
After ditching the run-flats and installing the new Continental tires, I quickly realized just how squishy the worn-out OEM sport suspension really was. Now, we’re not quite talking grandpa’s 1983 Buick Riviera levels of softness, but it was certainly softer than I’d expect—or want—in a something resembling a sports car.
Turning the wheel felt more like riding the Sea Dragon at an amusement park than carving up a canyon road. The body leaned, the suspension wallowed, and the feedback was more "polite suggestion" than "confident command." Let’s just say, motions like that don’t exactly scream “Investigating The Apex.”
So, it was time to invest in some upgraded hardware to keep the 128i planted while taking corners.
Whiteline Rear Subframe Inserts:

One of the first things I noticed was how much the rear subframe shifts when pushing the car through corners. It seems BMW designed it this way intentionally, as the non-M variants of the E8x and E9x models feature softer rear subframe bushings with significant gaps in the rubber. These appear to prioritize absorbing road imperfections over maintaining a firmly planted rear end during spirited driving. When it comes to taming the rear end of these cars, there are plenty of options. Full bushing replacements are available in materials ranging from rubber to polyurethane to solid aluminum. While I might consider a full replacement bushing upgrade in the future, it’s a significantly more involved job. It typically requires completely removing the rear subframe and a considerable amount of effort to press out the stock bushings and install the new ones.
Alternatively, many enthusiasts online have praised simpler rear subframe insert kits, which are much easier on both your wallet and your back. After some research, I decided to go with a highly-rated kit from Whiteline. For just ~$50 and a straightforward installation, it felt like a no-brainer. Worst case scenario, if I found myself wanting more rigidity, I could always upgrade to full hardened bushings later on. After receiving the inserts from Whiteline, I grabbed my socket set and got to work.
The installation process turned out to be incredibly simple and relatively stress-free. It took me less than two hours in the garage, working on jack stands and taking my time. There were no stubborn components, and everything was easily accessible—straightforward from start to finish.
Once I lowered the rearward-most arms of the rear subframe, I snapped a photo (from below) of the bushing to highlight the gap in the rubber I mentioned earlier.

This is what it looks like from a side-view with the new Whiteline subframe inserts:

I also took a photo of the front-most rear subframe bushing after the subframe was lowered a bit:

Here's what it looked like with the inserts installed:

As I mentioned earlier, I took my time with the installation. I started by loosening the rear subframe bolts and lowering the rear-most subframe arms before moving on to the front-most arms.
Once everything was bolted back together and torqued to spec, I took the car out for a drive on a twisty road, pushing it a bit to see the results. My impressions: the rear now seems to react a bit quicker than before. Previously, when initiating a turn, the front end would turn in immediately, but the rear would take a moment to settle before following. With the inserts installed, that delay has noticeably decreased, and the rear feels slightly less squishy. It’s not an "OMG, it’s a completely different car" transformation, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
After the drive, I realized the difference might be even more pronounced if the OEM suspension didn’t feel so soft and worn out. That made it clear—addressing the suspension was the next step. Bilstein B12 Cup Kit Likely due to sharing much of its chassis with the E9x cars, the E82 enjoys a vast array of suspension options. In fact, there are more coilover kits available than excuses for missing an apex!
At this point, I found myself in an internal struggle with my inner track-car junkie. High-end suspension setups beckoned, promising superb damping and body control, perfect for attacking curbs at High Plains Raceway at speed. I could almost feel the absence of body roll just staring at the "Order Now" button, which tempted me like a pusher offering me a taste of my next suspension fix.
But I had to pull myself back to reality. My current goal was to build the 128i into an excellent street car that could handle the occasional track day—not the other way around. That might be a rabbit hole I explore down the road, but for now, the priority was refreshing this 16-year-old car and turning it into a fun canyon carver that wouldn’t punish me on the way there.
In the past, I’ve had great experiences with Koni dampers, but this time I wanted to try something different. Koni and Bilstein cup kits are typically in the same price range, but they offer slightly different features. Konis provide rebound adjustability with a high-quality twin-tube design, while Bilstein’s lower-end kits sacrifice adjustability but start with a true monotube setup. The B12 kit, in particular, is rumored to have shocks specifically valved to match the included Eibach springs. For the price, it seemed worth giving them a try.
Being a bit of a nerd about torque specs, I’m not really a “just send it with the impact gun” type of guy. Assembling the front struts required ordering a couple of specialty tools to torque everything properly (54 ft-lbs for the 14mm threaded rod, to be exact). This meant picking up a 7mm long-handle Allen key and a 22mm strut nut socket.

Before starting the assembly, I ordered a brand-new strut mount and rear shock mount kit from FCP to ensure that everything—top hats, rubber components, boots, and more—was fresh and ready to go. With both front struts assembled, it was time to tackle the installation.
To prepare, I watched a few E9x-based YouTube tutorials to get a clear idea of the process, gathered my tools, and set up the car on jack stands. With everything ready, I got down to business.
Being a strut-based design, the process wasn’t overly complicated. The first front strut took about an hour and a half as I figured everything out, but by the time I got to the second one, I had it installed in under 30 minutes.



