MCS Suspension Install - Updated with installation summary and pics...

ninekrpm · 10-16-2015, 01:22 PM

Wil be moving away from the OEM suspension for an MCS setup w/external canisters. All four dampers will come with quick disconnects, so routing should be easy...

Looking for ideas for routing area and mounting the canisters.

Any references would be great.

Update 12/29

Setup: Motion Control (MCS) 2/way with external canister, 600/375# springs, coilover rear setup, quick disconnects on all corners, MCS rear shock mounts and GC street camber plats. Awaiting adjustable swaybar end-links. The rear shock mounts will be reinforced in the very near future (just in case).

Installation Summary: I used this thread (link) created by MasterC17 as a reference guide...thank you!!!

Overall, installation was fairly easy.

Rears were a snap, given that you do not have to mount the shock mounts from the top. Really took about 20min each side.

Fronts were fairly easy as well and took about 3 hours all together; you do have to take the carbon and aluminum strut bars off. Took me a second helpers hand to line up the GC camber plates...

Canister routing, which was my thread starting question...having had a lot of experience with similar suspension on an E46 M3 from its street days to fullout track days; the routing was quite easy if you can examine the options and plan it out.

Fronts, I used the slit in the wheel bay that routes the steel brake line to route the line into the engine...on the passenger side, there is a heat shield; so it protects the line. On the driver side, same path followed exactly. The font canisters sit right above the headlights. Perfect spot!!!

Rears, well here I am glad again that I opted to get the quick disconnect option. I examined the various options and found the two holes with black plastic covers in the the faux spare wheel bay. Again, there is a heat shield under the car, which protects the line from any heat/burns. I routed the lines up through there and mounted the canisters in the basket where the emergency tire repair kit is placed (see pics). Who needs this any

Driving Impressions: (Updated 1/6) Ok, have the car settled in and the dampers dialed in to my likings and driving preference. So far about 150 miles on the setup with both highway and street driving; I am must say that I am pleased with the package/setup and the drivability of the car as a daily. There is no doubt that lowering a car and putting stiffer suspension could make the handling crisper and almost point and go direction; for me it has to be a combination of drivability and agility without upsetting the cars setup. That being said, the ride is certainly a bit firmer, but the dampers do a great job absorbing the bumps without shaking or upsetting the car or driver – to get to this, it did take some 30-40 miles of turning the knobs on the dampers to really tune the suspension to where it is fun and comfortable to drive. I will report back again maybe at the 500 mile mark on the setup, any changes I end up making and report any issues I may experience – especially with the GC camber plates.

I do have a lot of experience with the GC plates over the past 10 plus years – I have run them on my E46M3 as a daily (with Moton Clubsports running 700/350 spring rates) and then eventually on my dedicated track/race E46M3 (with Moton 3way Motorsport dampers running 900/400 spring rates). I never had to replace any of the components during this timeframe on either the street or track configuration. Maybe I just got lucky and hope to stay that way with the GC touring plates on my F80 setup.
For the F80 setup, my only gripe at this time is the lack of camber setup range on the GC touring plates. The F80 is my daily and for this reason, I chose to go with the GC touring plates so that I may maintain a more neutral to -1 camber setup all around. As discovered/identified recently, the design lacks the range for a more street friendly or less aggressive setup. I wish GC factored this into the design and did not limit this.

Regarding the damper shaft issue reported below – I will certainly have to keep an eye on the camber plates/dampers. I am hoping the fact that I am meticulous about the installation process and applying the correct torque numbers, I can avoid any issues; but time will tell. So again, I will report back periodically and keep an eye on the setup.

Install Pics: Here are a few pics, I will post a few more of the dampers with the wheel removed...

x.shell · 10-16-2015, 01:27 PM

Hit up kitesurfer. He has the JRZ RS Pros with external canisters. I'm sure he can give you some pointers.

flipm3 · 10-16-2015, 02:26 PM

Haven't seen this username on a forum in a lonnnngggggg time!!!!

