Coilovers install question

[16g-95gsx]

I am about to replace every bushing and control arm in my 4.8is along with swapping the air suspension with a set of BC coilovers. The reason I am doing this is to eliminate the potential failures of the air suspension (89k miles on the clock) whose tightening up the handling of the X5 not necessarily lowering it as I feel it should have ground clearance.

With that in mind, when the rear shocks are replaced do folks keep the rear airbags in place but disconnect them so that they plug holes but provide no spring force? I'll be taking on a good portion of this this weekend but I'd love to hear personal experience on the swap. What torque values do the various nuts and bolts require. I understand I can search them or calculate them individually but it's clearly easier if anyone has this info already. Sway bar endlinks, sway bar bushings, ball joints, control arms, hub to strut bolts, etc will all be redone. I even bought a new shop press just so that I can replace OEM bushings and poly bushings

[bmw540san]

I went with Bilstein HD struts and shocks, Lemforder suspension and rear German made Suplex springs in rear on my 4.6is.
While not the same it does answer some of your questions and even though I'm not familiar with 4.8i air suspension on all 4 corners, I believe that rear is similar to mine which means you can't just disconnect and leave rear air bags.
You replace them with coil springs as I did.
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...gs-delete.html

[Tormios]

Don't leave rear air bags in place. Remove them.

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[zukgod1]

BC is a great choice. I removed the rear bags BUT, I am more planning on adding them back in and setting it up so I can manually add air when towing. Would be nice to have the ability to lift the rear back up.

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[zukgod1]

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[zukgod1]

BC's ^^

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[16g-95gsx]

The only issue I have with removing the airbags is that it leaves holes in the chassis where they used to be. Those holes are for the most part covered with the rubber cap (although if I remove the accumulator's airline there will be yet another hole in this cap) but I'm not sure that's how I want to leave it.

[zukgod1]

True but it's not difficult to plug them up.

[bmw540san]

Originally Posted by 16g-95gsx

The only issue I have with removing the airbags is that it leaves holes in the chassis where they used to be. Those holes are for the most part covered with the rubber cap (although if I remove the accumulator's airline there will be yet another hole in this cap) but I'm not sure that's how I want to leave it.

No holes left. Along with coil springs I got small OEM plastic caps and dab of black silicone plugged the holes where air reservoir line came through. It looks completely OEM and it seals out moisture and dirt form entering trunk.

[16g-95gsx]

Yea that's about all you can do. What came stock on the non-air suspension X5's back there to cover up the chassis holes?