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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Suspension | Chassis | Brakes > H&R or Eibach Sport springs- long term performance
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      02-18-2017, 09:45 AM   #1
moorty
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Hi, I'm consider getting H&R or Eibach springs for my base model 2014 328i and wanted to see if there is anyone out there with similar a setup to provide some feed back.

I saw a lot of threads on this with people putting springs on sport line or M sport kit but not many with base model.

Have you had any issues with other oem suspension components (especially shocks)?

Any recommendation for either one of the brands?

Thanks
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      02-18-2017, 10:57 AM   #2
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I had h&r sport on my previous base suspension 328 and it was bouncy and often bottoms out with large dips or potholes. Horrible feeling and made it not fun to drive cause I was always worried. I then bought bilstein b8's to pair with the h&r and it was a lot better but it was a stiff car. Handling wise was great but not so for comfort with bad roads.
Roads in Texas should be much better compared to montreal.

Last edited by overkill1125; 02-18-2017 at 04:02 PM..
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      02-18-2017, 11:51 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by overkill1125 View Post
I had h&r sport on my previous base suspension 328 and it was bouncy and often bottoms out with large dips or potholes. Horrible feeling and made it not fun to drive cause I was always worried. I then bought bilstein b8's to pair with the h&r and it was a lot better but it was a stiff card. Handling wise was great but not so for comfort with bad roads.
Roads in Texas should be much better compared to montreal.
That's what I was afraid of. How about the Eibachs? It's pro-kit lowers a lot less than H&R sport. I wonder if that's a better option to use with oem shocks.
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      02-26-2017, 10:43 PM   #4
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Its not recommended to run any lowering springs including the Eibach Pro-Kit with OEM struts. If you do, expect a reduced service life of the OEM strut as the stock MacPherson strut was not built to be paired with lowering springs. Pairing the Eibach Pro-Kit with the proper performance strut is key. Bilstein B8's are a good choice and recommended by Eibach.
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      03-01-2017, 05:26 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by murphius1118 View Post
Its not recommended to run any lowering springs including the Eibach Pro-Kit with OEM struts. If you do, expect a reduced service life of the OEM strut as the stock MacPherson strut was not built to be paired with lowering springs. Pairing the Eibach Pro-Kit with the proper performance strut is key. Bilstein B8's are a good choice and recommended by Eibach.
I have the 2016 M sport 328i. Will that make a difference if I change to Eibach lowering springs? Will the strut hold since its M sport. Sorry for my ignorance, I am new to BMW performance. Thanks
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      03-01-2017, 06:26 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KuyaErwin View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by murphius1118 View Post
Its not recommended to run any lowering springs including the Eibach Pro-Kit with OEM struts. If you do, expect a reduced service life of the OEM strut as the stock MacPherson strut was not built to be paired with lowering springs. Pairing the Eibach Pro-Kit with the proper performance strut is key. Bilstein B8's are a good choice and recommended by Eibach.
I have the 2016 M sport 328i. Will that make a difference if I change to Eibach lowering springs? Will the strut hold since its M sport. Sorry for my ignorance, I am new to BMW performance. Thanks
The M-sport suspension is about 10mm lower than the base suspension from what I've read in the forums. Both the H&R and Eibach ProKit spring kits will be even lower...you can expect at least a 1 inch drop on a 328i. With that being said, upgrading to a strut that was developed to handle the H&R or Eibach springs would always be recommended. The Bilstein B8 strut was specifically designed for lowering springs and is always a good choice. I'm going to defer to the experts I've spoken to and recommend pairing the lowering springs with the proper struts. Otherwise, you'll be diminishing the ride quality of a great car by bottoming out your OEM struts. In the end it will be a greater investment but I've always said...do it once and do it right.

I had many of the same questions when I bought my bimmer. I ended up posing these questions to the parts guys at ECS Tuning, Extreme PowerHouse, and even the suspension manufacturers themselves and then taking it all into consideration to make an educated decision. Hope this helps....
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      03-02-2017, 09:40 AM   #7
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thanks for the response murphius. What do you think about the many reports in other threads of the top hats breaking with the b8 + lowering spring combination? Problem seems to be mainly with b8 + HR. Maybe the Eibach springs would work better...
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      03-03-2017, 04:46 PM   #8
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H&R's offer the most aggressive drop. They come in three options: Sport (~1.8" drop), Super Sport (~2.0" drop) and Race (~2.5" drop). The lower you go, the more chance you have of causing damage to upper strut mount. Its not the B8's that are the issue, its the type of spring you choose that will increase any possibility of damage. Also, running over pot holes at high speed with a lowered car is never a good idea. So when people say they experience damage, its probably because they have an aggressive drop and hit a pot hole at high speed.

On the other hand, the Eibach ProKit is considered a moderate drop and you can expect a 1.0" front and 0.8" rear lowering. Its a more conservative drop but will decrease your chances of damaging strut mounts. In the end, if you lower your car you should avoid pot holes, when possible.
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      03-06-2017, 05:42 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by murphius1118 View Post
The M-sport suspension is about 10mm lower than the base suspension from what I've read in the forums. Both the H&R and Eibach ProKit spring kits will be even lower...you can expect at least a 1 inch drop on a 328i. With that being said, upgrading to a strut that was developed to handle the H&R or Eibach springs would always be recommended. The Bilstein B8 strut was specifically designed for lowering springs and is always a good choice. I'm going to defer to the experts I've spoken to and recommend pairing the lowering springs with the proper struts. Otherwise, you'll be diminishing the ride quality of a great car by bottoming out your OEM struts. In the end it will be a greater investment but I've always said...do it once and do it right.

I had many of the same questions when I bought my bimmer. I ended up posing these questions to the parts guys at ECS Tuning, Extreme PowerHouse, and even the suspension manufacturers themselves and then taking it all into consideration to make an educated decision. Hope this helps....
Will you recommend taking out the M sport suspension and change it to a suspension that is designed for either Eibach or H&R springs? Or can I just use the M sport suspension for after market lowering springs?
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      03-13-2017, 04:14 PM   #10
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great info.....thanks for the posts
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