Hassans

Specialist
Jul 2, 2017
69
15
0
Ride
E90 LCI 335i N54
You mean dial in the factory ones? I can do that? It is an msport if that helps. If I can adjust them I would love to know how.

Sorry I misread, I thought you said you already had coilovers.

I prefer a shock/spring setup vs coils so that nothing has to be adjusted or will sieze from the NE weather.
 

Hokie_335i

Specialist
Jul 29, 2017
51
24
0
North Carolina
Ride
2009 E90 335i 6MT
I'm also a fan of the m3 control arms F&R. They will tighten the suspension up a bit and help with the side to side weight transfer.
 

tkong

Lurker
Nov 9, 2016
16
2
0
Saint Louis
I assume you're running non-runflats if you're running those aftermarket wheels. I would get those rear subframe bushings done asap. Without those, the rear end becomes super loose when hitting bumps mid corner.

My lci e90 has m3 front control arms, koni shocks and dinan springs (I bought a tckline single adjustable coilovers afterwards, but ended up never installing them and just selling them), solid aluminum subframe bushings, dinan rear strut mount kit, hotchkis front sway bar, and michelin pss.

I'm pretty happy with my setup overall. If I wanted to sink more money into/improve my set up, I would probably get a mfactory LSD next then maybe coilovers with rear m3 lower control arms.

For you, I would do the subframe bushings, m3 front control arms with the coilovers, a good alignment with the coilovers, and then see if you even need a new sway bar.
 
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Hassans

Specialist
Jul 2, 2017
69
15
0
Ride
E90 LCI 335i N54
I assume you're running non-runflats if you're running those aftermarket wheels. I would get those rear subframe bushings done asap. Without those, the rear end becomes super loose when hitting bumps mid corner.

My lci e90 has m3 front control arms, koni shocks and dinan springs (I bought a tckline single adjustable coilovers afterwards, but ended up never installing them and just selling them), solid aluminum subframe bushings, dinan rear strut mount kit, hotchkis front sway bar, and michelin pss.

I'm pretty happy with my setup overall. If I wanted to sink more money into/improve my set up, I would probably get a mfactory LSD next then maybe coilovers with rear m3 lower control arms.

For you, I would do the subframe bushings, m3 front control arms with the coilovers, a good alignment with the coilovers, and then see if you even need a new sway bar.


Which series Koni shocks are you running?

What does the dinan rear strut mount kit do?

Did you notice increased NVH with the subframe bushings?
 

Irafi

Lurker
Aug 1, 2017
19
6
0
Ride
335i e90
I assume you're running non-runflats if you're running those aftermarket wheels. I would get those rear subframe bushings done asap. Without those, the rear end becomes super loose when hitting bumps mid corner.

My lci e90 has m3 front control arms, koni shocks and dinan springs (I bought a tckline single adjustable coilovers afterwards, but ended up never installing them and just selling them), solid aluminum subframe bushings, dinan rear strut mount kit, hotchkis front sway bar, and michelin pss.

I'm pretty happy with my setup overall. If I wanted to sink more money into/improve my set up, I would probably get a mfactory LSD next then maybe coilovers with rear m3 lower control arms.

For you, I would do the subframe bushings, m3 front control arms with the coilovers, a good alignment with the coilovers, and then see if you even need a new sway bar.
Dude thanks for all that advice. I think I am gonna set my frau up just about the same way you got going and not sink money into coilovers. I reallky appreciate the help.
 

Sneaks35

New Member
Aug 13, 2017
5
2
0
Ride
2008 n54 e93 335i
I want to go with t.c. Kline coilovers, upgraded subframe bushings. I have a diff brace. And A square setup of 17 x 9 et30 wrapped in 255/40/17 on an e90 lci 335i. Want to do swaybars and tower strut as well. Open to suggestions and would love to see similar setups.
sway bar its pointless if you ask me id upgrade to the m3 triangular one only cause its stronger stifer and looks better.i personaly have e93 and i through on ecs running one for the looks but i notice no difference. maybe it'll help at higer speeds for the body roll if any. the diff brace will help and coilers to me are really just coilers all the same unless your going to get a set that you can adjust dampening compression and rebound seperate. and about subframe bushing is where your going to get the best bang for your money ride is going to be a little noisier but rebound will shorten dramatically
 
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Sneaks35

New Member
Aug 13, 2017
5
2
0
Ride
2008 n54 e93 335i
hotckis sway bars to me well worth the money way cheaper than Dinnen front bar 32mm its the thickest I've seen for front sway bars and the rear too i forget the mm on the rear but also really thick and comes with front and rear adjustable links trust me id say a no brainer and you feel the differece on the road when turning.
 
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JValenzSD

Private
Apr 26, 2017
33
17
0
San Diego, CA
Ride
2010 BMW E90 LCI 335i M-Sport
Nothing done so far, except hpa foam filter, mhd stage one and I am about to xhp stage 1 the auto tranny . I live in Oregon so the roads are sweet to drive but not as sweet maintience wise. This car is my daily, but when I'm backroad dancing and really pushing her She gets floaty and kinda sketch sometimes( above the ton). I want her to spreken se Deutsche. Tighten up and not feel like we are living on the edge at speed thru the twisties.

