M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Suspension => Topic started by: fixierider84 on February 13, 2010, 09:29:05 PM
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Forgive me for my ignorance, but upon visiting both Eibach and H&R's website, I can no longer find the Eibach kit for our cars, and on H&R I cannot find the OE sport. Are they still available anywhere? I am not super familiar with parts websites for our cars other than bav auto or auto parts warehouse or tire rack, (as far as suspension is concerned). I was really wanting those OE sports! Thanks for any help.
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Call Turner Motorsports - http://www.turnermotorsports.com - and ask them if you can use 50404-55 which is the 325i/M3 OE Sport spring. (vs 50404 for the 318i Sport spring).
While H&R specifies a different spring for the 318is and 325i, eibach specifies the same spring. It leads me to believe you may be able to use the 325i OE Sport. Turner is one of H&R's biggest distributors and are experts on BMW. They'd know if it will work.
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I have OE Sports for the 325i on my 318iS.
Purchased from allsprings.com, they still list them.
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thanks for the responses guys. Do the OE sports for the 325 lower the car at all? I thought the six weighed a bit more? How does it ride?
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They dont lower as much as they would on an M20. I have a medium case diff, but everything else is M42. Car is definitely lower than stock but definitely not slammed.
I dd'd this car for a while, and I think the spring is a good compromise. I bought the car with a set of Eibach Pro Kits, and there was horrible tire wear. I see no camber tire with 25k-30k miles on BFG Traction T/As.
I plan on tracking the car this year after finding stiff adjustable swaybars and adjustable camber plates. I feel the springs will be ok; running a lil soft might be fun.
I am actually running Bilstein Sports up front and HDs in back. With the H&R OE spring height you could go with either since the shock valving between the two is similar with different ride heights in mind.
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thanks for the responses guys. Do the OE sports for the 325 lower the car at all? I thought the six weighed a bit more? How does it ride?
The M20 weighs about 35 lbs more than the M42, so not a ton more but most of it out in the nose of the car. Hence the superior handling of the 318is.
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hmm lower than stock and not slammed, that sounds perfect. You wouldn't happen to have photos of your setup would you? I did not realize that there was only a 35 lb difference between the m42 and the m20. Why then do they specify 318i kits and 325i or e kits. Do they really tune a spring to compensate for 35 lbs? Thats the difference between a tall guy driving or a short guy.
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Can you buy the '84 318i springs? That's the same weight, more or less. The strut housings are different thicknesses though.
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i think they sell those but not in the oe sport configuration. They sell the sports 1.25" drop in the places I have looked.
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Pics of my car, everything else is OEM.
http://www.dinted.net/lilbimmer/Pass.JPG
http://www.dinted.net/lilbimmer/PassFront.JPG
http://www.dinted.net/lilbimmer/PassRear.JPG
http://store.allsprings.com/shared/StoreFront/product_detail.asp?RowID=2309&CS=allsprings&All=
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looks good, Waldo. What size tires are you running? How is the ride compared to the stockers? I dig those basketweaves, I used to see a lot of them for sale, although their presence seems to have dwindled in recent months.
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+1...that does look good. That's what I'm going for, as soon as the weather lightens up.
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i think the spring rate is different on the 6pot springs. ive got 325 springs in one of my 4 doors and it feels like a stiffer harsher ride to me. also the front sits about a 1/2in higher.
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which six cylinder springs are you using, 4banger? Which do you prefer?
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they are from a e30 325. only reason i used them is because they were free from a parts car. if i was buying springs id buy a set of h&r's or if you can find them spax. e30 m3 springs are a good fit too.
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Tires are 195/65/R14. I did not get the car with stock springs. The only car I drove stock was completely trashed; there wasnt a good bushing on it. Ride is firm without being harsh or bouncy. I feel a good set of sway bars will complement the springs nicely.
The rear bumper is back on :D
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the bumper was absent in that photo. 4banger, its interesting you mention the stock m3 springs, as the link Waldo posted shows that the OE sports drop a 325i or E and inch front and rear, but only three quarters of an inch for a stock M3 front and zero drop in the rear. It seems that if the M3 spring would lower our cars, the OE sports should work too. I have never heard of spax springs? What are they? Waldo did you buy the car with the OE sports already installed?
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for the hight difference i was going by top of tire to bottom of arch. my other 4door with stock 318 springs and bodge shocks is still lower than what waldo pictured.
is the part number the same for 318i/is cars as it is the 325i/ic/is/e cars? im still going with 6pot springs are stiffer and dont give any drop.
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There is no official part number for OE Sports on a 318. The link I posted is what is on the car.
The car had Eiback Pro Kit springs when I bought it.
I would expect 20 year old springs to fatigue, so it seems reasonable stock springs have a lower height. When I was researching, the stock examples I saw sat higher than what I have now.
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I followed the link and sure enough there is a different sku for 318i than the 325i/e and even a different sku for the convertible. However reading the description for the 318i springs they mention the 325i as well. it could be a typo but I am not sure? would you mind a photo of your 4 door with the stock springs and boge shocks for comparison? I will try and snap one of mine this weekend.
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Waldo, ditto on the stock springs. There is a good two/two and a half inch gap between my front tires and the wheel well, and that is with the same size tire you run.
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There are H&R Sport springs, of which are available in a 318 M42 flavor (50404), and there are H&R OE Sport springs, which are only advertised for the 325/M3 varieties (50404-55). I have the OE Sport for 325/M3, which is advertised as a height between stock and H&R Sport when installed on a 325.
I havent measured the gap but will try to tomorrow.