Question about what e53s came with full air suspension
 

I know some of you here know the specifics for this (hopefully),

So i believe all 4.8is came full air susp stock, 04-06 model years,


Now theres the rest of e53s 3.0/4.4 that are either full springs or rear air only,

Which model years in specific came with the option that you could get full air either on 3.0/4.4 maybe just 4.4, i think 4.6 you couldnt option that way, but i remember seeing somewhere other e53s which were not 4.8is could? Maybe i read wrong but i just want to know for sure.

Full air suspension was an option starting on '02-'03 4.4, and 3.0. Not sure if it was an option for the 4.6, I never saw one with full air. Stayed an option for all engines till EOP of the E53, and obviously as you know was standard on the 4.8iS.

It was a standalone option that in my previous knowledge i thought one had to previously order the sport package in order to "check the box" to also get full air. However there is a member here with a pre-facelift 4.4 I believe which has full air suspension and non-sport package.


Mine is an '03, with sport package, with full air, 3.0 5-speed so I guess it's somewhat rare.

option S220A, rear only and option S221A, all 4 corners, were available from the beginning of production...

both option codes continue to appear as valid choices for the entire production time of E53 - it could be that the rears only were "discouraged" by the factory and not ordered as much...

Are you sure on that T? I was always fairly certain that S221A full air suspension was not available in MY2000 or 2001, but started in 2002. This is from the options thread on the main page "How to tell what options you have"


(+) Adjustable Ride Height (2002-2006 3.0i/4.4i; optional with sport package/requires self-leveling rear suspension; 2004-2006 4.8is standard)

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...htControl2.jpg

I am not sure if the S221A was applied to vehicles in 1999 or even in 2001 but the option was "choosable" on internal order sheets, which makes me think, that either it was available for real or was put there as a "placeholder" until it became available for real...

Hmm,, thanks guys, perhaps it was more popular overseas? USA usually gets downgraded stuff and might not have been avail till later lol.


I also looked at arnott and they say 2000-2006 e53 w 4 corner air replacement parts which leads me to believe from 2000.

I distinctly think it was introduced in 2002MY

I have to find the PDF for this but in my air susp troubles I used to refer to the BMW tech manual for EHC systems, and it distinctly referred to the all new EHC2 system being introduced, and I feel like it was a 2002 manual. I think Arnott only uses 2000-2006 on their website because those are E53 model years.

Regardless its neither here nor there but I have never seen a 2000 or 2001 with full air. Maybe Qsilver or someone with the wealth of knowledge could find the EHC2 guide as to which year it was introduced?

Someone call my name? :D

I'll comment on two things that came up:

1. the EHC II system w/sport pkg (S226A) & w/o sport pkg
2. the EHC II system debut w/2002 model year e53

When you look at the part database for the EHC II air struts for the 2002/2003 3.0 & 4.4...there are 2 options for front & rear struts. There's a strut specifically for option S226A (which is the sport pkg)....then there's the strut for the S221A (EHC II). It's listed slightly different depending if you're looking at the front or rear...but there's definitely a different strut depending on how the vehicle is optioned for those first two years (02/03). Starting with the 2004 model year (10/03 build date)...the EHC II struts only have one strut option (front & rear). Hmmm. ;)

This makes it appear that the 2002/2003 3.0 & 4.4 could be ordered with the dual axle EHC II system with or without the sport pkg...whereas from 2004-06...EHC II was only offered with the sport pkg on the 3.0 & 4.4 (and standard on the 4.8is). Does anyone else come to this conclusion? :dunno:

Below is the information I have about the single & dual axle Air Suspension Systems (EHC I & II):

Intresting,, @qsilver,,

Mainly the last part, if i remember correctly from a post made here i read thru before, the correct bags go get for the rear of a 4.8is for example was the comfort ones? Is the 4.8is full sport meaning sport bags rear and front?

On a side note, i see people replacing the front struts/bags and rear bags.. Anyone replace the rear shocks? Its normal to replace them on other cars just as the struts but i dont see if talked about much, where do you get them as well cause i dont think arnott sells them.

1. Yes, the air bags for the EHC II system (10/2003-up build date) are the "comfort" bags for the 3.0/4.4/4.8is (especially when looking at Arnott's web site). And again, all 3 of these models have the "sport pkg"...and even though the air bags have full "comfort" articulation (highest to lowest suspension settings)...these vehicles (so equipped with EHC II) are "coded" with the sport pkg suspension (lowered stance) setting as its default.

This is another reason why it seems confusing that the 2002/03 models with EHC II have a specific air bag if optioned with the sport pkg (S226A).

2. Since the full weight (axle load) is borne by the air bags...this means that the shocks/struts only serve an ancillary/support function. Would they "wear out" at the same rate as the air bags? Or would replacing them depend on if they are actually worn out or not performing up to par...or if the owner opts to change them along with the air bags (which are bearing the full load)?

Not sure on the front bags as I never replaced the rears, however I do have Arnott replacement struts on my X.

