M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Suspension => Topic started by: 91 e30m42 on August 16, 2011, 01:56:45 PM
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im looking for any recommendations for a spring a shock set up
.... i currently have the eibach sports spring i think but they are purple and stock shocks and i just put some 16x9 245/45/16 in the rear and 16x7.5 205/45-16 fronts personally i love the staggared look makes the car look intimidating imo. anyways my shop has told me my suspension is too soft and will cause tire rubbing even wit rolled and pulled fenders which we have done.. so any help will be great... i just found out that toyo tires just came out with a 245/35/16 so im looking into getting these since im already running the same t1rs the car handles real good despite the tire rubbing
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40 views and not a respond really??? asking for suggestions here thats all
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I use HR sports for the 318is and Billy sports. Much stiffer than stock but only drops 1.25 around. Great for daily and if you have bad roads. I will eventually go with something to go lower but don't want to go too much stiffer. I really only do street driving.
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thanks monty the roads where i live are pretty decent.. i just want to see what different suspension set ups are good my suspension is way too soft and every time i hit the gas the car squats bad and you can push h rear down with your hands real easy... im over due for a suspension over haul... no oil in shocks bushing worn out so when i change every thing i want to get a good all around suspension not too soft not too stiff but also no tire rubbing or squatting.... you said hr sport i was thinking that with bilstein springs but some ppl here said its soft and not stiff... its my daily driver but i also go and hit the mountain twist for some fun as well
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We have pretty bad roads 'round here. I have stock springs on BMW OEM M-tech struts. They're rebranded Bilstein Sports, but valved for the 325is. It makes the ride a bit too harsh. I'll likely go back to stock Sachs struts but with firmer springs like the H&R Sports.
The biggest problem with my setup is the worn front bushings. I'm overhauling the front with Lemfoerder arms, end links and e30 M3 offset CABs to upgrade the worn-out bits. I might do the e36 rack at the same time as well...if I find a decent used part.
Alternatively, I might try out the KYB kit, it's cheap and I've had good luck with them in the past.
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i heard of a link here that sells racks for incredibly cheap i wanna do the upgrade my self as mine leaks pretty bad after a couple of days of not driving also im leaking coolant when it sits in the garage as well which i dont know where since everything is brand new when i dropped the new motor... i have changed my front end to the lemfoerder but kept the stock e30 bushing didnt want more negative camber on top of the lowered suspension tires to expensive to just ruin but thanks for the input i think i have made my decision on the shocks and spring
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im replacing pretty much my whole front suspension this weekend... ill let you know how it goes.
billy sports
IE stage 3 springs
akg m3 poly offset bushings
new CAs
new tirerods
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how stiff are those IE stage 3 springs
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welll i think i have found my set up..
IE stage 3 springs
IE 25 front/22 rear or 22 front/ 19 rear sway bars with adj links and poly bush
bilsteins sport shocks
mason engineering f/r strut towers and lower x brace
and all the bushings and mounts for front and rear from turnermotorsport
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the springs are nice... not to stiff. its so much more fun driving the car now
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thats great e30boarder i cant wait to get all mines after i come back from vegas gonna drop my whole paycheck into getting the parts hopefully vegas can fund my parts as well with a lil luck of gambling
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IE 25 front/22 rear or 22 front/ 19 rear sway bars with adj links and poly bush
I have the 25/22 setup in my car now and they do their job. I am running H&R sports with bilstein sport shocks. If you are going with the IE stage III springs the 22/19 setup may be better. the H&R sports are softer and absorb more while letting the sways take care of body roll. Although the big sways with IE stage III springs would be what I would go with now if given the chance to do it all over again.
Definitely go with as many poly bushings as you can get your hands on. possibly the Treehouse Racing FCAB as well.
P.S. - How much power does your engine push out? saw you have metric motor
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thanks Longms
so would i go with the 25/22 sway bars i want my rear end as stiff as i can get to reduce tire rubbing issues for now as well as being able to take turns better... as for my motor i havent really dinoed yet but its really fun to drive compared to the old motor best money spent for a N/A motor but the guys rated me at 160 or 205 i cant remember but it is a 2.0 M42....
