ST Suspension has released an exciting new product that we think will set the suspension market on edge, the affordable 3-way adjustable coilover! Previously having 3-way damping adjustment was something only owners of expensive race shocks could experience. Now ST Suspension is offering a 3-way at an obtainable price point, the XTA Plus 3.
To evaluate the ST’s we used a car that we felt would be a solid representation of a typical application, an E92 M3. Now that these cars are affordable and are getting into the hands of second owners, this is a vehicle that should not only respond well to modifying the suspension but be a typical older performance sedan that has enough miles that a freshening of things makes sense.
The ST XTA Plus 3 kit consists of a front coilover strut, a rear shock with a race coil conversion with a height-adjustable spring seat. Having the spring divorced from the shock eliminates spring kinking force and actually can make for an improved ride and less tire shock.
The front coilovers have 7 kg springs up from the stock 2.9kg and the rear shocks use 12 kg springs up from the stock 9.8 kg. If the rear springs seem really stiff you have to consider that they are run far inboard with a lot of leverage on them so the wheel rate isn’t close to being that high.
The front coilovers have a sealed pillow ball mount with camber adjustment. The front rebound adjuster is also up here at the end of the shock shaft.
The rear shock rebound adjuster is at the top of the shaft as well.
The front strut high and low-speed compression adjusters are on the bottom of the strut tube. They are large and easy to reach with positive clicks.
8 comments
Would you equate this to being a KW v3, but without the proprietary steel, and a limited warranty?
KW’s V3 is only 2-way adjustable, this is something totally different.
You don’t need to spend the money or waste the space mounting the silly EDC boxes. Find someone who is competent coding BMWs and it’s one of the easiest things to code out. It takes me longer to unplug the EDC module than do the actual coding. They can code out TPMS at the same time if you don’t want to have sensors in each wheel.
Otherwise, it’s interesting to see KW have a 3 way coilover kit released by its “lesser” brand.
Good to know. Is it doable with the BMW factory scan tool or do you need to use second-party software?
Not trying to be rude, but I don’t know what “BMW factory scan tool” refers to. I don’t think you’d be able to do it with ISTA which is dealership level diagnostics/programming/coding software. I use NCS-Expert for it, which is BMW factory level coding software for E chassis. You can find the software for free on forums, it’s just a bit of a time commitment to get it up and running and connected to a car.
I imagine you might be able to do it with an Autologic, Autel, or Snap On scan tool. The idea is you unplug the EDC module and remove 223 from the vehicle order which is the EDC option code. You then code the instrument cluster and the center display (if you have one) with the modified vehicle order and the car never knows it had EDC to begin with.
Honestly, find a good independent BMW shop near you that isn’t scared of technology and they should charge you around $50-$70 to code something like that out. That’s what I’d charge.
What would you charge to walk me through setting up a dedicated laptop for my E46 M3? It’s Dinan tuned with a supercharger and I’m interested in digging around the code to see if I can get it to pass DEQ in my state. The O2 sensor won’t ready up (as it was replaced with a wideband sensor) which makes it an automatic fail. I haven’t had much luck finding a guide to hardware and software setup online (for instance, I have a laptop and a k-can cable but I don’t think it’s the right cable as my laptop does not see the ECU when it’s hooked up).
Sorry, seeing this about a month later.
My advice is go to bimmergeeks.net and buy their K+DCAN cable and download the standard tools from their downloads section. Download E46 SP Datens and get those loaded on. There are plenty of guides around, bimmerforums is a good resource. Your first goal is to open INPA and have it show ignition on. That means you’re connected to the car.
But honestly you have a much bigger issue than getting INPA connected to your car. If you need all emissions monitors to pass with wideband front O2 sensors, you need a pretty good BMW tuner. Not something you’re gonna do at home.
I’ve been a big fan of ST for years. On my second set of X street coil overs . First set was passed down to my daughter when she started driving.. bought a new set for my new car in 2015. Currently considering upgrading or replacing the rear shock that recently failed out of warranty.. Unfortunately the 8v Audi chassis doesn’t allow top adjustment with out removing the shock/strut. I felt like they did a good job of matching the shock and spring in the X setup for basic sporty height adjustable street use. Just sent a request for replacement cost of the rear shock.
PS having trouble with the pictures, project Z in the back ground is quite blurry. My first experience with ST was adjustable bars on my slick top same time frame as project Z build. Glad to see I’m not the only one that can’t part with analog cars in the digital age.