[vtown]

Going with KONI Special actives on the stock m-sport springs

do I need the ~$300 install kit? shock mounts etc?
Car has 65K on it, re-use or get all new stuff?

[dreaming.haze]

Good question. Went with KONI Special actives on my car a few weekends back (car had ~72k miles. Upgraded to F80 Bumpstops + replaced shock mounts all around. Front drivers strut mount had some subtle play in it, where as all other strut/shock mounts didn't feel like they had any. Really up to you - One thing to consider is just buying the install kit and ordering through FCPEuro. You are right next door being in CT and you can easily refresh the mounts / bumpstops / hardware when the KONIs wear out with a lifetime warranty on the parts.

[Gen13 F36]

Originally Posted by dreaming.haze

Good question. Went with KONI Special actives on my car a few weekends back (car had ~72k miles. Upgraded to F80 Bumpstops + replaced shock mounts all around. Front drivers strut mount had some subtle play in it, where as all other strut/shock mounts didn't feel like they had any. Really up to you - One thing to consider is just buying the install kit and ordering through FCPEuro. You are right next door being in CT and you can easily refresh the mounts / bumpstops / hardware when the KONIs wear out with a lifetime warranty on the parts.

How is koniSA, what spring did you pair it with?

[thatBimmerBloke]

You won't need the whole kit. At 65k miles you could probably just get the lemforder mounts, they are the OEM BMW mounts without the branding. At least get the front mounts, rear ones usually don't fail. I recently installed coilovers at 48k miles and got new front shock mounts as a precaution, after install I checked out the old mounts and they are still in great condition. So I guess I could've saved $160

[vtown]

Originally Posted by dreaming.haze

Good question. Went with KONI Special actives on my car a few weekends back (car had ~72k miles. Upgraded to F80 Bumpstops + replaced shock mounts all around. Front drivers strut mount had some subtle play in it, where as all other strut/shock mounts didn't feel like they had any. Really up to you - One thing to consider is just buying the install kit and ordering through FCPEuro. You are right next door being in CT and you can easily refresh the mounts / bumpstops / hardware when the KONIs wear out with a lifetime warranty on the parts.

Also very interested in your experience with the SA and what springs you used. I've been agonizing over this for about a year. Got fed up yesterday and just pulled the trigger....

[harshil102]

Originally Posted by vtown

Also very interested in your experience with the SA and what springs you used. I've been agonizing over this for about a year. Got fed up yesterday and just pulled the trigger....

Did you end up installing these? Also looking at buying them to upgrade from stock M-sport. Main goal is to get rid of the bouncing floaty feeling that you get when hitting mid/high speed bumps and expansion joints + leveling out some of the body movement. Secondary to that it would be nice to slightly round off the more jarring bump absorption the stock m-sport has on city streets but if this stays the same I'm fine with that as long as it at least doesn't get much worse.

[vtown]

Originally Posted by harshil102

Did you end up installing these? Also looking at buying them to upgrade from stock M-sport. Main goal is to get rid of the bouncing floaty feeling that you get when hitting mid/high speed bumps and expansion joints + leveling out some of the body movement. Secondary to that it would be nice to slightly round off the more jarring bump absorption the stock m-sport has on city streets but if this stays the same I'm fine with that as long as it at least doesn't get much worse.

Yes, Installed last week. I have only driven it a couple times (no where to go) so I don't want to give a detailed review yet.

Initial impressions: Mild improvement over the stock M-sport dampers. Comfort level is very good. Some improvement in body roll. Some improvement in float control.

This said, I am somewhat underwhelmed, I expected a more dramatic upgrade. Perhaps I need to pair them with a slightly stiffer spring to get the firmness up a tad? Looking at the Dinan springs now. I didn't really want to drop the car as I already drag the lip fairly regularly. Maybe it will be ok if the springs are a lower but stiffer.

After I drive the car more I will update.

[harshil102]

Originally Posted by vtown

Yes, Installed last week. I have only driven it a couple times (no where to go) so I don't want to give a detailed review yet.

Initial impressions: Mild improvement over the stock M-sport dampers. Comfort level is very good. Some improvement in body roll. Some improvement in float control.

