E39 M5 suspension (for my 540i) - shocks/springs/coilovers
Discussion
Thought I'd pop this in here as it's more relevant to the M5 really
As I have an E39 540i currently and thoroughly enjoyed the Bilstein B14s on my previous E81 130i LE - I wanted to see if anyone has fitted these, or similar coilovers (BCs, Bilstein B16s, ST/KWs etc) to their M5 and how they find them on a daily basis
A lot of what I find on Google is State side and that's not relevant really; I'd rather hear from UK folk that know how bad our roads are (more so semi rural, country lanes etc)
There's a thought process to stick with shocks and springs (either Sachs Sport spec shocks with Eibach pro-kit or possibly H&R springs, or the likes of Bilstein B8s with Eibach pro-kit springs etc)
I'll be sorting this once I've refreshed all of the rear suspension (just done the front) and either fitting Powerflex rear subframe inserts or doing the rear subframe bushes fully - so Spring 2026, plenty of time to do more reading and stock piling of necessary parts etc
Cheers
As I have an E39 540i currently and thoroughly enjoyed the Bilstein B14s on my previous E81 130i LE - I wanted to see if anyone has fitted these, or similar coilovers (BCs, Bilstein B16s, ST/KWs etc) to their M5 and how they find them on a daily basis
A lot of what I find on Google is State side and that's not relevant really; I'd rather hear from UK folk that know how bad our roads are (more so semi rural, country lanes etc)
There's a thought process to stick with shocks and springs (either Sachs Sport spec shocks with Eibach pro-kit or possibly H&R springs, or the likes of Bilstein B8s with Eibach pro-kit springs etc)
I'll be sorting this once I've refreshed all of the rear suspension (just done the front) and either fitting Powerflex rear subframe inserts or doing the rear subframe bushes fully - so Spring 2026, plenty of time to do more reading and stock piling of necessary parts etc
Cheers
I saw this post a while ago but left if to see if anyone else would weigh in but as they haven't, I'll add my thoughts for what they're worth.
I think it's always slightly tricky asking people for their real-world experiences of swapping suspension components or brakes on older cars, as people aren't comparing like with like. A new aftermarket shock or performance suspension set up is always going to feel better than a tired OE set, but that doesn't make them better than new OE shocks.
For background, I've done over 100k behind the wheel of the E39 M5 in over 15 years so I'm lucky enough to know the car better than some. I choose to drive it almost every day and have driven it in all seasons. I'm fortunate that given where I live, I reckon 90% of this is on quiet country B roads. These are challenging in places but are for the most part well-sighted and fast but they are not very well maintained, with lots of broken tarmac and undulations. Five years ago I replaced the suspension set up with new OE. The difference between this and the 20 year old original stuff was night and day as you would expect, but it was also reminder that the damping is one of the best things about the car on today's roads. The car has been driven by a couple of motoring journalists now, both of whom made the same observation.
You've probably seen the video of the E39 M5 on the test rig where they were developing the damper set up of the car. The jiggling about probably reminded you of just the sort of roads that you're talking about driving your car on. My view is that BMW knew what they were doing with all the development work they did on the M5 and a new OE set up is fabulous on today's crappy British roads.
I would look for something stiffer if I ever took this car on track, but the E39 wouldn't be my choice for that sort of driving anyway.
I of course appreciate that the price for shocks from BMW is eye-watering, and the Bilsteins are certainly a cheaper and very well thought of option amongst users of the E39 M5 WhatsApp group.
Not the answer to your exact question but I hope helpful to some extent, given the sort of roads you've said you will be driving on.
I think it's always slightly tricky asking people for their real-world experiences of swapping suspension components or brakes on older cars, as people aren't comparing like with like. A new aftermarket shock or performance suspension set up is always going to feel better than a tired OE set, but that doesn't make them better than new OE shocks.
For background, I've done over 100k behind the wheel of the E39 M5 in over 15 years so I'm lucky enough to know the car better than some. I choose to drive it almost every day and have driven it in all seasons. I'm fortunate that given where I live, I reckon 90% of this is on quiet country B roads. These are challenging in places but are for the most part well-sighted and fast but they are not very well maintained, with lots of broken tarmac and undulations. Five years ago I replaced the suspension set up with new OE. The difference between this and the 20 year old original stuff was night and day as you would expect, but it was also reminder that the damping is one of the best things about the car on today's roads. The car has been driven by a couple of motoring journalists now, both of whom made the same observation.
You've probably seen the video of the E39 M5 on the test rig where they were developing the damper set up of the car. The jiggling about probably reminded you of just the sort of roads that you're talking about driving your car on. My view is that BMW knew what they were doing with all the development work they did on the M5 and a new OE set up is fabulous on today's crappy British roads.
I would look for something stiffer if I ever took this car on track, but the E39 wouldn't be my choice for that sort of driving anyway.
I of course appreciate that the price for shocks from BMW is eye-watering, and the Bilsteins are certainly a cheaper and very well thought of option amongst users of the E39 M5 WhatsApp group.
Not the answer to your exact question but I hope helpful to some extent, given the sort of roads you've said you will be driving on.
I replaced my as part of a refresh with B8's and Intrax springs (Evolve UK) and the dampers are perfect. The springs lower car a touch 20-30mmm from memory and are slightly firmer than stock springs.
If you are looking for maximum pace down a B road with the suspension lapping up terrible roads go B8 with stock springs. If you are happy to have a slightly lower ride height and firmer spring that can cope with bad roads but not as good on terrible roads Intrax is a very stock feeling spring and gives better aesthetics.
Since fitment I have aged and so have our roads and I would be tempted to fit stock springs if I was re-running the fun all over again now, albeit the car looks awesome currently it isn't my daily so ride is fine for what I need.
If you are looking for maximum pace down a B road with the suspension lapping up terrible roads go B8 with stock springs. If you are happy to have a slightly lower ride height and firmer spring that can cope with bad roads but not as good on terrible roads Intrax is a very stock feeling spring and gives better aesthetics.
Since fitment I have aged and so have our roads and I would be tempted to fit stock springs if I was re-running the fun all over again now, albeit the car looks awesome currently it isn't my daily so ride is fine for what I need.
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