Suspension 1991 318i - BMW Forum

Numark318i · 07-02-2004, 12:13 AM

Well i noticd the other day my rear end of my car (1991 318i) was really low. SO i took everything outta the trunnk ad what not.....still low.
So i figure my shocks or somethig wet out in the back. Both sides equally low though.
I think it might have broken when i had 5 people in my car...two of whom were pretty big, but oh well.
Any one have sugestio on what brand i should use, and about the cost?
Im going to a shop next week, I want to seem like i kinda know what im talking about.

Thanks

spiff325is · 07-02-2004, 12:50 AM

Id go with H&R, they seem most dependable. can get them off of Turnermotorsport, with bilstein shocks, saves you like 80$

Numark318i · 07-02-2004, 01:00 AM

thanks man

Mystikal · 07-05-2004, 10:41 AM

Springs hold the cars up, not dampers. It could not have been the weight that suddenly made the car lower, it had to have been sagging for quite some time. That's also pretty odd, BMW OE springs last forever.

But as he said, upgrade to better stuff. Bilstein/H&R is an excellent combo.

MrM3 · 07-05-2004, 11:21 AM

bilstein shocks with h&r springs is a good combo, but there are 3 types of H&R springs: OE, Sport, and Race. if you want the ride height to be close to stock get the OE springs, if you want a lower sportier stance get the sports. both will look good and both are comfortable for the street. Get the race springs if you want the rear tires to be tucked in the fenders and if you want to have a pretty stiff ride.

Numark318i · 07-05-2004, 12:17 PM

what you thik is the best hadlig wise, cause i drive a moutain road 15 min(supposed to be 30) ride, everyday. My stock handled pretty good until this happend...when ever it did, I felt the difference,but I would like something a notch higher in hadling..if you kow what i mean.

But thanx, how much those gonna run me? I looked on the HR website and didnt find any prices?

Thanks

Mystikal · 07-05-2004, 07:58 PM

The H&R Sport / Bilstein Sport combo is $599 at Turner. Here's a link for ya: http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/detai...UCT_ID=E30SPORT

This will provide a much more buttoned down ride without being anything near harsh.

Halon · 07-05-2004, 09:38 PM

Yeah, but how do the H&R springs affect the handling? You say buttioned down, but does it angle the control arms badly? Or do they even out a little? I've heard the ideal handling comes from having control arms paralel with steering arms. Or something like that. Anyhow, if you guys can give me some answer to that.

Mystikal · 07-06-2004, 08:50 AM

I don't know about that, but I'll say for sure that the handling capabilities will improve a substantial amount over stock. But since you seem to have a high priority placed on agility, I'd go with a stiffer setup. Say Koni SA's with IE Stage 3's or Ground Control sleeves.

MrM3 · 07-06-2004, 12:24 PM

you run a high chance of generating alot of understeer with a bilstein/h&r combo. Like Mystikal said, koni SA's with IE-3 springs would be a much better setup for maximum grip and balance. reason being, the IE springs are .4" lower in the front; changing the pitch angle of the car and shifting more weight to the front, therefore less understeer. the koni SA (sport adjustable) shocks are adjustable, and with other support in the front (such as a strut brace or a larger swaybar) you will likely need to put the front dampers on full soft to prevent understeer, while keeping the rear dampers on full firm.

Mystikal · 07-06-2004, 01:56 PM

Or you could be like me, and create a setup that is infinitely adjustable for future tinkering.

Ground Control height-adjustable springs
Koni SA rebound-adjustable dampers
Sparco strut brace

The front springs are 300lb/in, and the rears are 475lb/in. This is a very aggressive setup especially compared to the Eibach Pro and H&R Sport layouts, which have much closer front and rear specs. With this setup I can also change the dampening and height settings for optimum balance. This was the first suspension upgrade I did to the car and after weighing all of the options, I decided to go with the most flexible one around. And I'm damn happy.

Numark318i · 07-07-2004, 12:58 AM

yea well how much that run me....cause I make 15 an hour, but i have car insurance, pilot lessons, gas, and misc expensives

Halon · 07-07-2004, 01:09 AM

Where do you make 15 an hour? :P

Mystikal · 07-07-2004, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Numark318i@Jul 7 2004, 01:38 AM
yea well how much that run me....cause I make 15 an hour, but i have* car insurance, pilot lessons, gas, and misc expensives

About $1200, give or take a few.

If you want a very happy medium, go with the Bilstein/H&R Sport combo I posted above for $599 at TMS. Stiffer would be the Koni/IE Stage3 combo, but that comes up closer to $1k.

PS: I'm 18 and make about $9/hr in usd, and things cost a lot more up here.

ghead