M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Suspension => Topic started by: micahbertoli on September 27, 2006, 05:38:55 PM
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hi everyone,
so i'm probably one of the few people on this forum with an m42 with stock suspension.
honestly, i don't want to lower my car substantially. i like the ride height in the rear. but the front fender gap is just too much!
do you have any suggestions about what i can do to even out the fender gaps (between front and back) without lowering it substantially?
also, i'm a starving student, so $ is a factor (i know, i know, e30's first, school 2nd, right?)
thanks
-micah
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Vogtland springs should drop it well. Price isn't bad either.
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Mine is stock .
that would be a good survey question
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Vogtland springs should drop it well. Price isn't bad either.
if i had to keep my stock shocks, would these springs work?
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Lowering a car using stock shocks doesn't work. If you lower it the amount you want, you'll have to upgrade the shocks.
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I got the same prob. I just installed the bilstein kit (bts-7511) and the front is a tad high. The ride is great, but the car looks like its taking a dump. When it warms up I'll crawl under there and think of something.
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mine is stock height too, but I ve been told my ride is lowered comparing it with other E30s was there an option by BMW for lower springs, like M pack or something?
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I Have 4cm Lower Front With Koni Yellow Adjastable In The Front And 6cm Lower Rear ( To Get The Car In Straight ) With Bilstein Black..
I Got 15" Borbet Wheels And The Car Is Crawling , But I Like It , And It Is Very, Very Stable Even When You Go Sideways...
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If cost is a concern then you have 2 methods:
Cut 1 coil off your stock springs. Some have done this with good results.
See if some M3 owner will sell you his stock springs for cheap.
As for uneven ride height of Bilstein BTS, you can get the thickest spring pads from the dealer for the rear which will help it some.
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I read this on www.europeancarweb.com (http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/techletters/0000ec_techletters02f/index.html), maybe it's of use:
You can lower the front of this car and any E30 except the 325iX by 10mm using ingenious upper spring hats from BMP Design (http://www.bmpd.com), pn 139009 ($160). These wonderful parts, also available for non-M E36 3 Series cars, including the Z3, are total no-brainers. You simply remove the strut assemblies, compress the stock coil springs, remove the factory upper spring hats, fit the BMP Design units and bolt the assemblies back in. And yes, they can be used with aftermarket springs, too, for an additional 10mm drop.
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I have bilsteins with H&R springs. I kinda wanted an even look because the front fender makes the car look a lil off. I just got the thick spring pads for the rear but wont be able to put them in til next week. Here's a before pic and I'll post some after pics once I get the pads in.
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q87/GruntE30/318is.jpg)
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Try putting one of these in, should drop the front a little.
(http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/m70.jpg)
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I have H&r sports now, but i think i am going to switch the fronts for vogtland springs i have and see how that goes
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Try putting one of these in, should drop the front a little.
(http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/m70.jpg)
I have one of those engines lying around…. Think it’ll fit?
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I have bilsteins with H&R springs. I kinda wanted an even look because the front fender makes the car look a lil off. I just got the thick spring pads for the rear but wont be able to put them in til next week.
Do you know what the size of the standard spring pads are? I would like to raise mine a little too at the rear. I believe the choices are:
33531127516, 3.0mm, white springs/normal; offic. replaced with:
33531136385, 5.0mm, white springs
33531127218, 6.0mm, white springs, offic. replaced with:
33531136386, 7.5mm, normal springs
33531127224, 9.0mm, red springs, offic. replaced with:
33531136387, 10.0mm, red springs
Spring rubber pads from BMW E46 (upper pads):
33531094754, 14.5mm
Spring rubber pads from BMW E36 Compact (upper pads):
33531091952, 22.0mm
Which ones can be used and which ones would be a good choice? Any ideas?
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If cost is a concern then you have 2 methods:
Cut 1 coil off your stock springs. Some have done this with good results.
anybody have a pic of just the front stock springs cut, JC, my '85 318i came with cut front springs and they worked out pretty good, they didnt come un-seated either when you lifted the car (stock shocks). ive been thinking about it for the "is".....but part of me doesnt want to be that cheap. anybody done it? how did it turn out?
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The best way to raise the rear is with metal pads using the flat rubber pad with the hole in a middle as a template. The rubber ones compress as they age. My pads were .25" but had worn flat spots in them where the spring sat. You can also use sheet plastic. I had a set of cut fronts and they lowered the car about 1.0-1.5".
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anybody have a pic of just the front stock springs cut, JC, my '85 318i came with cut front springs and they worked out pretty good, they didnt come un-seated either when you lifted the car (stock shocks). ive been thinking about it for the "is".....but part of me doesnt want to be that cheap. anybody done it? how did it turn out?
yeah, i cut 2 coils off the front springs just for the interim until i buy some new springs and shocks (i'm a fulltime student).
i'm pretty satisified with how it turned out. i have dead-even fender gaps now, and my car isn't slammed; just how i wanted it. the ride's pretty decent too. just a little stiffer but still enjoyable.
i'll see if i can take some pics later on today.
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yeah, i cut 2 coils off the front springs just for the interim until i buy some new springs and shocks (i'm a fulltime student).
i'm pretty satisified with how it turned out. i have dead-even fender gaps now, and my car isn't slammed; just how i wanted it. the ride's pretty decent too. just a little stiffer but still enjoyable.
i'll see if i can take some pics later on today.
that would be sweet, thanks.
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so i gotta say, it's kind of embarassing posting the first images of my car on this website, and it's for the cheapest thing i've done to it!
but oh well, i've got broad shoulders.
also, i want to let you all know that i don't neglect my car this much; it's just in storage and i'm in school full-time. but by the summer i'll have some nice 'washed' pics.
so this is with 2 coils cut off the front:
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p135/micahbertoli/SSA50940.jpg)
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p135/micahbertoli/SSA50924.jpg)
and this is the reason the rear bumper is off:
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p135/micahbertoli/SSA50942.jpg)
and this is an extra (DIY aluminum heatshield that provides good isolation and a lot of room for my cone air filter to breath):
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p135/micahbertoli/SSA50943.jpg)
don't judge me!
hope it helps you out
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Wow. I like the way it looks! Can you (or anyone else) provide details on cutting the front springs: How exactly do you determine where to start your cut? What'd you use to cut... torch? Hacksaw?
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Wow. I like the way it looks! Can you (or anyone else) provide details on cutting the front springs: How exactly do you determine where to start your cut? What'd you use to cut... torch? Hacksaw?
i found this article pretty helpful. has pics too!
http://zoso.no-ip.org/318i-frontsuspension.html
i was able to use a grinder hooked up to an air compressor, so the cutting wasn't bad. started out with a hacksaw, but it was useless. or maybe i'm just weak, i don't know ;)
make sure you have good spring compressors too; i think 3 spring compressors are best for safely removing spring from shock.
have fun and be patient
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neglecting your car?! man you got a garage, i have to park mine outside in the snow, and rain. anyways it looks nice. i think im going to cut on coil off my fronts tommorow, thank you very much for posting pics. i will post pics of mine (diamond schwartz also). when i cut mine.