[e90vi]

Is stiff suspension and low profile tires bad for the long term of my e90?
My grandpa and my dad are telling me that stiff suspension and low profile tires are bad for the:
control arms and bushings
lower control arms and bushings
ball joints
sway bar link
trailing arm bushings
sub frame mounts/ bushings
tie rods
and possibly engine/tranny mounts.
It does seem logical that stiff suspension and low profile tires will wear out the suspension control arms and bushings faster because of less absorbing. But i did not find anything supporting this theory.

I have a 2006 325i e90 with h&r coilovers and 225 40 18 tires
102k miles on car and 3k miles on the new lowered setup. Zero issues so far.
Can I get some opinions on this please
-thanks-

[romanonj]

Yeah man, not sure.. But I prefer agree with everything that my parents tell me, then turn around and do my thing!!.. Its not worth the aggrevation, because you will never convince them that they are wrong.

The only issue I have discovered with stiffer suspensions is interior rattling.. That wil develop much faster.. My e90 330i (same vintage as yours) had 132k on it without any major rattling or issues. Had sport package.

[Phil325i]

Stiff suspension keeps chiropractors and physiotherapists in business...

[JunkStory]

+1 on interior rattles

[unrealii]

Well, something has got to give. Either you let your suspension absorb it, or it will get translated to the rest of the car and you to absorb.

[thegrinchboy]

Originally Posted by unrealii

Well, something has got to give. Either you let your suspension absorb it, or it will get translated to the rest of the car and you to absorb.

+1

[Revlis]

If the car is sitting stock, as delivered no worries. Yes, low profile tires and even the OEM setup is hard on the chassis and suspension components. BUT, car builders have engineers, and thousands of hours of durability testing at their disposal. SO, a firm OEM setup is good to go, bushings, mounts, hardparts, have all been gone over to make certain they are durable enough to not just get wadded up.

However, once you drop it, go coil overs, etc the balance between durability and firmness is gone, and who knows.

So yeah, the old folks are dead on, but if the car is designed to have a firm suspension it's designed to deal with the additional stresses... Unless it's an E46 and the rear subframe just gives up the ghost.

It's the same for the 4X4 guys going giant heavy wheels and low pro tires or the Super swamper angle. Those changes create huge issues with brakes, bearings, hardparts, bushings etc... Short life, lots of $$$.

[lonestar22]

the suspension is more likely to handle the stiffer suspension and lower profile tires than the body is. hit something hard enough and dont be surprised if you crown the strut tower or cause it to split apart from the outer crumple zone. ive seen it many times.



thats an E46 pictured but ive seen it happen to an E90. including the one i used to have a while back

also something called mushrooming can happen with impact like this

[rusty_g80]

Years ago I dropped my Eagle Talon with some really stiff coilovers. Bad mistake. Sacrificed all the ride comfort for some handling gains. I liked the setup at first, but grew really tired of it in about 6 months. Going over railroad tracks little faster put impact rupture in tires multiple times. My friends were complaining of back aches, girls needed sports bras to ride in the car. Eventually I developed back aches driving that car. I used KYB AGX and Skunk2 to drop the car about 3", needless to say the shocks eventually leaked because the drop was too low. I still like how some cars look when lowered, but I will not lower my car again at least not the daily driver.

[vasillalov]

The problem here is that a lot people have no idea what they are doing when they change suspension components. Often the compliance of the suspension is ruined just to get the "slammed" look. Stiff and lowered gives is often perceived by many as "better" and in actuality the cars are handling worse. The side effect of all misperceived "performance" is that people put their cars in situations they won't not normally do and often the suspensions are not adequate for this sort of driving. As a result you get problems like the ones lonestar22 posted above.

There is also a hidden damage of extremely stiff and low cars: every time the suspension bottoms out and is otherwise incapable of dealing with the stress, the slack is picked up by the chassis and the body itself. This slowly, but relentlessly, weakens all the spot welds and seam welds in the body and the chassis.

So, over time, the car becomes less and less stiff and after a few years, the body and the chassis are so tired that they often flex beyond the acceptable norm.

In my book, a good suspension is a compliant one.

[e90vi]

Thanks for the input, much appreciated