Lowering

[VeLoCiTy318]

i have a 2004 M3 and have been recently thinking about lowering it just a little bit. i looked into H&R's and found the sport spring which lowers it 1.2 front and 0.5 rear which sounds about right for me. i was wondering what kind of effects, negative and positive, these springs would have on my car. i'm doing it mostly for the look since the suspension is already amazing, but would that slight of a drop make a huge difference in ride quality as far as comfort level goes? will it effect the performance of my shocks at all? i have 18" ///M rims and definately do not want them to rub. i know M3 wheel arches are huge, but does anyone know if they would rub after lowering? thanx to anyone that can help me out!!!

[safetywork]

The ride shouldn't change that much though it may be just a tad stiffer. You shouldn't have any rubbing issues after the install.

Pros:
- The car will look more aggressive.

Cons:
- By doing just the springs, your shocks won't last nearly as long since your shocks will also be in a compressed state (don't know how long they'll last though)
- I'm almost certain there'll be a mismatch in terms of the shocks and the after market springs in terms of compression and rebound characteristics of both.
- Although the car may feel like it handles better, it doesn't and won't.
- You may bottom out easier then before.

My suggestion (not that you asked for it):
- Get a "system" designed for the car. This way all the components (ie springs and shocks) are engineered to work together.
- Getting a shock and spring combination will get you the look you want and the performance for cheaper then adjustable coil-overs.
- Whether you decide to go with just springs, coil-overs, or spring and shock combination, make sure an alignment is done.