[Pure745]

Yes.. I'm a newbie.. and yes I've searched..

I really want to know what drop is best for driving in LA/OC area.. I want an aggessive drop, I plan on putting rims on soon and dont want really any wheel gap.

My gut says go w/ Race and some shocks.. but I don't want to be scraping everywhere I go.. anyone w/ some real world feedback?

Thanks!

[samwoo2go]

Originally Posted by Pure745

Yes.. I'm a newbie.. and yes I've searched..

I really want to know what drop is best for driving in LA/OC area.. I want an aggessive drop, I plan on putting rims on soon and dont want really any wheel gap.

My gut says go w/ Race and some shocks.. but I don't want to be scraping everywhere I go.. anyone w/ some real world feedback?

Thanks!

The real world feedback is you can't have both. Race will look tucked like the way you are imagining it (yes I know what your are thinking), but you will scrape everywhere and have to angle down parking lot ramps and shit. Sport will still look decent and you will still scrape, just not as bad.
I don't know if you ever driven a lowered car before but I gotta tell you, at certain height the hassle just outweighs the look.
My bet is to go sport, you can def tell its lowered, the gap is minimal, it rides a bit better than race and you won't scrape as much shit. Plus I think race looks a bit too low and tacky for my taste, for a BMW at least.

[m3pare]

Originally Posted by samwoo2go

The real world feedback is you can't have both. Race will look tucked like the way you are imagining it (yes I know what your are thinking), but you will scrape everywhere and have to angle down parking lot ramps and shit. Sport will still look decent and you will still scrape, just not as bad.
I don't know if you ever driven a lowered car before but I gotta tell you, at certain height the hassle just outweighs the look.
My bet is to go sport, you can def tell its lowered, the gap is minimal, it rides a bit better than race and you won't scrape as much shit. Plus I think race looks a bit too low and tacky for my taste, for a BMW at least.

Couldn't have said it better.

[E90Alex]

if you are going to get a spring/shock combo it is better to just get coilovers so you can adjust the height to what is comfortable for you.

[twinship]

The Sports are a great compromise. Running the Race springs in this town would be a PITA.

[PaulBailey@ltbmw]

I like the look of the race....

[BaMBaM4002]

i ran race back in the day and yeah..hassle galore. It becomes second nature to angle everywhere lol in my integra i got stuck on a speed bump even when angled at 45 degrees. Race looks sick but you gotta pay to play.

[Pure745]

Thanks guys.. I do know what you're saying for sure. Especially getting spoiled off my old 745.. never scraped etc, even after I put H&R's on it.

I wanted to avoid coilovers, just because I'd rather use the $ on other things right now for the car.

I had a 350Z way back when it was first released and it was lowered w/ a kit.. so I've driven my fair share of stuff like that.. and yes it definitely gets really old!

Just wondering how low the Race actually sits in real life.. like how much of a clearance issue there really is (you know.. some chasis still have decent clearance even after lowered.. some drag everywhere).. What's the cheapest coilover option I'd be looking at?

Some pics I've seen of the Sport they look pretty nice.. and some pics they look to still have a bit of a gap, so I'm not sure what is accurate.. all of the Race pics I've seen look great.. some a bit too low, but those had stock rims..

[1013mm]

i have sport and in socal its pretty bad =\ looks GREAT though! on my street the only way to get out is to go through the dips and let me tell you.... everyday is stressful LOL!

[tek818]

honestly, I am on my second E92 335i (had 2007 from '06-09, and now 2010) and I would NOT recommend going the springs only route. I had just H&R Sport springs on my 2007 E92 and while it looked good and even felt OK at first, after a while, the shocks just can't take it anymore and the ride quality suffers HORRIBLY.

Now, on my 2010, I recently had Suspension Techniques V1 coilovers (KW V1 but with galvanized steel vs stainless which is not necessary in socal) installed and WOW... the difference is absolutely night and day over just H&R sport springs or the stock suspension. After just a few days of driving with the ST coilovers, I was convinced that I basically sacrificed the feel of my 2007 for looks, which upset me to a certain extent; but I could NOT be happier with these ST coilovers. They were purchased and installed through LTBMW, and I highly recommend their services!

Originally Posted by tek818

honestly, I am on my second E92 335i (had 2007 from '06-09, and now 2010) and I would NOT recommend going the springs only route. I had just H&R Sport springs on my 2007 E92 and while it looked good and even felt OK at first, after a while, the shocks just can't take it anymore and the ride quality suffers HORRIBLY.

