Suspension Question

[jgill17]

For my '99 M3 'vert ... Just recently bought it and it rides stiff. I know this is how it's supposed to be ... but is there anything I can do to give it a softer ride? I live in an area with lots of cobblestone roads and it would be nice to tone them down a bit.

I know it is kinda sacrilegious to soften up an M3, but do I have any options?

[RRSperry]

Depends on what you have now, and how many miles are on it.

[shogungtp]

YOu could special order softer springs springs

[jgill17]

Right ... I'll try to figure out what I have on there right now ... I'm pretty sure whatever's on there has been on there for a while. As for softer springs ... That's kinda what I was thinking, but I don't know what to look for. What is softer than stock? How are springs measured? Please elaborate.

[acastillo]

How many miles are on the car? Suspension maintenance history? What tires?

A stiff or "harsh" ride can be that your shocks/struts are worn, as well as bushings too. Tires can make a big difference. I'd start there before going with softer springs....Koni or Monroe shocks/struts, bushings, and switch to a tire with better ride quality. I'm very pleased with GY F1 D3.

[jgill17]

Car has 108,000 miles on it ... I don't know for sure, cuz I just got it, but I don't think the suspension has been serviced recently. I'm rolling on TOYO (proxes?) M+S tires. I've been told that the tires are stiff (and not good for wet driving).

Any more recommendations on tires (for ride comfort) or springs?

Thanks.

[acastillo]

Car has 108,000 miles on it ... I don't know for sure, cuz I just got it, but I don't think the suspension has been serviced recently. I'm rolling on TOYO (proxes?) M+S tires. I've been told that the tires are stiff (and not good for wet driving).

Any more recommendations on tires (for ride comfort) or springs?

Thanks.

go to tirerack.com, search your size, and look at survey paying attention to ride comfort ratings. As stated earlier, the F1 G3's have excellent performance ratings, are great in the wet, and scored better in ride comfort against the current max performance options from Dunlop and Bridgestone. Tires can make a huge difference in comfort.

I'm not familiar with any aftermarket softer springs available for the M3, other than swapping to a set of 328 non sport springs? Though again, I will reiterate, with the mileage you have, OEM shocks/struts are done after 40-50k, and so are your bushings at 108k...RSM, RTAB, CAB as well as your front control arms, tie rods, rear ball joints, etc. If your shocks are original, they probably have no dampening making the ride harsh over bumps.

If you rehabbed your suspension and replaced your tires (if they're worn) I'd be willing to bet you'd be MUCH happier with the ride quality, in terms of not being too harsh, and feeling like a new car.

[jgill17]

Thanks for the help and the suggestions!