I had the same concerns when I first got my 2010 e90 335 LCI M Sport in 2013. Going fast around sweepers and corners were never confidence inspiring. It didn't help at all it had an open diff and spun the inside wheel. The car had a ton of under-steer from the factory, and for some people it's a safety thing, but for us driving enthusiasts, can be down right frustrating.

What I did to dial it in was I went with Ohlins's DFV Road and Track coil-over suspension to set the ride height along with it's excellent valving (Coming from the Sport Bike/MotoGP world, Ohlins is the creme de la creme. I lowered my lap times and increased my cornering confidence at the tracks with my Ducati Race bike, so I went with what I was familiar with ymmv), M3 control arms and guide rods for front and rear to enhance traction when cornering (along with e90 m3 alignment specs, had to slot the shocks for more negative camber) , installed ECS's rear trailing arms along with Whiteline's RTAB polyurethane bushings for more grip and less deflection, installed m3 sway bars from Eibach on front and rear to reduce side to side weight transfer (rear sub-frame was going to be lowered so I might as well, I'm too lazy to do the job twice), went with Turner Motorsport's Aluminum Sub-frame Bushings to reduce rear sub-frame deflection that causes that confidence killing floaty/disconnected feeling when increasing speed mid corner, esp hitting a bump, replaced the differential bushings with MFactory's solid diff bushings(since the diff was coming out anyways), dropped the rear open diff pumpkin and replaced it with a fully re-built MFactory 3.46 LSD, and called a tow truck to tow it to an alignment shop to get my specs on the car. Took me the entire day including cussing breaks and lost time from recharging dead impact wrench batteries (ran out of juice removing the sub frame bushings using my special tools).

The car is a whole new beast. I had to re-learn it all over again as I fell in love with it all over again lol.

It handles really well and just wants to go faster around corners. It feels really connected to the road and provides the feedback you need. There isn't a slop on the rear end, it stays nice and tight. When entering an S turn or chicane, the side to side weight transfer roll is significantly reduced. In corners, you can feel the outside wheel driving the car forward as corner speed increases. On corner exit, you have to completely relearn the car as it wants to drift if you get greedy on the throttle, the back-end just wants to step out, but its a predictable type of feeling, you steer with the gas pedal and be quick to counter-steer with the hands, etc. in the event the rear steps out to just be smooth with the throttle.

Why did I add these parts in one project? Well because for one, I don't like doing the job twice and I see the opportunity to install things while the opportunity is there, and two, I severely disliked how my car sucked going around corners. The diff was coming out and so was the rear sub-frame, I might as well install the parts while they are both out. for example, if you plan on installing sway bars for the rear, the rear sub-frame needs to be lowered, if that's the case, you might as well do the rear sub-frame bushings, vice versa. I have the QuickJack so it made the project a whole lot easier. As far as for NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) it's a tad a bit more on driver feedback (a good thing), but on smooth roads, hardly can feel a thing. I do a lot of canyon carving in the twisties as I find joy in it more than going fast in a straight line, it's also my daily driver as well. I didn't go with a diff lock-down brace, I'm having no issues with wheel hop when launching and I dislike how some of it covers the rear diff drain bolt since I swap fluids every 15k miles.

I know it's a long post but I hope this helps.
 
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Irafi

Lurker
Aug 1, 2017
19
6
0
Ride
335i e90
I had the same concerns when I first got my 2010 e90 335 LCI M Sport in 2013. Going fast around sweepers and corners were never confidence inspiring. It didn't help at all it had an open diff and spun the inside wheel. The car had a ton of under-steer from the factory, and for some people it's a safety thing, but for us driving enthusiasts, can be down right frustrating.

What I did to dial it in was I went with Ohlins's DFV Road and Track coil-over suspension to set the ride height along with it's excellent valving (Coming from the Sport Bike/MotoGP world, Ohlins is the creme de la creme. I lowered my lap times and increased my cornering confidence at the tracks with my Ducati Race bike, so I went with what I was familiar with ymmv), M3 control arms and guide rods for front and rear to enhance traction when cornering (along with e90 m3 alignment specs, had to slot the shocks for more negative camber) , installed ECS's rear trailing arms along with Whiteline's RTAB polyurethane bushings for more grip and less deflection, installed m3 sway bars from Eibach on front and rear to reduce side to side weight transfer (rear sub-frame was going to be lowered so I might as well, I'm too lazy to do the job twice), went with Turner Motorsport's Aluminum Sub-frame Bushings to reduce rear sub-frame deflection that causes that confidence killing floaty/disconnected feeling when increasing speed mid corner, esp hitting a bump, replaced the differential bushings with MFactory's solid diff bushings(since the diff was coming out anyways), dropped the rear open diff pumpkin and replaced it with a fully re-built MFactory 3.46 LSD, and called a tow truck to tow it to an alignment shop to get my specs on the car. Took me the entire day including cussing breaks and lost time from recharging dead impact wrench batteries (ran out of juice removing the sub frame bushings using my special tools).

