Coilover / air suspension kit from Europe?

mane

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I searched everywhere (e9 forums and web), but only found KW v3 kit for E9, and costs 2685 euro + shipping. Is that really only option if doing coilovers?

Plan is to have smooth and comfortable ride. Not race-track ready stuff.

Any links to share, where to buy in Europe?

Thanks!
 

Gransin

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Where to buy in Europe?

GAZ-shocks in UK sells coilovers for the e9, but you need to send them your struts or buy a pair of struts in UK and have the seller send them straight to GAZ for modification. You need to contact them as they don't offer them on their site, they wanted £850 last I checked, several years ago now.


Here's a picture of the fronts for our coupes:

GAZ gold bmw e9.jpg
 

mane

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GAZ-shocks in UK sells coilovers for the e9, but you need to send them your struts or buy a pair of struts in UK and have the seller send them straight to GAZ for modification. You need to contact them as they don't offer them on their site, they wanted £850 last I checked, several years ago now.

Thanks! 850 for all four of them? (Plus shipping and the struts of course.)
 

Gransin

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Thanks! 850 for all four of them? (Plus shipping and the struts of course.)

Yes, well, it's not coilover in the back, it's a lowering spring with an adjustable perch + separate dampers.
The £850 (several years ago) was for a complete kit, all four corners.
 

mane

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I'm looking that for air suspension conversion. But just realized that there are ready kits for that already available.

Anyone have experiences with this kit?:


Plan was to take only the struts, and add automatic leveling system (and remove the sway bars).
 

mane

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Would be happy to hear what air suspensions people have put in their cars. And does all of those require struts to be sent somewhere for modification?
 

tferrer

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Would be happy to hear what air suspensions people have put in their cars. And does all of those require struts to be sent somewhere for modification?

I was under the impression the air rides are not for comfort or better handling but to get the "slammed" look, as pictured in the ad advertising those shocks. Personally, I'd get a conventional KW kit. By the time you run and mount the air lines, and pump and potentially larger alternator (for the pump) your cost will likely be equivalent, perhaps more. I see lots of slammed rides in the bay area and they are always bouncing along at 12 mph...
 

mane

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I’m not actually looking for slammed look. Just a comfortable ride combined with adjustability. If I want it firmer for some reason, I can adjust it.
 

teahead

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paging @floridabmx regarding air ride pros/cons.

$2.2k not bad if it includes everything for a full suspension air ride system. Not sure if it includes those spindles/housings on the front.
 

floridabmx

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I’d bag another E9 tomorrow. My old car rode like a dream. Ran a universal airlift setup.

I have BC coils sitting in a box now, welded to the spindles. Waiting for the next project.

If you dont feel like modifying your car with airride, gaz or BC would be the way to go as it’s so cheap and they both have adjustable dampening.
 

jefflit

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My only input on air bag systems, gleaned from my daughter's 64 Impala lowrider, is don't use that plastic hose or fittings all the kits supply. You'll be chasing leaks forever. Ideally, have a pneumatic hose shop make you DOT-approved (or whatever the equivalent sanctioning body in the UK is) hoses with crimped fittings. If you insist on using plastic hose do not use the barrel compression or Push-to-Connect (PTC) fittings in the kit. Do yourself a favor and buy DOT-approved hose and fittings. The cheapo barrel fittings are like the ones you use on copper pipe (which is rigid) while the DOT ones have an insert that goes into the hose so that the barrel doesn't just crush the hose when compressed. Also, Loctite 545 is your friend. Use it on all threads. See my 8-year-old post on the subject at layitlow.
 

teahead

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My only input on air bag systems, gleaned from my daughter's 64 Impala lowrider, is don't use that plastic hose or fittings all the kits supply. You'll be chasing leaks forever. Ideally, have a pneumatic hose shop make you DOT-approved (or whatever the equivalent sanctioning body in the UK is) hoses with crimped fittings. If you insist on using plastic hose do not use the barrel compression or Push-to-Connect (PTC) fittings in the kit. Do yourself a favor and buy DOT-approved hose and fittings. The cheapo barrel fittings are like the ones you use on copper pipe (which is rigid) while the DOT ones have an insert that goes into the hose so that the barrel doesn't just crush the hose when compressed. Also, Loctite 545 is your friend. Use it on all threads. See my 8-year-old post on the subject at layitlow.

Any experience w/these?

 

dang

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I'm looking that for air suspension conversion. But just realized that there are ready kits for that already available.

