[mob17]

I just came back from a European road trip and visited AC Schnitzer in Germany on my way back. I decided to buy their lowering springs for my E90 310D SE and got them for around €250 (£200ish).

The spring specs are set by ACS and sent to Eibach to manufacture them. Has anyone used these springs and what do you think of them? Did i make a good choice? I normally always do my research before buying stuff for the car but this time it was an impulse buy.

Also i would like to get them installed soon. I have heard i need to get a 4 wheel alignment done. Shall i do this 2 weeks after the installation to let the springs settle?

[CJ421]

I have the AC Schnitzer sport springs in my car (albeit the M3 version since I have an M3 suspension conversion). They feel great though I have non-standard dampers.

The ACS springs are supposed to drop the car 1.2" so that's a lot. You should not use the stock dampers with them otherwise the ride will be quite bad and you'll wear out the dampers in a matter of months.

Look into some Koni Yellow/Sport or FSD shocks.

You will need an alignment after getting the springs installed. The springs need time to settle so yes, two weeks wait would be sufficient. If you are going to be driving a lot during those two weeks, I'd probably get an alignment done right away though ...

[mob17]

Good to hear some positives about the springs, even though yours are slightly different.

The guy said that the springs will lower the car 25-30mm. I did ask him about the wear of the dampers, but he said they will be fine as its not a huge drop.

Its a shame to hear my dampers could go. I have read threads before where this was mentioned. But i have also read that some springs can work with the OEM dampers, such as Eibach Pro. That's one of the reasons i bought them; i thought the ACS springs were supposed to work with the OEM dampers.

I really do not want to/can't spend anything more on my car for the next few months Maybe the springs you have can't work with the OEM dampers and mine can? (wishfull thinking)

[CJ421]

It's not that the springs will not fit - just that the stock dampers are not designed to work with higher spring rates.

Only 25-30mm eh? I was quoted a lot more. You will certainly be better off with the ACS springs vs. shorter "race" ones but still, I can't find myself recommending stiffer aftermarket springs without also recommending a damper change at the same time.

[mob17]

30mm is just under 1.2". Was your car lowered by 40mm+?

i know what you're saying about the shocks. Because of my situation i will change the springs now, and maybe in a few months get some Koni FSDs.

[mob17]

Got the springs fitted today. Wow the car feels a lot more in tune with the road - feels a lot more responsive. And im sure will get better once the springs settle. The stance of the car has improved as well. Handling is not rock hard, which is what i didn't want, its still nice and smooth. I'll post some pics later on.

I cant really compare the ACS springs to other ones but they have certainly impressed me. I think i will also replace the dampers, but in a few months.

[CJ421]

Sounds good. I think you'll appreciate the difference a sportier damper makes. The FSDs are a good value option. The Koni Sport (Yellow) shocks are a higher-end option.

[cvc 22349a]

Originally Posted by mob17

Got the springs fitted today. Wow the car feels a lot more in tune with the road - feels a lot more responsive. And im sure will get better once the springs settle. The stance of the car has improved as well. Handling is not rock hard, which is what i didn't want, its still nice and smooth. I'll post some pics later on.

I cant really compare the ACS springs to other ones but they have certainly impressed me. I think i will also replace the dampers, but in a few months.

Koni sports/yellow or Bilstein sports should be a good match to your ACS springs. Koni FSD aren't really designed to be used with lowering springs other than Eibach pro kit which have similar spring rates to zsp.
Pls post a pic of your car when the springs have settled..

[CJ421]

Originally Posted by cvc 22349a

Koni sports/yellow or Bilstein sports should be a good match to your ACS springs. Koni FSD aren't really designed to be used with lowering springs other than Eibach pro kit which have similar spring rates to zsp.
Pls post a pic of your car when the springs have settled..

Good info about the FSDs. I stand corrected.

[mob17]

Would the springs have settled in a weeks time or is 2 weeks better?

[cvc 22349a]

Approx. 300-500 miles = ? km's

[mob17]

Originally Posted by cvc 22349a

Koni sports/yellow or Bilstein sports should be a good match to your ACS springs. Koni FSD aren't really designed to be used with lowering springs other than Eibach pro kit which have similar spring rates to zsp.
Pls post a pic of your car when the springs have settled..

