Bilstein coilovers or Dinan S1 upgrade?

I have stage 3 and love them...stock ride but very good on cornering but i suggest going for the stage 2 instead of stage1...g/l

lovemym52001 said:

Hi Folks, I have pepped up the engine with a few upgrades but done nothing to the suspension on my 2001 ///M5. Stock is pretty good but the body sure rolls on this heavy baby in spirited cornering. I'm considering the Bilstein adjustable coilovers @ $2500 or the Dinan S1 (which is springs, shocks and struts) for $1500. I seldom track the car but love the twisties in the back country. Any recommendations?

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I'd take the Dinan setup over the Bilsteins. It is well-sorted out and well-matched, and the consensus seems to be that the Koni shocks that come with the Dinan setup are superior to the Bilsteins for this particular car. Also, coilovers will just be springs and shocks. With the Dinan S2 package you will also get the rear bar, which helps balance the handling much better than springs/shocks alone. If you turn into a track junkie, you can run OEM rear size wheels/tire on front with a 3mm spacer with the Dinan. I think (but am not sure) that you cannot do that with the Bilstein coilovers because the spring collar sits lower, and right where you need clearance for the larger tires.

As to which Dinan, get Dinan Stage 2 if you're experiencing greater wear on the inside edges of your front tires currently, Stage 3 if the outer edges are more worn. The difference is that S3 adds camber plates, which you may not like if your current driving style already wears the inner edges first - camber plates will make that worse. Stage one really isn't enough, and the increment between S1 and S2 doesn't add that much in terms of labor. The larger rear bar you get with S2 really makes a difference.