[lixiang7349]

Guys,
I drive a 19 M240ix. Bought the car back in March of 19. Didn't do anything for the entire 1st year then I made my 1st move this past March.

Got a set of fully forged rims 19 x 8.5 wearing PS4S tires (235/40) square. I instantly noticed the car is cornering more confidently.

But it's still missing that strong torque around 4.5 krpm so I made a second move in Aril to address this, BM3 stage 1, 91. This upgrade was very noticeable, if you've done DME upgrades for turbo cars, you know what I'm talking about. There's just more torque for almost the entire rev range.

Ever since getting BM3, I kept on hearing about this xHP transmission upgrade (since about 1.5 month ago) so I finally decided to get it (stage 3) this past week. Following the advice to not floor it for the 1st 50 mi, I finally tried it at WOT earlier today. I do feel the transmission is more eager to shift and it does shift faster. People rave "who needs DCT when you can use xHP on auto" but the differences I feel are 2 fold: 1) DCT tend to hang on to lower gears even if you are not hard on the gas; 2) DCT doesn't throw the car forward a bit right before upshifting.

The way the car drives now is a night and day different since I first got it. What I want to do next is to get slightly firmer suspension without lowering the height but haven't found anything yet... I'll keep on researching....

Since I haven't taken the car to drag strips yet so If you have similar setup and can shares 0-60 or quarter mile numbers, I would really appreciate it.
From what I have read from forums, I'd estimate she can do 0-60 in under 3.5 s and finish the quarter in less than 12.5 s.

Thank you for reading and feel free to chime in

[wfujay]

Go MSS springs if you want firmer...just keep them raised to the highest setting and that should be pretty close to stock height.

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by wfujay

Go MSS springs if you want firmer...just keep them raised to the highest setting and that should be pretty close to stock height.

Do you have them? How much firmer?

[cooolone2]

Best way is matched dampering with the spring rates... Otherwise they're not working together! This means getting a quality coilovers set up. You might feel a tighter ride with stiffer springs, but if the other suspension components don't match, ehhhh...

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by cooolone2

Best way is matched dampering with the spring rates... Otherwise they're not working together! This means getting a quality coilovers set up. You might feel a tighter ride with stiffer springs, but if the other suspension components don't match, ehhhh...

Very good point. I was talking with a local shop to get bilStein B16 which doesn't support stock ride height but instead they talked me into getting MCS suspension. Is anybody familiar with that? It's like crazy expensive but supposed be far superior to bilstein.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by lixiang7349

Very good point. I was talking with a local shop to get bilStein B16 which doesn't support stock ride height but instead they talked me into getting MCS suspension. Is anybody familiar with that? It's like crazy expensive but supposed be far superior to bilstein.

I had Motons on a race car. (Moton is where the people at MCS worked before they started their own company.)

MCS makes very high-quality coilover suspensions, and I wouldn't mind having a set on my car. However, the bang-for-the-buck with MCS is only accessible when running the car flat-out into, through, and out of turns, something that's pretty much impossible except on a closed course. That's why I chose coilovers that are more conventionally priced, while still performing at quite a high level.

MCS on the street is just a way to get rid of money; that's what's being suggested to you. My 2¢: look for another shop.

Edit: I've revised my thinking after looking at MCS' pricing for their 1-way kits. My previous engagement with MCS was for 2-ways (which I considered for my M240i) and replacement 3-ways for a race car. Those kits cost substantially more and I had sums of that sort in mind when I made the above assessments. Mea culpa!

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by dradernh

I had Motons on a race car. (Moton is where the people at MCS worked before they started their own company.)

MCS makes very high-quality coilover suspensions, and I wouldn't mind having a set on my car. However, the bang-for-the-buck with MCS is only accessible when running the car flat-out into, through, and out of turns, something that's pretty much impossible except on a closed course. That's why I chose coilovers that are more conventionally priced, while still performing at quite a high level.

MCS on the street is just a way to get rid of money; that's what's being suggested to you. My 2¢: look for another shop.

What are you running on yours? My research pointed to bilstein or kw.

[wfujay]

Originally Posted by lixiang7349

Do you have them? How much firmer?

Yes. I had them on my Audi S3 and now on my M240 and they are great. Noticeably firmer but not harsh.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by lixiang7349

What are you running on yours? My research pointed to bilstein or kw.

I'm running these TC Kline Racing coilovers: https://www.tcklineracing.com/webdoc...Details976.cfm. They come with a lifetime guarantee to the original buyer.

I went to TCK because they've been making and selling BMW coilover kits for decades and are well-regarded by BMW track rats, a very picky bunch of car guys indeed!

Forum sponsor HP Autosport sells TC Kline's kits and can likely answer any specific questions you might have about the kit itself.

I put them on my car because I intended taking it to the track. I ran the car at both Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen, the latter track having a number of high-speed corners where the curbs are used very aggressively. The coilover kit acquitted itself very satisfactorily on both tracks, and I feel it was money well-spent.

I've enjoyed them on the street, too, and I haven't felt the need to adjust them or change camber from the track settings. They've been an excellent all-around upgrade.

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by dradernh

I'm running these TC Kline Racing coilovers: https://www.tcklineracing.com/webdocs/Items/Details976.cfm. They come with a lifetime guarantee to the original buyer.

I went to TCK because they've been making and selling BMW coilover kits for decades and are well-regarded by BMW track rats, a very picky bunch of car guys indeed!

