[xube8]

Hi guys
I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I've just got a 330d se coupe (e92)
Wondering, if I wanted it to sit lower like the m sport, do I just need the springs or the whole suspension?
Am I being naive thinking it might be a simple straight forward thing to do?
Thanks in advance

[mob17]

You have SE dampers so whatever you do don't just put lowering springs on. You'll have a bouncy ride and your dampers will be finished in a few months.

I'd advise against m sport as its not great and still leaves a gap in front arch.

Cheapest route is Bilstein B4s dampers and Eibach springs.

Other options are available but depends on your budget/requirements. You can get lowering spring perches which lower the front suspension by 0.5".

[xube8]

Thanks for that, I don't want it too low, same height as the m sport would be fine, still want some smoothness and ride comfort, just a bit more road feel, I'll be keeping it on 18s too.
The perches sound interesting, is that like clipping the springs together? Are they any good?

[Jase 320d]

Im running msport springs with se shockers on my e90

Not an e92 but still relevant to an extent

I just wanted the msport height for my car.

Done nearly 20k like this and no issues

Ride is more than acceptable

[hey joe]

xube8 ....

not 100% sure, but I THINK e92 330d se coupe already has msport suspension fitted as standard from the factory. Mine - built Oct 09 - has and I'm pretty sure it wasn't an 'extra cost' option.

(Wouldn't want you to go to all the trouble of changing/lowering it to msport spec to finish up with what you started with !!!)

[xube8]

Thanks guys,
I think it's the 335s that have the same suspension, but I'll double check, but you're right, I'd be gutted if I swap it for the same thing. I'll Park next to an M sport and compare.
2 things I deffo want to swap is the steering to an M sport one and the 2 front seats to m sport, that should be a straight swap right?

[hey joe]

yep, I think you might be right about msport suspension standard only on the 335s ... just dug out my paperwork and it seems my msport suspension was in fact a costed option (at £270 incl VAT !!).

Good luck with your project.

[Russbmw]

Originally Posted by mob17

You have SE dampers so whatever you do don't just put lowering springs on. You'll have a bouncy ride and your dampers will be finished in a few months.

I'm sorry mate, but that is a bollocks statement.

If you are going with Eibach Pro springs (35mm or so drop on the front and 15mm ish on the rear) or the HR equivalent, then there is absolutely no harm in just replacing the springs. The SE shocks will be fine.

My wife's e93 ran SE shocks with Eibach pro springs for over 2 years with no troubles whatsoever. They went on standard SE shocks with 100k miles on, and the ride was not bouncy at all. Sure, not as (overly) rock hard as the OEM Sport suspension setup, but certainly not bouncy. The car handled a lot better in general.



OP, if you plan on slamming it (ie: a drop of over 40-50mm) then yes, you must replace the shocks or they will be buggered in no time.

[mob17]

Not really bollocks mate its just fact.

SE dampers are damped for longer softer springs. If you put shorter stiffer springs then its by definition not matched to the springs. Firstly you reduce the suspension travel. This would give the feeling of reduced body roll around corners, but in fact you could be riding on the bumpstops. Secondly it would cause there to be a more oscillation (bouncing) than ideal as the damper is set for lower spring rates and by definition would take longer to settle when hitting a bump. You can get away with these points on m sport as the dampers are a bit more suited

I did this on my previous car and it rode well but was bouncy when driving hard over bumps and the dampers were shot in a few months.

Perhaps your wife doesn't drive her car as hard as i do, so that's probably why they have been ok. But i bet you would improve her ride by replacing her SE dampers with bilstein B4sones.

So OP, if you drive quite slow and leisurely then yes just get lowering springs, but if you drive hard and want good feedback replace the dampers.

[E90325iM-SPORT]

Originally Posted by mob17

Not really bollocks mate its just fact.

SE dampers are damped for longer softer springs. If you put shorter stiffer springs then its by definition not matched to the springs. Firstly you reduce the suspension travel. This would give the feeling of reduced body roll around corners, but in fact you could be riding on the bumpstops. Secondly it would cause there to be a more oscillation (bouncing) than ideal as the damper is set for lower spring rates and by definition would take longer to settle when hitting a bump. You can get away with these points on m sport as the dampers are a bit more suited

I did this on my previous car and it rode well but was bouncy when driving hard over bumps and the dampers were shot in a few months.

