Dinan suspension, 335xi sport suspension

[StigNV]

Just completed the Dinan Stage 3 suspension kit. What a personality change for the car! Gave it a run on the 6 mile valley run outside Virginia City, NV. and the body roll vanished. The car handles so well, reminds me of my buddies E46 M3. This car now has true performance to match the power. Amazingly, the ride is still comfortable with all the stiffness added. I'm looking forward to finding an E93 M3 who wants to play. I'm curious to see what happens in the real world. I've seen the video where they go toe to toe at Buttonwillow Springs, but curious to see for myself.

As for the 335xi sport package issue brought up earlier: Sorry to get back so late with this info. This is what the dealer found out after 2 weeks of contention. There isn't a stiffer suspension added with the sport package, only the staggered tires, and interior changes. However, all 335xi models have stiffer suspension added. The springs are the equivalent of the 335i Sport package mods. They need the stiffer spring to support the AWD system. This is the first time the service and sales department concurred on the issue. There was some serious banter and research done over tha last 2 weeks between these guys. Nobody knew the answer until they called. Hope this clears things up. Our little forum discussion really stirred things up at the dealer, ha ha.

[mryakan]

nice, congrats. Any plans to take it to the track soon? Also did the ride height change? pics pics.
Also thanks for the followup on the stock suspension, maybe you can post your findings in the FAQ.

[StigNV]

Pics of car with new suspension, it lowered the car 1/2". There is a track day at Fernley in June, I might be going. Glad to follow up on the car info.

[jibaholic101]

how much did it cost out the door?

any differences in the ride quality, as in straight line comfort?

[StigNV]

It was $3100 out the door. They gave me a 10% break on the maint. I sent in my 15% rebate to Dinan for the parts today. Should be another $200 off or so. One thing of notice, the wheel alignment isn't included in the 12.9 hours of maintenance. That quote is only for the install. I assumed the alignment would be included for a total suspension replacemement. Need to ask more specific questions in the future.
Ride quality is still really good straight line. I was surprised. It still lives in the real world with a lot of decency. It's stiff, but very bearable. You'll feel comfortable on the I-5.

[MDBimmer]

Congrats and thanks. Is the suspension kit available for the Sedan as well? Had a short shift installed and while there talked to three different experts in their own minds who said there are no known suspension upgrades for the xi. Guess they should read here. LOL Being this is the first AWD we haved owned, it really is a strange feeling going around the twisties and feeling the body roll while the car stays planted all around.

[StigNV]

Yeah, they make kits for the E90xi. Check out www.dinancars.com (http://www.dinancars.com) and check your model out. It will give you the info. It looks like they have KW coilovers if you really want to go hard core, and feel comfortable with making your own adjustments. Some of the vendors here on the forum are selling them.
I've been playing with the adjustable suspension on my mountain bike, and I got really close to zooting myself into a tree one time last summer. I'm not brave enough to do that type of stuff with a car :)
Hey MDbimmer, do you fly? What kind of cockpit is that, a 737? Nice easy button, ha ha.

[arter]

Several people have commented that they love the Dinan stage 2 or 3 suspension upgrade for the Xi. Sounds very good as the KV3 reviews have been great handling , but at the cost of being a bit harsh/firm on the ride comfort scale. Plus that tends to be a bigger drop in height.

A 1/2 inch drop, handling, and still a comfortable ride sounds great.
I have tracked my Xi and would like it to not sway as much in turns.
(D*mn it, this wasn't supposed to be my track car, but it is so fun to drive...)

[Peter99]

I am looking at buying a 09 335 and leaning to the xi sedan but noticed it doesn't have the sports suspension. I saw one in the showroom and it also seemed higher than the regular sedan. My old 540 has an after market suspension and is comaparable to my previous 91 M5. I test drove the 335i and while it was softer than the modified 540 it was very responsive with minimal sway. Will I need to modify the xi version or is it the same as the i? Is there any difference with a coupe apart from being more expensive and less accessible? (OK it DOES look better))

[duncan17]

Pics of car with new suspension, it lowered the car 1/2". There is a track day at Fernley in June, I might be going. Glad to follow up on the car info.

Beautiful car Stig NV, what wheels are those??

I've got stage 2 suspension and stage 3 software and my mate in an E92 m3 couldn't catch me at the last track day at Road Atlanta. I'm definately faster down the back straight....

[StigNV]

Thanks:D
I got the rims from tirerack.com, they are a brand called Sport Edition. I use them for my winter rims, and the 18" with the RFT's for the summer, only $125 a copy.

I think the coupe looks better, I've received a fer compliments on mine, people trying to figur out why it looks different. One thing kind of wierd I saw in Road & Track in the roatd test spreadsheet summary: the coupe has a lower lateral G handling than the 4 door version, not sure if it was a typo. Also not sure if there is a variance between the I and XI models. Dinan claims that my lateral G is mproved to .95G's. I can feel a difference in the turns. The body roll is greatly reduced, and the handling feels more crisp and responsive. It feels very predictably in the twisties.

[2010335xi]

Anyone know the major suspension differences between a 2010 335xi sport and 335i sport? Or are they the same?

[mryakan]

Anyone know the major suspension differences between a 2010 335xi sport and 335i sport? Or are they the same?
x-drive models have a different suspension (steel vs aluminum too). There is also no sports suspension on x-drive models.