[Cuba]

Before I installed the perches I was at a 2 finger gap. After installing the perchs with koni yellows it put me at a 3 finger gap. Now it's starting to settle more. I'm back at a 2 finger gap. Lets hope it goes down more

[dubsesd]

bump...did it settle more? any more poeple using the perches?

[Nonecure]

The lowering perches don't work very well for XI's. See the thread below that I went into more detail in. They have settled a little bit more after a month, but are still way off from advertized. I think one of the problems is the new tophats. If you remove a 3 year old tophat and replace it with a new one, the new one is going to sit higher. It will take time (probably a long time) to compress the rubber in the tophat to the same level as the old one. The non-xi people see the immediate drop since they are using their old tophats with the perches.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=780476

[dubsesd]

too much hassle with springs and achieving a proper ride height. went ahead and just bought kw v1s. im still confused why every spring manufacturer makes the front sit higher. even if it only 1/4" higher.

[E92Dizzle]

I know this is an old thread but did the top hats settle any more? I need a 1/4 inch lower still. I'm hoping the perches will help. Please advise, Thanks!

[WhiteFury]

Is the perch that the spring connects do on the strut in a lower position on the bilstein versus the only XI ones?

I am having difficulty with my Ibach broke yet I can't seem to get the front to lower properly the car is still raked.

They claim a 1.4 drop in the front and I wanted to drop in the rear. I have already achieve more than 1 inch in the rear but nowhere near 1.4 inch in the front.

I cut my rear bump stops but left the front as per the instructions that eibach gave me.

However I didn't loosen the lower control arm bushing to stop the preload a lot of suspension to sit with this fix it?

Here's a picture of my car and the suspension, look like it's not supposed to?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

Is the perch that the spring connects do on the strut in a lower position on the bilstein versus the only XI ones?

I am having difficulty with my Ibach broke yet I can't seem to get the front to lower properly the car is still raked.

They claim a 1.4 drop in the front and I wanted to drop in the rear. I have already achieve more than 1 inch in the rear but nowhere near 1.4 inch in the front.

I cut my rear bump stops but left the front as per the instructions that eibach gave me.

However I didn't loosen the lower control arm bushing to stop the preload a lot of suspension to sit with this fix it?

Here's a picture of my car and the suspension, look like it's not supposed to?

You are using springs for a non XI, why do you think instructions and projected drop for them apply to your car? Just because they "fit" doesn't mean they "work".

As I explained in the other section: the front lower perch is higher on an XI, so the front sits higher. It will never settle to where a non XI would sit.

In addition if you did not cut bump stops in front, that may make it worse. XI stops are longer than non XI. So you may be sitting on them and even if you got the lowering perches they would not work because you'd still be sitting on the bump stops. (BTW springs do not "settle". Rubber and foam settles.) This is why people often use E36M3 bump stops in front.

And yes XI is a heavier car that is why it sits lower in back than a non XI would.

BTW people using H&R's have same problem, possibly because H&R says they have XI-specific springs when really they are just the same part # and identical to non XI springs. There are many issues with lowering an XI, many threads here on it.

Finally, even if you get the SP perches to work, the way they work is by reducing strut travel by the amount they lower. You will already be prone to bottoming out more without them, and that just gets worse with them.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

You are using springs for a non XI, why do you think instructions and projected drop for them apply to your car? Just because they "fit" doesn't mean they "work".

As I explained in the other section: the front lower perch is higher on an XI, so the front sits higher. It will never settle to where a non XI would sit.

In addition if you did not cut bump stops in front, that may make it worse. XI stops are longer than non XI. So you may be sitting on them and even if you got the lowering perches they would not work because you'd still be sitting on the bump stops. (BTW springs do not "settle". Rubber and foam settles.) This is why people often use E36M3 bump stops in front.

And yes XI is a heavier car that is why it sits lower in back than a non XI would.

BTW people using H&R's have same problem, possibly because H&R says they have XI-specific springs when really they are just the same part # and identical to non XI springs. There are many issues with lowering an XI, many threads here on it.

Finally, even if you get the SP perches to work, the way they work is by reducing strut travel by the amount they lower. You will already be prone to bottoming out more without them, and that just gets worse with them.

I think I am sitting on the front bumpstops because I can't move them up or down and they are super snug.

I should trip about 1 inch off right?

Also I did trim off 1 inch from the rear bump stops. Should I trim more or are they the same as the "i" model?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

I think I am sitting on the front bumpstops because I can't move them up or down and they are super snug.

I should trip about 1 inch off right?

Also I did trim off 1 inch from the rear bump stops. Should I trim more or are they the same as the "i" model?

Rear should be trimmed about 1", front if they are OEM XI stops, about 3/4-1". Or get some E36M3 stops.

HOWEVER, once you do this you'll still have a slight rear rake, but at least you will have some suspension travel in front & not be riding around on the stops.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Rear should be trimmed about 1", front if they are OEM XI stops, about 3/4-1". Or get some E36M3 stops.

