F31 335d Schnitzer or Birds suspension kit?

[JaseB]

Hi all,

Picked up a 66 plate 335d a few weeks back and very tempted by a suspension upgrade.

As it's the facelift do I need the full kit or are springs alone enough to help the ride, turn in etc and generally make it feel like less of a boat?

Has anyone driven both?

Suspension first then I'll think about the whole runflat / non runflat thing.

Many thanks in advance

[JNW1]

I think it depends on what you want the car to do. For normal/fast road use I'd have thought ACS springs on an LCI car like yours will probably be more than adequate for most people; however, if you're thinking of taking it on a track you might need to go for a full suspension kit. My advice would be to have a quick word with Lorcan Parnell at Rossiters in Kings Lynn (they're the UK ACS agents); I'm sure he'll point you in the right direction if you explain what you're looking for as an outcome!

[JaseB]

Thanks for that, just want some better road manners tbh, it will never be tracked.

I will get in touch with Lorcan, I was most interested to understand if I could get away with the cheaper option i.e. just springs and whether ACS or Birds might be better?

[ds666]

I have only had the acs springs and they made a massive difference .

[JNW1]

JaseB said:

Thanks for that, just want some better road manners tbh, it will never be tracked.

I will get in touch with Lorcan, I was most interested to understand if I could get away with the cheaper option i.e. just springs and whether ACS or Birds might be better?

Plenty of people on Bimmerpost have upgraded just to ACS springs - all seem to think they make a significant difference and if it's just for road use I think that's the way I'd go in your position. If you decide subsequently you need more than that I daresay Lorcan will take into account you've already got the springs when pricing up a full suspension kit!

I think Birds also offer good solutions but not as many seem to fit them as fit the offerings from ACS. I'm not sure why that is as I don't think there's a huge amount between them on price; however, a possible attraction for some is that ACS have accredited installers nationally whereas with Birds I think you have to go to their workshop to have the work done (or find your own installer locally if you just buy the parts).

[smashy]

You have the LCI all the great reviews are for pre LCI your 66 plate was a big difference it seems, I have ACS Shocks and Springs on my 64 plate 330d and the difference was massive,yours will not be. Is it worth it?

[JaseB]

smashy said:

You have the LCI all the great reviews are for pre LCI your 66 plate was a big difference it seems, I have ACS Shocks and Springs on my 64 plate 330d and the difference was massive,yours will not be. Is it worth it?

That's the dilemma!
My car sits quite high and feels like turn in could do with some improvement, the ride is ok I guess but not overly sporting.
May just try it, £5-600 is worth a punt no?

[JNW1]

smashy said:

You have the LCI all the great reviews are for pre LCI your 66 plate was a big difference it seems, I have ACS Shocks and Springs on my 64 plate 330d and the difference was massive,yours will not be. Is it worth it?

I think that's fair comment, by all accounts the LCI suspension was an improvement over the original and hence the benefit from things like ACS springs will probably be less significant on later cars like the OP's; equally, though, there are still plenty of people with LCI cars on Bimmerpost who've fitted ACS springs and claimed a very noticeable benefit. Guess it depends to some extent on how dissatisfied the OP is with the present set-up on his car; if he judges it ok but just a bit floaty when pushing on a modest tweak with something like ACS springs may be all he needs but if he thinks the existing set-up is awful perhaps a more radical solution will be required?

I still think his best bet is to speak to someone like Lorcan, describe what he thinks the current deficiencies are and set-out what he'd like as an end result; based on that I think he'll get pointed towards the most appropriate solution as ACS have sold a lot of F3x suspension upgrades and hence will probably have a good idea what a particular customer requires. And in saying this I'm not flying a flag for ACS, I'm sure a company like Birds will also be able to provide good advice!

[smashy]

Re Lorcan he is a great fella straight as a die he would not do you wrong worth a phonecall

[likesachange]

Subscribe..

I've just picked up a 2014 335d f31 and the handling is by far it's worst trait... I know it's never going to be a sports car or was it intended to be but my van (T5 on H&R springs) feels far better.

So am in the market for some springs.. I do however also want it to sit lower (40mm?). Lots of conflicting descriptions when looking for springs to what they will fit and what they wont...

Again never be tracked but some spirited road driving will be on the agenda

[V5Ade]

I'd really like to try a car with the springs. I've got a 2019 F31 335, and it drives like I expected. It's no M3, but for a family daily driver it's fine.

[dasbimmerowner]

V5Ade said:

I'd really like to try a car with the springs.

That's the best way to do it. So many folks claim all their modifications are good because they've spent money on them. In my experience modifications are a hit and miss affair, some are good but a considerable amount really don't improve matters or bring other issues. This is especially true when you're talking about a road car that see's no track action where daily comfort is an important factor.

[RobM77]

I've not tried the Schnitzer kit, but I had a Birds kit on my E90 3 series and it was fantastic. The only trouble you may have is that for the 335d they recommend an LSD with the ARBs, and that adds a lot of cost. My car wasn't powerful enough to require it. The anti-roll bars were probably the highlight - the difference they made to the cornering was substantial.

