View Poll Results: Coil overs or rear m5 cover and exhaust work?
Coil over route



8
42.11%
Rear bumper + quad exhaust route



11
57.89%
Voters: 19. You may not vote on this poll
Help me decide next step in the mod process!
Members
Senior Members
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 953
Likes: 2
From: Concord, CA
My Ride: Alpine E60, '09 535i-Premium, Sport and Comfort Access PackageMods: Lux H8 V3 Angel Eyes, Weisslicht LED license plate lights, Interior LED lights, RPI Scoop, Matte Black Grills, Smoked LED side markers & side reflectors, 35% tint all around, and a 3
Do coiloevers, except for ksport. My ride is a daily driver and I do at least 80 miles round trip each day. 2 months ago I installed KW V2's and the ride is great. Everyone that has riden in my car can't believe how good the ride is since I am rolling on 20" wheels.
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 220
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From: Agoura Hills California
My Ride: 05 545i & 01 316i
its got hid's in it now..
however pre lci halogen is just that.. halogen..
I wouldnt go as far as its a waste of money. perhaps the pdc is. having half a car with pdc doesnt make sense. it may not be a 550 or an m5 but at this point its mearly about the look of the quad exhaust. I do not want a loud car. A bmc drop in filter and scoop with a custom quad exhaust will give me some much appreciated grumble but nothing like a v8 would.
however pre lci halogen is just that.. halogen..
I wouldnt go as far as its a waste of money. perhaps the pdc is. having half a car with pdc doesnt make sense. it may not be a 550 or an m5 but at this point its mearly about the look of the quad exhaust. I do not want a loud car. A bmc drop in filter and scoop with a custom quad exhaust will give me some much appreciated grumble but nothing like a v8 would.

PDC on both front and back of car.
EDIT - Quad exhaust on a 525i is pointless. What are you going to tell me next -- its an auto?
Last edited by Gatriel; May 8, 2013 at 09:26 PM.
Thread Starter
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Senior Members
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 571
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From: MA/CT
My Ride: 2005 525i 6MT

I do agree the projector conversion is in the plan but this car is a slow process.
again, its for looks. not performance.. i understand your reasoning, believe me..

Originally Posted by stel_i79
imho...KW V.3 END OF STORY
Originally Posted by Booyaazaa
Do coiloevers, except for ksport. My ride is a daily driver and I do at least 80 miles round trip each day. 2 months ago I installed KW V2's and the ride is great. Everyone that has riden in my car can't believe how good the ride is since I am rolling on 20" wheels.
im glad to hear about the k sport reviews, like i said i have not seen to many negative reviews..
Im finding out now i can do bilstein sports with h&r sport springs for slightly cheaper. Turner Motor Sports (local to me) has a decent price on them, can anyone confirm a better ride quality on coil's vs a strut/spring combination?
thanks
-Bill
Members
Senior Members
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 953
Likes: 2
From: Concord, CA
My Ride: Alpine E60, '09 535i-Premium, Sport and Comfort Access PackageMods: Lux H8 V3 Angel Eyes, Weisslicht LED license plate lights, Interior LED lights, RPI Scoop, Matte Black Grills, Smoked LED side markers & side reflectors, 35% tint all around, and a 3
Bilstein's tend to be a firmer ride. If you end up doing a spring/shock combo a better setup for ride comfort but improved handling would be Koni FSD and H&R sport springs. A couple of other members I know have gone that route and are a happy with the results. It will also lower your ride a little bit without the bounciness of just doing lowering springs.
side profile pic?
are you on stock wheels? 17? 18?
are you on aftermarket wheels?
if not, I'd buy some wheels and tires and coilovers.
If you're on aftermarket wheels, I'd definitely go suspension before I went exhaust.
are you on stock wheels? 17? 18?
are you on aftermarket wheels?
if not, I'd buy some wheels and tires and coilovers.
If you're on aftermarket wheels, I'd definitely go suspension before I went exhaust.
Thread Starter
Members
Senior Members
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 571
Likes: 0
From: MA/CT
My Ride: 2005 525i 6MT
Bilstein's tend to be a firmer ride. If you end up doing a spring/shock combo a better setup for ride comfort but improved handling would be Koni FSD and H&R sport springs. A couple of other members I know have gone that route and are a happy with the results. It will also lower your ride a little bit without the bounciness of just doing lowering springs.
In the end i want something that isnt going backards just to drop the car an inch or two.
last thing i want is suspension problems. im afraid to do coillovers for a few reasons,
-wheels rubbing coil overs..
-Im aware i can use spacers but i dont want to.
is there any way to confirm if they will work without spacing the wheels? the offset is et20 all around. ( will i possibly run into this problem with the strut/spring combo as well?)
- alignment every other month..
coilovers mess with the geometry of the suspension so im assuming here.non sport suspension. id love to just do lowering springs and drive the car until i was sick of the ride and then do coils but im afraid to blow out the suspension.. non sport suspesion + sport h/r springs = disaster
im 0n 19" style 166
et 20 all the way around.

Last edited by Bill109; May 11, 2013 at 04:59 PM.
Members
Senior Members
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 953
Likes: 2
From: Concord, CA
My Ride: Alpine E60, '09 535i-Premium, Sport and Comfort Access PackageMods: Lux H8 V3 Angel Eyes, Weisslicht LED license plate lights, Interior LED lights, RPI Scoop, Matte Black Grills, Smoked LED side markers & side reflectors, 35% tint all around, and a 3
thank you for the insight! i'm trying to move this process along, and soon! Have been putting in some extra time at work so i dont feel so bad dropping the cash on coil overs when i'm ready.
In the end i want something that isnt going backards just to drop the car an inch or two.
last thing i want is suspension problems. im afraid to do coillovers for a few reasons,
-wheels rubbing coil overs..
-Im aware i can use spacers but i dont want to.
is there any way to confirm if they will work without spacing the wheels? the offset is et20 all around. ( will i possibly run into this problem with the strut/spring combo as well?)
- alignment every other month..
coilovers mess with the geometry of the suspension so im assuming here.
In the end i want something that isnt going backards just to drop the car an inch or two.
last thing i want is suspension problems. im afraid to do coillovers for a few reasons,
-wheels rubbing coil overs..
-Im aware i can use spacers but i dont want to.
is there any way to confirm if they will work without spacing the wheels? the offset is et20 all around. ( will i possibly run into this problem with the strut/spring combo as well?)
- alignment every other month..
coilovers mess with the geometry of the suspension so im assuming here.
).
Thread Starter
Members
Senior Members
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 571
Likes: 0
From: MA/CT
My Ride: 2005 525i 6MT
First off what is the width of your wheels, front and rear's. Most of the time you should be fine unless you are running big wheels like mine. I had to use 5mm spacers, which you can't feel, because I am running a 9x20 et 18 wheel up front and the KW's are larger then most CO's. If your wheels are 8-8.5" wide they you should be fine. You don't need to do an alignment every month however you should do one about 200 miles after you install your CO's to allow settling to occur. Afterwards it is alignment like normal, abnormal tire wear or car is pulling left or right. Just be sure to find a shop that knows how to do a wheel alignment on a BMW (if they ask why there are 6 versions of your car in the system, run
).
).this is valuable info, i appreciate it!
my wheels are 19x 8.5 and 19x9.5..
id like to go the used kw2 route. i found a heck of a deal if they are still available or the ST's by kw. both seem like a good option.
hopefully i dont have to use spacers with my current wheels. i really dont want to drop more money on spacers just to get the coils to fit..

i might end up going to the gloss black trim vs the matte look as it is now.

