[Hegemony]

Newb here. Sorry if this has been covered, but...

I did a , but mostly all I'm coming up with is ppl giving their preference of one name brand over another without really saying why. MarkE90M3's thread stickied at the top has an excellent comparison on drop range and basic features (height adjustible vs rebound adjustable vs compression adjustable dampening.) Two questions arise out of that thread.

1) I see a lot of people deciding between the PSS9 and the KW V2. Considering that the PSS9 is listed as having compression adjustable dampening where the KW V2 doesn't, wouldn't a more valid comparsion be the PSS9 vs the KW V3? Is price the only factor in choosing the V2 vs the V3 for this comparison?

2) Is there a comprehensive comparsion of rebound adjustable dampening and compression adjustable dampening ranges to complement the height ranges in the sticky thread? I've seen one of the supporting vendors say that they recommend PSS9 for street and the KW V2's for the track... well, why?

-Hegemony

[SV Concepts III]

Originally Posted by Hegemony

Newb here. Sorry if this has been covered, but...

I did a , but mostly all I'm coming up with is ppl giving their preference of one name brand over another without really saying why. MarkE90M3's thread stickied at the top has an excellent comparison on drop range and basic features (height adjustible vs rebound adjustable vs compression adjustable dampening.) Two questions arise out of that thread.

1) I see a lot of people deciding between the PSS9 and the KW V2. Considering that the PSS9 is listed as having compression adjustable dampening where the KW V2 doesn't, wouldn't a more valid comparsion be the PSS9 vs the KW V3? Is price the only factor in choosing the V2 vs the V3 for this comparison?

2) Is there a comprehensive comparsion of rebound adjustable dampening and compression adjustable dampening ranges to complement the height ranges in the sticky thread? I've seen one of the supporting vendors say that they recommend PSS9 for street and the KW V2's for the track... well, why?

-Hegemony

The reason people compare the PSS9s to the V2's is that the V3's offer independent rebound and compression settings whereas the V2's and PSS9s offer single level rebound/compression changes. The V2's are only compression adjustable whereas one setting on the PSS9s changes both rebound and compression evenly. The V2s are more comparable to the PSS9s in their single adjustment mechanism, even if it only changes compression settings. Not to mention they are priced very similarly.

As for why most, including us, recommend the PSS9s for the street, we have found that the PSS9s offer a smoother ride quality than the KWs. The PSS9s do not offer the same ride height or range of dampening adjustment as the KW's but they are smoother overall and are easier to adjust making them suitable for a street setup that is occasionally run on the track.

If you have any questions about any one of the systems, do not hesitate to contact us.

[Hegemony]

Nick,

Thanks for the details in the reply. That's what I was looking for. Could you speak to the Koni FSD (and sport) + Eibach Springs kit vs the others in a similar fashion? Based on what I've read, that setup seems closer to stock than the two above. Can you verify? Any other setups that I'm missing? I've dug a little further in my searchs and there are some golden nuggets here and there, but I'd like to get it all in one place. Everyone would benefit from it.

-Hegemony

[SV Concepts III]

Hegemony,

Not a problem, glad I could share some insight.

The FSD/Pro Kit setup will be closer to stock in terms of ride quality than either one of the coilover setups. Reason being is that the FSDs use dual valve technology to provide a close to stock ride quality during normal conditions and stiffen up under cornering to offer better performance. Pro Kit gives a nice drop all around, nothing too drastic but definitely noticeable.

You are really looking at our top 3 suspension options as far as complete replacement kits go, you can also just do springs but will have to replace your shocks sooner or later.

[stressdoc]

This is very helpful, but what I really want is a thorough review test, like the ones that TireRack does for tires. It would also be great to get a BMW AG suspension engineer to provide an analysis. I go by what I see Hartge, Alpina, ACs and other tuners doing.

I have dumped the rfts, and now am trying to tune the suspension with non-rfts. I think the stock 335 ZSP has too much roll and too much wheel hop.

My recipe: M 193 rims (lighter), Pirelli P Zero (Michelin PS2s were 2nd choice). H&R rear sway bar. Quaife LSD. Bilstein PSS9s set at 5 & 6. Strut and shock braces.

This is for a daily driver in a rural area.