This said, I am somewhat underwhelmed, I expected a more dramatic upgrade. Perhaps I need to pair them with a slightly stiffer spring to get the firmness up a tad? Looking at the Dinan springs now. I didn't really want to drop the car as I already drag the lip fairly regularly. Maybe it will be ok if the springs are a lower but stiffer.

After I drive the car more I will update.

Sounds good man, waiting on your update!

Sorry that it hasn't met your expectations yet, but maybe your impressions might change after more driving. I was debating the same thing that the SA might be a little soft with m-sport springs but like you, I also don't want to lower my car. I have only owned the car for 5 months but I haven't scraped yet by being only slightly careful and I would prefer to keep it that way.

[rcaso26]

Pair the Koni SA's with Eibach Pro Kit springs. Perfect drop and they pair very well with the Konis. That's what I'm running right now and haven't had any issues.

[vtown]

Originally Posted by harshil102

Sounds good man, waiting on your update!

Sorry that it hasn't met your expectations yet, but maybe your impressions might change after more driving. I was debating the same thing that the SA might be a little soft with m-sport springs but like you, I also don't want to lower my car. I have only owned the car for 5 months but I haven't scraped yet by being only slightly careful and I would prefer to keep it that way.

Yeah the dragging is because I have an lip on the car. Thankfully it's the lip that touches the ground on occasion. Never happened prior to adding that.

[vtown]

Originally Posted by rcaso26

Pair the Koni SA's with Eibach Pro Kit springs. Perfect drop and they pair very well with the Konis. That's what I'm running right now and haven't had any issues.

Hmm.

I was under the impression that the eibach springs were essentially the same spring rate as the m-sports? (something like 1% stiffer front, 6% rear)
I wish they would publish the specs for everything!

[rcaso26]

Originally Posted by vtown

Hmm.

I was under the impression that the eibach springs were essentially the same spring rate as the m-sports? (something like 1% stiffer front, 6% rear)
I wish they would publish the specs for everything!

Not sure about that. I went from standard xdrive springs to the eibachs with the koni SAs so the difference in ride height and stiffness (in a good way) was much more noticeable.

[vtown]

Originally Posted by rcaso26

Not sure about that. I went from standard xdrive springs to the eibachs with the koni SAs so the difference in ride height and stiffness (in a good way) was much more noticeable.

Ah yes, that would be a big improvement.

[vtown]

Updating as I have a few more miles on the SA setup now.

Definitely an improvement over stock M-sport dampers. Comfort on bad roads is similar or better than stock. Where these guys shine is with a more spirited drive. Definitely corners flatter, definitely handles dips and rises in the road more composed, less float.

Tempted to order Dinan springs for the 3/4" drop and 30% stiffness bump to take it up one more click.
I reached out to Koni to get their thoughts and they note that although these are really designed for stock ride height, they could be used with lowering springs. They will function as designed, unless the lowering spring allows the car to impact the bump stops often. In that scenario, the shock will perform with less damping(blow-off, as if hitting a pothole) rather than more (which is what you want). Seems like you could offset this by also using the Dinan bump stops (which appear to be shorter?) They note that it would need to be tested to know if it's a good combo....

Also note that I probably did not need the cup install kit. At 68K, strut mounts and hardware were all in good shape, although I installed new anyway as I had it all.

[harshil102]

Originally Posted by vtown

Updating as I have a few more miles on the SA setup now.

Definitely an improvement over stock M-sport dampers. Comfort on bad roads is similar or better than stock. Where these guys shine is with a more spirited drive. Definitely corners flatter, definitely handles dips and rises in the road more composed, less float.

Tempted to order Dinan springs for the 3/4" drop and 30% stiffness bump to take it up one more click.
I reached out to Koni to get their thoughts and they note that although these are really designed for stock ride height, they could be used with lowering springs. They will function as designed, unless the lowering spring allows the car to impact the bump stops often. In that scenario, the shock will perform with less damping(blow-off, as if hitting a pothole) rather than more (which is what you want). Seems like you could offset this by also using the Dinan bump stops (which appear to be shorter?) They note that it would need to be tested to know if it's a good combo....

Also note that I probably did not need the cup install kit. At 68K, strut mounts and hardware were all in good shape, although I installed new anyway as I had it all.

Awesome, thank you for posting an update!

Gonna be a tough choice between these and the Koni Yellows when the time comes!