2006 X5 4.8is air suspension converted to Suncore industries kit.
 

Hello gang, I'm back in action with yet another E53. This time it's an 06 4.8is. Snagged it off SlickGT1, thanks for taking good care of the beast for all those years.

First thing she gave me was air suspension headache. I decided to eliminate the issue for now with a Suncore Industries air suspension elimination kit. The kit was $344.39 and fit like a glove. I'll post a few pics soon and describe the slightly painful install.

Drives like a new car. Tight yet supple. Not too harsh over bumps, handling feels the same. Sits about an inch taller then middle setting of 4 corner air sport suspension.

Extremely happy with the install and the quality of product so far. Let's see how they hold up to NJ roads.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. What does the kit include? Can the kit be used on a vehicle with self-leveling suspension in the rear only? Thanks again.

The kit includes the front strut assemblies, straight bolt on. About 20 min per side. Undo 3 upper 13 mm bolts, remove air line 12 mm, take off stabilizer link 18 mm, remove brake line and abs sensor from strut, undo two 22 bolts on bottom on strut and wiggle it out.

The rear springs, 2 spring pads, and a bottom spring mount.

Rear is a bit of a pain to install. But doable without a spring compressor. Just need to loosen up both upper control arms 18 mm at the bushing side, 16 mm at the ball joint side, remove the front ball joint, remove the shock 16 mm on top, 21 mm on bottom, remove the stabilizer link 18 mm and the bar mounting point 13 mm, wiggle the spring in, and only after install the bottom spring pad 18 mm.

Make sure to rotate the spring and get it seated properly. Tighten everything up with the suspension in regular ride height, and make sure the front upper control arm is aligned the same way it was.

Great information, thank you!

Does the kit come with the rear shocks as well?

This specific kit did not, but the PO installed brand new bilsteins, so I opted not to order them. There is a kit with shocks as well. Maybe extra 100 or so. I didn't want to spend the money, since I had new shocks already.

I have a 05 4.4 Sport with rear air suspension. I am contemplating going Suncore too. Just wanted to hear if you had any more input about the new setup and had a few more days riding on them. Thank you.

I gotta tell you, I'm shocked every day how nicely it rides.. it feels stiff but not harsh. Handles super well, I'm very very happy with the setup. I have about 1000 miles on it by now, and expect it to serve me well for many many more miles.

It eliminated any uncertainty I had about the truck. Now I'm not dreading the settled corners, I'm not waiting for something to fail.. just hop in and drive. Priceless to me nowadays.

Appreciate the feedback. Glad to hear you're happy with the setup. Very nice to hear indeed. I'm probably gonna take the plunge and go for it.

Oh snap. Welcome back to the forum.


I still can't believe it failed a week after buying it. Did you get the replacement Arnot yet?



:worthless:

True true. Pics would be nice.. haha. I forgot how to add them to posts. Been a while . Haha

morph, i got the suncore on order and it's on its way here. in the meantime, can you tell me how you bypass the warning message? from what i've read and researched, many have used bmw scanner v1.4 to do this... thanks.

What about the self leveling. Warning message ?

Some have used the scanner to basically remove the self level option from the spec of the car.

Some have used the provided bypass tool.

I used the tool, followed the instructions they provided. Took 2 tries to get it done right.
But now it doesn't have a message any more.

I'll be honest, if I did it again, I wouldn't even bother erasing the message. I'd live with it. Not a big deal..

Thanks for your answer
What tool ?

I have a 2002 and 2006, pasoft works great with 2002 but no with 2006, now im waiting for other chinese scan tool

PA Soft 1.4 should work fine with a 2006 X5. Not sure what the issue might be but it should work with the same settings as your 2002 :dunno:

I put the front struts in. Still have bags in the rear. I have the sports pkg and the old suspension was stiff and rode very harsh. Just changing the fronts have made the ride so much better. Much softer. At this point, I may not swap out the rear bags and just go with this set up for now. Thanks Morph and all.

did it lower it after you installed it? i am looking on ebay now hey have big sale going on for 124 bucks? https://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-2006-B...UAAOSws9xej0If

let me know

not sure if you're asking me or morph. if you're referring to morph, i believe he said the car sat somewhere in the middle of where the air ride setting used to be. i bought the front struts and rear springs and i only installed the front struts and have not converted the back air springs yet. after installing the front struts, the ride height has not changed or noticeable. i dont expect this to change after i put the rear springs in.

I've seen pics. So will answer for Morph. Car stance is amazing. I would say factory middle setting on the 4.8is, maybe a tad lower, but not really noticeable.