[-Wingman-]

Hey guys,

Just trying to figure out whats on my car. Its an LCI e92 with xdrive. It came with the M-sport package from the dealership, and I know that the xdrive cars did not get the sport suspension with the sport/m-sport package, so I'm trying to figure what's up with my car's ride height. I originally thought the car was completely stock mainly because it was a CPO'd car with very low miles from a large BMW dealership. However, it came with performance exhaust with modified IS tips, along with this 'not stock' ride height. Its even lower than most rwd 335i's.

Here are some pics that I hope can illustrate what I'm talking about.





Front tire gap


Rear tire gap


Here's a link to a picture that illustrates what the stock height should be on an xdrive e92.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...1&d=1328731992

Any ideas? Is there some factory option I'm not aware of for xdrive cars that you can get that maybe the previous owner installed onto the car before selling? Could it be a dinan suspension or some other aftermarket setup? I tried checking the shocks and coils, but it was obviously hard to determine their identity, if at all different from oem. I'm missing some sort of context on how this car feels and rides compared to how it 'should' since this is my first BMW. What I can say is that some people have mentioned how differently my car reacts to the road compared to my friend's 335xi. They said that my car seems a lot stiffer, and more ridged when taking on bumps. I can say is that the ride is supple, but at times, pretty harsh, at least harsher than what I expected from a BMW.

[scotty_miller]

If it's a cpo maybe the person before you put h&r or eibach springs on and just didn't bother taking them back off at trade in time. Jack it up and see if there is any marking on the springs

[Markus8291]

aftermarket suspension options on xdrives are pretty limited so there aren't too many different possibilities here. What color are the springs?

[SLOWER]

Eibachs? Don't fight it, it looks good.

[Dosturbos]

I'm curious, does the ride feel harsher than what you consider stock? Stiffer maybe, you feel more of the road, bumps, manhole covers, etc?
I lot of people complain that the XI's feel floaty. I can see that cornering at higher speeds, but don't mind the daily driver comforts of XI suspension.
And it looks good as shit. Bump out your wheels a little more with Spacers, it will look awesome.

[-Wingman-]

Originally Posted by Markus8291

aftermarket suspension options on xdrives are pretty limited so there aren't too many different possibilities here. What color are the springs?

they're black. I tried to see if there were any writings or letters on them, but i couldnt see any from where I was looking.

[-Wingman-]

Originally Posted by Dosturbos

I'm curious, does the ride feel harsher than what you consider stock? Stiffer maybe, you feel more of the road, bumps, manhole covers, etc?
I lot of people complain that the XI's feel floaty. I can see that cornering at higher speeds, but don't mind the daily driver comforts of XI suspension.
And it looks good as shit. Bump out your wheels a little more with Spacers, it will look awesome.

Yes, it feels 'harsher' compared to my friend's stock e90xi when riding as a passenger. I haven't ever really felt like the ride was floaty. In fact, whenever I take turns with great speed, and theres a bump or something on the road, its almost jarring because it feels like the car is buckled to the ground. Whenever i hit a large bump or crevice in the road, the car seems to absorb it, but there's also little give. overall, the car feels stiffer than what i expected of an xi car.

lol, i definitely want to do spacers! However, given the stance on the rear end, Im not quite so sure that its safe. you cant really tell in the pictures, but the car is so low in the back, it's almost like the wheels are tucked in. So if i put spacers in the back, im worried about rubbing on the actual quarter panel.

[-Wingman-]

This is a day time shot of the entire side profile of the car.....its pretty low lol. Sometimes, I actually have to worry about scraping the middle exhaust pipe when coming out of a car wash or something.

[thegrinchboy]

Definitely looks lowered. May be with non-xDrive OEM sport ZSP springs, as those are black as well. The OEM xDrive springs are marked with I or C followed by a number. The ZSP springs are marked with a D followed by a number. It is also possible that the previous owner had the springs cut. If so, then the bar code tag and markings on the springs would still match the car and the dealer would/could (unknowing?) still CPO the vehicle.

[-Wingman-]

Originally Posted by thegrinchboy

Definitely looks lowered. May be with non-xDrive OEM sport ZSP springs, as those are black as well. The OEM xDrive springs are marked with I or C followed by a number. The ZSP springs are marked with a D followed by a number. It is also possible that the previous owner had the springs cut. If so, then the bar code tag and markings on the springs would still match the car and the dealer would/could (unknowing?) still CPO the vehicle.

how would springs for a non-xdrive fit on an xdrive car though? I still have a raked stance, and i didn't think springs meant for the regular 335i fit an xi.

couldn't see any writing on the springs. ill check again today since its pretty bright outside. I doubt the springs are cut though because I would be rubbing pretty bad on all four cars whenever i hit a bump or something.

[JPflip509]

if you dont think it is lowered, it could be blown shocks/struts

[rosica]

Originally Posted by -Wingman-

This is a day time shot of the entire side profile of the car.....its pretty low lol. Sometimes, I actually have to worry about scraping the middle exhaust pipe when coming out of a car wash or something.

It doesn't look that low, probably OEM non-xi springs. Post the fender height to compare to other e92's.

[thegrinchboy]

Originally Posted by -Wingman-

how would springs for a non-xdrive fit on an xdrive car though? I still have a raked stance, and i didn't think springs meant for the regular 335i fit an xi.

couldn't see any writing on the springs. ill check again today since its pretty bright outside. I doubt the springs are cut though because I would be rubbing pretty bad on all four cars whenever i hit a bump or something.

I installed the OEM ZSP (non-xDrive, sport) springs on my 2011 E90 335i xDrive. They fit fine. The rake could be dependent on the mix/match of the sport springs. For example I installed D6 in the front and D4 in the back to remove the rack. My spring setup is not a standard factory OEM offering.

