pia663

Could anybody comment on the ride quality after TEIN CS coilover installed? How does it compare to stock?

In general, can we improve GS's ride quality overall? Especially when the tire is still cold or going over some irregular road surface?

JacobT

The TEIN coilover will improve your handling but not your ride quality. Install some higher profile tires will definitely improve your ride quality.

pia663

Thanks for the reply.

Actually I've been thru the tire route and come to the stage to think I might need a different spring/shock combination.
My GS430 has gone thru

235/45/17 Bridgestone RE030 (OEM)
235/45/17 Bridgestone Turanza Revo Z
215/60/16 Bridgestone Turanza ER30 (OEM)
225/55/16 Dunlop SP5000

in 8000 miles. 235/45/17 turns sharp but quite bouncy/jumpy/noisy on lots of highway surfaces. 215/60/16 is smooth and quiet but numb in steering and unstable when go a little bit faster. 225/55/16 is about right on the noise and handling aspect (for me), nimble and stable at high speed. But still leave the smoothness to be desired when the road surface is bad.

So my question is is "TEIN type CS" really as good as they claimed in the brochure: "higher quality of comfort", "quickness to respond to a variation of road surfaces", "driving safety and comfort that can be felt even from the rear seat"? Or just a nice marketing writing?

I have seen a lot of good posts here. Just wondering maybe somebody has more ideas?

RON430

I wanted to get 17 inch on my GS430 but couldn't get them without ML and navi so I opted out. Now that I have it with the 16s, I am not unhappy. I read the comments from guys looking for quiet/smooth riding 17, 18, or 20" wheel tires, dropping down to 35 profile, and I think they are trying to get something that is inherently difficult with those low profiles and wide rubber. I'll keep the 16s with the 55 profile. At least for now, just going in for the thirty day checkup at Magnussen in Fremont tomorrow. I have been looking at some of the same things you have, the Tien CS, to firm up the suspension, but I have talked myself out of the coilovers for the time being. I am pretty sure I will just try Bilsteins with the stock coils first and see what happens. Lowering is not a priority, just don't care one way or the other. Let's see if somebody with more experience posts. I asked about the Bilstein coilovers but gs4will said they are too new for anyone to have tried yet.

GS4Will

the definition of "ride quality" can vary from person to person. for a driver who is used to rock-hard suspension, lex ride would be like sitting in leather sofa. and the opposite is true also.

when one chooses coil-overs, the ability to retain stock comfort is greatly diminished. tein cs is "supposed" to be the closest to stock. but again, each person's perception can also be different. coil-overs are more $$, so ponder over before you jump in.

pia,

if you want better handling, either spring,shocks, or both is a must.

ron,

i talked to various tuner shops, bilsteins, and H&R people. to a certain extent, i believe both Bilsteins and HR coilovers are very similar in set ups. as they both make parts for each other, to reduce production costs, i do not think Bilsteins would alter too much after they have seen HR's coilovers(HR coilovers have been on the market for a while, and costs a little more).

the good thing is that you do get the limited lifetime warranty from both companies.
when you are ready to go for either the shocks only, or any of the above coilovers let me know.

thanks.

william

RacingAristo

IMO, stock GS rides pretty comfy. Now I've owned TEIN HA, I still think it's pretty comfy as coilovers from a previous M3 owner with H&R/Bilstein.

Even L-tuned suspension is stiffer than stock so I don't know whatelse you can do to improve the ride quality if you still want to lower your car.

If you would like to purchase Bilstein parts, I highly recommend you get it from Will. His price is "da best". I purchased a complete set of Bilstein shocks from him before. (Am I the first guy who bought Bilstein stuff from you, Will? ) Great guy, great price, great service!

GS4Will

Dennis,

thanks for the complment. i am glad that the set worked out for you to the next member. you got the very first set with the least wait time.

us s,cal guys should get together soon.

will

RON430

You'll be on my list for the Bilsteins. Probably getting closer. Took my car in for its first service today and the guys at the dealership don't seem to have a problem with reasonable mods. As it is, I can't believe anyone would have a warranty problem with replacing a consumable like shocks. Still it is taking me a little bit to convince myself to replace shocks on a month old car, but I am working up to it.