The trunk seems to have a lot of different options pending the length of your hose.

The engine bay should have some room behind/on top of the head lights.

For most of the JRZ RS Pro installs that I've done, I use these trick little clicks that the canisters can snap in/out of. If you're interested in a set, let me know!

We have to catch up soon one of these days. Hopefully we cross paths at ABCC or Road America next year!

Cheer buddy,
Alex

apexit · 10-16-2015, 02:53 PM

If I remember right there should be some room underneath the rain tray in the engine bay. For the rear there should be ample room behind the trunk paneling.

ninekrpm · 12-27-2015, 09:19 PM

Alex...good to hear from you. Definitely share some info on the canister mounts...

ninekrpm · 12-27-2015, 09:22 PM

Finally installed the suspension over this past weekend. I will summarize the setup, installation and canister routing for reference.

Here is the pic of the kit; install pics to posted shortly.

Driving impressions over the next few days.

zac5 · 12-28-2015, 01:05 AM

subscribed.

ninekrpm · 12-29-2015, 04:55 PM

Pics added...

M3SQRD · 01-01-2016, 06:11 AM

Awesome setup! You'll be amazed by their on-track performance as well as street drive-ability.

I'm about to install a MCS 2WNR setup on my F82 M4.

ninekrpm · 01-01-2016, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

Awesome setup! You'll be amazed by their on-track performance as well as street drive-ability.

I'm about to install a MCS 2WNR setup on my F82 M4.

Awesome!!!!

What camber plates are you going with?

M3SQRD · 01-01-2016, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninekrpm

Awesome!!!!

What camber plates are you going with?

GC

flipm3 · 01-02-2016, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninekrpm

Alex...good to hear from you. Definitely share some info on the canister mounts...

Likewise man! If you're still in the Chicago area, hopefully we cross paths at a ChiTownM meet or track event!

I use these plastic c-clips that fit the JRZ and MCS canisters perfectly. They're pretty strong and hold the canisters in really tightly. Nice thing about them is that you can just snap the canister in/out instead of having to fiddle zip times or bolt-on brackets. For the c-clip, pending where it's mounted, I either rivet or use a nut-sert. Works pretty well for the E46 application, might be a bit tougher finding spots on the F8X engine bay though.

Glad you were able to toss them on top of the headlights!

These are the clips mounted in the rear trunk of the E46.

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

Awesome setup! You'll be amazed by their on-track performance as well as street drive-ability.

I'm about to install a MCS 2WNR setup on my F82 M4.

M3SQRD...now there's a screen name I haven't seen in a long time! I hope all is well buddy, I owe you a long overdue email update on life.

M3SQRD · 01-03-2016, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipm3

M3SQRD...now there's a screen name I haven't seen in a long time! I hope all is well buddy, I owe you a long overdue email update on life.

Hey stranger

I look forward to your email and I hope all is well with you!

ninekrpm · 01-04-2016, 01:31 PM

Just completed the ride height adjustments and corner balance - see pic in the first thread...

Also had the alignment done:

Front is setup with GC touring plates and the camber range was limited to -2.4. Anyone else with GC plates experience this? Car was only lowered about 1.25".

Rear is on stock setup for now and the camber was limited to -1.5. Was not expecting this to be the case for the rear.

Just looking to confirm this...am I missing something?

zac5 · 01-04-2016, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninekrpm

Just completed the ride height adjustments and corner balance - see pic in the first thread...

Also had the alignment done:

Front is setup with GC touring plates and the camber range was limited to -2.4. Anyone else with GC plates experience this? Car was only lowered about 1.25".

Rear is on stock setup for now and the camber was limited to -1.5. Was not expecting this to be the case for the rear.

Just looking to confirm this...am I missing something?

Same here. I have the GC camber plates and the camber could not go below -2.5ish. For the rear, I just ended up using camber shims to dial in my alignment.

M-terkait · 01-05-2016, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zac5

Same here. I have the GC camber plates and the camber could not go below -2.5ish. For the rear, I just ended up using camber shims to dial in my alignment.

