[g30pilot]

Finally pulled the trigger to lower my 2021 540i m sport. With the months long research about which springs to go with whether H&R, Dinan, or Eibach, i’m so glad i spent the extra bucks to do it right and go with MSS. And so far after a few days, wow. Very comfortable ride, and pretty sporty going around corners. Love the way it looks as well, a nice balance of not being such an aggressive drop. Also told the shop to get as close to level as they could.

Wheel specs:

20x9 +25 with 255/35/20 pilot sport 4s
No spacers needed (in mine and shops opinion) and no rubbing

20x10 +40 with 10mm Eibach spacers, 285/30/20 pilot sport 4s.

For anyone considering lowering, consider MSS.

[darkrom]

Is the performance upgrade really noticeable? I like this suspension and am considering it but I want to have it actually handle a lot better like coilovers have on my other cars. Do you have any other experience with lowered cars you can compare it to?

I’m in New England so I’m really after the feel upgrade more than slammed, but of course I’d drop it a bit but perhaps less than the rest of the country.

[g30pilot]

Originally Posted by darkrom

Is the performance upgrade really noticeable? I like this suspension and am considering it but I want to have it actually handle a lot better like coilovers have on my other cars. Do you have any other experience with lowered cars you can compare it to?

I’m in New England so I’m really after the feel upgrade more than slammed, but of course I’d drop it a bit but perhaps less than the rest of the country.

The performance is quite noticeable, for me. A lot less body roll, especially acceleration and cornering. Gives me more confidence in it. I don’t have experience with coil overs myself, so there’s that. The shop that did the install told me these are basically entry level coil overs. If you have experience i’d say stick to what you know, but in my opinion i’m liking these and there’s a lot of good reviews on them as well.

[alexbmw540]

Here’s my experience with selecting springs for the G30:

530d xDrive LCI:

Adaptive suspension, stock springs. It was soft, and in Sport mode, the suspension felt noticeably stiffer.
I switched to ST springs and got a car that was 20% stiffer. I'm happy with the springs—there’s uniform lowering.
540i RWD LCI:

Stock springs felt quite soft, but I didn’t drive much before installing Vogtland springs.

Measurements, as specified by BMW TIS (from the lower edge of the rim to the fender arch):

Front axle: 627 mm
Rear axle: 635 mm
After some time, the car settled to:

Front axle: 624 mm
Rear axle: 630 mm
According to BMW TIS, rear-wheel-drive cars should have a higher distance at the front axle than at the rear. However, with these springs, it was the opposite.

Vogtland springs are very comfortable and soft, which is great if you want a smooth ride but not a sporty one. In Sport mode, the suspension still feels too soft.

On larger-profile tires (275/35/20 rear, 245/30/20 front), the front tires rubbed against the fender on uneven surfaces when turning the wheel.

I wasn’t satisfied with the softness of the suspension—it had significant body roll, and I wanted something stiffer.

Interestingly, my friend’s 520d RWD with adaptive suspension and Vogtland springs handled differently: less body roll and a stiffer suspension. I don’t understand why, but his car also had the same issue with the stance—the front axle sat lower than the rear, which should be the opposite. I suspect this is a common issue with rear-wheel-drive cars and these springs.

My solution:

I bought springs from an F10 535i RWD M suspension (-10 mm).

Previously, I owned a 535i RWD with Koni Special Active dampers, and I loved that suspension. It offered a perfect balance between comfort and handling.

On my G30, the F10 M suspension springs set the front axle perfectly at 645 mm, which matches the spec for the M suspension on the 540i RWD G30. However, the rear axle settled at ~650 mm instead of 630 mm. I’m planning to trim the rear springs slightly.
The F10 with M springs and Koni Special Active dampers is softer than the 540i with adaptive suspension and F10 M suspension springs.



The car’s behavior changed drastically—the stiffness increased by about 80%, in my opinion. In Sport mode, the car became very stiff, while in Comfort, it feels similar to the 530d xDrive ST springs in Sport mode.

Next, I’m considering trying MSS springs.

[alexbmw540]

1. stock 540i rwd adaptive 275 35 20 ps4s
2. vogtland 540i rwd adaptive, 275 35 20 ps4s
3. 535i M coils on 540i rwd adaptive, ~60 kg in the trunk 275 35 20 pa5

[DaWhole9]

Nice....I have the MSS springs on mine and I love them. OEMZ ride quality with improved handling and amazing looks.

[UselessEngineer122]

Originally Posted by DaWhole9

Nice....I have the MSS springs on mine and I love them. OEMZ ride quality with improved handling and amazing looks.

Are they preset ride heights? The MSS is definitely the choice but don't want it soo low that it causes issues with driveways and stuff.

Your car looks killer 🤟🏼

[choppedliver]

It's fully adjustable. I'm lowered about the same as the white car.

You need to be careful with driveways and speed humps.

Only issue I've encountered is the upper part of the left rear spring hitting the bodywork and causing a rattle when heavily loaded. This is due to the way the bottom spring mount is not fixed per se and can/did move in towards the body.

[Tpriest7893]

Originally Posted by DaWhole9

Nice....I have the MSS springs on mine and I love them. OEMZ ride quality with improved handling and amazing looks.

This is so clean! What wheels?