[Juz5i]

I hear you makkan. I have read a fair few posts saying H&R ride is harsh & if I fitted them and felt the same I certainly wouldn't come online saying they are brilliant. Maybe some do I wouldn't know.

My reason for wanting new springs is primarily to reduce the front arch gap. It's all I look at!!
I could handle slightly harsher but not crazy harsh. It would be great to take a ride in a few cars with various set ups but that ain't gonna happen.

Like I said the H&R's are what I'm thinking at the mo but that can obviously change the more I research. At one point I was settled on Eibach pro.

[Sheepy]

I lowered my E92 330d M sport last August on Eibach pro's and fitted new sachs shocks as well due to one of the fronts leaking, car was approaching 70K & the shocks were well past their best so I would advise anybody with similar mileage to budget for new shocks as well.
Regarding the ride height after a few months the front had dropped around 15mm & the rear 5mm, rear was actually sitting higher for the first few weeks before it settled! The ride is very good IMO but if I'm honest an extra 10mm drop all round would have been nice for looks but I'm not sure for an every day driver as even now you can here the plastic under the front bumper catching on certain speed bumps, really don't know how you guys manage with cars that are lowered a fair bit, maybe turning up the radio is the answer!

[mob17]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

Suspension set-ups on the 335i has been discussed in depth before....

In short there is no 'cheap' options, the 335i has a great drive train, it deserves to be paired up with a quality aftermarket kit (Bilstein, Birds B3, KW, Öhlins).

Best mod I've done for my car was getting the Birds B3 kit, personally if I had to choose have only have one mod on the car, I would pick the Brids kit over things like JB4/Re-maps. Its all well and good having extra power, but whats the point if the handling of the car is not sorted out first.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...irds+group+buy

Couldn't agree more with this. For me, and most other drivers, handling is at the top of the list. Which is why i've spent roughly £2k on handling and absolutely zero on power. I could just get a remap for £300 but i choose not to until the handling is perfect, which may be never!

Also if i get a remap, my handling would feel even further behind due to the extra power. To be honest stock power is more than enough when you can use it all

OP: if its purely for appearance and you don't mind a harsh ride then go for H&Rs. Or you could get Koni Yellow dampers with H&R springs, which has adjustable damping. A lot of people in the US have gone for this combo.

But again, if handling just isn't your thing, just get springs, and when your dampers are shot get new dampers.

[RajB]

Originally Posted by makkan00

Appreciate your input. I take it that Germans are smarter than us and perhaps thats why we are driving German cars.

If you observe German ebay then you will observe that used H&R springs keep appearing for sale. You hardly find used Eibach pro springs.
There must be a reason for that....

PS: I also sat in E9x with H&R springs. Owner was not happy with the ride as it was harsh but he was advised on the forums to go for it (for perfect drop). He had the drop what he wanted but could not bear the harsh ride and was planning to change them.

Fully understand where you are coming from but German eBay wouldn't be a good benchmark as the opposite could be said that actually more for sale because way more are sold.

Either way tbh H&R's will always be more stiffer due to the greater drop provided.

[MattOz]

Hi Dave,

I have Eibachs on my 335i. I'm also Midlands based, so if you want to have a look and a ride out in the car to check the ride quality, drop me a PM.

For what it's worth, I've tried both H&R and Eibachs, and the Eibachs are head and shoulders above the H&Rs for ride quality

Matt

[Dave2013]

Originally Posted by mob17

Couldn't agree more with this. For me, and most other drivers, handling is at the top of the list. Which is why i've spent roughly £2k on handling and absolutely zero on power. I could just get a remap for £300 but i choose not to until the handling is perfect, which may be never!

Also if i get a remap, my handling would feel even further behind due to the extra power. To be honest stock power is more than enough when you can use it all

OP: if its purely for appearance and you don't mind a harsh ride then go for H&Rs. Or you could get Koni Yellow dampers with H&R springs, which has adjustable damping. A lot of people in the US have gone for this combo.

But again, if handling just isn't your thing, just get springs, and when your dampers are shot get new dampers.

Have to say after a bit more reading I am tending to agree. I dont want my BM to be a straight line hero...I have my bike for that.

