Time for a refresh?

[Yankeefan]

My '04 ZHP is currently running on the stock suspension, stock wheels and Goodyear Eagle Sports with likely less than a year left on them. I spend about an hour a day in the car and, while I love it, I'm wondering what my options are for improving ride quality a bit. Here are my main complaints:
1. Any little bumps on the road, including reflectors and such, sound and feel much louder than (I think) they should. You sorta feel it all the way up into your teeth, you know?
2. Anything larger than that makes me worry that parts are going to start falling off.
3. Wavy sections in the road, or transitions from bridges to pavement, for example, feel like the car is bouncing and can give me that stomach-dropping feeling that I've grown to hate.

These SC roads are seriously terrible. I'm not looking for a Cadillac-caliber ride, just something that I won't unintentionally drop the throttle in when I see a bump coming. And also something that my wife won't grow to hate :)

I know that lots of members sing the praises of Koni FSDs, and they do sound great to me but I want to be sure that spending the $600 on that swap is worth it. Is there any chance that putting new tires on the car, or doing some bushing replacements or anything else will get similar results? I'm starting to save up for the FSDs but I want to be sure before I drop that money. BTW, I'm going for "ultimate daily driver", but not a track car. I appreciate any advice!

[fredo]

I'm on the same boat, thinking about a suspension refresh. How many miles on the clock ? Mine sits at 145k miles. I believe only this has been done to the suspension (I have most of the svc recs since new):

91k miles : FCABs
126k miles : RCABs

Im planning to replace the shocks and struts with Sachs. My car still drives fine IMHO, but I never had chance to drive a new ZHP.

[fredo]

FYI, I posted a similar question on the Random Question thread and got some good replies:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?11957-The-Random-E46-ZHP-Question-Thread&p=547680#post547680

[BMWCurves]

How many miles do you have on the car? Depending on the milage, age, and type of usage your suspension has seen, your suspension will be due for a refresh. From the sounds of the car's harsh ride, it is definitely due.

When I swapped my factory style 135 18" wheels for APEX ARC8 17" wheels, my ride comfort improved a tiny bit, but nothing worth the $1k+ in new tires and wheels to make it worth it solely for improved ride comfort. You'll see a much bigger improvement with a refreshed suspension components.

My car had low miles when I purchased it (<50k miles), but the suspension components were worn due to age more than mileage. When I refreshed the suspension components, especially with Koni Sport shocks/struts, not only did the ride comfort increase, but so did the handling performance. Like you, my car is a daily driver that needs to strike a balance between ride comfort and performance, and my setup fits that bill for me perfectly. Others have had similar success with the Koni FSDs. I have heard of very few people who were dissatisfied with Koni's products.

Here is my guide for the suspension refresh I did on my car: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years

[nsk040]

What's your mileage? Definitely sounds like you need new shocks/struts, and all the associated hardware for mounting/reinforcing. FCAs/FCABs are probably due as well.

I went with Bilstein HDs. If I had to do it over again I'd have just gone with the OEM shocks/struts.

[ZHPizza]

Man I went down this same path after I bought my red car. I inspected every mount/bushing in the car and the only things that looked bad were the shock/strut mounts, which I replaced when I installed Koni FSD's. I also swapped out some hard summer tires for a softer sidewall high performance all-season (click on my sig pic for my build thread).

At this point, I feel like it really is the ultimate daily driver -- soaks up bumps without issue, is comfortable for hours of highway cruising, and carves through mountain roads like it's on rails. I'd be happy to help you sort this stuff out and get your ZHP to a comfortable state. I feel like there's very few of us here whose goal is comfort over teeth-chattering race car performance.

[Yankeefan]

What's your mileage? Definitely sounds like you need new shocks/struts, and all the associated hardware for mounting/reinforcing. FCAs/FCABs are probably due as well.

I went with Bilstein HDs. If I had to do it over again I'd have just gone with the OEM shocks/struts.

Why would you pick the OEM over the Bilsteins?

My car is currently at 128K. I believe the previous owner did the Z4M FCABs, but that's all I know for sure as far as the suspension. Maybe I should do RTABs as well. Do the front control arms actually go bad and need replacement?

Thanks for the helpful forum links everyone. How do you check the condition of the shock mounts and such? And I think I've read that I can keep my stock springs, unless I want to lower the car, correct? Any reason to switch?

[Jon D]

Bilsteins are a great shock however they are stiffer than Koni’s in general like for like and noticeably stiffer than oem. I did them on a Audi A4 Avant sport and they were stiffer than factory by a lot and firmer than I wanted for a daily driver. Did Koni Yellows (Sport) on the ZHP and they are perfect for daily use with some spirited non track driving.


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[Reasoned1]

I live in Vermont and bet the roads here are twice as bad. To compensate, protect my lightweight wheels (APEX Arc-8’s), fill in my wheel wells a bit, and correct my speedo, I’m running 245/40-R18 PSS’s on a stock suspension (50k miles). I REALLY like the set-up—rides like a “cloud on rails”. Since you need tires anyway, I’d give that a shot and see how you like it.