Anyone have experiences with this kit?:


Plan was to take only the struts, and add automatic leveling system (and remove the sway bars).

Not familiar with that kit but I'm putting an Air Ride Performance kit on my E3. It's off of a Lexus IS and will need some mods but not all that much. Modern air suspensions can be fantastic. The slammed low riders stand out because they're slammed low riders, but a lot of your high-end luxury vehicles use air suspension and no one ever notices. They're considered a high priced upgrade for some.
 

Markos

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This!

Air suspension is awesome tech that is transferable to almost any vehicle. You will find it on high end audi’s also. I would love to have an e3 with this setup. I won’t do it on my coupe because they are expensive and the added tech is not what I am after.

Coilovers on the other hand serve no real advantage over a dialed in suspension on a street car. They are the AR-15’s of the automotive world. People like them because they look high-tech and cool, but they have zero functional advantage in the real world.

Not familiar with that kit but I'm putting an Air Ride Performance kit on my E3. It's off of a Lexus IS and will need some mods but not all that much. Modern air suspensions can be fantastic. The slammed low riders stand out because they're slammed low riders, but a lot of your high-end luxury vehicles use air suspension and no one ever notices. They're considered a high priced upgrade for some.
 

jefflit

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I do not have direct experience with those fittings. However, I will say three things: 1) I switched from Chinese-made to ViAir compressors (two of them) in the Impala. Their products are widely used and I've had nothing but good experience with the compressors. 2) I don't use PTCs in my setup (I feel safer with fittings I can tighten) but I do carry a PTC union connector in the glovebox in case I need to make an emergency splice. 3) The (DOT) FMVSS 571.106 SAE J1131 Air Brake System Requirements approval claim coming from a reputable company carries weight with me - I'm not familiar with the process to get that approval but I'm assuming isn't a rubber stamp. Then again, it is government....

In other words, I have no idea if those fittings are worth a damn or not. I guess you have to try them, or ask your local pneumatic hose shop.
 

Markos

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I do not have direct experience with those fittings. However, I will say three things: 1) I switched from Chinese-made to ViAir compressors (two of them) in the Impala. Their products are widely used and I've had nothing but good experience with the compressors. 2) I don't use PTCs in my setup (I feel safer with fittings I can tighten) but I do carry a PTC union connector in the glovebox in case I need to make an emergency splice. 3) The (DOT) FMVSS 571.106 SAE J1131 Air Brake System Requirements approval claim coming from a reputable company carries weight with me - I'm not familiar with the process to get that approval but I'm assuming isn't a rubber stamp. Then again, it is government....

In other words, I have no idea if those fittings are worth a damn or not. I guess you have to try them, or ask your local pneumatic hose shop.

Jeff, if you want a real air compressor, get this unit from ARB. In terms of "field testing", you won't find an "air lift" organization that does it better. This has 100% duty cycle, and probably about double the CFM of most of the Viar style units. You can run air tools on it when your car breaks down. :) If you have ever owned a land rover, or a jeep, you will be intimately familiar with ARB, and their quality.

 

mane

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Okay, research is over. Plan is to get a BC Racing coilover kit, Airlift 3H, Airlift tank, Viaair 444C compressor, OCD single yellow bags to front (direct fitment) and OCD universal bags to rear. Rear bag needs some custom supports, but everything else should be plug and play.

What I heard from pros is that TA Technix kit is the very low end stuff that you can get. Airrex bag kit is better, but its control system is poor.

BC Racing is quality kit, and using that with proper control system like Airlift 3H makes it very solid setup and not too expensive. Talking about 3600 euros total, with all the required equipment.
 

Cornishman

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Article on GAZ struts in this months BMW club of GB magazine Straight Six.
About £1k for the kit.
 

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nosmonkey

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Okay, research is over. Plan is to get a BC Racing coilover kit, Airlift 3H, Airlift tank, Viaair 444C compressor, OCD single yellow bags to front (direct fitment) and OCD universal bags to rear. Rear bag needs some custom supports, but everything else should be plug and play.

What I heard from pros is that TA Technix kit is the very low end stuff that you can get. Airrex bag kit is better, but its control system is poor.

BC Racing is quality kit, and using that with proper control system like Airlift 3H makes it very solid setup and not too expensive. Talking about 3600 euros total, with all the required equipment.
Let us know how you get on as I'll be going a similar route too.

Dolud.com also offer a bag kit, not too sure how well they perform however.
 
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