The Best Coilovers For Your BMW F30/F31 3 Series
The F30 is the 3 Series most people come to us about now, and the first question is always which F30. The front top mount and the drivetrain split the kits. Below is our pick at every level, cheapest first, from BC Racing at £1,049 to MOTON at £6,684, with what you can adjust and who each one is for.
- Prices read from the live site on 20 October 2026, inc VAT
- Five brands list F30 coilovers with us
- Product cards show prices before VAT, as the rest of the site does
AST 5100 Street Performance
£3,216inc VAT, front and rear
For the F20, F21 and F30. Match the 3-bolt or 5-bolt front mount to the part number before you order.
- Inverted high-pressure monotube, 12-position rebound adjustment
- Camber-adjustable front top mounts included where applicable
- Ride height adjustable, droplinks included
- Front coilover with the factory-style divorced rear
Which F30 you have decides the part number
Before price and before brand, the kit has to match the car, and the F30 splits on three things. Cameron checks them in this order: the front top mount, the drivetrain and the rear layout. Get those three right and the rest is about money and what the car is for.
AST’s own application tables tie the front top mount to the car: the 3-bolt kits are listed for pre-facelift cars, 2011 to 2016, and the 5-bolt kits for facelift (LCI) cars, 2014 to 2019. BC Racing lists 3-bolt and 5-bolt kits too, so tell us the year or send the registration. Drivetrain matters as well: BC lists the all wheel drive cars in the BR and RM series only, where the rear drive cars can go up to ER and ZX. Then there is the rear: BC lists a rear integrated version at a higher price, and AST keeps the factory-style divorced rear until you reach the Clubracing kit.
| Your F30 | What the listings change |
|---|---|
| 3-bolt or 5-bolt front mount | AST: 3-bolt kits for pre-facelift cars (2011 to 2016), 5-bolt kits for facelift LCI cars (2014 to 2019). MOTON lists the 5-bolt LCI cars only. BC Racing lists both. |
| Rear drive or all wheel drive | BC lists all wheel drive in BR and RM only. AST lists the rear drive F2x and F3x kits. |
| Factory rear or rear integrated | BC lists a rear integrated version at a higher price. AST 5100 Street keeps the divorced rear; Clubracing and up are coilover at the back. |
| F31 Touring | BC lists the F30 and F31 together. AST and MOTON list the F20, F21 and F30, so ask us for the Touring. |
From the vehicle details on each listing. Every listing names the exact models it fits.
The ladder at a glance
Six levels, cheapest first. Prices are read from the site on the day this guide was built, inc VAT, for the rear drive 3-bolt F30, and the 5-bolt kit is the same money on the BC and AST ranges. The BC prices are for the series named.
Road and track
AST 5100 Street Performance
£3,216inc VAT
- 12-position rebound
- Camber-adjustable front mounts
Club and trackday
AST 5100 Clubracing
£3,480inc VAT
- Front and rear coilover
- Solid rear top mounts
Three-way
AST 5300 3-Way
£5,376inc VAT
- Rebound plus high and low speed compression
- Remote reservoirs
1. BC Racing BR and ER: the height adjustable starting point
BC Racing is where most F30 owners start. The listing gives default spring rates of 5 kg/mm at the front and 9 kg/mm at the rear, and four top mount configurations to choose from. Ride height adjusts independently of spring preload, so lowering the car does not add preload to the spring.
Every BC listing carries the series as an option. The BR is the entry one at £1,049, and the ER on the same page is the budget way into two-way adjustment at £1,749. Cameron’s advice is to buy the series you will use and leave the page open to step up later, since the listing is the same.
- Price. £1,049 BR, £1,749 ER, inc VAT, rear drive 3-bolt
- Adjustment. Height on a threaded body; ER adds a second damping dial with an external reservoir
- In the box. A matched four corner kit cut to the right damper lengths
- Buy it if. You want to set the height yourself on a sensible budget
Product cards show prices excluding VAT. Prices in the text include VAT.