[slater]

Man I went down this same path after I bought my red car. I inspected every mount/bushing in the car and the only things that looked bad were the shock/strut mounts, which I replaced when I installed Koni FSD's. I also swapped out some hard summer tires for a softer sidewall high performance all-season (click on my sig pic for my build thread).

At this point, I feel like it really is the ultimate daily driver -- soaks up bumps without issue, is comfortable for hours of highway cruising, and carves through mountain roads like it's on rails. I'd be happy to help you sort this stuff out and get your ZHP to a comfortable state. I feel like there's very few of us here whose goal is comfort over teeth-chattering race car performance.

this sounds like the best advice here. easiest path and killing two birds with one stone.

i'm excited to get the FSDs on the X3 and see what the fuss is about! maybe then i will get some for the Touring... ;)

[Yelkos]

I ordered FSD's from ECS on Nov 8th, they were supposed to ship on the 20th now backordered. no ship date in sight.

[Sockethead]

I'd start with the shocks and possibly lower control arm bushings of they've never been done...

I had Bilstiens and while they are a great shock, they definitely a lot stiffer than OEM. I couldn't stand them after a year or so on Jersey roads. I swapped for Koni yellows and life is good again... so much more enjoyable!

[slater]

I ordered FSD's from ECS on Nov 8th, they were supposed to ship on the 20th now backordered. no ship date in sight.

yep. i ordered FSDs for the X3 the first week of october... they were finally delivered on friday.

[holyc0w]

Koni yellows have been working great for me. I'm on a softer setting. I imagine FSDs would be even more comfortable for you. It sounds like your shocks and struts are due for a replacement.

[nsk040]

I think the damping is a bit off with Bilstein HDs and OEM springs.

I was getting a lot of noise from pretty much any road imperfection before I refreshed my suspension so I understand your frustration. Based on your post, it sounds like you aren't looking for a softer ride (vs. OEM) but rather a quieter ride. I'm thinking just replacing the mounts will address a huge portion of the noises that are bothering you.

If you are doing the work yourself and don't care about being efficient with replacing stuff that accessible while you have the car apart, you could try doing just the mounts to address the noise. As you clearly need shocks/struts too, however, likely best to do those at the same time.

My RTABs were fine at 110k.
My FCAs were still fine at 110k.
Stock springs should be good for the life of the car.


Why would you pick the OEM over the Bilsteins?

My car is currently at 128K. I believe the previous owner did the Z4M FCABs, but that's all I know for sure as far as the suspension. Maybe I should do RTABs as well. Do the front control arms actually go bad and need replacement?

Thanks for the helpful forum links everyone. How do you check the condition of the shock mounts and such? And I think I've read that I can keep my stock springs, unless I want to lower the car, correct? Any reason to switch?

[san]

A friend on mine has bilstein hd on his Zhp and I definitely prefer the koni yellows on mine


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[Yankeefan]

I think the damping is a bit off with Bilstein HDs and OEM springs.

I was getting a lot of noise from pretty much any road imperfection before I refreshed my suspension so I understand your frustration. Based on your post, it sounds like you aren't looking for a softer ride (vs. OEM) but rather a quieter ride. I'm thinking just replacing the mounts will address a huge portion of the noises that are bothering you.

If you are doing the work yourself and don't care about being efficient with replacing stuff that accessible while you have the car apart, you could try doing just the mounts to address the noise. As you clearly need shocks/struts too, however, likely best to do those at the same time.

My RTABs were fine at 110k.
My FCAs were still fine at 110k.
Stock springs should be good for the life of the car.

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely plan on doing the mounts as well then. I've never done this kind of repair before but my hope is to do it myself, so I'll probably try to do mounts and shocks at the same time. Sounds like from everyone's comments that I'll go with Koni over Bilstein on mine for the daily driver application.

[Yankeefan]

I did see that the FSDs were marked down on ECS Tuning but are back ordered. Is the current price ($587ish) expected to go back up?

[ZHPizza]

I did see that the FSDs were marked down on ECS Tuning but are back ordered. Is the current price ($587ish) expected to go back up?

Yep, that's a great price.

I paid a little less, but it was due to stacking mail in rebates and cash back offers.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?647-The-Deal-Thread-Save-Money&p=530773#post530773

I'd go ahead and order through ECS and just wait.

[Yelkos]

Yep, that's a great price.

I paid a little less, but it was due to stacking mail in rebates and cash back offers.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?647-The-Deal-Thread-Save-Money&p=530773#post530773

I'd go ahead and order through ECS and just wait.


its the best price i found.

ZHPizza is just like the little old lady in front of you in the grocery store checkout lane, "oooo wait a minite, i think i have a coupon for that somewhere in my purse"
although I cant knock his final price.

I ordered back on Nov 8th still back ordered.