[Uridian]

I'm a little bit torn about what I want to do with my suspension on the 228i. I have the basic M Sport suspension. As soon as I got the car, I wanted to improve the suspension a bit and springs were going to be a no-brainer. It's a lease, so I don't want to spend too much. I just wanted to drop the car an inch or so and stiffen up the ride. It could use some stiffer low speed damping and reduced body roll. I've since just about sold myself on the ST X Performance coil overs (non-adjustable) since they're still pretty budget and easy to remove at lease end. I suspect much of the softness I experience is under-damping rather than inadequate spring rates.

But then I had to bring the 228i in and drive a base 328i as a loaner for a few days. And MAN was that suspension floaty, wallowy, just generally unpleasant to me. Then I got back into my 228i and what a revelation! So much more planted than the 328i that it had me wondering how much better the struts in an economy coil over set up would be than the standard M Sport struts. Maybe I would be happy with just putting H&R springs in and calling the suspension sorted for the time being.

So... would you expect the ST dampers to be substantially better/stiffer than the M Sport dampers? Enough to to justify the cost over just running springs with the standard M Sport dampers?

It's not a big rush I guess since I'm not going to dig into the suspension entering winter, but I might want to consider ordering soon so I can be ready for spring.

[Ricfutures]

On all my previous rides I always went with springs to lower the car and specifically on my E92 M3 to maintain EDC functionality. This is obviously the cheaper solution however you have to keep in mind that the factory shocks are not designed to work with shorter springs. It's debatable whether or not there are any long term implications but all of the feedback that I have read shows that the car will ride significantly better with a coilover system or upgrading the shocks along with the lowering springs.

I have ST Coils on order and hopefully should be able to provide some feedback by the end of the month. I went with this option because the ST coils are pretty much the same as the KW version minus the galvanized steel that protects against rust/corrosion. So if you drive in the snow and live in a state that uses salt on the roads you may want to pony up for the KW version. Otherwise they should be fine.

I also read somewhere that you can treat the ST Coils with something to help protect against the corrosion. Hope this helps!

[Uridian]

I'm aware of the conventional wisdom of shortened damper life when matched with lowering springs, but I'm mostly curious about how much better than stock M dampers the "base model" ST line are. I can definitely imagine that lowering springs with non-M sport dampers would be a fairly nasty mis-match in ride quality, but I wonder if the M Sport damping is just enough for the increase in spring rate and shortened travel.

Also, it's my understanding that the ST line is the galvanized steel, and the KW is proper stainless. So while the KW would be nearly impervious to the winter, the ST should do fine on it's own, provided you don't compromise the zinc coating.

I'm very interested to see how you like the ST compared to your stock dampers. Please report back after install.

[Ricfutures]

Thanks for the correction! I will certainly provide feedback ASAP.

[hoppy6698]

I had ST coilovers on my B8 Audi A4 for two years. Not impressed at all. I eventually swapped them out for Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs. The ride was greatly improved. Immediately, bumps were smoothed out, cornering load up was more progressive and controllable, and the suspension even got quieter (STs would make some harsh sounds over some bumps).

After all that, I wish I had saved my money on the STs. They took a few months to work out one thumping noise, and they always made an odd noise at wheel lock when turning.

To the OP - if all you want is a slightly tighter ride and about 1" lower, many owners have put on the HR spring kit and love it. If that is too low, the Dinan setup gets good reviews too.

After my experience with STs, I will be staying away from them. Given the amount of fine tuning BMW does for its cars for track/autobahn enjoyment, I think the furthest I will go are new springs over the M suspension.

[Ricfutures]

Interesting feedback, I haven't seen any similar complaints from other online reviews from either Audi or BMW ST users. Hopefully for my sake this was just an isolated issue. If you have any links please share.

Thanks!

[Uridian]

Hmm... interesting about the noise. After reading a bunch more, that seems to be a fairly common problem with the ST. Also, the durability of the zinc coating seems to be not quite what I'd hope for. I think for now (or spring'ish) I'll plan on springs alone and see how I like it. Maybe some swaybars will be available by then as well!

[Brickologic]

Take Bilstein, KW V3 and co. you driving a "expensive" 228i and are thinking about lowbudget coils...

dont save money at your tires, your breaks and your suspensions.

[Uridian]

Originally Posted by CS_KW automotive Germany

Take Bilstein, KW V3 and co. you driving a "expensive" 228i and are thinking about lowbudget coils...

dont save money at your tires, your breaks and your suspensions.

That's productive, thanks.