doug550i

I have 75,000 mi. on my 2006 550i/sport package and was hoping someone could advise on the best aftermarket suspension components to buy that will replicate the factory ride. Also, how long can I expect my shocks/struts/bushings to last with normal (no fierce street or track driving) use? Hoping to save money and not interested in lowering the ride or having adjustable ride.

doug550i

Does anyone know who makes the factory shocks for the 550i sport?

IceyTys

If you're looking for some good replacement shocks at a decent price, try Bilstein Sport shocks a step up above the factory shocks, but not too harsh.

GL

Masterspy

I believe the OEM shocks are made by SACHS.

rackley

Anyone know how long the OEMs are typically good for?

doug550i

Thanks for the responses, I can't believe how little I'm getting on this here and bimmerforums. I now have 2 suggestions for Bilsteins but none for any other manufacturer. Nobody has advised what the life expectancy is on the factory suspension. Not even one with- "I got 80K out of my stock sport suspension before I noticed a difference in the ride". Still surprised with the lack of interest or input on this topic! We all drive BMWs because we love the handling and ride, so "what's up??".

salaki

You can't really tell how long OE struts will last because each owner has different driving habit/road condition.

I have H&R Sport spring on mine and @ 50K miles, I feel the struts need to be replaced.

You have few choices:
Bilstein HD, Bilstein Sports, Koni Yellows and Koni FSD

HD and FSD looks to me like an OEM non sport "upgrade" w more aggressive valving than non sport package struts.

Sports and Yellow are replacement "upgrade" for OEM Sport Suspension.

IF I were to retain OEM sport package feel, I'd go w/ Koni FSD.
Or if you like Bilstein and don't mind a little rougher ride, go w/ Bilstein Sport.

turboawd

one tell tale sign is struts that are leaking oil. if there is an oily residue on the struts, then its time to change.

toyota2bmw

I have 68k miles on my car (05 545i). I noticed a "softening" of the front suspension around 60k miles or so where the front tires would rub on the wheel well trim on certain maneuvers (on right turns mostly). It wasn't really bouncy on the road but it did seem like the car lost the "taughtness" that it used to have. So I did the old suspension test, I pushed down on the front suspension on each side to see the rebound behavior. First thing I noticed was it was really easy to push down which really shouldn't be the case. It told me that the pressure in the shocks was not up to par. Second, when the spring rebounded to come back up, I noticed a slight movement down which meant that the shock were dependent on springs to return to original form.

I did a quite a bit of research afterward and talked to a bunch of members here and car buddies. I first opted for the Koni FSDs because I heard a lot of positive reviews. I then thought about wanting to lower my car a bit and getting a set of H&R springs with the FSDs. The cost mounted quickly to ~$1k for replacing all the shocks and spring for a lower ride height. Then, I cam across a few members who were dumping their OEM set up for coilovers. The more I thought about it, it made more fiscal sense. If I was going to spend ~$1k, I might as well get a set up with fully adjustable height and dampening.

I am running a set of KSport coilovers now and I am very happy with the set up. I have a post in the forum with my full review and pictures. It all depends on what your goal is with the suspension replacement but I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Ping Michael @ Acute Performance and see what he has to say. He's a respected vendor in the forum. Hope this helps.

doug550i

Thanks for the input. I used to have konis on my Lexus IS300 and liked the ride. My goal is to just replicate the factory sport package ride. It sounds like the koni FSDs might be my best bet. I'm guessing that I should probably notice a change in ride or need replacement before I hit 100K miles. Salaki, did you replace springs because you wanted to alter the ride or did the factory springs "wear out"?