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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Suspension | Brakes | Chassis > Pros and Cons of Lowering Perches



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      05-22-2013, 09:58 PM   #1
pocoyo_3
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Pros and Cons of Lowering Perches

I am considering a set of (Supreme Power) lowering perches and I have heard people say good things about them. Are there any disadvantages to lowering perches in terms of wheel travel and bump stops, etc? I'm just thinking of a drop of around 10 mm or so.

My car is a 2006 325i with the Sports Package. I recently had my shocks replaced to Bilstein HD's, and since then the ride height is increased. I read somewhere that the shock mounts on early E90's were different, and replacing with the new ones results in an increased ride height. I've also heard that the gas pressure in the Bilsteins results in a slightly higher ride height.

Regardless, I would like to get my front ride height back to normal as opposed to having it look like an SUV.

I can include pictures if anyone would like to see my current ride height.
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      05-25-2013, 10:16 PM   #2
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      05-26-2013, 01:04 AM   #3
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I had them installed with no ill effects. Does not change the ride of the car and lowers the front approx half inch. Supreme Power installed mine in about an hour for $160 total including the perches. Money well spent in my opinion. All the awesome BMW shops in Socal. Gotta love it.
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      05-26-2013, 04:25 PM   #4
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I installed them with the BMW performance suspension kit (new kit) and had no issues with bump travel. I drove the car pretty hard at AutoX and never had any problems.
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      05-26-2013, 09:59 PM   #5
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Thanks guys. I got a quote of $475 to install them in SE Michigan so I'm going to either shop around or wait for an opportunity for a (long) road trip to So Cal!
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      05-27-2013, 06:41 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by my325i View Post
Thanks guys. I got a quote of $475 to install them in SE Michigan so I'm going to either shop around or wait for an opportunity for a (long) road trip to So Cal!
That's very expensive. Should be an hour job for a shop who knows what they are doing, so you should be in the $125-150 range.
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      05-27-2013, 11:18 AM   #7
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No downside that I have experienced in 1 year and 25k miles.
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      05-27-2013, 12:37 PM   #8
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Don't bother with lowering perches, they barely do anything then just lower the front by half an inch. Just go straight to coilovers if you can. I wasted my money twice (install) when I first lowered my cars on springs, after I realized that coils were night and day difference.
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      05-27-2013, 01:59 PM   #9
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It sounded expensive to me too. The cost to replace the front lower control arms, tension struts, and tie rods was just over $500 including alignment too.
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      05-27-2013, 02:00 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by playground View Post
Don't bother with lowering perches, they barely do anything then just lower the front by half an inch. Just go straight to coilovers if you can. I wasted my money twice (install) when I first lowered my cars on springs, after I realized that coils were night and day difference.
It depends on what the op wants. If he only wants to lower the front of the car as I did when I bought my perches there is no better option and the 0.5 inch drop makes a huge difference in the look of the whole car.
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      05-28-2013, 09:54 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by my325i View Post
Thanks guys. I got a quote of $475 to install them in SE Michigan so I'm going to either shop around or wait for an opportunity for a (long) road trip to So Cal!
I got a quote in Cincinnati by a indy shop for 570$

I wish I lived in Cali and could have supreme power do it for 160$
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      05-28-2013, 10:01 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EricP3 View Post
I got a quote in Cincinnati by a indy shop for 570$

I wish I lived in Cali and could have supreme power do it for 160$
You see. $570+ whatever the cost it costs to buy the perches.
That can get you a set of coilovers already.
Even ebay coilovers will make your car perform from night and day compared to stock lowering springs.
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      05-29-2013, 02:11 AM   #13
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The actual cost for install at Supreme Performance was $85. The $160 also included the price of the perches. The perches are not a waste of money if you are trying get the front gap to be a closer match to the rear and not change the ride.
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      05-29-2013, 12:53 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by playground View Post
You see. $570+ whatever the cost it costs to buy the perches.
That can get you a set of coilovers already.
Even ebay coilovers will make your car perform from night and day compared to stock lowering springs.
I completely agree that 570$+ cost of perches is not worth it. But 160$ total for front lowering perches installed is much more economical for someone just looking to lower the front a little bit versus full coilovers.
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      05-29-2013, 01:23 PM   #15
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Simple install, took me 2.5 hours in my buddy's home garage. Rented some spring compressors for free from advance auto parts. And the half inch is noticeable, the car looks much more balanced .
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      05-29-2013, 01:49 PM   #16
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There is so much misinformation here, I bought my perches for 70 bucks shipped. If anybody actually tried a search, they'd find this thread, http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273331

If somebody isn't capable of finding an installer to not charge 500+ dollars for an install, then thats their bad.

Whats that saying, a sucker is born everyday?

btw, this is what my car looks like with the lowering perches and BMW PS springs after about a year.

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      05-29-2013, 07:01 PM   #17
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Not a lot of options for installations where Iive but I'll shop around. Most places don't even call me back so it's not been as easy as I had hoped.
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