Question on suspension level

MJ777LR · 09-11-2012, 07:43 AM

I installed the Eibach Pro-System over the weekend with the help of a friend. Everything went pretty smoothly and the car rides a lot better (a lot might be an understatement!). Plus the drop, however slight, makes the car look much better, coming from the non-sport suspension. Anyhow, I've been periodically measuring the height of the car from ground to fenderline on all four corners since the install, and it appears that the left (driver's) side of the car is about 1/4 inch higher than the right side. I've driven the car for about 75 miles since.

Is this normal? I never paid attention to this before, but shouldn't the driver's and passenger's side sit at the same height?

ajm8127 · 09-11-2012, 08:55 AM

If the surface where the car is parked is not perfectly flat, this could happen. One quarter inch is not a lot for a driveway to be out from perfectly level, and most driveways are slopped anyway to aid with water runoff.

The best way to check to be sure all four corners of the car are perfectly level is with a water level.

CALWATERBOY · 09-11-2012, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ777LR

.... it appears that the left (driver's) side of the car is about 1/4 inch higher than the right side. I've driven the car for about 75 miles since.

Is this normal? I never paid attention to this before, but shouldn't the driver's and passenger's side sit at the same height?

They should. But, check Post #5 here.

MJ777LR · 09-17-2012, 01:41 AM

Thanks all for the replies. I took the car to my local BMW indy for the post-install alignment, and told him about the uneven ride height. He called me back later in the day and asked if I had tightened the suspension in the air or on the ground (I had actually replaced all of my front and rear control arms/stabilizer links/tie rods in addition to the springs and dampers). This was something I had suspected as a possible cause, since most instructions I've seen have made it a point to tighten the suspension under load. I had tightened the parts in the air, since once the car was on the ground with wheels on, I would not have been able to reach the bolts to tighten them.

They put the car on a lift under load, loosened the bolts and re-tightened them, and then did the alignment, and now the car sits perfectly even on all four corners. The gap is roughly 2.25 fingers all around. I have small fingers, so it might be 2 fingers for others!

As an aside, I think uneven camber might also be a possible reason why the left and right sides sit at different heights. After replacing all the control arms as well as the springs/dampers, I'm pretty sure my camber was way off spec and way different on both sides. Thinking from a geometry point of view, this could well make the car sit higher on one side, since the angle of 'tilt' (can't think of a better way to describe it) of the controls arms on one side might be greater than the other.

09-11-2012, 07:43 AM	#1
MJ777LR Private First Class 22 Rep 133 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW328i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Kansas iTrader: (1)	Question on suspension level I installed the Eibach Pro-System over the weekend with the help of a friend. Everything went pretty smoothly and the car rides a lot better (a lot might be an understatement!). Plus the drop, however slight, makes the car look much better, coming from the non-sport suspension. Anyhow, I've been periodically measuring the height of the car from ground to fenderline on all four corners since the install, and it appears that the left (driver's) side of the car is about 1/4 inch higher than the right side. I've driven the car for about 75 miles since. Is this normal? I never paid attention to this before, but shouldn't the driver's and passenger's side sit at the same height?
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09-11-2012, 08:55 AM	#2
ajm8127 Private 0 Rep 80 Posts Drives: '07 335i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Pittsburgh iTrader: (0)	If the surface where the car is parked is not perfectly flat, this could happen. One quarter inch is not a lot for a driveway to be out from perfectly level, and most driveways are slopped anyway to aid with water runoff. The best way to check to be sure all four corners of the car are perfectly level is with a water level.
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09-17-2012, 01:41 AM	#4
MJ777LR Private First Class 22 Rep 133 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW328i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Kansas iTrader: (1)	Thanks all for the replies. I took the car to my local BMW indy for the post-install alignment, and told him about the uneven ride height. He called me back later in the day and asked if I had tightened the suspension in the air or on the ground (I had actually replaced all of my front and rear control arms/stabilizer links/tie rods in addition to the springs and dampers). This was something I had suspected as a possible cause, since most instructions I've seen have made it a point to tighten the suspension under load. I had tightened the parts in the air, since once the car was on the ground with wheels on, I would not have been able to reach the bolts to tighten them. They put the car on a lift under load, loosened the bolts and re-tightened them, and then did the alignment, and now the car sits perfectly even on all four corners. The gap is roughly 2.25 fingers all around. I have small fingers, so it might be 2 fingers for others! As an aside, I think uneven camber might also be a possible reason why the left and right sides sit at different heights. After replacing all the control arms as well as the springs/dampers, I'm pretty sure my camber was way off spec and way different on both sides. Thinking from a geometry point of view, this could well make the car sit higher on one side, since the angle of 'tilt' (can't think of a better way to describe it) of the controls arms on one side might be greater than the other.
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