[325_bucks]

Hi all

Let me get this out the way - why buy a Comp if I want comfort? Well the comp is a much more appealing car to me but the ride quality, while ok, is something that I know could be tiring on the terrible UK roads around here, and everywhere to be honest.

I'm picking up a 2020 M5 Competition, pre lci but with the upgraded interior, on Friday. I don't have any interest in lowering the car as such, I don't tend to do many mods visually, but I guess it's nice to have the option.

Mainly, I'd like to change the springs to something more comfortable and compliant on UK roads. I currently have the car booked in for MSS Springs in a few weeks time, as I've read/heard that these are probably the best for comfort while maintaning a good level of handling. But I read someone saying the handling was a bit snappy but I don't know if that was just that specific person or not.

What is the recommended option to maintain the M5 feel but improve compliance? Should I stick with MSS, or is the standard M5 suspension possible to replace on the comp potentially? Or other options?

Thanks very much

[Maverik259]

buy the base M springs. best ride i've ever had. Extremely confident and plenty firm in my opinion.

although im curious...i know its a moot point now, but what about the "comp" over the "base" if you didnt want the firmer suspension did you actually want? only thing you couldn't do yourself was the 17hp, the slightly and i mean slightly different sounding exhaust, and maybe the dynamic motor mounts. the rest of the cosmetic stuff is a few hundred dollars at best. Or was it just the name? which is fine. no judgement here. i am just curious. I purposefully didn't buy a comp because of the reviews on the suspension i read about but would pick up a LCI comp in a heart beat.

[325_bucks]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

buy the base M springs. best ride i've ever had. Extremely confident and plenty firm in my opinion.

although im curious...i know its a moot point now, but what about the "comp" over the "base" if you didnt want the firmer suspension did you actually want? only thing you couldn't do yourself was the 17hp, the slightly and i mean slightly different sounding exhaust, and maybe the dynamic motor mounts. the rest of the cosmetic stuff is a few hundred dollars at best. Or was it just the name? which is fine. no judgement here. i am just curious. I purposefully didn't buy a comp because of the reviews on the suspension i read about but would pick up a LCI comp in a heart beat.

Genuinely it wasn't just the name, although that was part of it for sure, it was all those things you mentioned, and the fact that I don't really like modding my cars mainly, so I would rather have just modded the springs than everything else. Plus the comp wasn't that much more than a base one and also because I found the spec I wanted which was only in a comp at the time.

So you think the base M5 springs on the Comp would work well?

[pbonsalb]

Not sure what wheels you have, but 20” wheels ride better than 21s. And if you don’t drive with a full load, lower your tire pressures a little.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by 325_bucks

Genuinely it wasn't just the name, although that was part of it for sure, it was all those things you mentioned, and the fact that I don't really like modding my cars mainly, so I would rather have just modded the springs than everything else. Plus the comp wasn't that much more than a base one and also because I found the spec I wanted which was only in a comp at the time.

So you think the base M5 springs on the Comp would work well?

Yes. The comp springs are stiffer and 15mm lower so less travel. They will help. All shorter springs are going to be stiffer and I think the comp is even worse. Anything else aftermarket will resemble comp stiffness to compensate for the lowering. Only other option is complete coilover set that can be tuned to comfort. ie Not KW.

It won't be perfect as the shocks are still a bit stiffer than base but the springs I think will make a difference you seek!

[325_bucks]

I think that's the difference with the MSS springs, they are not lowering springs, well, they have the ability to run at stock height as well as lower but have 3 spring rates in the rear which provides the comfort as well as handling.

But your idea of standard M5 springs could be a good idea, I'll explore that option

[pbonsalb]

I am looking at springs now and have read just about every spring post over the last couple of days. After driving my used F90 base about 13k miles, I have decided to get slightly stiffer and slightly lower springs. I don’t want to spend the money on an adjustable kit and don’t think I need one for my purposes.

Looked at Eibach and found about 2 reviews here and the Evolve review. They would probably be ok for me. Most people buy the H&R. I don’t want the added lowering of the M550xi since I drive year round including snow and roads in my area can have pretty big frost heaves in the winter and spring.

I had the regular H&R on my E90M3 for about 8 of the 10 years I had the car and liked them though they dropped it a little more than ideal for my use. The E90M3 is short on suspension travel to start with but I changed to Bilsteins that may have helped.

EDIT: I went ahead and ordered the regular M5 H&R.

Have read a couple of posts saying the ride is harsh or bouncy, but most don’t say that. Most posts are about looks rather than performance so it is a bit hard to tell.

[325_bucks]

I’ve done about 500 miles in my new comp since I got it last week. I have to say I don’t know what I was worried about, the ride is firm yes, but definitely not uncomfortable, it’s actually quite enjoyable, enough that now I’m not looking at replacing the springs, at least until I’ve lived with it for a lot longer and made a better decision. But it’s generally ok as it is so will probably spend the money on some other tweak I guess! Stage 1 maybe!