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damn i go into ie website http://www.bmw2002.com and i go into their e30 site and they are sold out of their 25/22 sway bars and also for their rear 22 bar they dont have a listing for our 318i only 325 and m3.... now im tempted to go with 22 front and 19 rear but can a 325 or m3 rear sway bar fit our models... if so will a 22 front 22 rear be an odd setup to go with or should i just go with a 22/19 set up...
so far i have bought these items:
stage 3 springs
bilsteins sports front and rear
urethane rear trailing arm bushings
urethane subframe bushings street
billet urethane rear shock mounts
stock upper front strut bearing.... wheels are 16" no excessive negative camber to worry about
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vert rear sway, stock front sway (just till spring), H&R race, billy sports, every bushing but guibo is poly....I LOVE IT
z3 rack is coming up next with ST front sway
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My 2 cents for what it is worth. BC racing kit 10k front (540 lb) 14k rear (780 lb) 25mm front IE bar and no rear bar. The stiff springs in back keep you from rubbing but "act" as sway prevention. Will handle awesome and drive all day, a bit stiff but compliant. Get the Swift springs( slight upcharge) and get a better ride.
Your milage may vary. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offers. Only one vehicle at this price. All rebates retained by the dealer.
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Are there any specific springs for the E30 318/318is or are they geared toward E30 with a M20 motor? There is a weight difference between a 325i and 318i and I wonder if spring manufacturers take that into account since E30 318i was manufactured at the end of the production run (for the North American market).
G-Man
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Just got off the phone with H&R......The spring set to have is the 29964. This is a little softer in the rear but overall the same rates as the 50404-55 and will sit lower on our E30 318is. It's actually only listed for one application and that is the 84-85 E30 318i. If you happen to find an E30M3 that is changing suspensions then look for 3/1 HA for the rears and 3/1 VA with a white paint mark after it on the fronts. It is the 29664 Kit.
The race springs 50404-88 rates are 315 Front and 570 Rear.
I know I have seen someone post the 29664 is the way to go so whoever that was .....you were right:-)
HTH....
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Are there any specific springs for the E30 318/318is or are they geared toward E30 with a M20 motor? There is a weight difference between a 325i and 318i and I wonder if spring manufacturers take that into account since E30 318i was manufactured at the end of the production run (for the North American market).
Same thing I was wondering. And what happens if I put springs from a "heavier" 318ic/325ic convertible and unique struts/shocks from a 325ix. Will the car under or over-steer, ride soft or hard, sit high or low?
Correct me if I'm wrong with this summary: The OEM Sachs/Boge struts/shocks are unreliable under aggressive driving but technology has moved on since 1991 and Boge now makes "Turbogas" aka Sachs Advantage which can make your car feel like new, but there are also other lines of struts/shocks to look into to replace OEM like Bilstein "HD" (Heavy Duty), or if you're trying to save money Sachs Super Touring and Bilstein Touring Class which are about half the price of HD's.
If your car is lowered with shorter springs you can upgrade to Bilstein Sports or Koni Sports. Or try your luck with less expensive options, like Tokico HP's or if you are really desperate, KYB, Monroe or other generic garbage which will ride badly and not last very long. On the other hand if you have money to spare you can look into a race style adjustable coil-over suspension. Loads of companies offer coil-over kits for the E30, usually between $1,000-$3,000. Such a suspension setup can make the car handle as if on rails but it will not be comfortable on a daily basis, especially on bad roads.
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Just got off the phone with H&R......The spring set to have is the 29964.
It's actually only listed for one application and that is the 84-85 E30 318i.
I wish there were more options for a ride similar to stock, I can't find (or afford) e30 m3 springs, I could cut the springs and surely make things worse. Ireland (http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-suspension-steering/e30lwrdpht.html) sells cheap drop hats (another brand also sells them but for $180 or so) but those only work for the front and what's the point of lowering half the car.
Here are the Bilstein options: http://cart.bilsteinus.com/search/mmid=2130/drivetype=RWD
And info from Sachs-Boge: http://webcat.zf.com/index.asp?PKW=1&KHERNR=16&KTYPNR=28&KMODNR=290&KAT_KZ=P,N&EINSPNR_ART=32&ARTNR=170+142&LASTPAGE=nc2_teile_info.asp
"Sachs Advantage" OEM replacement
http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-shock-absorber-rear-e30-oem-105-750