Suspension change - advice needed!

[BMWblue17]

Afternoon chaps,

just looking for a bit of advice re lowering my e82 coupe. currently sits on 261 m sport wheels with m sport suspension.

I'm swaying towards Eibach sportline springs with OEM dampers/struts - will this be safe enough?

From what I've read the Eibach Pro-kit lowers 25-35mm and is not as harsh a ride but the sportlines are 40-50 mm? im willing to put up with the bumpiness and I no longer run RF tyres so hopefully this would improve it slightly.

any help would be appreciated

[lowbudgethero]

You probably want a shock upgrade too, oem shocks and springs are really soft especially if have a few miles on them. My oem shocks were toast after 50K miles, and stiffer and lower springs will make it even worse. Also the labor is pretty much the same.

I'm sure someone has sportlines on a e82 or e92 who can comment further. Most people have good things to say about the eibach pro-kit

[BMWblue17]

Thanks mate 👍🏻

[02Pilot]

Shocks and struts should be first priority. You can do springs as well, but I certainly wouldn't recommend changing springs without new dampers. Lowering too far can be a pain, depending on the roads you have to deal with - be sure to take that into account. Scraping the nose and/or undertray several times a day gets old fast.

[BMWblue17]

So im guessing springs just by themselves is a no go? car has just over 60k on and I have no idea as to the condition of the dampers at the minute... A lot of people saying that they installed sportlines and got on pretty well just with the springs and that was with M Sport struts but idk don't want to risk the whole setup for that reason alone.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by BMWblue17

So im guessing springs just by themselves is a no go? car has just over 60k on and I have no idea as to the condition of the dampers at the minute... A lot of people saying that they installed sportlines and got on pretty well just with the springs and that was with M Sport struts but idk don't want to risk the whole setup for that reason alone.

The dampers really are the weak point. Amazing just how bad they are. They manage to be too harsh and too soft at the same time. Feels like they have too much high speed damping, and not enough low speed damping.

[BMWblue17]

thanks chaps, I know im kind of going against good advice here but driving on suitable roads (ie smooth roads) with minimal bumps and taking care with potholes etc, do you think its manageable with Sportline springs? not going to lie, my priority is the looks as opposed to handling...UNLESS I will totally compromise the handling to lets say 'undriveable'?

[asbrr]

So here's the thing, you can do that (just springs), and even if your dampers are "fine" (as fine as they can be), they won't be "fine" after you put some mileage on them in a lowered state. They will not be operating in an optimized range and will blow very quickly, leading to a car that has the "pogo" effect and is very bouncy over the road. This is dangerous (imagine taking a turn in the wet, hitting a bump, and the bouncing never stopping).

The other thing to look at as others have said, is the labour cost is almost exactly the same to install shocks and springs as opposed to just springs. The front strut has to be taken apart to put in a new spring, and the rear shocks are right there when taking out the spring so you might as well do both. Lastly - there are a bunch of rubber bits (spring pads, shock mounts etc) that are cheap and you should replace if you're in there with everything disassembled.

Look at some basic sport shocks that are made to handle a lower spring (koni, Bilstein B8), and spend the money up front. It will always be worth it in the long run, even if you delay your upgrades while you save up the extra cash required for the dampers and smaller rubber bits.

[BMWblue17]

thanks for that mate, think im going to swerve the whole thing to be honest! its low enough for now on M Sport suspension and 18s.

[ianc]

Too bad.. The stock M Sport suspension is really pathetically bad. Your goal should be improved handling; not a lowered stance...

ianc

[CMT206]

Originally Posted by ianc

Too bad.. The stock M Sport suspension is really pathetically bad. Your goal should be improved handling; not a lowered stance...

ianc

Would a suspension upgrade help for shit city-type roads? I notice a lot of rebound with my stock suspension.