Perhaps your wife doesn't drive her car as hard as i do, so that's probably why they have been ok. But i bet you would improve her ride by replacing her SE dampers with bilstein B4sones.

So OP, if you drive quite slow and leisurely then yes just get lowering springs, but if you drive hard and want good feedback replace the dampers.

+ 1

[Russbmw]

Originally Posted by mob17

Not really bollocks mate its just fact.

SE dampers are damped for longer softer springs. If you put shorter stiffer springs then its by definition not matched to the springs. Firstly you reduce the suspension travel. This would give the feeling of reduced body roll around corners, but in fact you could be riding on the bumpstops. Secondly it would cause there to be a more oscillation (bouncing) than ideal as the damper is set for lower spring rates and by definition would take longer to settle when hitting a bump. You can get away with these points on m sport as the dampers are a bit more suited

I did this on my previous car and it rode well but was bouncy when driving hard over bumps and the dampers were shot in a few months.

Perhaps your wife doesn't drive her car as hard as i do, so that's probably why they have been ok. But i bet you would improve her ride by replacing her SE dampers with bilstein B4sones.

So OP, if you drive quite slow and leisurely then yes just get lowering springs, but if you drive hard and want good feedback replace the dampers.

Sorry fella, whilst what you start of saying is correct in some sense, it is not entirely right and hence I still disagree.

Firstly, the lack of bounciness has nothing to do with how my wife drives - and she drives her cars hard, for the record! I used to drive it too. I also had no handling issues or bouncing on my e39 with SE shocks and Eibach springs, and that car went to the Ring on a few occassions and behaved impeccably.

Any car bouncing is indicative of a failed/failing shock.

Don't really want to go into a massive discussion on it, but to summarise simplistically, shocks have a "neutral" resting position taking into account the weight of the car. If you put too short a spring on, the natural resting position of the shock is in a permanent state of heavy compression. That is what fucks your shocks up - and as you say, riding round with stupidly short springs will mean the car is likely to hit the bump stops for a while before the shock gets lunched.

A small drop, as mentioned above, will still retain the resting position within acceptable tolerances and hence, will not damage it - nor affect its function.

Another point to clarify, is the shock absorber does not hold the weight of the car - it is there to dampen spring movement. The spring supports the car weight - and hence also determines the ride height.

You are absolutely correct in saying that shorter springs should have new shocks to match - in cases where you are lowering the car significantly. Full suspension replacement is also important if you intend to track the car and want optimum handling.

However, as the OP simply wants a little more aesthetically pleasing ride height, and isn't claiming to be the next Schumacher, I retain that there is no harm done whatsoever by replacing just the springs to give you a 25-30mm lower ride height - and unless the shocks are leaking/failing/failed there will be no bouncing.

You've replaced the full setup on yours (to suit your advanced driving needs...clearly far superior to my own ), and that's fine - but it is not the essential requirement you are saying it is.

[mob17]

Glad to hear your wife drives her car hard, i wish mine did

I don't really want to get into a pointless discussion too, but just want to clarify some things for OP and reader. Btw i don't remember saying the shocks hold the car's weight?

Anyways a bouncy car does not happen *just* because of failed shocks or leaking. It can also happen when you mismatch dampers and springs (and also other reasons which i won't go into). Also it's not just due to the amount of drop, more to do with the spring rates. SE dampers are valved for a certain spring rate. If you increase that spring rate without revalving then oscillations WILL increase. Imagine it like the damper isn't strong enough to stop the stiff springs oscillations. This is just simple physics, i don't know how else i can explain this and i don't really want to start giving a physics lesson lol. The amount of increased osciillation depends on how much you increase the spring rate by. I don't understand why you don't accept this. If you or your wife didn't experience this then it doesn't make it false. It either means that there was something about your setups that did not increase the oscillations, or you both just didn't notice it. I bet if you replace the SE shocks with the entry level Bilstein B4 shocks you will notice a good improvement.

