Strutmasters Conversion 4.4i sport

[Boshwash]

Hello everyone, I am a new member to the forum. Let me start with a brief description of my X5:

Recently purchased 2005 X5 4.4i with 99,200 miles.
Packed up with about every package I've seen to come on one. Most importantly to this post, it has the sport package including option S226A - Sport Suspension Settings and S221A - 2-axle self-leveling suspension.

I've been researching the web to find out 'exactly' what these two options consist of and what they are, my findings have been less than inspiring but I have found a few useful bits I would like to share.

The reason I am even talking about this is that I noticed the front driver side sagging and the rear is jacked way up, sometimes more than others and usually the passenger side is up higher in both the front and rear than the driver side. After reading online about so many people spending thousands and chasing issues one after another, I decided that this air ride system has got to go, I can't afford to throw thousands at problems that end up not being fixed. Reliability is something i want to prioritize on this vehicle.

I searched for coil spring conversion kits, I found some made by Suncore, ECS Tuning, and Strutmasters. The ECS Tuning kit is 'not' a complete kit, so buyer beware. I spoke with Jack from ECS Tuning and he put together a 'full' kit which clocked in around $1,500. A far cry from the kit they sell on their website which costs under $400.

The more interesting info I got was from Strutmasters. I saw they had several packages on their website, all of which said "Not for 4.4i models with the sport package". I wanted to confirm that I wasn't missing something so I called them up. After working with Kent for a while he did some digging and called me back. He said that they DO have a kit that works with the 4.4i including the sport package now. He told me that the 4.8 kit actually also works with the 4.4i sport package. Kent said that they had successfully fit it to a X5 like mine and there would be no issues. Their kit also includes the error message cancelling module that has been mentioned by a few users already. The cost of the Strutmasters 4.8 kit is $1,748 after shipping (I live in KY).

I had a couple of questions about the kit that Kent answered, however I'm a little skeptical at this point, so if anyone has any insight, please chime in and we could all gain from this.

1. Is the 'ride height' the same on a 4.8 as it is on a 4.4 /w sport package? I asked Kent this question and he sort of danced around it but said that my X5 would have the same ride height as the OEM suspension set on the 'middle' setting (i have the adjustable suspension currently).

2. Ride quality. I felt that the current ride quality was a little harsh considering the type of vehicle this is. My E46 330i with the sport suspension is considerable more forgiving when it comes to bumps etc. Has anyone done this conversion that can chime in?

3. Towing capability. I wonder if there will be a reduction in towing capability when the rear air bags are removed? I always thought the tow capacity was pretty high on the X5 and this could potentially be a reason why. Does the self leveling function actually increase the vehicles ability to tow a heavier load... I'm not sure, if anyone else has any thoughts feel free to comment.

Unless I come up with a reason not to, I'm probably going to order the Strutmasters conversion kit for the 4.8 and fit it to my 4.4 (or try to). I was told that I could order over the phone and Kent would create an invoice noting that I was told by them that the 4.8 kit would work on my 4.4 so if I need to return it, I won't hear any nonsense about 'it's not their fault that I ordered the wrong kit'.

I have heard some compelling arguments for keeping the air ride suspension. However, I just can't justify it right now, with no warranty and the fact that my wife will primarily DD this car. I would much rather spend the money up front and not have to worry about any continuing issues (related to the air suspension) for the next 4-5 years I plan to own it (perhaps longer).


Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope it helps to increase the collective knowledge regarding this subject. If this has already been explained and more information exists on this forum or another that I just overlooked, please point me in the correct direction.

Justin



*Please don't bother to say, "If you wanted reliability and didn't have the money to throw at a used vehicle then you shouldn't have bought one with 100k miles on it and surely shouldn't have bought a BMW*