Camber and Toe Issue after lowering E39 M5

[E39m5]

I went to the shop, and mechanic that reviewed the problem (not the same that did installation) told me that alignment must be re-done.
He inspected my car for body/frame damage and there were none. So re-doing an alignment is the 1st steep. Unfortunately I was short time, plus I'll need to change front upper and lower control arms. So I figure I'll get my parts and re-do alignment then.

Planning to do it by the end of the month.

Will post an update after.

[rivroshaun951]

I did it. I finally found the specs for your car. Yeah Yeah I know I'm 2 years late. But hear you go anyway.
WHEEL ALIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS



Note: Given specifications are for car loaded down to normal position. Refer to Inspection Conditions See: Inspection Conditions

Front Axle



Total toe 0°10' ±10'

Camber (Difference between left/right max. 30') -30' ±30'

Track difference with 20°inside wheel lock -1°43' ±30'
Caster (Difference between left/right max. 30')

With ±10°wheel lock 6°27' ±30'

With ±20°wheel lock 6°49' ±30'

Front wheel displacement 0°±10'
Max. Wheel Lock

Inside Wheel approx. 41.5°

Outside Wheel approx. 32°

Rear Axle

Total toe


Alignment check 0°10' ±10'

Adjustment 0°10' ±8'
Camber (Difference between left/right max. 15')

Alignment check -1°50' ±15'

Adjustment -1°49' ±5'

Geometric axis deviation 0°±12'

Sorry it took me so long..

[E39m5]

Thanks you for the info.

And here is an update; Last Sat I changed my upper and lower front control arms and tomorrow I am taking my car back to the shop to re-do alignment. I'll should know what's up with in the next 24 hours. Will post another update tomorrow.

[E39m5]

Got my alignment re-done yesterday. Car aligned perfect. Rear tires also look even.

One thing that kind of surprised me; I thought that my front would be way off since I put new Upper and Lower control arms last weekend, but it was barely off.

I do have to admit, relapsing front arms was kind of pain. I probably spend about 4 hours in total labor. Out of those 4 hours; 3 hours to remove / 1 hour to put new parts in.
I really struggled getting old arms out. My hands look like I've been in to a bar fight........................But the satisfaction of doing work by myself is definitely worth the effort.

So I guess its all good.

[rivroshaun951]

Congratulations man. Now step back and look at those hands. You sir are a true enthusiast.

[Jack Dabsy]

Impressive, we like the "Hand-On" approach... Well done fella !

[E39m5]

Thank you guys.

[Jack Dabsy]

Just glad I suggested the Re-Fit and everything is sorted

[alaam5]

Hi i bought my new bmw m5 2002 and am searching for dinan suspension stage 1 do u have any or can u help me plz

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[Lord Vader]

Originally Posted by alaam5

Hi i bought my new bmw m5 2002 and am searching for dinan suspension stage 1 do u have any or can u help me plz

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Dont know where you live so fill out your profile a little more.

I would recommend the Ground Control coilover kit instead. It will be about the same price, but better customer support should something happen. Ground Control is a top notch suspension system. Other brands you could look into are KW Coilovers.

[E39m5]

I use ST-Tech (made by KW) on my E39 M5. Got a complete kit for around $800 including shipping. Had them for about a year now and I just love it. Height adjustment is very easy and can be done at home. Just remember to re-aligned the car after each adjustment.

[alaam5]

Hi plz am new into this forum i would liken u to paste the link u bought ur kw adjustale suspensions from thanks alot for ur time

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[E39m5]

Just to clarify, I purchased ST-Tech which are made by KW in Germany. The only main difference between ST-Tech and KW is the warranty. I believe KW has lifetime warranty and ST-Tech only 5 years. Otherwise its the same product.
I purchased mine via eBay. There are bunch of seller selling the same product. I ended up getting mine from DV8. I ended up calling them and negotiated a price of $800 including shipping. Here is the link.
St coilover BMW M5 Sedan E39 00 03 | eBay

[alaam5]

I am very grateful for ur help but one last question did u feel a noticable change in control when u installed the suspension kit?besides does the car loses its comfort when u exhange stock suspensions with these ones?

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[E39m5]

I think the ride comfort remained the same. I had 5 people in the car and I was going about 85 MPH and the ride was perfect.
However I did not drop my car too low. I think I lowered front about 2 inches and rear about 1+ inches. (I am running 19x8.5 - 255x35 & 19x10 - 285x30).
Here are couple pictures.

I actually had to bring the rear back up about 1/2 of inch, because I was getting bad camber wear and there was no more room to adjust it.
The ride comfort will depend on how low you are going to drop your car. The lower the car, the less comfort you'll have. Plus I've noticed that if the car too low, tires wear out pretty fast. This is one of those things that you have to play around with before you get it the way you like it. Just keep in mind, every time you adjust the height, you need to re-align the car.