The recommendation i gave was OE replacement shocks (Bilstein B4s, which are better valved for lowered/stiffer springs than SE dampers) and Eibach springs. Hardly a set up for the next Schumacher

I'll try and make a conclusion we can both agree on

OP it's your choice you can go ahead with just Eibach springs and you may or may not notice the increase in oscillations. If you don't then happy days! But in my experience, and plenty of others, you may notice an increase in bouncyness and your shocks may weaken or even fail soon due to the stronger forces it experiences.

Like Russ says it depends on what you want. I suppose if you just want a slight drop and don't mind the issues above go for it. You can always replace the dampers if you need to at a later date.

[mob17]

Originally Posted by Russbmw

You've replaced the full setup on yours (to suit your advanced driving needs...clearly far superior to my own ), and that's fine - but it is not the essential requirement you are saying it is.

I wouldn't say im an advanced driver, plenty of better drivers out there than me, but thanks for the compliment, i do like my set up

Just out of interest, what suspension set up are you running on your 335?

[Russbmw]

Only messing mate

I've got the sport shocks on Eibach Pro's.

[xube8]

Thanks guys, interesting differing experiences, I don't want it too low, and I certainly don't drive hard, just think the m sport sits better and gives you a bit more feel, certainly wouldn't want anything lower than 30mm.
Think I'll try the springs first.
Thanks again

[Jase 320d]

Originally Posted by Russbmw

Sorry fella, whilst what you start of saying is correct in some sense, it is not entirely right and hence I still disagree.

Firstly, the lack of bounciness has nothing to do with how my wife drives - and she drives her cars hard, for the record! I used to drive it too. I also had no handling issues or bouncing on my e39 with SE shocks and Eibach springs, and that car went to the Ring on a few occassions and behaved impeccably.

Any car bouncing is indicative of a failed/failing shock.

Don't really want to go into a massive discussion on it, but to summarise simplistically, shocks have a "neutral" resting position taking into account the weight of the car. If you put too short a spring on, the natural resting position of the shock is in a permanent state of heavy compression. That is what fucks your shocks up - and as you say, riding round with stupidly short springs will mean the car is likely to hit the bump stops for a while before the shock gets lunched.

A small drop, as mentioned above, will still retain the resting position within acceptable tolerances and hence, will not damage it - nor affect its function.

Another point to clarify, is the shock absorber does not hold the weight of the car - it is there to dampen spring movement. The spring supports the car weight - and hence also determines the ride height.

You are absolutely correct in saying that shorter springs should have new shocks to match - in cases where you are lowering the car significantly. Full suspension replacement is also important if you intend to track the car and want optimum handling.

However, as the OP simply wants a little more aesthetically pleasing ride height, and isn't claiming to be the next Schumacher, I retain that there is no harm done whatsoever by replacing just the springs to give you a 25-30mm lower ride height - and unless the shocks are leaking/failing/failed there will be no bouncing.

You've replaced the full setup on yours (to suit your advanced driving needs...clearly far superior to my own ), and that's fine - but it is not the essential requirement you are saying it is.

+1

[mob17]

Originally Posted by Russbmw

Only messing mate

I've got the sport shocks on Eibach Pro's.

I'll pretend you meant that as a compliment to make me feel good

[gaza01]

When i took my h&r's off my msport shocks on the e93 the front shock pistons were stuck in the lower position caused by the shorter h&r springs....ie spring off and the piston did not extend...it just stayed where it was. The shocks were new and had only done 10k miles. Yes they still worked at the time the springs were removed but clearly they were suffering! We had to force the piston back out just to get them to poke through the oem spring so we could re-ft them.

Take what you like from that.

[nerfyo]

Hello guys, Im new (so welcome all !), and just got question, which could already be here, thats why I don't want to create new tread.
I bought 60/40 H&R springs to my e92 335d with mpack suspens, and Im wondering, that should I cut little bit my rubber buffer (bumper) ?

and the same time, can someone send me pics with e92 on 60/40 ? (preferably on 19")

best regards !