Lower springs

[Jetski]

Hey, I have a 92 325is i have put on a set of 225/45/17 on it. It now sits a little higher than stock and I am going to lower it. Just curoius what people are going with for lower hieght. I am looking at eibach springs and they have 2 choices, the pro kit and the sportline kit. The pro kits drops it 1.3 all around and the sportline kit drops it 1.8in in the front and 1.5 in the back. I live in an area where the roads are often less than ideal with bumps and potholes, any suggestions? Thanks

[jllphan]

Dropping it less than two inches with 17"s will be fine. Remember those springs will be more firm and less likely to allow the wheel to travel as far as your oem springs. If your driving habits are less sporting and more touring (you wish to lower it for esthetics more than anything) go for the 1.3's. If you had 18"s and wanted to drop it 2.5 inches, that is when i would expercise caution.

[M3Daemon]

I agree with jllphan, don't drop it lower than 1.3'' if you have 18'' wheels. However the height of the whole wheel depends also on the tire size. I am running 225/40 18 which gives me a total wheel radius of 12.5'' (318mm). You said you are running 225/45 17, that would result in a wheel radius of 12.5'' (317mm). As you see the radius of the wheel is almost the same.

After dropping 1.3'' I am right at the limit. The wheel even touches the inside of the wheel housing slightly at maximum angle. In your case it will be the same even though you have 17'' rims, due to the high tire profile. If you want to lower more go for 225/40 17 tires. That would give you a radius of 12.0''(306mm) or even 225/35 17 which would give you 11.6''(294mm). The 35s are rare though and you wont' have that many to choose from.

Btw, I have koni adjustable shocks with the Eibach pro-kit springs.



Daemon

[Jetski]

cool, i want it more for driving than just looking good. I am going to taking a race school with my car at the end of may and can't wait to get it out on the track, so it sounds like the pro kit 1.3 drop is the way to go. Thanks

[uglydumbguy]

Hey iused eibach pro lowering springs my wheels are 18 by8.5
with with lowering and the 18 in rims my car sit aprox 1/2 in lower but the center of gravity feels alot lower and the car handels amazingly like on rails

[Jetski]

sweet !!!!!!!!!

[uglydumbguy]

also I added a front tower brace larger front and rear sway bars and obviosly new shocks also conforti chip and cai

[buuhh99]

what kind of tires are u using and what sizes are they

[buuhh99]

daemon if u put 17s instead of 18s would u get better handiling and would it look better what is your prefference 18s or 17s i know 17s would have no rub at all but 18s are tight

[M3Daemon]

Originally posted by buuhh99@Apr 11 2004, 10:38 PM
daemon if u put 17s instead of 18s would u get better handiling and would it look better what is your prefference 18s or 17s i know 17s would have no rub at all but 18s are tight

I imagine their would be a small handling difference in favor of the 18s but it probably depends more on the rubber that's on them (profile height, sidewall stability, pure grip etc...)
17s would give a slightly better pickup, due to less rotational mass, but I sacrificed that for better looks and a 1/2 inch rise of the car. The roads here are not the best and there are many groves in driveways and sideroads, so I actually wanted to counter-balance the lowering after I put in the Eibach pro-kit.
Disadvantage of the 18s vs the 17 with the same overall height (which means increased tire profile): a harder and bumpier ride...



Daemon

[buuhh99]

yeah so do yours rub

[M3Daemon]

Originally posted by buuhh99@Apr 12 2004, 12:27 AM
yeah so do yours rub

If I turn the wheels all the way to the left or right they rub on the wheel housing a little bit. But that's mainly due to the wheel width. Other than that they don't rub. But I am pretty sure with 225/45 tires it would rub, especially in the rear.


Daemon

[jllphan]

Not to ask the exact same question again (just wanna be sure), you get no rubbing under high speed manuvers? Did you add Konis at the same time as your 18's. Did you notice any more tremmling and/or oversteer going from 17's to 18's? Are your 18's staggered?

Sorry for all the questions (i want EVERYONE of them answered ) but,

I ask because i am thinking of buying bigger shoes (have 17's) and upgrading the suspension. Or maybe just fully adjustable suspension, either way I'm looking to make it drive better and fill up those fenderwells...

[M3Daemon]

Originally posted by jllphan@Apr 12 2004, 01:15 AM
Not to ask the exact same question again (just wanna be sure), you get no rubbing under high speed manuvers? Did you add Konis at the same time as your 18's. Did you notice any more tremmling and/or oversteer going from 17's to 18's? Are your 18's staggered?

Sorry for all the questions (i want EVERYONE of them answered ) but,

I ask because i am thinking of buying bigger shoes (have 17's) and upgrading the suspension. Or maybe just fully adjustable suspension, either way I'm looking to make it drive better and fill up those fenderwells...

Nope, I don't get any rubbing under high speed maneuvers. I have actually switched from the stock 15s to my current 18s. What I noticed was tons of more grip (because of the better and wider tires) and much more stability and better feedback in curves. I did not notice any significant difference in the oversteer/understeer behavior of the car.

What exactly do you mean by "tremmling" and "staggered" ?


Daemon

[jllphan]

Tremmling (probably mispelled) occurs when there are small bumps or indentations in the road and your car's tires will grip these bumps jerking the steering wheel at low speeds. Most noteable when slowing to a stoplight, but if it occurs at speed... it can be bad.

Staggered is different offsets front to back, usually helps "curb" understeer.