[Kinesthesia]

My daily driver is a used M235 with 113k miles and I've never loved a car more.

I want to "refurbish" the suspension and I want the end result to be ever so slightly more comfortable or "soft".

Can anyone recommend EDC shocks and springs (or anything else) that will make the car just a little more comfortable on the road.

To be clear, this car will never see a track, however I am a bit of a highway hooligan. I'm not trying to turn my car into a Mercedes, I like spirited driving. I simply don't want the car to be any more firm than it is and would prefer it to be slightly more comfortable to take my wife on a cruise through the mountains.

I appreciate any advice, thank you.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Kinesthesia

My daily driver is a used M235 with 113k miles and I've never loved a car more.

I want to "refurbish" the suspension and I want the end result to be ever so slightly more comfortable or "soft".

Can anyone recommend EDC shocks and springs (or anything else) that will make the car just a little more comfortable on the road.

To be clear, this car will never see a track, however I am a bit of a highway hooligan. I'm not trying to turn my car into a Mercedes, I like spirited driving. I simply don't want the car to be any more firm than it is and would prefer it to be slightly more comfortable to take my wife on a cruise through the mountains.

I appreciate any advice, thank you.

If your struts and shocks have never been replaced, I suspect you'd find that a set of new or lightly-used OEM units would satisfy your requirements quite well.

[Aspen235]

Also the next easiest thing would be new tires that are more grand touring style.

[KennyFSU]

Yeah OEM suspension will give you the softest ride, get some larger profile tires if you want the floaty feel, like 50 series.

[rtl32]

subtract rim diameter and add sidewall height. My 50 aspect snow setup on 17's is much nicer than my 35 aspect summer setup on 18s. I have OEM dampers for sale if you're looking for a fresh set.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by rtl32

subtract rim diameter and add sidewall height. My 50 aspect snow setup on 17's is much nicer than my 35 aspect summer setup on 18s. I have OEM dampers for sale if you're looking for a fresh set.

I agree with this.

I think our cars have much more flexibility in wheel and tire setup that many owners realize. We enthusiasts tend to focus on nominal tread width, but I think many 2-series owners would enjoy their cars more if they ran the taller tire sidewalls available after switching to 17" wheels.

I run 35-series tires on 18" wheels in the summer with the full understanding that I'm going to feel everything over which the tires roll, and that I chose those tires because that is the effect I was looking for.

FWIW, I too have a set of OEM dampers available, with only 1,972 miles on them.

Before I bought my car, I knew that after break-in I would change to a more responsive set of suspension components that would better suit the back roads with their challenging twists and elevation changes that I like to drive on. I also knew that I would take my car to the track a handful of times before giving up the hobby, and that influenced me as well.

After 12,600 miles on the coilover suspension I chose to buy, and for my specific use case, I've seen no reason to return to the OEM dampers.

Back to the OP's point, and with his having 113K on the clock (on, presumably, an original set of dampers), I have to believe that a reasonably fresh set of OEM dampers will give him the "ever so slightly more comfortable or 'soft'" ride that he's looking for.

My long experience tells me that, given the discount from buying a relatively lightly-used set of OEMs vs. buying a set of aftermarket units, OP might well find himself coming out ahead, both financially and in terms of achieving the comfort level that he's after. My 2¢, of course, given that I have something to sell (even though I've always assumed my OEM suspension is going to the metal recycling facility)!

[rtl32]

Originally Posted by dradernh

I agree with this.

I think our cars have much more flexibility in wheel and tire setup that many owners realize. We enthusiasts tend to focus on nominal tread width, but I think many 2-series owners would enjoy their cars more if they ran the taller tire sidewalls available after switching to 17" wheels.

I run 35-series tires on 18" wheels in the summer with the full understanding that I'm going to feel everything over which the tires roll, and that I chose those tires because that is the effect I was looking for.

FWIW, I too have a set of OEM dampers available, with only 1,972 miles on them.

Yes and no. Definitely some flexibility if you stay stock width but our fitment is so finicky when you want any more because of our weirdly deep offsets/small wheel wells. That reduces wheel options to just a few brands/models. In the rear I have literally 2mm space on both inner and outer clearance with -1.9 degrees camber lowered on just 265s. No rub- but if I have x2 rear passengers my left high sidewall gets polished. Living on the edge.

And it should also be noted that an 18 inch wheel in the world of luxury-performance cars is relatively small as well. 19/20/21 is common. Porsches and Hellcats are great examples of this, those wheels are just huge.

Considering those larger diameter rims often have the same aspect ratio as our smaller setups, but with wider tires, this means that they also have more sidewall depth at the same time too. So those 20 inch 295 width 35 aspect tires not only roll over bumps much more nicely (because their overall rolling circumference is greater/the wheel doesn't "fit" into the bump it flows over), it ALSO has more rubber cushioning the blow. With better traction and less sidewall flex because of the overall carcass stability. Our little squeezed in setups don't have these luxuries. We fight for our traction and to keep our teeth in our skulls, at the same time.

[Felipe Cezar Toazza]

Originally Posted by dradernh

I agree with this.

I think our cars have much more flexibility in wheel and tire setup that many owners realize. We enthusiasts tend to focus on nominal tread width, but I think many 2-series owners would enjoy their cars more if they ran the taller tire sidewalls available after switching to 17" wheels.

I run 35-series tires on 18" wheels in the summer with the full understanding that I'm going to feel everything over which the tires roll, and that I chose those tires because that is the effect I was looking for.

FWIW, I too have a set of OEM dampers available, with only 1,972 miles on them.

Before I bought my car, I knew that after break-in I would change to a more responsive set of suspension components that would better suit the back roads with their challenging twists and elevation changes that I like to drive on. I also knew that I would take my car to the track a handful of times before giving up the hobby, and that influenced me as well.

After 12,600 miles on the coilover suspension I chose to buy, and for my specific use case, I've seen no reason to return to the OEM dampers.

Back to the OP's point, and with his having 113K on the clock (on, presumably, an original set of dampers), I have to believe that a reasonably fresh set of OEM dampers will give him the "ever so slightly more comfortable or 'soft'" ride that he's looking for.

My long experience tells me that, given the discount from buying a relatively lightly-used set of OEMs vs. buying a set of aftermarket units, OP might well find himself coming out ahead, both financially and in terms of achieving the comfort level that he's after. My 2¢, of course, given that I have something to sell (even though I've always assumed my OEM suspension is going to the metal recycling facility)!

Qual o valor pedido nos amortecedores?

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Felipe Cezar Toazza

Qual o valor pedido nos amortecedores?

Desculpe – eu só os venderia para compradores nos Estados Unidos.

[Matthewricha]

If you're happy to code out adaptive, Koni Special Active shocks will be more comportable than OEM Adaptive, but also good handling in the corners. B4 Adaptive will give harder ride than OEM Adaptive.