Budget Coilovers F85

[Mandinca]

Before I start, if I had $3500 I would buy KW's.
Right, that's out of the way.

Does anyone have any more budget friendly coilovers and if so what are the upsides apart from the price and what are the downsides ?

I confess that I know very little about coilovers but have read dozens of posts about using them over lHR springs and adjustable links.

I saw these while just having a quick look around.

https://www.airtekk.com/product-p/bm-f85-co.htm

For all I know they are shi#. Or maybe they aren't ?

I also thought I saw Bilstein for a reasonable price but now can't find them at all for the F85.

So, does anyone have experience of lower price coilovers.....or does someone want to sell me their decent condition KW's for a good price ?

Thanks for looking.

[shimmy23]

BC coilovers. look em up

[WZS_M]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

BC coilovers. look em up

how do they compare to KW?

[tfunk88]

You can get Eibach lowering springs and Bilstein B6’s. Should be about $1000 for the B6’s and $300 for the Eibach kit.

Won’t do the slammed look, but will lower slightly from stock and give good handling. Would also need adaptive suspension emulator to avoid dash light and such

[Mandinca]

Thanks. I have a couple of further questions.

Obviously from a budget perspective lowering springs would be the way to go, however, I have seen some others post that the handling is dogshit when using them. I also see others saying they have had no issues.

I have absolutely no interest in tracking the car.

So....

1) If I go with either the springs or the coilovers how does that affect the M mode button programming I have done for stiffer suspension ? Comfort/Sport etc.
Does the suspension just become one mode ?
I like the soft setting for everyday driving but also get confidence from the stiffest setting when...."driving spiritedly"

2) If I go with just the springs I will need the adjustable links for the rears to self level using the bags, correct ?

3) If I go with coilovers, do I need to do anything with the bags ?

4) I saw someone added BC coilovers. I watched a few you tubes last night and a couple of other brands were mentioned a few times. Tien and Fortune Auto.
Any thoughts on those ?

Like I said in the OP, I am a noob to coilovers so anything you can think of that will be of use to me, I would appreciate it. I am just looking to retain the handling, preferably in the stiffest mode if I can't have both the soft and the stiff, while lowering the overall ride height. Not to slam it but to significantly lower the tire gap without ripping the oil pan off. ;-)


Thanks !

[shimmy23]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

Thanks. I have a couple of further questions.

Obviously from a budget perspective lowering springs would be the way to go, however, I have seen some others post that the handling is dogshit when using them. I also see others saying they have had no issues.

I have absolutely no interest in tracking the car.

So....

1) If I go with either the springs or the coilovers how does that affect the M mode button programming I have done for stiffer suspension ? Comfort/Sport etc.
Does the suspension just become one mode ?
I like the soft setting for everyday driving but also get confidence from the stiffest setting when...."driving spiritedly"

2) If I go with just the springs I will need the adjustable links for the rears to self level using the bags, correct ?

3) If I go with coilovers, do I need to do anything with the bags ?

4) I saw someone added BC coilovers. I watched a few you tubes last night and a couple of other brands were mentioned a few times. Tien and Fortune Auto.
Any thoughts on those ?

Like I said in the OP, I am a noob to coilovers so anything you can think of that will be of use to me, I would appreciate it. I am just looking to retain the handling, preferably in the stiffest mode if I can't have both the soft and the stiff, while lowering the overall ride height. Not to slam it but to significantly lower the tire gap without ripping the oil pan off. ;-)


Thanks !

1) springs will just replace your front springs. You will still benefit from comfort/sport mods and your stock shocks are controlling that. If you go with a coilover, you will have one mode (closer to sport) and you'll need to program out the EDC.

2) correct. if you go with springs, you will use lowering links to adjust the height of the rear bags. If you go with coilovers you will still use lowering links for the bags AND you will replace your stock rear shocks with the ones that come with the coilover kit.

3) as mentioned above, you rear bags stay and you lower them with lowering links... regardless if you are going coilovers or just springs.

4) I can't comments on those kits and I dont have experience with them. Also keep in mind that with any coilover kit, depending how low you go, you will likely need adjustable control arms to bring your alignment/geometry back into spec.