If you don't mind, I would like to confirm my understanding or see if I am off base. Coil overs are a shock spring combo that has a somewhat modified shock, generally with shorter stroke than stock, and an adjustable spring perch that allows ride height adjustment. Is that the right idea? My understanding is that in order to get the adjustable ride height the combo is put together to work with less suspension travel than stock and hence the generally shorter shock stroke. Hope this isn't too dumb a question. Just curious.

RacingAristo

Definitely!

GS4Will

Ron,

your description and understanding on the coilover unit is right on the money. i will just add one more point. as a height adjustable unit, basically the springs are compressed even more as you lower the car further, hence, the spring travel is more restricted.

as far as i am concerned, there is no "dumb questions" on this board. if i do not have the in-depth knowledge on any subject matter, someone will certainly step up to the plate. or, if i am too tired to answer them, again, someone else will. imo, that is what i believe makes this forum great. i would rather seeing members get some infos from guys here first than have them getting ripped off by some guys desperately trying to make a sale.

i just realized that your stock shock is only one month old. unless you are truly unhappy with the way they perform; otherwise by all means, use them for a while.
actually i am not that clear of your goal as to what you would like to achieve to make your GS a better ride?

the bilsteins which most acquire from me are the sports model. usually owners use these shocks to accompany the performance, shorter springs such as Eibach/H&Rs. i do not know of anyone use them w/stock springs. though i do not see any harm in doing so, i am uncertain how the ride quality would be affected, if at all.

let me know your thoughts, thanks.

will

RON430

Had a short e-mail discussion with MeanGene on GS430 handling. My benchmark is pretty much from BMW. I am a little baffled by the stock GS430 ride because it seems, at the same time, to have more highway "float" over big dips and more impact harshness from small sharp bumps than I would expect. At least for me, I don't confuse it for a bimmer at all. I prefer a firmer ride but not one that would be described as harsh. I had sport Bilsteins put on both five and seven series bimmers and they are probably one of the few mods that improve the handling/ride in my opinion. If I were to prioritize my concern, I think the float over the big highway dips is what I want to get rid of most. I figure I am going to have this car for a while and although I am having a tough time justifying scrapping the stock shocks, the sooner it is improved, the better. I have looked a bit at springs and coilovers but I am not sure that approach does what I want. In the late sixties and early seventies, to get suspensions to give good grip we firmed them up a lot. Then we started to learn more and realized that a suspension needed to work, just going stiffer didn't always help handling. Anyway, bimmers pretty well prove that you can get excellent handling without the word "harsh" entering into it. Should be taking my wifes Maxima in for suspension work in the next couple of weeks and I will go over how much the shock install would cost and talk about spring install costs too. Right now I am thinking I will try the Bilsteins first with the stock shocks then see how things go. Also took the GS in for its first service and, like I thought, changing shocks won't do anything to warranty. Heck, not even BMW had warranty problems cause you changed shocks.

Just for curiosity, I want to make sure I have this right. When you lower the ride height on a coil over, you are partially compressing the spring. I guess that makes sense but I never thought about it till you mentioned it. Getting pretty obvious why coilovers are so pricey. You really need to have your head screwed on right to have them work correctly over a wide range of adjustability.

GS4Will

your description and understanding of handling and suspension are right on the money.

about the cost for install, these are the LA prices:

dealer: $350(springs/shocks, or both)

good shops: ~$150-175
they both charge you the same regardless of 1 or 2 items.

let me know when you would like to give Bilsteins a try.

william

RacingAristo

Eibach/Bilstein can get rid of most of the "floating". Give it a try. :-)

pia663

Hi Guys,

Thanks a lot for the information. They are very helpful.

Ron, you must have read my mind. Every statements are right on the spot. I'm leaning towards the coilover 'cause I assume TEIN must have spent the engineer resource to make sure the new combo works better than the stock. Just want to get more information before pouring another 2K......

RacingAristo

pia, I may get TEIN CS for around $1500 shipped. Let me know.