It was then time to install the rears:

You can see that the OEM Sport package springs are actually fairly similar to the Eibach setup included in the Bilstein B12 kit:

It took a little over two hours to complete the rear end. While it’s a relatively straightforward task, it requires a bit more muscle than the front, especially when working alone. The most challenging part is aligning the spring seat arm with the knuckle while raising it into place. I used a floor jack to assist me in compressing the new springs while I re-connected the spring seat arm to the knuckle.
I measured the thickness of both the front and rear springs, and it seemed the Eibach springs were about 1mm thicker (according to my digital calipers), despite allegedly having similar spring rates to the OEM Sport springs.
After finishing up, I took the car for a 30-40 minute drive to gauge the difference. Honestly, while certainly noticeable, it wasn’t a massive change. The turn-in feels a bit quicker, and the car feels just slightly more planted, with maybe a minor reduction in body roll. But overall, it wasn’t a night-and-day difference. The change in ride quality was minimal—if anything, the Bilstein setup still rode smoother than my former Honda S2000. It’s definitely livable for daily driving. Keep in mind that I was still sorting out tire pressures at the time and the car had not been aligned yet.
I snapped a photo of the ride height after installing the Bilstein B12 setup:

Front Endlink Shenanigans:
While working on the front, I noticed a good bit of play in the front endlinks. These things were looser than a bar stool on a Friday night! So, back to FCP Euro I went.
I ordered a set of Lemforder endlinks and had them swapped over in about 15-20 minutes, including the time it took to jack the car up, put it on jack stands, and torque everything down.



I mentioned that the old endlinks were loose. How loose? As in, I could easily push the bolt to its full extension with just one finger, using barely any pressure at all.

Rather than busting out the string, I decided to take the car back to a local tire shop to see just how much my suspension overhaul had thrown the alignment out of whack.

Interesting note compared to aligning the car last time: there was a slight loss of front-end negative camber (it was -1.7 degrees on both sides last year). The rear camber also saw a slight gain, but since the rear is adjustable and I pretty much maxed it out in my garage, I’m not entirely sure if that’s meaningful. The tech didn’t think the rear was adjustable, and I didn’t want to argue with him (he must’ve missed the eccentric bolts in the rear)... either way, I’m fine with it.
However, the tech did find one thing of major note: the right front endlink I just replaced had snapped! My jaw hit the floor.


I think I know exactly when it happened: right after installing them, when I was pulling out of the driveway. I had to turn the wheel and approach the curb at an angle to avoid scraping my bumper. I could’ve sworn I heard a snap sound coming off the curb, but I couldn’t recreate it at the time, so I didn’t think much of it. Well, now I know. I can’t prove that’s when it happened, but I’m pretty confident.
I later fiddled with the head of the broken endlink and noticed it was very tight and difficult to move, requiring considerable strength to break the ball-joint end loose. It was that tight! It almost seemed like the bolt/ball-joint had "jack-knifed" itself, for lack of a better term. It looked like the bolt/ball-joint got stuck in place under load, putting stress on the casting until it eventually snapped.
When I installed them, I double and triple-checked that they were on the correct sides, matching them up with the OEM endlinks. I made sure they were in the right orientation—on the backside of the front strut and on the outside of the front sway bar hole—and they slid right in without any force required. I torqued them down to the shop manual’s recommended specs (43 ft-lbs). I’ve installed countless suspensions over the past 20 years and I’ve never had this happen before. While I was hesitant to order an identical endlink, given that this one essentially broke immediately, I figured I might as well take advantage of FCP Euro’s lifetime warranty. I sent them an email, and the next business day they shipped me a replacement with overnight shipping, free of charge! You can't beat that for service! I then installed the new right front endlink and took a couple of extra steps this time:
-I swiveled the ball joints around a bit to make sure they weren't going to seize on me.
-I jacked up the control arms/knuckle/strut to ensure the lower endlink ball joint was perfectly level before pushing it through the sway bar, just to make sure the ball joint wasn’t swiveled when I torqued the nut.
I pulled out of my driveway slower than an old lady on her way to bingo night! I drove the car for about 15 minutes, taking some twisty roads. No big surprise: body roll has been drastically reduced. The car now transitions like a legitimate sports car!
Between the Bilstein/Eibach setup, rear subframe inserts, corrected tire pressures, and the new endlinks, the car feels very tight and considerably more eager to rotate.
Updated Suspension Impressions after Driving Around for a While:
At this point, the 128i had a host of aftermarket parts installed in addition to a quite a bit of maintenance. Here's a quick breakdown on the "aftermarket" suspension parts that were added to the car:
-TRW/OEM BMW M3/1M front and rear control arms
-OEM sized Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus tires
-Whiteline rear subframe inserts
-Bilstein B12 cup kit
-Lemforder front endlinks I took some time to just drive the car around, in order to give my updated impressions:
The car is wonderful! I know a lot of folks overuse the expression "it should have come like this from the factory," but truly, the car should have come like this from the factory. It's honestly just about the perfect street car. Body roll is now minimal, the car rotates with ease, and it feels incredibly planted! It’s so much fun to pitch around! It feels like a legitimate sports car—so well balanced and poised, it just begs to be tossed around on a back road!
At the same time, the car is still very comfortable. It rides perfectly for a street car. I suppose some might consider it "firm" (I'm not in that crowd), but I honestly can't imagine a car that handles like this and rides better. I could drive this car all day without it wearing me out. There's still a tad bit of body roll (what street car doesn’t have any body roll?), but it's pretty minimal on these all-season tires.
Overall, the car feels very well balanced and is an absolute joy to drive! As always, the sport seats are great, the ergonomics are fantastic, the steering feel (while a bit numbed from the tires) is still excellent, the pedals are easy to work, the chassis is very communicative, the shifter is smooth and intuitive, and the motor, while not a powerhouse, is an absolute gem—smooth, refined, and with more than enough power to keep things entertaining. It’s a blast to pitch around on a back road, but at the same time, I wouldn’t hesitate to take it on a road trip. Just a great blend of sportiness and refinement.
After adding all the new parts and aligning the car, the 128i’s high-speed freeway stability remains a wonderful feature, as it will still cruise at autobahn-esque speeds with confidence! Mission accomplished!
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