Kasmo

Iv been wondering what the main differences between a Xi and a i E60 suspension are.

Anyone compared the two or owned both? Worked with both maybe?

Iv heard from the struts being taller on the Xi to the front suspension being completely different on a Xi vs a normal i.

Im asking this because iv been looking at air suspension. Most companies just say either E60, or just give you the options of the i models and dont say if they fit or dont fit an Xi or not. Some vendors say that they fit all models.

I know for air suspension youll be getting new struts anyway, so whats the real difference???? Im probably assuming something in the front is different.

rice_rocket88

Air suspension would be pretty cool... I'm in to hear about it.. I haven't even looked into it but I've been curious after seeing an Audi article saying that the technology has gotten so much better that it is indeed "better" of all options . Other than the cost of course..

Kasmo

Theres the option of getting some bags and then welding them in to the existing strut I think. But i rather have a kit.

A lot of articles say that air suspension got pretty good over the last few years.

I was going to pull the trigger on the KV3s but i thought about it and it just does not make sense for me to spend 3,000 on coilovers that are pretty much used to their full potential on the track. And well, it takes time to adjust your settings. Waiting on the Godspeed coilovers to get to a few owners to see how they ride and fit into Xi models. Those run about 800-1000 bucks a set.

Iv seen a few BMW E60s on air, and they look pretty cool. I read a few forum posts and few articles online comparing springs, coilovers and air suspension. What i got basically out of them that if you want comfort, easy adjustability and the car looking super awesome bags are the way to go. If you track your car or something similar in nature, get coilovers.
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Im just curious since to put in bags, or at least a kit, you need to take the old struts out anyway. So at this point im curious if BMW totally went out of their way to make a completely make a different suspension set up (including mounting points etc) vs a regular E60. It just does not make sense to me for BMW to completely change up the AWD models. I can maybe understand the struts being a different length but i dont think they have different mounting points etc. If length is the only issue, im some what confident that getting a regular E60 air suspension kit will fit into a AWD E60. If i can find a cool air suspension set up for my car id be keeping it, but if I dont I might be trading it in for a 528i or maybe even a 530i E60. Just so i can have more mod options.

My springs arent bad, but i still want to go lower. Or at least the have option to do that. If i cant make my car fast might as well make it look good hahaha

s2k_john

I've been looking at both options as well I have an Xi model and have been trying to figure out the difference of xi vs i , but have also tried to figure how much it'll be to install air ride on my xi. I currently have the God speed coil overs but haven't gotten around to installing them as I'm still undecided on what to do air vs coil overs. My main concern is can air ride be good for daily driving if you get a hole in the air line I'm pretty sure your gonna be stuck as the car will sink to the bottom right?

rice_rocket88

I can't say that I've seen a non XI strut mount directly in comparison look any different..Although off the top of my head it doesn't look all that bad when I have seen a few different models go through my friend's shop. I thought it was just the length of the struts themselves, and the spring rate. Adding bags sounds pretty cool.. but the work required I can only imagine you'd have to shorten the struts, or get shorter ones.. as well as shorter springs.. or how could they go lower? If I had the godspeed coilovers handy I would certainly swap them on a weekend day and see how much difference they were.. time is tough on me with kids, and of course just justifying having them around (if I don't like them) is a slightly higher investment than I really want to do now (also pretty lazy). I would say that unless you're going with the slammed look with the air bags, then you could set the lowest stop point high enough to still drive vs sitting on the ground, I believe that is adjustable on it's own. The article that I mentioned a couple posts before stated that even the lowest point of the air bags was driveable, with 2 other higher settings available based on the air bags.

Kasmo

Well usually a good or top of the line setup costs around $5,000 from what i have seen. Half of that is pretty much air management system. The other half are the struts. If you need to have custom struts it might be the same price or more depending who will fabricate them for you and how much the actual bag struts cost.

Install those Godspeed coilovers ASAP! hahaha, there are a bunch of people waiting on other people to get them and review them. I know I am one of those people. Its the next cheapest thing next to the springs. Im actually thinking of getting those as well, just because if they are going to ride like crap at least there is the option of using coilovers to make your own air suspension set up as I was told by BagRiders over an email. Will post that as well.

And yea you would need a tow most likely, but if you get good lines and the bags aka plan ahead you should be fine.