2. TEIN FLEX Z: damping you can adjust, with a catch on the market
The TEIN FLEX Z is a twin-tube damper with 16 levels of adjustment, compression and rebound together. It has rubber upper mounts at both ends. The listed spring rates are 6 kgf/mm at the front and 10.4 at the rear.
The catch is in the title. The F30 listing is for Japanese-market applications only, and it says plainly that a UK registration alone does not establish compatibility with the UK-market car. Garreth’s rule for any import kit is that the match comes before the price, so send us the registration first and Cameron checks the chassis, engine and build date against the listing.
- £1,140 inc VAT, front and rear
- Twin-tube, 16-level damping adjustment
- Rubber upper mounts front and rear
- Japanese-market applications: we confirm the match before you order
3. AST 5100: Street, Street Performance and Clubracing
The step up in damper quality is AST. The 5100 is an inverted high-pressure monotube with 12 positions of rebound adjustment and adjustable ride height, and each version adds something. The Street, at £2,712, keeps your original top mounts and the factory-style rear. The Street Performance, at £3,216, adds camber-adjustable front top mounts where they apply, which a lowered F30 generally wants. The Clubracing, at £3,480, goes to a coilover rear with solid rear top mounts.
Garreth would pick on what the car does. A daily driver that sees a few trackdays is the Street Performance. A car that lives on track wants the Clubracing, and one that has to do the school run keeps the Street.
- Price. £2,712 Street, £3,216 Street Performance, £3,480 Clubracing, inc VAT
- Adjustment. Height and 12-position rebound on all three
- In the box. Droplinks included; mounts as described above
- Buy it if. The car is driven properly on the road and you want the damper to show it
4. Two-way: BC Racing ER, AST 5200 or MOTON 2-Way
Separate rebound and compression is where a track car starts to get tuned. The BC ER is the budget way in at £1,749. The AST 5200 at £5,064 and the MOTON 2-Way at £5,892 are the alternatives built for motorsport, with remote reservoirs and separate compression adjustment. The MOTON is a non-inverted monotube with 15 positions of rebound, and its listings cover the facelift 5-bolt cars only.
Bilstein also list a B16 Clubsport coilover kit, at £4,695.60, for 2WD cars with EDC up to 2015, so it is worth asking if that describes your car.
Cameron thinks the ER is the best value on this page for someone learning what a second dial does. Garreth would still spend the extra on an AST or a MOTON for a car that races. That disagreement is why the ER sits on the ladder as well as the AST.
5. Three-way: AST 5300 or MOTON 3-Way
The top rung splits compression into high and low speed movements. The AST 5300 is £5,376 and keeps rebound alongside both compression adjusters. The MOTON 3-Way is £6,684, with 15 positions of rebound and high and low speed compression, also on remote reservoirs.
Buy one of these when somebody is going to write the settings down.
