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Last week i installed the BC RACING coilovers on my 03' E55.
here's my review on the result.
Comfort:
I was really afraid the car will be too stiff with the coilovers so i set the stiffnes to 18 clicks front/rear.
In this setup the car felt comfortable,same as airmatic sport mode.
it was comfortable but too soft (handling wise) so i moved the rear shocks to 20 clicks and the front to 22 clicks.
Now it felt a stiffer than airmatic but not bumpy and still pretty comfortable (wife didnt complained).
Handling:
After adjusting the coilovers to 20/22 clicks i feel less rolling angles under hard cornering compared to the airmatic.
car feels more balanced and sharp in aggressive technical driving.
As for the steering wheel, its now heavier than before, both in low and high speed, i really like it.
feedback:
both the steering wheel and the chassis transfering more feedback from the road, something that i personally missed with the airmatic.
on the down side, when driving on the highway and going over some pavement "wave" feels like it take few sec till the front end balance itself and finish that "boat" feel.
I believe further tuning of the suspension will solve that issue.
bottom line- it feels good, not damaging the car comfort as might expect and improving the handling performance.
and of course the big added value- no need to worry about airmatic issues.
Thank you for those that helped guiding me with the questions i had regarding this conversion.
good to see you got the coilovers installed and enjoying them. I have one finger gap all around and like the feel of the car now. Big difference than the failmatic that were on before.
I feel the same way as you do, I have had them for a few months now and I'm really glad I did it, I was always nervous one of my bags would fail on a far trip (which it kind of did)
I don't know about your setup but I finally have great camber angles, no more inner wear
Also I think depending on where you live and drive depends on have a factor on how stiff or soft you want them, certain bumps I have gone over I had to stiffen them up so the car wouldn't dive down for too long, I stiffened it by one click and it helped
Im going to the track this Sunday, I have never been on a road course before, I wouldn't of done it with the air suspension. This car is not known for its handling but I figured it would be a cool experience to learn what I can and cannot do instead of learning on the streets.
Hey I'm very interested in the same setup that u are running but my question is about the install, did they bolt right up or did u have to get non-air Matic rear lower control arms? If so can u give us a part list of what was neccesary ? And if u had it installed how much did they charge or how many Hours they bill u for thanx & happy New Years
As for the steering wheel, its now heavier than before, both in low and high speed, i really like it.
on the down side, when driving on the highway and going over some pavement "wave" feels like it take few sec till the front end balance itself and finish that "boat" feel.
The heavier steering is fixed with less caster.
The boat float generally is caused by to little shock damping
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