Now, on my 2010, I recently had Suspension Techniques V1 coilovers (KW V1 but with galvanized steel vs stainless which is not necessary in socal) installed and WOW... the difference is absolutely night and day over just H&R sport springs or the stock suspension. After just a few days of driving with the ST coilovers, I was convinced that I basically sacrificed the feel of my 2007 for looks, which upset me to a certain extent; but I could NOT be happier with these ST coilovers. They were purchased and installed through LTBMW, and I highly recommend their services!

price?

[tek818]

Originally Posted by my92

price?

The ST V1's were $950. Definitely a heftier price than ~$250 for H&R springs, but the difference in stability and performance alone is FAR worth the $700 difference.

[twinship]

Originally Posted by tek818

The ST V1's were $950. Definitely a heftier price than ~$250 for H&R springs, but the difference in stability and performance alone is FAR worth the $700 difference.

That's not a bad price, considering with the H&Rs you really should replace the stock shocks. H&R + Koni = about the same as the ST V1.

Makes me think I should have gone for the coilovers myself...

[Pure745]

Thanks Tek.. I'm beginning to start believing everyone who is recommending what you are.. Seems every thread I search for has most of the replies saying to get shocks/springs or coils..

Isn't there an H&R coil package? What's the cheapest coilover package out there? Not really planning on racing this thing.

[persian54]

you should look into FK Highsport

about $750 shipped from ecs tuning

[SoCali E36]

heres my car with h&r sports with 19s

[BaMBaM4002]

The stance looks good, anything lower would be too much IMO

[ToadHollow]

Since the OP has the coupe & not the sedan ....... I'll post a few pics showing 19" wheels on H&R race springs w/ Koni FSD shocks .....

I'm a Cali native & I can tell you we deal with more of the "angled shots" than you do. Race springs w/ aftermarket shocks are the way to go, imho. Unless you plan on tracking the car; there really isn't much reason to go the coilover route. Really ....... how many times are you going to adjust the height of the car or even want the hassle of fine tuning the suspension if the car is a daily driver?

[twinship]

ToadHollow - Is it just the lighting or did you get some M3 sideskirts? If so, throw ip some more pix.

[ToadHollow]

Originally Posted by twinship

ToadHollow - Is it just the lighting or did you get some M3 sideskirts? If so, throw ip some more pix.

Yup, LTBMW side skirts have been installed for a while now. Don't want to thread jack, but there are lots of pics posted.

[Pure745]

Thanks for the pics guys.. Toad that drop looks perfect. I think I can find a deal on coils or shocks on the classifieds section on this site. I've heard some of the coilover kits squeaking.. so I might just go with your setup. Looks like what I'm going for.. how's it drive and handle driveways and speedbumps? Are coilovers smoother and less bumpy than the race springs and shocks?

[ToadHollow]

Originally Posted by Pure745

Thanks for the pics guys.. Toad that drop looks perfect. I think I can find a deal on coils or shocks on the classifieds section on this site. I've heard some of the coilover kits squeaking.. so I might just go with your setup. Looks like what I'm going for.. how's it drive and handle driveways and speedbumps? Are coilovers smoother and less bumpy than the race springs and shocks?

Once the springs settle; the ride is comparable to stock sport suspension. Keep in mind that I have upgraded suspension components that also lend to the stiffness. Race springs are very tight so you are going to feel everything a bit harsher, but with the Koni FSD shocks there really isn't a harshness to the ride at all.

Handling driveways & speed bumps won't be anymore of an issue than any other lowered car. There's a video posted on the forum that shows my car as I pulled into a gas station where the suspension is so tight it caused the front wheel to come off the ground while angling into the station. Very tight suspension.

Another thing about the race springs is that once installed there is no more room for adjusting the front tow during an alignment. I have a custom alignment performed when needed that also allows for the car to not need a camber kit for the rear. Steering is as straight as stock would be & going over bumps doesn't send such a shock that the car wanders all over the road. The only time I might rub is @ the left rear wheel, with a full tank of gas & traveling fast enough that the suspension is compensating for the road surface. For me that would be anything over 50mph or so.

I've ridden in cars with the H&R sport springs & imho the ride is too soft. It's a preference thing for me.

Depending on how low you want the car to sit will determine how bumpy coil overs will make the ride. There won't be any difference between the springs vs. coil over setup if you're riding at the same height.

FYI, the Koni FSD shocks can be had through JLevi or **********s for different prices. JLevi (the last couple of times I needed them) was able to locate & get them to me in a matter of a few days, however they are priced significantly higher than **********s. **********s wasn't able to coome through for me at the time so ............ we all know who got the sale. Generally speaking, the FSD shocks & springs will usually run $2-300 less than the coil overs.

Hope this helps in your decision ......