F2x/F3x camberplates are nightmare, they snapped driver side shock and upgraded them to B8 shock and got snapped again too.. go check 2addicts forum for Gc stories. never back to them for me.

ninekrpm · 01-05-2016, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zac5

Same here. I have the GC camber plates and the camber could not go below -2.5ish. For the rear, I just ended up using camber shims to dial in my alignment.

Thanks for confirming.

zac5 · 01-05-2016, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M-terkait

F2x/F3x camberplates are nightmare, they snapped driver side shock and upgraded them to B8 shock and got snapped again too.. go check 2addicts forum for Gc stories. never back to them for me.

That's horrible. How the hell camber plates snapped suspension shock anyway?

M-terkait · 01-05-2016, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zac5

That's horrible. How the hell camber plates snapped suspension shock anyway?

http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1172046

PhilipM · 01-06-2016, 01:26 AM

GREAT STUFF!!!

i have been using MCS 2-way and 3-way on my professional circuit racing pickup truck.

Many GT3 cars/cup racing cars use MSC as well.

Jerome (owner) is very accomplished....., if you study about it you will notice MCS has a very long history in motorsports.

the owner also did tell me about the M4 kit he has done a few, that was a few months back when i saw him in person.

i am very interested! it really is a much better product (DO not compare MCS to brands Kw V3., Bilstein B16 whatever........you can only compare these with JRZ 3-way, KW 3-way racing edition.....MAYBE the clubsport types etc) it all depends on the valving and shimming.

TRUST JEROME MCS and his team....they are the best at what they do, best of all you can communicate with them to build the specs, asking for opinion and so on...... (you get a reply from the owner) which i can say 99.9% of others you have 0-1% chance of getting a reply from the owner.

everything is attention to detail!

go for it and have no second thoughts....

soon i might opt for it too.....i just like the idea of EDC as the roads where i live around is beyond shit!

haha

enjoy and looking forward to your comments after riding it....make sure you give time for the springs to set, and ask about adjustments for the low speed, high speed compression & rebound.....they helped me tune my previous 2-ways and my brand new 3-ways.

excellent!

ninekrpm · 01-06-2016, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zac5

For the rear, I just ended up using camber shims to dial in my alignment.

Can you point me to these. thank you...

JamesGames · 01-06-2016, 11:25 AM

Maybe I'm not understanding something, but why are you only getting up to -1.5 in the rear? On my swift springs my alignment guy dialed me in at -2.1; my fronts got maxed out around -1.8 however. I'm getting coilovers soon and plan to lower front slightly more and hopefully reach - 2 camber, and keep the rears around -2.1 or little more if I need the clearance.

