Rear Coil swap thoughts and review

[BMW1717]

Hey guys , longtime reader first time poster .


So like many people on the forum I was having issues with my air suspension. (Mine was rear only ) I had a slight leak in the driver side rear air bag . Very minor but I didn't want to take any chances . Was looking in to the coil swap done by many people and figured it was a good option . My X is a 2003 3.0 sport . I called my local bmw and asked them if coil springs are closer to a sport setting or a comfort . He told me they were closer to sport . His words not mine . Got a set from a used part dealer locally and paid $160 for everything i needed for the swap .

Install : honestly this was easier then I thought it might be . Very straight forward . One tip I have is to use a scissor jack after you take out the bottom shock bolt to open up enough space to fit the coil in . Took me about 30-45 minutes each side.


Coding: My X doesn't have OBC ( more intuitive cluster ) . I like it more because I don't have to worry about the pixels dying . Really bugs me when they go out . Using NCS expert I went into the KMB and found the EHC setting . Set it to deactive . Now the light isn't on showing the suspension inactive . Not sure if this works for the other cluster or not . Was reading you have to change the zcs but I didn't to remove the light.


Review : They ride very nice . Not a whole lot different but there are a couple insitences where the air bag do a little more . When you take a long sweeping turn there is a little more body roll then the air bag . Not much but enough to notice it . Towing is the only other disadvantage I can see but if your not using your X for that you shouldn't worry to much. Overall I'm very happy with it . A very good alternative if your not wanting to deal with air bag problems . Hope this helps someone who's thinking of doing the swap !

[bmw540san]

I have 6k miles on my setup and it's way better and reliable than air ride IMO:

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...gs-delete.html

[BMW1717]

Your set up is a lot different then mine . Do you have any body roll going through long or sharp turns with your set up

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by BMW1717

Your set up is a lot different then mine . Do you have any body roll going through long or sharp turns with your set up

I never had air bags and I get very little body roll in either instance.

[BMW1717]

Originally Posted by Fifty150hs

I never had air bags and I get very little body roll in either instance.

That's the only thing I noticed when I switch to rear coils . Honestly now that I've driven it around . I do like the coils a lot more . Just see the suspension inactive light made me cringe .

[Bmwtvboy]

Me too. I like the coils with the Bilstein HD's. Did the upper control arms too. Rides just as firm and rides great when it's weighted down. Body roll isn't that much more and the only annoyance is the stupid light. Would love to figure out how to turn it off. Of course the electric tape blackout is fine for now. NOW on to the trifecta again.