Regarding the car feeling like a boat though, the 35d engine is very heavy and the F31 is a big car - it'll never be like an MX5 or GT86; it's a mid-sized family car. The '20d engine approaches that sort of agility, but the 35d engine adds a considerably amount of extra weight over the nose.

[Simon-k41v9]

I had the ACS springs on a 63 plate 330d F31, massive difference. flatter through corners, sharper turn in, more direct feel, it does stiffen up the whole car though - you will definitely want to avoid potholes if you have runflats as well.

The birds kit is supposed to be excellent, but if its a daily drive then I can recommend the ACS springs, spacers (as they wheels will be pretty tucked in without them) and non runflat tires (which will cure the ride quality and pothole issue)

[RobM77]

Simon-k41v9 said:

I had the ACS springs on a 63 plate 330d F31, massive difference. flatter through corners, sharper turn in, more direct feel, it does stiffen up the whole car though - you will definitely want to avoid potholes if you have runflats as well.

The birds kit is supposed to be excellent, but if its a daily drive then I can recommend the ACS springs, spacers (as they wheels will be pretty tucked in without them) and non runflat tires (which will cure the ride quality and pothole issue)

According to Kevin Bird, their kit has softer springs than MSport, but differently tuned dampers. The ARBs reduce roll in the corners, whilst the ride remains supple in a straight line. That was for the E90. The F31/F10 series cars have noticeably softer suspension for both MSport and SE (SE is awful actually!).

[smashy]

I had non runflat michelin ps3s on acs springs and shocks ...I now have runflat goodyear eagle f1 asymetric 3s and I prefer the ride....and on pre lci se suspension the difference is MASSIVE on this ACS kit

[RobM77]

smashy said:

I had non runflat michelin ps3s on acs springs and shocks ...I now have runflat goodyear eagle f1 asymetric 3s and I prefer the ride....and on pre lci se suspension the difference is MASSIVE on this ACS kit

That's interesting - do you know what tyres the kit was designed for?

I preferred RFTs on my last car, and was aware this was an unusual preference. The reason in my case was simple: the Birds kit was designed for non-RFT 19 and 20" wheels, and was far too bouncy on my 205/55/16 non-RFT tyres with their big sidewalls. When I switched to the same tyre size as RFTs, the extra sidewall stiffness was clearly closer to the non-RFT thin-sidewalled 19s and 20s the kit was designed for, and so understandably worked better.

[smashy]

Rob tbh that acs kit is designed for michelin normal...like Alpinas are.But I like the feel of these goodyears the other runflats I had were awful

[JaseB]

RobM77 said:

Simon-k41v9 said:

I had the ACS springs on a 63 plate 330d F31, massive difference. flatter through corners, sharper turn in, more direct feel, it does stiffen up the whole car though - you will definitely want to avoid potholes if you have runflats as well.

The birds kit is supposed to be excellent, but if its a daily drive then I can recommend the ACS springs, spacers (as they wheels will be pretty tucked in without them) and non runflat tires (which will cure the ride quality and pothole issue)

According to Kevin Bird, their kit has softer springs than MSport, but differently tuned dampers. The ARBs reduce roll in the corners, whilst the ride remains supple in a straight line. That was for the E90. The F31/F10 series cars have noticeably softer suspension for both MSport and SE (SE is awful actually!).

I think this follows the Colin Chapman thinking, go with the softest but well damped springs you can get away with as this keeps the tyres on contact with the road most efficiently!

[RobM77]

JaseB said:

RobM77 said:

Simon-k41v9 said:

I had the ACS springs on a 63 plate 330d F31, massive difference. flatter through corners, sharper turn in, more direct feel, it does stiffen up the whole car though - you will definitely want to avoid potholes if you have runflats as well.

The birds kit is supposed to be excellent, but if its a daily drive then I can recommend the ACS springs, spacers (as they wheels will be pretty tucked in without them) and non runflat tires (which will cure the ride quality and pothole issue)

According to Kevin Bird, their kit has softer springs than MSport, but differently tuned dampers. The ARBs reduce roll in the corners, whilst the ride remains supple in a straight line. That was for the E90. The F31/F10 series cars have noticeably softer suspension for both MSport and SE (SE is awful actually!).

I think this follows the Colin Chapman thinking, go with the softest but well damped springs you can get away with as this keeps the tyres on contact with the road most efficiently!

Yes, funnily enough the car did have an almost Lotus-like ride down a bumpy road, but then when you came to a corner the car resisted roll to a high degree - the best example of this I've driven is the V6 Exige, but other Lotuses like the Evora, Elise and earlier cars have this behaviour too. Obviously my 3 series was nowhere near as accomplished in ride and handling as any Lotus, but being a big fan of Lotus I could see what Birds were aiming for with the kit.