540 E39, shock upgrade....

[harryinsaudi]

I've a leaking front shock, non EHC 540i..... so whilst i'm at it i thought i'd see what i could do to upgrade the std? shocks/springs... problem is i'm not sure if the springs are already lowered. Ride height to top of wheel arch is 68mm front and 67mm rear, Running on 235/45/17 rims.

I love the way the car soaks up the motorway miles... smooth tarmac for most of it's life... journeys of 1500km in a stretch not uncommon for me... so i don't want hard suspension that will jar... my old 325i on Bilsteins was great in germany but a nightmare on uk roads... slamming on every pothole/ road repair. Then again... if you can google earth the 24km long snake pass north of Mecca.. best time so far 10 min 20 secs... i like to drive the thing!

So... do i stick with $500 dollar standard or try aftermarket? and if so any recommendations

[will3hawks]

Bilstien Heavy Duty

[Teh Prof]

If you do mostly smooth tarmac, then a hard suspension won't have the chance to jar. I'd recommend Koni shocks and struts, Eibach springs, and M5 sway bars.

[rashid]

What about Boge shocks?

[harryinsaudi]

Ok.Got the ride height wrong, should read cm not mm! Reason i'm concerned about lowering the car any further is that the compound/airbase where i live/work is full of sleeping policemen speed bumps, car alredy bottoms out if i go over at anything more than a walking pace. I can't afford to drop it another inch..... Any advice on std ride height? Anybody tried the Koni fsk? as opposed to the yellows?

[Teh Prof]

Koni yellows won't lower your car; different springs do that.

If you already have bottoming-out problems on those speed bumps, you probably should just replace shocks rather than springs.

[will3hawks]

Tell me about your E38-(arguably the best looking 7 series ever)

[nukeduster]

Bilstein hd's are great for handling, but not for cruising. I had HD's with eibach sports on my e34 540i (same basic suspension) and it was .. sporty. Not a whole unlike a stock e36 m3, if maybe a little more harsh.

[harryinsaudi]

yes, i realise it's the springs that will drop the car, i'll start out with the yellows, they are closer in spec to OE than the bilsteins apparently. Thanks.

[rashid]

Will appreciate your help ... I also plan to change shocks but I found only Boge plus the OEM ones. I dont really know where to find Koni in the UAE but can do my own arrangments to get them from KSA if you can refer me to right place.

Again,.. will appreciate your help & support.

[Teh Prof]

Originally Posted by will3hawks

Tell me about your E38-(arguably the best looking 7 series ever)

I suppose the easiest thing would be to repost the mods list...

1995 BMW 740i
MODIFIED BY RONALD TROCHELMANN, PERFORMING IMPORTS, ALPHARETTA GA
Performing Imports | Your BMW Performance Specialists
Engine:
Custom M60 Engine, Bored and stroked to 4.9L. Custom stainless steel cylinder liners. Light weight, cold forged aluminum pistons. Arrows Beryllium connecting rods. Stainless steel, blued and peened crankshaft. Assembly balanced. Polished and ported Cylinder heads with 1mm oversize sodium filled valves. Layered metal head gaskets. Custom .348 lift, 248 degree cam shafts ground by Ron. 10000 rpm triple valve springs and titanium retainers. Dinan custom tuned Powerdyne supercharger system at 13psi. Custom Dinan Engine software tuned for this engine.

Exhaust System:
Dinan E39 M5 Exhaust Headers, E39 M5 Catalytic converters, E60 M5 Center resonator and custom Dinan E39 M5 rear mufflers.

Transmission/Driveline:
Custom Dinan software. Custom Kevlar clutches, forged steel planetary gears, forged steel valve bodies. 3.71 Limited Slip Diff by Dinan.

Suspension:
Dinan Stage 2 suspension system. Front and rear suspension replaced entirely in 2006. Dinan Monoball kit.

Brakes:
Dinan Stage 2 Big Brake Kit.

Electronics:
Retrofit BMW Factory Bluetooth, Retrofit factory BMW MK4 (DVD Based) Navigation System with 16x9 screen, DICE kit, 2 12” JL subwoofers with 800 watt amp integrated into factory stereo system with DSP, Retrofit BMW Factory Xenon Headlamps, Escort SRX radar/laser system.

Rims:
BBS 3 Piece, nickel plated lips with gloss black color matched centers

Body:
Hamann Front Lower Spoiler, Hamann Roof Spoiler, E39 M5 Style Trunk Lid Lip Spoiler, BMW Factory late model E38 side skirt retrofit, Rear fenders pulled 1 inch to allow larger wheels and tires

[will3hawks]

iF YOU'RE EVER NEAR nORTH eAST pA, LET ME KNOW, I'D LOVE A RIDE!!!

REGARDS,

WILL