I am one of those weird ones that is 2003, with options S221A and S226A. I was under the impression from a thread we had some time back that the "Sport" rear bags Arnott sells cross reference a BMW part number for an X5 that has sport package option S226A, but has only rear self-leveling (normal coil springs/struts) in front.

We came to a conclusion in that thread that no matter your option package if you had S226A sport or not, if you had S221A EHCII full air suspension and were replacing the rear bags you needed the comfort ones for the full articulation of the air suspension.


I enjoy having one of the "rare" package combos around these parts so have been enjoying educating myself over the past 2 years (and thank you Qsilver as always for the knowledge, I knew EHCII debuted in 2002!)

Interesting point about the full articulation ricky, i remember seeing that as well..

But now i have a different POV on it, while the may not provide as much range in height as for example the comfort ones, the comfort ones do look bigger overall then the sport.

So now if you put sport bags up front, and in the rear ( i believe they made sport bags up front yes? didnt check cause writing this from phone) i believe they would bolt up/install fine into the 4.8, i dont care for the offroad portion of it at all, but my thinking is

Since comfort ones seem to be overall bigger, and sport smaller, meaning like me and my other buddies who run our X's low,

The sport ones would retain a higher pressure of air in them if at the same height of the comfort bags if you get what im saying, since basically less pressure = lower height, but thats not always good as well cause you dont retain the "sportness" as you do with for example harder coilover springs..

I hope thats easy to understand lol, basically saying both X's lowered, the one with comfort bags will have less pressure and easier to bottom out, versus a smaller bag at the same height will have more pressure in it just cause theres less room for the air to go.

For the record: my 2005 E53 3.0d sport has no airbags at all. It was an option, but not very popular here in oz.

I want to put BCRacing coilovers on, along with airbags on the rear so I can level the car out when putting heavy loads in the back.

Question: does anyone know if the mount points for struts & rear coilovers are exactly the same on E53's from factory, regardless of sport/normal and airbags vs springs?

I'm about to do opposite of what most people do: going from Sport springs, to airbags on the rear, and coilovers all around. I will use manual inflation of air bags when I load the rear of the car up.. A bit worried that the BC Racing coilovers will be made for different mount points than on my sport 3.0d.

Advice please chaps?

Your point of thinking is right regarding when you lower your X with DIS or what have you, you are lowering the pressure in the bags and is actually making the suspension more "cushy", as opposed to stiffening up like a progressive coilover setup.

As far as I know you cannot take the rear fitment "sport springs" and fit them onto our factory air struts as the front and rear bags are different designs, mounting fitments etc. If you want to be able to lower your factory air ride but yet keep the ride stiff and sporty, you would need to go aftermarket, most likely with Accu-air or something similar.

X5SND has gone with a custom air setup on his X, using factory 4.8/full air suspension bags on all 4 corners, however, his management system is better so I'm under the impression he is able to lower the suspension yet have it a bit stiffer than stock, you'd have to ask him though about his setup, he did a build thread a while back:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-related-...hello-air.html

Yeah i was just trying to see if maybe could just do something with the bags to improve it.

We have the other silver 4.8is in our group like mine and he has aftermarket air management, so at the height he is, with the factory bmw system, its basically aired out, but his still has air etc, easier to adjust and works differently then bmw factory sys.

Yeah i was just trying to see if maybe could just do something with the bags to improve it.

We have the other silver 4.8is in our group like mine and he has aftermarket air management, so at the height he is, with the factory bmw system, its basically aired out, but his still has air etc, easier to adjust and works differently then bmw factory sys.

Basically the Arnott/BMW bags are good, its just the management with the air tank, etc, that needs tweaking, you said it right there with the other guy in your group (I've seen pics of his X before, he's Mike's boy right?) and its all about the management system, tank size, compressor, etc. If you're good at that kind of stuff its definitely doable, I don't run my X slammed though (I'm only about 1/2" lower than stock sport height), just drop it to lowered view for pics :)

I explained it to another member in some other thread a while back (I can't recall where) but basically, as you go lower with the factory BMW setup you need to decrease the overall compressible volume to speed up the reaction time of the system. Unfortunately the way BMW designed their air set up makes that task anything but easy.

The other situation/limiting factor we face is that our vehicles use MacPherson struts up front.....had BMW designed the E53 with double wishbones we would have a PLETHORA of possibilities.

The ideal route (Ive pondered it for a while) would be to talk to RideTech and ask them what would the possibilities be of doing a Shockwave Select air strut. They already make components we could use for the rears, so that shouldn't be a huge issue. This road would get us electronically adjustable dampers coupled with bags designed around our lower ride height....win, win.

has anyone ever added front air suspension to there X and maybe aftermarket control of the system? I have rear air only and want to add front for 4 corner but control manual from in side or remote system

I was pleasantly surprised to recently discover that the mystery connector in my spare tire area (as well as one for a module in the battery compartment between the PDC and towing modules) on my 2001 3.0 non-sport is pre-wiring for rear air suspension. I suspect it was part of the level 3 option(s) harness that I have.

hi all ,for what its worth my 2004 facelift 3.0d has rear air suspension only....i will contemplate removing and changing with normal springs once this starts playing up....