10-16-2015, 01:22 PM	#1
ninekrpm Captain 539 Rep 714 Posts Drives: F80M3 (Track) / E92M3 (Street) Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	MCS Suspension Install - Updated with installation summary and pics... Wil be moving away from the OEM suspension for an MCS setup w/external canisters. All four dampers will come with quick disconnects, so routing should be easy... Looking for ideas for routing area and mounting the canisters. Any references would be great. Update 12/29 Setup: Motion Control (MCS) 2/way with external canister, 600/375# springs, coilover rear setup, quick disconnects on all corners, MCS rear shock mounts and GC street camber plats. Awaiting adjustable swaybar end-links. The rear shock mounts will be reinforced in the very near future (just in case). Installation Summary: I used this thread (link) created by MasterC17 as a reference guide...thank you!!! Overall, installation was fairly easy. Rears were a snap, given that you do not have to mount the shock mounts from the top. Really took about 20min each side. Fronts were fairly easy as well and took about 3 hours all together; you do have to take the carbon and aluminum strut bars off. Took me a second helpers hand to line up the GC camber plates... Canister routing, which was my thread starting question...having had a lot of experience with similar suspension on an E46 M3 from its street days to fullout track days; the routing was quite easy if you can examine the options and plan it out. Fronts, I used the slit in the wheel bay that routes the steel brake line to route the line into the engine...on the passenger side, there is a heat shield; so it protects the line. On the driver side, same path followed exactly. The font canisters sit right above the headlights. Perfect spot!!! Rears, well here I am glad again that I opted to get the quick disconnect option. I examined the various options and found the two holes with black plastic covers in the the faux spare wheel bay. Again, there is a heat shield under the car, which protects the line from any heat/burns. I routed the lines up through there and mounted the canisters in the basket where the emergency tire repair kit is placed (see pics). Who needs this any Driving Impressions: (Updated 1/6) Ok, have the car settled in and the dampers dialed in to my likings and driving preference. So far about 150 miles on the setup with both highway and street driving; I am must say that I am pleased with the package/setup and the drivability of the car as a daily. There is no doubt that lowering a car and putting stiffer suspension could make the handling crisper and almost point and go direction; for me it has to be a combination of drivability and agility without upsetting the cars setup. That being said, the ride is certainly a bit firmer, but the dampers do a great job absorbing the bumps without shaking or upsetting the car or driver – to get to this, it did take some 30-40 miles of turning the knobs on the dampers to really tune the suspension to where it is fun and comfortable to drive. I will report back again maybe at the 500 mile mark on the setup, any changes I end up making and report any issues I may experience – especially with the GC camber plates. I do have a lot of experience with the GC plates over the past 10 plus years – I have run them on my E46M3 as a daily (with Moton Clubsports running 700/350 spring rates) and then eventually on my dedicated track/race E46M3 (with Moton 3way Motorsport dampers running 900/400 spring rates). I never had to replace any of the components during this timeframe on either the street or track configuration. Maybe I just got lucky and hope to stay that way with the GC touring plates on my F80 setup. For the F80 setup, my only gripe at this time is the lack of camber setup range on the GC touring plates. The F80 is my daily and for this reason, I chose to go with the GC touring plates so that I may maintain a more neutral to -1 camber setup all around. As discovered/identified recently, the design lacks the range for a more street friendly or less aggressive setup. I wish GC factored this into the design and did not limit this. Regarding the damper shaft issue reported below – I will certainly have to keep an eye on the camber plates/dampers. I am hoping the fact that I am meticulous about the installation process and applying the correct torque numbers, I can avoid any issues; but time will tell. So again, I will report back periodically and keep an eye on the setup. Install Pics: Here are a few pics, I will post a few more of the dampers with the wheel removed... Attached Images Last edited by ninekrpm; 01-06-2016 at 09:49 AM.. Reason: updates...
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10-16-2015, 01:27 PM	#2
x.shell ▆ ✚✚ ▆▆▆▆▆▆ 6580 Rep 5,304 Posts Drives: ▋ ▉▉ Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: ▆▆▆ ▆▆▆ ▆ iTrader: (3)	Hit up kitesurfer. He has the JRZ RS Pros with external canisters. I'm sure he can give you some pointers.
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10-16-2015, 02:26 PM	#3