Every option we list for the F30
| Range | Part number | Listed for | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC Racing | BCR-I-29 | BMW 3 Series Sedan (3-Bolt) (RWD) (12-19) | BR £1,049, RM £1,289, ER £1,749, ZX £1,914 |
| BC Racing | BCR-I-80 | BMW 3 Series Sedan (5-Bolt) (RWD) (12-19) | BR £1,049, RM £1,289, ER £1,749, ZX £1,914 |
| BC Racing | BCR-I-41 | BMW 3 Series Sedan (3-Bolt) (AWD) (12-19) | BR £1,049, RM £1,289 |
| BC Racing | BCR-I-82 | BMW 3 Series Sedan (5-Bolt) (AWD) (12-19) | BR £1,049, RM £1,289 |
| BC Racing | BCR-I-136 | BMW 3 Series Sedan (3-Bolt) (Rear Integrated) (RWD) (12-19) | BR £1,139, RM £1,399, ER £1,849, ZX £1,964 |
| BC Racing | BCR-I-139 | BMW 3 Series Sedan (5-Bolt) (Rear Integrated) (RWD) (12-19) | BR £1,139, RM £1,399, ER £1,849, ZX £2,159 |
| TEIN FLEX Z | VSGA8-C1AA3 | BMW 3Series Sedan (F30) 3A20, 3B20, 3D20, 8E20 / BMW 4Series Gran Coupe (F36) 4A20 | £1,140 |
| AST 5100 Street | ACU-B2101SD | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £2,712 |
| AST 5100 Street Performance | ACT-B2101S/3D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £3,216 |
| AST 5100 Street Performance | ACT-B2101S/5D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £3,216 |
| AST 5100 Clubracing | ACC-B2105S/5D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £3,480 |
| AST 5100 Clubracing | ACC-B2105S/3D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £3,480 |
| AST 5200 2-Way Motorsport | RIV-B2101S/5D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £5,064 |
| AST 5200 2-Way Motorsport | RIV-B2101S/3D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £5,064 |
| AST 5300 3-Way Motorsport | RAC-B2101S/5D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £5,376 |
| AST 5300 3-Way Motorsport | RAC-B2101S/3D | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £5,376 |
| MOTON 2-Way Motorsport | M 505 149SD | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £5,892 |
| MOTON 2-Way Motorsport | M 505 147SD | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £5,892 |
| MOTON 3-Way Motorsport | M 505 153SD | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £6,684 |
| MOTON 3-Way Motorsport | M 505 151SD | BMW F20 / F21 / F30 | £6,684 |
| Bilstein B16 Coilover | 48-256322 | Bilstein B16 Clubsport Coilover Kit for BMW 1-3 Series (F20-F30) 2WD with EDC (Up to 2015) | £4,695.60 |
Every coilover listing that names the F30 today. BC Racing prices are per series.
Before you order
- Which F30. Count the bolts in the front top mount, 3 or 5, and tell us rear drive or all wheel drive
- Rear layout. Factory-style separate spring, or coilover rear on the kits that offer it
- Droplinks. The manufacturer set descriptions say including droplinks; read the listing for yours
- Alignment. Lowering changes camber and toe, so book the alignment as part of the job
Common questions
What are the best coilovers for an F30 on a budget?
BC Racing BR, which gives you height adjustment for £1,049, and the same listing takes you up to a two-way ER later.
Are F30 coilovers different for an all wheel drive car?
Yes. BC Racing lists the all wheel drive cars separately, and only in the BR and RM series. Tell us which F30 you have and we will confirm the part number.
Do I need the rear integrated kit?
Only if your rear layout is the rear integrated one. BC lists it separately at a higher price. Check the rear of your car or send us the registration and we will tell you.
Will a TEIN kit fit my UK F30?
The TEIN F30 listing is for Japanese-market applications only. It says a UK registration alone does not establish compatibility. We confirm the chassis, engine and build date with you first, before anything is ordered.
Do I need an alignment after fitting coilovers?
Yes, because lowering changes camber and toe, so book the alignment as part of the job.
What we would fit
Garreth
What I would buy
For an F30 that is driven properly and goes to the odd trackday, I would fit the AST 5100 Street Performance. The damper is better than the budget kits. The front camber is built in, and droplinks come in the box.
For a car that races it is the AST or MOTON two-way and up, and a car that only needs to sit right on the road is a BC Racing BR at £1,049.
Cameron
What I check before it ships
I check the front top mount and the drivetrain first, because that decides the part number. Then I check the rear layout. Last comes the alignment booking.
On a TEIN I check the market against the listing before anything else, and where we disagree is the ER: I think it is the best value here, and Garreth thinks a car that races is worth dampers built for it.
Not sure which F30 you have?
Send us the registration and tell us whether the car is rear drive or all wheel drive, and what it is for. Cally, our digital receptionist, takes your details. Cameron comes back to you with the part number and the rear layout before you order.