I took a high speed corner yesterday and the car was glued to the road

I want a ride which is smooth and not harsh; I won't be going on any tracks, but i want a ride which is good for daily driving and spirited driving. Are the two shocks you have suggested suitable? What differences will i feel from what i have now?

I will post some pics once i have done the mileage or reached 2 weeks.

[cvc 22349a]

Originally Posted by mob17

I took a high speed corner yesterday and the car was glued to the road

I want a ride which is smooth and not harsh; I won't be going on any tracks, but i want a ride which is good for daily driving and spirited driving. Are the two shocks you have suggested suitable? What differences will i feel from what i have now?

I will post some pics once i have done the mileage or reached 2 weeks.

They'll improve handling and probably firm up ride quality too. If you like the way your car rides, just leave your oe dampers until they're worn out. Maybe contact ACS to see what dampers they recommend?

[mob17]

Yeah i think thats a good idea. Just replace them when they wear out. And yeah, ACS should hopefully have their own shocks. Is there anyone that has used them?

[mob17]

Finally had some time today to take some pics and post them up. I haven't got any reference pics of the SE set up, but it was a lot higher than it should be. The car feels a lot more glued to the road and high speed corners are now fun

Now the actual drop isn't the lowest, obviously you can go lower. It looks like the rear was lowered a bit, and the front lowered more, so the car kind of points down more. But i'm happy with this drop as the stance looks good, plus I haven't scraped any speed bumps. The only time I have was when i had a full car and went over the narrow speed bumps we have here in the UK, so it's good that it wasn't much lower. It sounded like my exhaust was scraping. The car is definitely a lot firmer when doing some spirited driving, without being rock hard, but also has a nice smooth ride when cruising. In the future I might need/want to replace the OEM shocks with Bilstein B4s, as apparently these are a good match for ACS springs.

[CJ421]

Car looks great! Your ride height is about identical to mine.

[mob17]

Thanks

I have just completed a full detail as well, so if you're interested in having a read, my thread on the detail is in the wash/wax subforum

[mob17]

So i'm in the process of deciding on what shocks to buy.

Initially the improvement in the ride and handling was amazing with just the ACS springs and stock dampers. But after getting used to it I feel that I now need to replace the OEM dampers to stiffen things up further and reduce body roll. I sometimes still bounce quite a bit when driving fast lol. Replacing the dampers should give me a huge improvement shouldn't it?

So I think I have 3 options. Bilstein 4, Bilstein 4s (Bilstein state 4 is for OE ride height or lowered up to 30mm, which these springs are rated as, and 4s is for "sports suspension") or ACS shocks. The ACS ones normally come as a full kit with the springs I currently have, so are specifically designed for these springs. However they are twice the price of Bilstein ones!

So do you guys think that its worth spending up to twice the amount for ACS ones? I'm not really sure how much of that difference is just marketing ploy. Also CJ421, I would be interested to know what dampers you have gone with.

[mob17]

or should i upgrade the anti roll bars? Sorry for the basic questions but what benefits would i get with upgrading the shocks or upgrading the anti roll bars?

[cvc 22349a]

The oe struts/shocks are underdamped for sport/lowering springs. Look at koni sports or bilstein sports. Shoulda been done at same time as new springs.

[mob17]

Originally Posted by cvc 22349a

The oe struts/shocks are underdamped for sport/lowering springs. Look at koni sports or bilstein sports. Shoulda been done at same time as new springs.

Yeah should've, but I was told by the ACS salesman that they would be fine with the springs, but they're aren't!

Forgot to write down Koni's, they are also being considered. Just need some guidance on the differences between Bilstein, Konis and ACS ones. The springs I have lower by roughly 25-30mm, so not sure if i should go for replacement or "sport" dampers.

Or should i replace the anti roll bars first?

[cvc 22349a]

Definately dampers first; koni sports are adjustable, bilstein sports are not. Both are designed to dampen higher rate, lowering springs. Koni sports imo. No idea what your other options are.
add-hope you didn't reuse your oe bumpstops w/25-30 mm lowering springs