Tip: it is common to have the rear bags leak after installing any kind of lowering kit. The bags sit/settle on a different crease and many times a tiny air leak is revealed. Replacing the bags is an easy DIYer if you have tools and there are plenty of vids and threads on it.

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

1) If I go with either the springs or the coilovers how does that affect the M mode button programming I have done for stiffer suspension ? Comfort/Sport etc.
Does the suspension just become one mode ?
I like the soft setting for everyday driving but also get confidence from the stiffest setting when...."driving spiritedly"

2) If I go with just the springs I will need the adjustable links for the rears to self level using the bags, correct ?

3) If I go with coilovers, do I need to do anything with the bags ?

4) I saw someone added BC coilovers. I watched a few you tubes last night and a couple of other brands were mentioned a few times. Tien and Fortune Auto.
Any thoughts on those ?

Like I said in the OP, I am a noob to coilovers so anything you can think of that will be of use to me, I would appreciate it. I am just looking to retain the handling, preferably in the stiffest mode if I can't have both the soft and the stiff, while lowering the overall ride height. Not to slam it but to significantly lower the tire gap without ripping the oil pan off. ;-)


Thanks !

1. If you keep your adaptive shocks, or get replacement shocks that are adaptive, you’ll still have the settings but they may not be quite as “soft” as with the original shocks.

If you get replacement shocks that are not adaptive they will be in one fixed mode.

2. The springs should come with links for the rear

3. Depends on the kit…some retain rear airbags while some replace airbags with coil springs and an emulator so the car doesn’t freak out that it can’t change the rear ride height.

4. Have no experience with those brands. I know KW is good, Bilstein is good, Ohlins is phenomenal…but super expensive

There’s a dude in the classifieds who has a set of bc coilovers listed for $800

[shimmy23]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

3. Depends on the kit…some retain rear airbags while some replace airbags with coil springs and an emulator so the car doesn’t freak out that it can’t change the rear ride height.

I dont believe this is correct.
None of the coilover kits (and spring kits) replace the rear bags. They use lowering links. Kits like BC just say they won't fit a rear bag car due to this. You just end up not using the rear springs in the kit and acquiring your own lowering links. There are a few forum members on BC coilover, rear bags w/lowering links. Yes, you can replace the bags with springs, but it doesn't appear there's a good way to delete the code and bypass the lowering link module... which is why folks dont do this. There is no emulator for that.

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

I dont believe this is correct.
None of the coilover kits (and spring kits) replace the rear bags. They use lowering links. Kits like BC just say they won't fit a rear bag car due to this. You just end up not using the rear springs in the kit and acquiring your own lowering links. There are a few forum members on BC coilover, rear bags w/lowering links. Yes, you can replace the bags with springs, but it doesn't appear there's a good way to delete the code and bypass the lowering link module... which is why folks dont do this. There is no emulator for that.

If there’s no emulator perhaps it’s coded out using ISTA P or something…so far I’ve seen 2 F85’s with rear bags replaced by springs.

[shimmy23]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

If there’s no emulator perhaps it’s coded out using ISTA P or something…so far I’ve seen 2 F85’s with rear bags replaced by springs.

i'll have to read up more. From what i saw, no one has been able to code out the air bags.

[Mandinca]

Maybe code out the error with Protool ? I will have to ask them if nobody in here knows.

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

1. If you keep your adaptive shocks, or get replacement shocks that are adaptive, you’ll still have the settings but they may not be quite as “soft” as with the original shocks.

If you get replacement shocks that are not adaptive they will be in one fixed mode.

2. The springs should come with links for the rear

3. Depends on the kit…some retain rear airbags while some replace airbags with coil springs and an emulator so the car doesn’t freak out that it can’t change the rear ride height.

4. Have no experience with those brands. I know KW is good, Bilstein is good, Ohlins is phenomenal…but super expensive

There’s a dude in the classifieds who has a set of bc coilovers listed for $800

Probably the dumbest question so far.....I have never been able to find the classifiieds section, all I see is something like this - no classifieds marked. None of the menus seem to take me there either. I'm not new to forums so this is a bit odd to me.

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

i'll have to read up more. From what i saw, no one has been able to code out the air bags.

I dunno how they did it, as they weren’t my cars and unfortunately I didn’t ask them. I do know nothing was lit up on the dash. And I looked under the cars to confirm that they had adjustable spring perches with springs…I didn’t know at the time that F85 X5M automatically came with rear airbags. I just got into X5’s last spring when I bought mine.

