Drivers who crave a more engaging ride than the optional adaptive M suspension with its “Comfort/Eco Pro” and “Sport” driving modes in the current BMW M135i xDrive (F40) will find our manually-adjustable XTA plus 3 coilover kit a compelling upgrade.
While the convenient option of switching from “Sport” mode to “Comfort/Eco Pro” mode at the touch of a button or having the damper control system regulate the individual dampers independently is lost, experience has shown that this is no big deal, and not just from our perspective as a suspension manufacturer.
Many automakers, including BMW and Audi, choose coilover suspensions with adjustable dampers for their high-performance models. This was evident in the BMW M4 GTS and is still seen in current optional packages for the Audi RS4 and RS5.
Numerous tests in various automotive magazines demonstrate the superiority of three-way adjustable coilover suspensions. Their damper setup and preconfigured settings receive universal praise. Ultimately, such a suspension system allows for significantly improved handling.
While adaptive dampers offer multiple driving modes, they often involve trade-offs. Three-way adjustable dampers, on the other hand, provide a much broader tuning window. The multi-valve technology in ST XTA plus 3 dampers allows for a more comprehensive range of damping characteristics.
This means that the overall suspension setup can be adjusted much more precisely, making it better suited to a variety of road surfaces. The manual damper adjustment, thanks to the purely mechanical valves in the damper, simply offers more possibilities. Imagine the BMW M135i xDrive as a high-quality audio system in your home. The ST XTA plus 3 coilover suspension would be your vinyl record collection, and the adaptive standard suspension would be your Spotify playlist. Compared to your vinyl records, the same tracks sound worlds better on vinyl than when streamed on Spotify. If you don’t believe it, just talk to music enthusiasts and sound engineers.
The advantage of a coilover suspension like the XTA plus 3 lies in the ability to precisely pre-set and later if needed individually fine-tune both the slow (low-speed compression) and fast rebound speeds (high-speed compression).
While a vehicle spring typically handles only static loads during driving, shock absorbers manage all dynamic movements.
If this sounds too technical for some of you, let’s try to explain it this way. When the suspension development team talks about high-speed damping, they’re simply referring to driving over bumps in the road.
Any sudden compression of a wheel, such as driving over an expansion joint, is considered a high-speed input. The road itself is therefore primarily responsible for ‘high-speed damping,’ while quick steering maneuvers trigger more ‘low-speed damper excitations’
Similar to clubsport or even motorsport suspension setups, the pre-set dampers of the ST XTA plus 3 coilover kit can be further customized for slow and fast rebound and compression speeds.
The XTA plus 3 allows for 24 clicks of adjustment for both high-speed and low-speed rebound forces, enabling further customization of ride comfort or handling at maximum lowering.
The XTA plus 3’s ability to adjust high-speed and low-speed forces separately allows for optimal damping of ‘hard’ vertical impacts (high-speed) while preserving the slower piston rod movements in compression and rebound that are critical for vehicle handling.
With 16 individual click adjustments, the low-speed force parameters of the XTA plus 3 coilover kit can be fine-tuned. The compact valve design eliminates the need for a separate reservoir on the struts.
Even those who never adjust the high-speed and low-speed compression or low-speed rebound settings will notice a dramatic difference in their car after upgrading to a coilover kit like our ST XTA plus 3.
Besides the adjustable shock absorbers, the ST XTA plus 3 coilover kit consistently features aluminum pillow ball mounts and linear racing springs.
Since the market launch of the ST XTA plus 3 coilover kit in 2020, we have continuously developed this suspension for more and more vehicles. Now, the BMW M135i xDrive and all other front-wheel drive BMW 1 Series models (116i, 118i, 120i, 128ti, 116d, 118d, and 120d) based on the BMW F40 platform are also included.
The M135i xDrive (F40) can be lowered continuously within a tested range of 40 to 55 millimeters at the front and 35 to 50 millimeters at the rear.
Like all ST coilover springs and ST coilovers, the ST XTA plus 3 coilover kit is part of the so-called ‘Make it Yours’ program. Available in 18 different surface finishes, the XTA plus 3 coilover kit can be ordered from specialist retailers and directly from the suspension manufacturer. Additionally, the springs can be individually labeled. Optionally, various coilover springs with different spring rates and lengths can also be ordered.
The ST XTA plus 3 coilover kit is available everywhere in certified specialist shops as well as directly from ST suspensions