HOWEVER, once you do this you'll still have a slight rear rake, but at least you will have some suspension travel in front & not be riding around on the stops.

It should come down more once I do this right?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

It should come down more once I do this right?

Yes, no telling how much but it should come down some.

BTW you do not have to disassemble struts to do this, jack up the car onto stands, pull off the wheel, pull the dust boot down and take an Xacto knife or box cutter and trim off a ring (at the inner narrow part), then clip it off. Take off on the fat flat end, leave the progressive bullet end.

[WhiteFury]

Double post.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Yes, no telling how much but it should come down some.

BTW you do not have to disassemble struts to do this, jack up the car onto stands, pull off the wheel, pull the dust boot down and take an Xacto knife or box cutter and trim off a ring (at the inner narrow part), then clip it off. Take off on the fat flat end, leave the progressive bullet end.

The front bump stops are pushed into the boot just like the rear and were snug so I am thinking it may be a challenge.

So cut the flat part off? The rear I cut the round part off. Damn. Instructions said to do that from eibach. Maybe I will take rear shocks out and round the bottoms off again like they were.

[ajsalida]

Don't worry about it too much. Just trim some off on the fronts and evaluate. Be careful not to score or scratch the strut shaft. You should be able to pull down the boot, it just pops over a rib on the stop and the stop is foam, you can compress it. If not just trim off the top.

Rear is not as critical which end as there is lots more travel left in back. Old bump stops deteriorate pretty fast (and super fast if you are riding around on them ergo "settling"). Eventually you'll want to take it all part and go with E36M3 front and Z4 or Z4M rear stops, maybe with some better shocks.

[WhiteFury]

I forgot to ask why my lights face down now. They use to be pointed high.

[ajsalida]

Probably broke the headlight leveling sensor, or forgot to put it back on.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Probably broke the headlight leveling sensor, or forgot to put it back on.

It's connected and I never touched it or banged with anything it looks ok.

[WhiteFury]

I measured the ground to driver/passenger fender. It was 25.75 (25 & 3/4). I cut off .75 (3/4) of an inch off the bump stops, super easy. Thanks for the tips!

Then lowered it back down. Its looks slightly lower, I measured floor to fender and it reads 25.25 (25 & 1/4) on both sides.

So it apparently dropped .5 of an inch. Still wish it was about .25 lower but it doesnt look raked anymore!!

When I sat on the hood and pushed down BEFORE the cut it was not moving, now when I push down I can feel the springs compressing and moving. I cant believe it was riding the bump stops.

Thanks for the help!

[ajsalida]

Nice, glad it worked out for you. Bet it will ride better too. I would measure after you drive a bit it may go down more, suspension always binds a bit coming right off jacks. On the headlights, there are 2 sensors, one front one back, make sure both are OK, aligned right, and connected.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Nice, glad it worked out for you. Bet it will ride better too. I would measure after you drive a bit it may go down more, suspension always binds a bit coming right off jacks. On the headlights, there are 2 sensors, one front one back, make sure both are OK, aligned right, and connected.

Thanks! I only have 1/4 inch gap travel now before the stop. From the strut top and too of bump stop about 1/4 inch. Is this enough or do I need to cut more off? How do I check to see if they are aligned properly?

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

Thanks! I only have 1/4 inch gap travel now before the stop. From the strut top and too of bump stop about 1/4 inch. Is this enough or do I need to cut more off? How do I check to see if they are aligned properly?

I would stop messing with the suspension for a week or so, then re-evaluate. If it does not feel like you're hitting the stops hard too often, leave them alone.

On the sensors, take off the wheel and look at them. Don't touch them. When you're sure you understand how they are supposed to work, look closely and see if anything is misaligned, broken, not attached right, disconnected, or otherwise screwy.

It should be obvious each one has a little lever arm and a pivot, that arm has to move with the suspension, the other part is attached to something that doesn't move. Hard to explain but easy to see. Just don't mess with it until you understand what it is doing. Put a jack under the wheel hub, raise it and lower it to verify sensor is working mechanically at least.

It is easy to bust them.

[WhiteFury]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

I would stop messing with the suspension for a week or so, then re-evaluate. If it does not feel like you're hitting the stops hard too often, leave them alone.

On the sensors, take off the wheel and look at them. Don't touch them. When you're sure you understand how they are supposed to work, look closely and see if anything is misaligned, broken, not attached right, disconnected, or otherwise screwy.

It should be obvious each one has a little lever arm and a pivot, that arm has to move with the suspension, the other part is attached to something that doesn't move. Hard to explain but easy to see. Just don't mess with it until you understand what it is doing. Put a jack under the wheel hub, raise it and lower it to verify sensor is working mechanically at least.

It is easy to bust them.

Here is a picture after cutting the bump stops. Is the difference noticeable to you? First image is new the second image is the old stance before i cut the bump stops.