Forum sponsor HP Autosport sells TC Kline's kits and can likely answer any specific questions you might have about the kit itself.

I put them on my car because I intended taking it to the track. I ran the car at both Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen, the latter track having a number of high-speed corners where the curbs are used very aggressively. The coilover kit acquitted itself very satisfactorily on both tracks, and I feel it was money well-spent.

I've enjoyed them on the street, too, and I haven't felt the need to adjust them or change camber from the track settings. They've been an excellent all-around upgrade.

Thanks for the pointer. These fit 2 series?
I don't really track my car. Looking for something a little firmer than stock.

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by wfujay

Yes. I had them on my Audi S3 and now on my M240 and they are great. Noticeably firmer but not harsh.

You feel they work well with stock dampers? Didn't know they can be transferred cross brand.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by lixiang7349

Thanks for the pointer. These fit 2 series?
I don't really track my car. Looking for something a little firmer than stock.

Yes, they do fit the 2 Series.

TCK offers a range of spring rates, including rates not listed in the dropdown boxes on their product page. Basically, you can have any rate you want. I'm running 350# in front and 600# in the rear.

A good shop will be able to advise you properly regarding spring rates, principally by asking you how you'll use the car, your sensitivity to harshness, and what modifications you have or intend to acquire.

BTW, I just looked up pricing for 1-ways on MCS' site, and the value proposition is better than I'd assumed (my previous looks at their site were for 2-ways and the 3-ways I had on my race car). My fault! It looks like, after buying springs, an MCS kit would run you ~$3,100 vs. TCK's ~$2,500. IOW, not that much different. I take back my comment about your shop and have added an edit to my first post in this thread.

[wfujay]

Originally Posted by lixiang7349

You feel they work well with stock dampers? Didn't know they can be transferred cross brand.

MSS designs all of their adjustable springs to be used with the stock dampers. They personally put in many hours of R&D and testing for each spring set to work in conjunction with them.

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Yes, they do fit the 2 Series.

TCK offers a range of spring rates, including rates not listed in the dropdown boxes on their product page. Basically, you can have any rate you want. I'm running 350# in front and 600# in the rear.

A good shop will be able to advise you properly regarding spring rates, principally by asking you how you'll use the car, your sensitivity to harshness, and what modifications you have or intend to acquire.

BTW, I just looked up pricing for 1-ways on MCS' site, and the value proposition is better than I'd assumed (my previous looks at their site were for 2-ways and the 3-ways I had on my race car). My fault! It looks like, after buying springs, an MCS kit would run you ~$3,100 vs. TCK's ~$2,500. IOW, not that much different. I take back my comment about your shop and have added an edit to my first post in this thread.

I was quoted 8282 parts and labor. Way out of my price range.

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by wfujay

MSS designs all of their adjustable springs to be used with the stock dampers. They personally put in many hours of R&D and testing for each spring set to work in conjunction with them.

I just don't want the springs to be too strong for the dampers to handle.
How much did labor run you?

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by lixiang7349

I was quoted 8282 parts and labor. Way out of my price range.

I think that's awfully high. It doesn't make sense in our cars' price range, esp. when you consider how little value the kit is likely to add when you sell the car.

My installation was $800 at $100/hour, including the post-installation alignment.

[wfujay]

Originally Posted by lixiang7349

I just don't want the springs to be too strong for the dampers to handle.
How much did labor run you?

They're not too strong. I ran them on my Audi for well over a year without a single problem and now going on 8 months on my m240. I didn't pay for labor this time as I did the install myself, but on my Audi I believe I paid about $650. Call around and get quotes from different shops.

From an email conversation I had with the lead engineer at MSS:

For example, one of our development vehicles has been running MSS for the past 10 yrs and covered over 106,000 miles (170,000 kilometres) and still has the original factory shocks; bushes; engine mounts etc. Another is at 80,000 kilometres with all original factory parts these two particular vehicles have countless track use as well as daily use.

[lixiang7349]

Originally Posted by wfujay

They're not too strong. I ran them on my Audi for well over a year without a single problem and now going on 8 months on my m240. I didn't pay for labor this time as I did the install myself, but on my Audi I believe I paid about $650. Call around and get quotes from different shops.

From an email conversation I had with the lead engineer at MSS:

For example, one of our development vehicles has been running MSS for the past 10 yrs and covered over 106,000 miles (170,000 kilometres) and still has the original factory shocks; bushes; engine mounts etc. Another is at 80,000 kilometres with all original factory parts these two particular vehicles have countless track use as well as daily use.

Thanks for the information! I think I'll go this route.

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Yes, they do fit the 2 Series.

TCK offers a range of spring rates, including rates not listed in the dropdown boxes on their product page. Basically, you can have any rate you want. I'm running 350# in front and 600# in the rear.

A good shop will be able to advise you properly regarding spring rates, principally by asking you how you'll use the car, your sensitivity to harshness, and what modifications you have or intend to acquire.

BTW, I just looked up pricing for 1-ways on MCS' site, and the value proposition is better than I'd assumed (my previous looks at their site were for 2-ways and the 3-ways I had on my race car). My fault! It looks like, after buying springs, an MCS kit would run you ~$3,100 vs. TCK's ~$2,500. IOW, not that much different. I take back my comment about your shop and have added an edit to my first post in this thread.

Keep in mind that MCS must use camber plates and you will need height adjusters as well. Realistically, you care looking at ~$3850 for one-way.

TC has discontinued the F2x F3x kits so that is no longer an option.