The car is a whole new beast. I had to re-learn it all over again as I fell in love with it all over again lol.

It handles really well and just wants to go faster around corners. It feels really connected to the road and provides the feedback you need. There isn't a slop on the rear end, it stays nice and tight. When entering an S turn or chicane, the side to side weight transfer roll is significantly reduced. In corners, you can feel the outside wheel driving the car forward as corner speed increases. On corner exit, you have to completely relearn the car as it wants to drift if you get greedy on the throttle, the back-end just wants to step out, but its a predictable type of feeling, you steer with the gas pedal and be quick to counter-steer with the hands, etc. in the event the rear steps out to just be smooth with the throttle.

Why did I add these parts in one project? Well because for one, I don't like doing the job twice and I see the opportunity to install things while the opportunity is there, and two, I severely disliked how my car sucked going around corners. The diff was coming out and so was the rear sub-frame, I might as well install the parts while they are both out. for example, if you plan on installing sway bars for the rear, the rear sub-frame needs to be lowered, if that's the case, you might as well do the rear sub-frame bushings, vice versa. I have the QuickJack so it made the project a whole lot easier. As far as for NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) it's a tad a bit more on driver feedback (a good thing), but on smooth roads, hardly can feel a thing. I do a lot of canyon carving in the twisties as I find joy in it more than going fast in a straight line, it's also my daily driver as well. I didn't go with a diff lock-down brace, I'm having no issues with wheel hop when launching and I dislike how some of it covers the rear diff drain bolt since I swap fluids every 15k miles.

I know it's a long post but I hope this helps.
 

Irafi

Lurker
Aug 1, 2017
19
6
0
Ride
335i e90
I had the same concerns when I first got my 2010 e90 335 LCI M Sport in 2013. Going fast around sweepers and corners were never confidence inspiring. It didn't help at all it had an open diff and spun the inside wheel. The car had a ton of under-steer from the factory, and for some people it's a safety thing, but for us driving enthusiasts, can be down right frustrating.

What I did to dial it in was I went with Ohlins's DFV Road and Track coil-over suspension to set the ride height along with it's excellent valving (Coming from the Sport Bike/MotoGP world, Ohlins is the creme de la creme. I lowered my lap times and increased my cornering confidence at the tracks with my Ducati Race bike, so I went with what I was familiar with ymmv), M3 control arms and guide rods for front and rear to enhance traction when cornering (along with e90 m3 alignment specs, had to slot the shocks for more negative camber) , installed ECS's rear trailing arms along with Whiteline's RTAB polyurethane bushings for more grip and less deflection, installed m3 sway bars from Eibach on front and rear to reduce side to side weight transfer (rear sub-frame was going to be lowered so I might as well, I'm too lazy to do the job twice), went with Turner Motorsport's Aluminum Sub-frame Bushings to reduce rear sub-frame deflection that causes that confidence killing floaty/disconnected feeling when increasing speed mid corner, esp hitting a bump, replaced the differential bushings with MFactory's solid diff bushings(since the diff was coming out anyways), dropped the rear open diff pumpkin and replaced it with a fully re-built MFactory 3.46 LSD, and called a tow truck to tow it to an alignment shop to get my specs on the car. Took me the entire day including cussing breaks and lost time from recharging dead impact wrench batteries (ran out of juice removing the sub frame bushings using my special tools).

The car is a whole new beast. I had to re-learn it all over again as I fell in love with it all over again lol.

It handles really well and just wants to go faster around corners. It feels really connected to the road and provides the feedback you need. There isn't a slop on the rear end, it stays nice and tight. When entering an S turn or chicane, the side to side weight transfer roll is significantly reduced. In corners, you can feel the outside wheel driving the car forward as corner speed increases. On corner exit, you have to completely relearn the car as it wants to drift if you get greedy on the throttle, the back-end just wants to step out, but its a predictable type of feeling, you steer with the gas pedal and be quick to counter-steer with the hands, etc. in the event the rear steps out to just be smooth with the throttle.

Why did I add these parts in one project? Well because for one, I don't like doing the job twice and I see the opportunity to install things while the opportunity is there, and two, I severely disliked how my car sucked going around corners. The diff was coming out and so was the rear sub-frame, I might as well install the parts while they are both out. for example, if you plan on installing sway bars for the rear, the rear sub-frame needs to be lowered, if that's the case, you might as well do the rear sub-frame bushings, vice versa. I have the QuickJack so it made the project a whole lot easier. As far as for NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) it's a tad a bit more on driver feedback (a good thing), but on smooth roads, hardly can feel a thing. I do a lot of canyon carving in the twisties as I find joy in it more than going fast in a straight line, it's also my daily driver as well. I didn't go with a diff lock-down brace, I'm having no issues with wheel hop when launching and I dislike how some of it covers the rear diff drain bolt since I swap fluids every 15k miles.

I know it's a long post but I hope this helps.
Dude that was the best response ever thank you so much for all the great advice