Top 6 Best Coilover Brands for BMW
BMWs are excellent performance cars, and if you are looking to get the most out of your BMW, installing a set of coilovers is one of the best upgrades you can do.
No matter whether you drive an E30, E36, E46 or a E9x, there are a wide range of coilover options available to suit all budgets. However, not all of them are good.
In this guide I’m going to cover the top 5 coilover brands for BMWs, so that you know where to spend your money. This list will go from best budget brand all the way up to the best coilover brands on the market today.
Some Things to Know About Installing Coilovers on BMWs
Weld-In Fronts
While this won’t apply to modern BMW models from the E36 era onwards (90s), early BMW models up to the E34 had integrated front struts where the shock body was one unit with the hub.
This means that you can’t simply unbolt the shocks and install your new coilovers. What you have to do is remove the whole unit, cut the old shock housings off and weld the new coilover mounts onto the hubs, in order to be able to install the front coilovers.
While this is a common mod by this point, and it shouldn’t be hard to find a welder who can do this for you, it does add to the cost and complexity of the installation, so just be aware of that. Also, double check the legality of doing this in your country, as some places want to see proof of the quality of the welding.
Reinforcing the Strut Towers
Many BMWs suffered from weak strut towers which will “mushroom” and deform, especially when using stiffer suspension, even on the street.
It’s a very good idea to reinforce the strut towers when changing out the suspension on your BMW to prevent this. You will want to do this on both the front and rear towers. There are two ways to do this:
- Install reinforcement plates which you can buy online or directly from BMW which just go on the top of the top mounts. They look like this:
- Install a strut bar which does the same thing as the reinforcement plates, but will add a bit of extra rigidity as well.
This is not an expensive thing to do and will ensure that your strut towers don’t deform and eventually crack, which is common and much harder to fix.
If yours have already started to mushroom but have not cracked, you should be able to reshape them by using a block of wood and hammering them back into shape, and then install the reinforcement plates to prevent them getting any worse.
Divorced vs True Rear Setups
Many BMWs, particularly 3 Series models, use a divorced rear spring setup, which means the springs are installed separately to the shock.
Some coilovers are available as both a divorced rear and a true rear setup, with a true rear being a traditional coilover with the spring and shock as one unit.
As I mentioned in the previous section, BMWs have very weak strut towers, so installing a true rear setup will end in disaster unless you do significant strengthening of the strut towers, ideally tying them in to a roll cage.
This is because with a true rear setup the strut tower has to support the load of the spring, and since it already struggles with just the shock, this won’t end well, even with reinforcement plates installed.
The performance benefits of a true rear setup are also negligible unless you are trying to shave off milliseconds from your lap times. So with that being the case, for 99% of people they are not worth the effort and a divorced rear setup will be more than enough.
The Best BMW Coilover Brands
Right, now that we’ve covered what you need to know before buying coilovers, let’s get into the best coilover brands for BMWs.
This list will go from lowest to highest in price.
Solo-Werks
Price: From: $499
If you are looking for budget coilovers, the Solo-Werks coilover kit is one of the best options you are going to find.
Solo-Werks have done an amazing job of putting together a quality kit for an unbelievably low price. Most coilover kits in this price range and just simply rubbish, but not these.
What’s interesting about Solo-Werks is that it was started by ex-KW engineers, who took what they learned from working at KW and started their own company.
They have since developed a good reputation as the go-to budget coilovers for European cars, offering surprisingly high performance and ride quality for the price.
These coilovers also very rust resistant, featuring heavy gold zinc plating on the shock bodies which has been salt spray tested for over 500 hours.
They also come with a 3 year warranty which is unheard of at this price range and is longer than practically all coilovers even twice their price.
As far as budget coilovers go, I have not found a better option, and I can personally vouch for these, having had them on my E36 and even using them at the track. You can read my in-depth Solo-Werks review here.
GET BMW SOLO-WERKS COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
BC Racing
Price: From $1195
BC Racing have become an extremely popular name in the world of coilovers, offering some fantastic value for money kits.
BC Racing offer a wide range of coilover options, from street to full track spec kits. Their most popular option by far are the BR Series coilover kit which are designed for street use with occasional track days.
What makes BC Racing coilovers so popular is that they offer great performance, good ride quality, decent build quality, are highly customizable, fully rebuildable and come with a 1 year warranty. They also make kits for almost every car imaginable, so no matter what you drive they will probably have something for you.