flipm3 E46 + E90 + F80 192 Rep 2,894 Posts Drives: E46 + E90 + F80 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Illinois iTrader: (1) Garage List 2009 BMW M3 [0.00] 2002 BMW M3 [0.00]	Haven't seen this username on a forum in a lonnnngggggg time!!!! The trunk seems to have a lot of different options pending the length of your hose. The engine bay should have some room behind/on top of the head lights. For most of the JRZ RS Pro installs that I've done, I use these trick little clicks that the canisters can snap in/out of. If you're interested in a set, let me know! We have to catch up soon one of these days. Hopefully we cross paths at ABCC or Road America next year! Cheer buddy, Alex __________________ F80 M3 DCT\|Alpine White . Black Leather \| My Build Thread E90 M3 DCT\|Melbourne Red . Speed Cloth \| My Build Thread E46 M3 6MT\|Jet Black . Black Nappa Leather \| My Build Thread
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10-16-2015, 02:53 PM	#4
apexit Captain 214 Rep 981 Posts Drives: 15 SO M3 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: northern nj iTrader: (-1)	If I remember right there should be some room underneath the rain tray in the engine bay. For the rear there should be ample room behind the trunk paneling.
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12-27-2015, 09:19 PM	#5
ninekrpm Captain 539 Rep 714 Posts Drives: F80M3 (Track) / E92M3 (Street) Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	Alex...good to hear from you. Definitely share some info on the canister mounts...
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12-27-2015, 09:22 PM	#6
ninekrpm Captain 539 Rep 714 Posts Drives: F80M3 (Track) / E92M3 (Street) Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	Finally installed the suspension over this past weekend. I will summarize the setup, installation and canister routing for reference. Here is the pic of the kit; install pics to posted shortly. Driving impressions over the next few days.
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12-28-2015, 01:05 AM	#7
zac5 Private First Class 152 Rep 188 Posts Drives: F95 X5M Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Beijing/Bay Area/Toronto iTrader: (0)	subscribed.
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12-29-2015, 04:55 PM	#8
ninekrpm Captain 539 Rep 714 Posts Drives: F80M3 (Track) / E92M3 (Street) Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	Pics added...
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01-01-2016, 06:11 AM	#9
M3SQRD Major General 2161 Rep 5,548 Posts Drives: E92 M3,G20 330ix,F22 240iX,F82 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mid-Atlantic iTrader: (11)	Awesome setup! You'll be amazed by their on-track performance as well as street drive-ability. I'm about to install a MCS 2WNR setup on my F82 M4.
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01-04-2016, 01:31 PM	#14
ninekrpm Captain 539 Rep 714 Posts Drives: F80M3 (Track) / E92M3 (Street) Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	GC Plates Q and Camber Settings Just completed the ride height adjustments and corner balance - see pic in the first thread... Also had the alignment done: Front is setup with GC touring plates and the camber range was limited to -2.4. Anyone else with GC plates experience this? Car was only lowered about 1.25". Rear is on stock setup for now and the camber was limited to -1.5. Was not expecting this to be the case for the rear. Just looking to confirm this...am I missing something?
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01-06-2016, 01:26 AM	#20
PhilipM New Member 1 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW M4 coupe Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Bangkok, Thailand iTrader: (0)	GREAT STUFF!!! i have been using MCS 2-way and 3-way on my professional circuit racing pickup truck. Many GT3 cars/cup racing cars use MSC as well. Jerome (owner) is very accomplished....., if you study about it you will notice MCS has a very long history in motorsports. the owner also did tell me about the M4 kit he has done a few, that was a few months back when i saw him in person. i am very interested! it really is a much better product (DO not compare MCS to brands Kw V3., Bilstein B16 whatever........you can only compare these with JRZ 3-way, KW 3-way racing edition.....MAYBE the clubsport types etc) it all depends on the valving and shimming. TRUST JEROME MCS and his team....they are the best at what they do, best of all you can communicate with them to build the specs, asking for opinion and so on...... (you get a reply from the owner) which i can say 99.9% of others you have 0-1% chance of getting a reply from the owner. everything is attention to detail! go for it and have no second thoughts.... soon i might opt for it too.....i just like the idea of EDC as the roads where i live around is beyond shit! haha enjoy and looking forward to your comments after riding it....make sure you give time for the springs to set, and ask about adjustments for the low speed, high speed compression & rebound.....they helped me tune my previous 2-ways and my brand new 3-ways. excellent!
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01-06-2016, 11:25 AM	#22
JamesGames Major 1326 Rep 1,481 Posts Drives: E60 550i\|F82 M4\|F48 X1\|VA STi Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: SOCAL iTrader: (0)	Maybe I'm not understanding something, but why are you only getting up to -1.5 in the rear? On my swift springs my alignment guy dialed me in at -2.1; my fronts got maxed out around -1.8 however. I'm getting coilovers soon and plan to lower front slightly more and hopefully reach - 2 camber, and keep the rears around -2.1 or little more if I need the clearance.
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