**X5 KW Variant3 Coilovers on the lowest setting....SLAMMMEDD**

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by pap smear

so which one would be for my 2006 3.0i

The KWs are German made (GmbH and FULL TUV certification), used in WTCC and DTM racing series and are not super stiff in high speed damping with full adjustability in low speed damping. These facts alone made the KWs my choice.

Be aware that if you want to get as low as possible without excessive harshness you need to use the smallest/lightest/narrowest wheel tire combo (this fact flies in the face of "bigger and wider is cooler"). OE 315s on 20" wheels are HEAVY (along with shorter sidewall, taller sidewalls absorb some of the bump), these heavy wheels/tires increase upward inertia when the wheel contacts a bump causing increased jounce and delayed rebound that can allow the contact patch to lose contact with the road surface, big, wide and heavy wheels/tires are NOT GOOD when combined with lowering and coilovers.

I went with a set of ultra-light 19" staggered Envy wheels, with 255/285 tires and a combined load rating of ONLY 6000 lbs, that's about the weight of an X with 4 people and some cargo, this allow for rears that weigh under 50 lbs. I intentionally kept the wheel width, diameter and load rating to a minimum to reduce unsprung weight because I knew the coilover drop was in the Xs future. Also installed magnesium alloy H&R DRA spacers due to German made, TUV cert and light weight. Pricey, but only around 2 lbs each for the 25mm spacer. Reducing unsprung weight also has the same effect as installing stiffer swaybars.

[Green Dragon]

I will be installing my KW's in a few weeks, as soon as finals are over.....uuuuugh! I'm decided to go with 255/55/18's all round with good v-rated Michelins as a starting point. My OEM style 58 rims are on the lighter side of the spectrum as well. I'm holding out for a future style 87 (or similar) setup down the road.

I will be running a modest drop of about 1.5" or so. Better handling is what I'm after. I'm not itching to slam the X. As noted above, this may ruin the ride. My first e53 with the sports package was great and I was pretty content with the way it handled, but my current e53 with non-sport suspension is screaming for attention. Thus, the KW's.

I've always loved how well all my past BMW's have been driving machines. And I'm really looking forward to custom tuning the driving dynamics of this 6-speed machine matted to the KW's. Many more performance mods to come......some are a secret....

[pap smear]

B&G springs give u the most drop? would i be good with them on the stock sport suspension?

[Bayerische E53]

The B&G springs will not provide the "most drop." IIRC the KW coil-over kit will lower you between 1.4" and 2.5" while the B&G springs give you about 1.25"

The B&G will work with your stock shocks, but the ride won't be too great (i.e. a bit bumpy). Putting lowering springs on the stock shocks will also greatly reduce the life of your shocks. I would upgrade the shocks to Bilstein HD shocks in conjunction with the springs - especially if you've got more than 50,000 miles on your stock shocks.

[mrbmwx5]

Here is the drop of B&G on Bilstien shock.

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by Forster

Thanks man! I don't want to thread jack so heres my thread from almost a year ago, I'll update it soon. http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...de-11-x5m.html

I'm no longer running H&Rs.. the springs were brutal.. KW coils are the way to go, sooo much better........

This is post #30 in this thread, this is info from an X owner that has tried some different lowering kits. You get what you pay for, KW is pricey but you get what you pay for!

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by Bayerische E53

.........I think what it comes down to is the fact that we've got over 5,000lbs to dampen here. I don't doubt that the ride in your Viper is fair, but, to be fair, that car weighs a good ton less than the E53.........

Having driven and ridden in several 3200 lb Vipers on several different coilover kits (Penske remote res, Koni, H&R, KW, Motion Con), I can tell you weight is not the only factor in ride. I swore I would not switch out the OE Koni coilovers until I drove a VCA members '98 GTS on KWs.

[Bayerische E53]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

Having driven and ridden in several 3200 lb Vipers on several different coilover kits (Penske remote res, Koni, H&R, KW, Motion Con), I can tell you weight is not the only factor in ride. I swore I would not switch out the OE Koni coilovers until I drove a VCA members '98 GTS on KWs.

I agree that sprung weight is not the only factor in ride quality. That much is obvious. But when we're talking about trying to support and control another FULL TON, I think it plays a larger role than it otherwise would.

I don't want to get too far off topic here, but I've had experiences to the contrary so I must dissent. I have to say that one can't realistically compare a proper remote reservoir shock from the likes of Penske, AST, Moton, MCS, or Öhlins to an off-the-shelf coil-over shock - regardless of brand. If you found that the KWs on your friend's GTS were very good indeed, I'd venture to assume that he had a properly set up KW kit (i.e. custom, or at least lots of track time in countless configurations) rather than some off-the-shelf deal.

I have a friend who has a KW Clubsport kit on his Z3 M Coupe and has spent in excess of $6,000 over the years to get it to the point where he is finally satisfied. That said, was it worth the hassle? For a little more than that kind of cake, he could have started off on a set of Motons, ASTs, or even Öhlins from the get-go. Today, I'd say Öhlins and MCS are leading the industry (those boys really know what they're doing).

I'm not insinuating that either you or your comrade have trash suspension kits, but for the amount of money I've seen it take to get a set of KW's to approach the level of a proper remote reservoir shock, you're just better off spending a bit more and going with the motorsport stuff. Of course, that reasoning really applies to proper sports cars (and, honestly, mostly to racecars). I find it's a bit fatuous to have such a suspension kit on a street driven car. I digress.

All that said, I know we're not talking about putting motorsport-derived, remote reservoir shocks on an X5 , hence I hope my digression neither gets taken too seriously here nor, as a corollary, gets us off-topic. But I enjoy the discussion so I had to step onto my soapbox; even if for just a short while.

Anyhow, as I said before, I'm very much looking forward to hearing how your KW V3 kit turns out on your X5 - especially considering that you're not going to be bottoming out the perches nor maximizing the shock fluid pressure. Please do let us know how you get on. Best of luck!

[X5girl]

I can confirm that RC Racing do in fact manufacture a coilover kit for the E53 X5.

They are obviously height adjustable but by shortening the strut body rather than pre-loading or unloading the coil spring. This has the advantage of having no effect on the shock travel.

They are also adjustable damping and can be offered in a range of spring rates with 9kg front and 12kg rears being the norm.

I have them on my 2004 4.8iS and they are great.

They are also only about $1000/£750 for all 4 corners.

Cheers,

8Tech.

[dabenthusiast]

Originally Posted by X5girl

I can confirm that RC Racing do in fact manufacture a coilover kit for the E53 X5.

They are obviously height adjustable but by shortening the strut body rather than pre-loading or unloading the coil spring. This has the advantage of having no effect on the shock travel.

They are also adjustable damping and can be offered in a range of spring rates with 9kg front and 12kg rears being the norm.

I have them on my 2004 4.8iS and they are great.

They are also only about $1000/£750 for all 4 corners.

Cheers,

8Tech.

On the rear did you completly delete the airsprings? And place the upper spring perch in place of the old shocks? Or in place of the air? Because I dont see how the three upper mounts can fit in place of the air...