No matter what you are looking for from your coilover kit, BC Racing will have a kit to suit your requirements, or will put one together to suit your needs, and it will probably be cheaper than any other equivalent you’ll find.
GET BMW BC RACING COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Fortune Auto
Price: From $1799
If you are looking for high quality performance coilovers that are proven on the track, Fortune Auto has you covered.
Fortune Auto puts a high degree of focus on both the build quality of the coilovers as well as their performance, giving you a wide range of options to suit any requirement.
What makes Fortune Auto coilovers special is that they are highly customizable as well as modular, meaning they can be upgraded to a higher spec at a later date. So if you find you need more from your suspension, you don’t have to buy a whole new kit, you can just send yours in to Fortune Auto to get the upgrade.
Another thing that makes them special is their super strict quality control. Every single damper is tested on their shock dyno at their facility in Virginia, and all dampers are paired to within a 3% tolerance. Their kits are all hand assembled in the USA, where they also service and upgrade all coilovers.
Fortune Auto also give you a 5 year warranty on all their coilovers, which is one of the longest in the industry, and says a lot about the quality of their products.
Whether you are looking for a high performance street coilover or you need a full track spec kit, Fortune Auto has something for everyone.
GET BMW FORTUNE AUTO COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Ohlins
Price: From $2690
Ohlins have been in the suspension game for a long time and have a long track record of producing high quality suspension kits and motorsport success as a result.
Their Road & Track kit is their most popular setup that is made for the widest range of cars and offers the perfect balance between street comfort and track performance.
Ohlins coilovers have a number of innovative technologies that you won’t find with other brands. One example of their special DFV (Dual Flow Valve) which is designed to allow oil to bypass the valve at fast shaft speeds which either increases road comfort or tyre grip, depending on whether it’s on compression or rebound.
Another example is their unique needle bleed valve which is designed to expand with heat at the same rate as the oil becomes thinner, ensuring that the dampers are consistent at all temperature ranges.
Their kits are also made to withstand the harshest winters and have been salt spray tested to ISO 9227 standards to ensure they won’t rust.
So, while their kits are not what you’d call cheap, they certainly are of the highest quality and will give you one of, if not the best combination of road comfort and track performance available on the market today.
GET BMW OHLINS COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
KW
Price: $1284
KW is another very highly regarded suspension manufacturer that makes a wide range of coilover options for BMWs.
KW coilover kits range from height adjustable street kits to 4-way independently adjustable race-ready kits made only for a select few exotic performance cars.
One thing KW is known for is their extreme resistance to corrosion. All of their kits feature their signature INOX-LINE stainless steel shock bodies and polyamide composite spring perches, which have been salt spray tested for 220 hours to ensure they will never rust of seize. KW also backs this up with a lifetime warranty.
KW tunes every coilover kit for the specific vehicle its designed for to ensure the best performance for the purpose, whether that’s more street comfort or maximum handling for the track. They use a 7 post testing rig (the same thing F1 teams use to develop their suspension), as well as regular testing on the Nordschleife and the road.
While KW kits are definitely on the upper end of the price range, especially when compared to similar kits, there is no doubt they put a lot of engineering into every kit they produce. They also produce a wide range of options for BMWs.
GET BMW KW COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Moton
Price: From $6333
If your goal is uncompromised track performance, you will struggle to find better anything better than Moton coilovers.
Moton produce what are possibly the highest performing coilovers on the planet, and come with a range of features most other coilovers can only dream of.
With a heavy focus on handling, their coilovers are designed to offer consistent performance in racing environments and are used by top-tier race teams all over the world.
They have kits ranging from 1-way dampening adjustable to 3-way dampening adjustable with quick release external reservoirs, camber plates, double digressive pistons and more.
While the price of their kits are more than what some whole cars cost, you can be sure that are getting the absolute best setup for your money when you buy a Moton kit.
GET BMW MOTON COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Got Any Questions About BMW Coilovers?
Either post your question in the comments section below or send me an email on mateja@nefariousracing.com and I’ll help you pick out the right coilovers for your BMW.
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
- BC Racing BR Series VS Tein Flex Z Coilovers - April 15, 2024
- The Pros and Cons of Shock Body Vs Spring Perch Coilover Height Adjustment - April 13, 2024
- Monotube Vs Twin Tube Shocks: The Ultimate Guide - April 11, 2024
