Suspension stiffness

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X5 Overland

Rank III
Launch Member

Member III

703
Seattle, WA, USA
First Name
Nick
Last Name
Upthegrove
Member #

23600

We just did a complete overhaul of our suspension and installed Ceika adjustable coilovers as a little upgrade. The coilovers come with 30 levels of damping adjustability and we have no clue how they should be set haha.

Should the front be stiff and the rear be soft?
Front soft and rear stiff?
Both the same?

On the freeway it seems the rear likes to bounce around while the front (more weight) rebounds nicely...
Then off road the front seems a bit stiff. Body roll all-round seems pretty good but it could be a bitter better.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
 

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MazeVX

Rank VI
Launch Member

Influencer II

3,278
Gießen Germany
First Name
Mathias
Last Name
Kreicker
Member #

8002

Uhhh, I'm entirely unsure. Its one single nob on the top of the strut. I'd have to ask the manufacturer.
OK, we'll see then ;-)
Usually the driven axle should be stiffer what in your case would be the rear as it's a BMW. Even it's a awd it's mostly driven by the rear axle because it's not a symmetrical awd.
Under offroad conditions you want your suspension to be more neutral or balanced front to rear.
Usually when a vehicle bounces the rebound is to low or the springs have a to high rate, that's why I asked if you can adjust rebound or compression.