BTW, just b/c you're not rubbing doesn't mean that the springs were not cut. It's dependent on how many coils were cut off and if the springs are linear which I believe OEM xDrive springs are.

Lastly, as others have noted, from what I recall, Eibach springs are black without markings. Your height looks somewhat like the height of my car with the Eibachs installed. Also, with the Eibachs, I still had the rake. Maybe as you noted the dealer let that slip by... Not necessarily a bad thing

[-Wingman-]

I actually looked at one of the springs and put my phone in there to record around the coils to see any possible markings. I saw on one spring, kba 91042 which apparently are HR springs.

Not sure what to think of this...

[ajsalida]

Def has aftermarket springs. All e9x springs are interchangeable in terms of "fitting". Looks like you have H&R sports. What color are the shocks?

Unless it is too low or stiff would not worry. But I would go over the car very carefully to see what else has been done, esp if it is CPO and you want to use that in the future. Hate for them to sell you an already modded car and then not honor the CPO if you needed it. May want to have a word with the dealership now.

[JaysBlueE92]

looks like h&r sports.

[CWysong]

I believe we get the rake look because of the front AWD power train, it seems to hold the front suspension a little higher.

I would be extatic about having a lowered car from the dealership, because it killed me every day to look at my almost fist sized wheel gap. I had to go get a set of coilovers or i would go mad. My only worry would be that they just lowered the car with springs and did not match shocks. This could cause issues down the road with early wear and replacement of the shocks.

And as for the spacers, you can definitely swing 10 or even 12mm spacers in the back without brining the wheels out far enough to rub. I am actually running 15mm rears and have my car sitting almost exactly the height of the tire, zero gap. I do rub sometimes, but not much. But its the price you pay for hella flush wheels.

[-Wingman-]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Def has aftermarket springs. All e9x springs are interchangeable in terms of "fitting". Looks like you have H&R sports. What color are the shocks?

Unless it is too low or stiff would not worry. But I would go over the car very carefully to see what else has been done, esp if it is CPO and you want to use that in the future. Hate for them to sell you an already modded car and then not honor the CPO if you needed it. May want to have a word with the dealership now.

Yeah, actually that's one of things I'm most worried about. The fact that it's modded, and if something ever happens to the car mechanically, the dealership will deny a warranty claim.

Idk what else to look for, though. So I know it's lowered on H&R springs. (They're black, as well as the shocks btw), and the car has what most likely is a PE. It's hard to tell because the tips are from an IS. The car is also debadged in the back but maybe the previous owner had it ordered that way from Europe. I'm about ready for an oil change so when I visit my dealership, I'll bring it up to them.

[-Wingman-]

Is there a part number on the shocks I should look for? The more I think about how ridged and stiff my ride is, the more I think there has been more than springs done to the suspension. Like I said before, the car is mostly supple on most roads, but when I hit bumps on the road, there is no sense of floating, and the bump can be a bit jarring at times.

[JaysBlueE92]

Originally Posted by -Wingman-

Is there a part number on the shocks I should look for? The more I think about how ridged and stiff my ride is, the more I think there has been more than springs done to the suspension. Like I said before, the car is mostly supple on most roads, but when I hit bumps on the road, there is no sense of floating, and the bump can be a bit jarring at times.

stock xi with runflats is jarring for sure..a good set of coilovers is the best investment you could make for the xi. Or springs and shocks. You may want to get new shocks as it sounds like you have stock shocks and aftermarket springs

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by -Wingman-

Is there a part number on the shocks I should look for? The more I think about how ridged and stiff my ride is, the more I think there has been more than springs done to the suspension. Like I said before, the car is mostly supple on most roads, but when I hit bumps on the road, there is no sense of floating, and the bump can be a bit jarring at times.

OK if the shocks are black probably OEM XI. No other black shocks I can think of maybe somebody else knows. Non XI front shocks at least do not fit XI front. Rears do but that is not an issue. BAsically only springs swap in front, almost everything else no. Front sway bars, controls arms etc, no. Rear everything swaps, including lots of M3 hardware. Which is nice.

Koni sport and bilstein sport shocks are bright yellow.

Stiff ride is major complaint against H&R vs EIbach or non-XI OEM ZSP springs, all of which give similar drop but H&R are stiffer.

As others have said if you still have RFT's those + H&R will be super harsh.

Stock OEM XI susp was not one of BMW's better efforts, putting it mildly. Lot of discussion here in the XI section on various ways to go about improving so prepare to start reading.

[zipstic]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

OK if the shocks are black probably OEM XI. No other black shocks I can think of maybe somebody else knows. Non XI front shocks at least do not fit XI front. Rears do but that is not an issue. BAsically only springs swap in front, almost everything else no. Front sway bars, controls arms etc, no. Rear everything swaps, including lots of M3 hardware. Which is nice.

Koni sport and bilstein sport shocks are bright yellow.

Stiff ride is major complaint against H&R vs EIbach or non-XI OEM ZSP springs, all of which give similar drop but H&R are stiffer.

As others have said if you still have RFT's those + H&R will be super harsh.

Stock OEM XI susp was not one of BMW's better efforts, putting it mildly. Lot of discussion here in the XI section on various ways to go about improving so prepare to start reading.

I agree. Based on the spring model number, color of the shocks and ride conditions it really sounds like you have H&R Sport spring on OEM shocks. This pairing will give you a very bad ride, especially if you have run flats on. When you're in for your upcoming oil change ask them to check it out.

If I were in your position I would tell the dealership that they sold you a car that had an aftermarket suspension that they did not disclose at the time of the sale. If you're lucky maybe they'll offer to return the suspension to OEM and you can negotiate to have them install coilovers or Koni shocks to pair with your H&R springs, which of course you would have to supply them with the parts.