Kasmo

I wish i could get my hands on some and compare. The godspeed coilovers are pretty much the last hope for my car to get a tad lower. As I can see already tho i would have to get new wheels since mine are completely flush with the fender. I went for a 30 offset in the rear and they look good, but if i go any lower im going to have to either pull my fenders or roll in inner lip in the rear. Or sell the wheels and get something else. My car seems like its still sitting high. Maybe its the profile of the tire, bit if go any smaller the ride is going to get even worse with the springs. Or maybe i just need to get those bumpers iv been wanting to give my car a lowered look, since the front and rear bumpers are sorta curved in on the bottom making it seem like the gap is big. My car is lowered and i can still fit under the bumper no problem.... lol

Kasmo

I messaged K-Sport and Bag Riders yesterday, they got back to me and K-Sport said this:

"Sorry nothing fits the XI model. It adds more axles and we do not have a kit that works to fit around the extra set of axles. Unfortunately there are not a lot of options for the xi model."


Bag Riders got back to me with a long email but they confused an E60 AWD with a E61 AWD. But here is the email anyway"


"Hey Kam,

We do not have any bolt-in applications, however I'd be happy to help you figure out a custom setup for your AWD E60. It would require you to do one of two things; you could either use existing bags and figure out your own lower mounts and upper mounts, or you could take a set of coilovers and use bags to convert them to air struts. An example of the first can be seen with this guy's car:
E60,E61 FS: Bagged 2006 BMW 530xit Mtech Wagon, $10k!!!!

I would be happy to sell you the parts that you need to make it all work, but you will have to either assemble them all yourself or find a shop to assemble it and install it all for you. Let me know if you would be comfortable with this and I'd be happy to work out more details of what you will need, otherwise, we do not have any application for your car either. Let me know what you'd like to do!

Cheers,
Andrew"

This got me thinking that if the godspeed coilovers are going to be ok or decent, aka better than springs, ill get those and maybe if i get annoyed with them or something ill just try to do what Andrew from Bag Riders suggested. I mean i would have them welded etc professionally. I would just love to jump into air bags right away skipping the coilovers but thats only if there was a kit and it was just a bolt on. Apparently our BMWs arent the only BMWs with such kit problems for air suspension. Older BMWs that have been our for decades cant get a dedicated kit as well.

Iv pretty much thought of everything such as trading in my 525xi for a 528i (2010) or even for a 535, but i dont want to deal with turbo issues, fuel pump issuess and etc, i also dont want to pay off my car right away and hop into a bigger loan with a bigger monthly payment just yet because im in college.

I told myself id get myself a gift for graduating college so I hope it will be the Godspeed coilovers or an air suspension set up even if its going to have to be custom. E60s on bags just look so damn cool. Ill post a few pictures later today.

rice_rocket88

Haha all go and no show.. or... I don't know your driving style, but often I've considered.. would I be happy with a super aggressive or pretty looking car.. vs one that is fast. It's been months and months since I've ever really gotten to take advantage of the speed.. the last coming across a brand new 435i GC which wanted to have a few pulls... in which I destroyed it. If I had a slower car, would it still be as fun? Well maybe.. but losing kind of sucks.

I'm 80% stuck in heavy traffic so it doesn't matter, but in the morning, or late at night when I commute I get a chance to open it up and have so much more fun.

Thankfully I only encounter a few really bad bumps which hurts with the HR springs. If it got a lot better it certainly would make me happy, but right now I definitely like the look waay more than the few bumps I encounter that I don't like. PM me your phone # or email if you want me to send you a snap of the car how it sits with the H&R and 19" wheels that are pretty flush to my fenders.

Kasmo

I got the springs on my car right now. I got them last summer. I got 19s as well.

I wanted the 535 for the speed and power but im at a point where im just sick of holding off mods for my car hahaha, I found one white 535 within budget recently but idk. I dont want to get into more payments. I was going to supercharge my car instead of bagging it but i found out that id only get like 70 Hp with the supercharger thats 5,000.... to me its not worth it. Unless the price drops. I always find myself wanting more power but sometimes i look at the speedo and im surprised how fast I am going without noticing it. I even find myself often thinking... if i were to have 400+ hp in a modded 535 where would I use all that power??? I mostly drive on the highway, but i dont want tickets and the ways I take its a hit or miss with police. The only time i find myself a bit down if i see another BMW enthusiast in a faster BMW looking at my car and trying to play, or when an audi flies by and or tries to race. Iv been having real bad luck with audis. lol. Everytime im on the highway there is a black audi A4 or A5 trying to race or weaving through traffic or i see it coming in fast in my rear view mirror just so they can pass me. Iv found myself in situations where I didnt want to go faster than I am, and the cars ahead of me are still pulling away... Like damn those people aint got a worry about getting locked up haha