Praxis Offers A Suspension System With Height, Ride And Damping Adjustments To Give You Full Control Of Your Suspension For Commuting Or Track Use
What if you could change your car's suspension with a "push of a button" and go from street conservative to rock solid and track ready - and skip the wrenches, bloody knuckles and trip to the alignment shop in the process?
Sounds too good? Well, Praxis Advanced Suspensions from Bridgestone/Firestone turns this fantasy into reality with an aftermarket suspension that allows you to control your vehicle's suspension height, spring rate and damping
Thinking this claim might be too good to be true, we did a little research and found an air suspension that's been designed for the performance enthusiast, rather than MTV wannabes.
Praxis uses air springs and adjustable monotube H&R dampers to provide three performance modes: touring, sport and track. The first mode mimics the factory settings, while sport and track progressively lower and stiffen the vehicle. The trickery is the air spring that allows the vehicle to be soft or stiff without swapping springs like a standard coilover.
We traveled to BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, north of Pittsburgh, where several BMWs were ready and waiting. We had the chance to compare Praxis suspension for the E46 3-Series with BMW's factory sport suspension.
The touring mode was tested first. Over the potholed roads of west Pennsylvania, it isolated us from the jarring as well as the factory kit. On the race circuit, however, body roll and understeer were still present as both cars showed they were more suited for the daily commute.
Switching to Sport mode requires a push of a button and four quick damper adjustments. This lowered the car by 25mm and stiffened the suspension. However, getting out and turning the knob on each damper means this isn't quite the perfect system. The drop definitely made the car look better and the changes sharpened steering responsiveness and reduced body motion. This level of tuning brought the chassis to life and allowed us to attack the back roads that surround the track.
Returning to the race circuit, we adjusted the car to track mode. It lowers the body 37mm and spring rates are twice that of stock. Forget body roll and think about stability and control. With springs this stiff, steering response is immediate and there's no question the car is far more capable.
The Praxis blurb claims, "The adjustability of the system allows the amateur motor-sports enthusiast to have one vehicle that's an equally competent daily driver and track vehicle." Bouncing around in our Project 330i track-day car means we appreciate the flexibility of this system, but we'd like to see electronically adjustable dampers, like those offered by Tein, for example.
The system is currently available for the E46 323i, 325i, 328i and 330i in all body shapes, including the M3. The cost is pretty high at $3,995, but it could be the answer to your prayers if you intend to use your E46 in autocross or on track days. For more information, visit www.praxissystems.com.