Equipped with a range of Suspension Secrets upgrades, our F80 M3 Competition soon won over a previous hater of the model during a cross-country road trip
It’s safe to say Matt W, Customer Service Manager at Suspension Secrets, wasn’t a fan of the BMW F80 M3 when he joined the company in early 2025. So underwhelmed was he with his DCT-equipped M3 Competition he parted ways with it after three months and took a substantial financial hit.
“It wasn’t my best foray into vehicle ownership,” he admits. “I’d just spent £42,000 on a car and didn’t enjoy driving it. I hated it.”
Why? Low levels of chassis and steering communication hampered Matt’s willingness to trust the car underneath him. And when he did muster the courage to push his F80, the M3 didn’t feel particularly well tied down or controlled in its movements. Not what you’d expect from an M-badged BMW…
Giving The F80 M3 A Second Chance
Fate would bring an F80 M3 Competition back into Matt W’s life in late 2025. Ahead of a trip to Croft near Darlington for the Sir Chris Hoy Charity Trackday, he was thrown the keys to the Suspension Secrets development car.
Given his prior experience of the turbocharged M3, few would blame Matt W for not exactly leaping at the opportunity, even if there was a six-speed manual gearbox to play with this time round.
“I sat inside it and just wasn’t looking forward to the drive. I thought I knew how these cars behaved and was already looking forward to getting out again.”
But something unexpected happened…
“After two, maybe three miles in the Suspension Secrets F80, I could feel myself getting in tune with it and enjoying how it flowed down the road. You could feel the car egging you on. It was so different to mine, which even had a BMW HAS kit.
“The steering was far more intuitive and alert. The whole car was just begging you to engage with it and really drive it.”
Matt W came away from the drive to Croft so won over by the upgrades fitted to our car, he’s just convinced a good friend to buy an F82 M4. He would also return to the F80 himself – but only if it was equipped with Suspension Secrets parts…
BMW F80 M3 Suspension Upgrades
Our F80 M3 Competition manual is currently equipped with Suspension Secrets adjustable front camber plates (pictured above) and adjustable rear toe arms (pictured below), which form our CS+ Handling Pack 1. It’s also running on Eibach lowering springs.
Despite being an M car, front camber is not adjustable on the F80 M3. However, with our camber and caster plates fitted you can dial in as much negative camber as you need for fast road and track work. With more front camber, the F80 M3 turns in more keenly, generates more grip mid-corner with less understeer, and offers improved steering feel thanks to the additional caster angle.
Our F80 M3 rear toe arms also provide a much greater adjustment range than the stock parts, improving traction and overall stability. They also feature solid rose joints instead of the stock rubber mountings, reducing flex and improving chassis precision without increase noise, vibration or harshness in the ride quality.
The full range of Suspension Secrets upgrades for the BMW F80 M3 and F82 M4 can be found here.