I think I’ve seen on some coding post where ISTA P (or some BMW program) was used to “tell the car” or overwrite what options the computer thought the car had…maybe they did something like that?

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

Probably the dumbest question so far.....I have never been able to find the classifiieds section, all I see is something like this - no classifieds marked. None of the menus seem to take me there either. I'm not new to forums so this is a bit odd to me.

It should be in the section before you click on F85/86…like, as soon as you click on F15 Gen X5/X6 it should be one of the top options.

[Lostwooli]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

i'll have to read up more. From what i saw, no one has been able to code out the air bags.

I'm going through this now, trying to find someone to help. I have f15 BC Coilovers. You also need the top f15 spring perches. I have a thread going about the coding herehttps://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2145161

[Lostwooli]

All I have been working with Chat GPT and so far it is extremely helpful for coding.
Disabling the active suspension system on a 2018 BMW X5M using **E-Sys** involves coding out or modifying parameters related to the **Vertical Dynamics Control (VDC)** and potentially other systems that interact with the suspension. Here’s how you can approach this:

---

### **Steps to Disable Active Suspension Using E-Sys**
1. **Prepare Your Setup:**
- Ensure you have the latest version of E-Sys and the appropriate **PSDZData** files for your vehicle.
- Have a stable power supply for the vehicle battery during the process.

---

### **Target ECUs for Active Suspension:**
The active suspension system is managed by:
- **VDC (Vertical Dynamics Control)**: Controls the adaptive damping and dynamic suspension settings.
- **ICM (Integrated Chassis Management)**: Coordinates chassis-related systems like DSC, suspension, and steering.
- **DSC (Dynamic Stability Control)**: Works with VDC for suspension settings and stability control.

You’ll need to modify these ECUs to disable the active suspension system.

---

### **Coding Procedure:**
1. **Connect to the Vehicle:**
- Use an ENET cable to connect your laptop to the car.
- Open **E-Sys**, select your vehicle chassis (e.g., F15 for the X5), and connect.

2. **Read FA (Vehicle Order):**
- Go to **Expert Mode > Coding**.
- Read the **FA (Vehicle Order)** to access the vehicle configuration.

3. **Remove Active Suspension from the FA:**
- Locate and remove the following suspension-related codes (if present):
- **223**: Adaptive Suspension
- **2VF**: Adaptive M Suspension
- Save the updated FA.

4. **Code ECUs to Match the New FA:**
- Go to **Expert Mode > Coding**.
- Select and code the following ECUs:
- **VDC**
- **ICM**
- **DSC**

5. **Modify VDC Settings:**
- Go to the **CAF (Coding File)** for the VDC ECU.
- Look for parameters related to adaptive damping and set them to **inactive** or **off**:
- Example parameters:
- `EDC_Variable`: Set to **deactivated**.
- `Adaptive_Damper`: Set to **off**.

6. **Disable ICM Suspension Interactions:**
- In the ICM coding file, look for parameters related to dynamic suspension adjustments and disable them:
- Example:
- `VDC_Function`: Set to **inactive**.

7. **Disable DSC Suspension Dependency:**
- In the DSC coding file, adjust parameters that depend on active suspension:
- Example:
- `DSC_VDC`: Set to **off**.

---

### **Finalize and Test:**
1. **Code the Changes:**
- After modifying the relevant ECUs, save the changes and code the modules.

2. **Clear Fault Codes:**
- Use E-Sys or another tool (like ISTA+) to clear any fault codes generated during the process.

3. **Test the Vehicle:**
- Drive the vehicle to ensure the suspension operates passively and no errors are displayed on the dashboard.

---

### **Considerations:**
- **Warning/Error Messages**: Disabling active suspension might trigger fault codes or warnings on the instrument cluster. These may need to be coded out separately.
- **Ride Quality**: Disabling active suspension will result in a fixed damping setting, potentially affecting ride comfort and handling.
- **Legal/Insurance Implications**: Verify the legality of disabling safety-related systems in your region.

If you're unsure or encounter issues, consider consulting a BMW coding expert or technician. Let me know if you need additional assistance!

I will be testing this today