Coilovers it is....anyone else interested in a potential group buy or know of any deals currently running?

[mob17]

It doesn't have to be coilovers. You can still get great handling from properly matched springs and dampers.

How serious do you want to get with this? Do you just want an improvement or are you planning to go to the track? If you are then i would rule out anything with progressive springs.

[Dave2013]

I don't like the way it currently handles, feels like its about to give up on grip and throw me into the ditch at any given moment...however that was when it was on the old mv4 wheels and RFT's.

It's now on aftermarket rims and normal tyres but I haven't had the weather to press on with it yet. I don't plan to track it, I just wanted to lower the front arch gap but as with everything its now escalating to more spend.

[mob17]

Yeah the rear of the car is very weak at stock. The whole suspension needs improvements. Rear M3 arms and solid rear subframe bushes should make it right. Also front M3 arms, and an LSD wouldn't go amiss!

There's a lot of mods that can be done to improve the car. If you want to keep the car for a long time and want to get the best possible handling i'd take the upgrades in stages. Starting with a good set of springs and dampers is the best bang for buck.

Research Bilstein B12. They have a lot of great reviews on this forum. You can choose the B12 Sportline kit (with eibach sportline springs with up to 50mm lowering), B12 Pro kit (with eibach pro springs up to 40mm lowering). Both are £530 + shipping from Germany. Remember a good set of springs/dampers can outperform cheap coilovers.

Birds suspension is also good, from what i know they use Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs too, but at their own spec. But it's nearly double the B12 kit.

If you want adjustability in the damping without spending a fortune, check out koni yellows and match them with Eibach springs.

If you really want coilovers with adjustable height, which considering your first post you may do, then the Bilstein B14 kit is good value at £690 plus shipping. I have personally never tried them but they are the same as the Bilstein PSS9/10 coilovers which have excellent reviews. Only difference is that the PSS9/10 have adjustable damping. The B14 kit is apparantly set at half of the setting between soft and hard on the PSS9/10 dampers.

If you want both adjustable height and damping then that will mean more cost unfortunately.

[Dave2013]

Thanks for the informative post, looks like I have more reading to do.

Excusing my ignorance but the B12 is springs and dampers and the B14 is coilovers is that correct?

[mob17]

Originally Posted by Dave2013

Thanks for the informative post, looks like I have more reading to do.

Excusing my ignorance but the B12 is springs and dampers and the B14 is coilovers is that correct?

Yep that's correct

[Dave2013]

Thanks...

I wonder if there are many people who have run both the BC Coilovers and B14 to compare the two.

[jimborae]

My car with Eibach Pro springs and Koni Yellow shocks (sorry forgot to say it also has M3 arms front & rear).





Drop looks spot on to me and the ride is excellent.

[MattOz]

And mine, just with Eibachs.....

[JakeUK]

I used to have H&R race springs, for me they didn't sit low enough but if you aren't bothered about having the wheel richer into the arch (which it sounds like you aren't) I'd say they are a very good option, they sit lower than the h&r sports which a lot if people say are too high up front, I'll try and find a photo of my car when I had them on, the rude quality was good too

[mob17]

Koni's and Eibachs are a good quality option as well, just make sure you get the rear shocks that enable you to change with extenders in to boot. Basically the rear koni yellows come in 2 "models" (they are the same internally). One model you have to life the car and then you can adjust damping, the other you can adjust with some extenders in the boot, with the car on the floor.

OP, please read the link that gangzoom posted earlier, if you haven't already. A few of us discussed various options including most of what has been mentioned on this thread.

[mob17]

Originally Posted by Dave2013

Thanks...

I wonder if there are many people who have run both the BC Coilovers and B14 to compare the two.

I doubt it mate. I think the only people who have run B14 on these cars are in the US and one in Sweden i think.

If it was out of B14 and BC i would choose B14. Not saying the BC coilovers are bad, but if you can get them both at a similar price (usually B14 are £900+, but with my link they are £700), then it's a no brainer. Unless you really want adjustable damping, which if you did, i would suggest investing a bit more money.

[Dave2013]

Originally Posted by mob17

Koni's and Eibachs are a good quality option as well, just make sure you get the rear shocks that enable you to change with extenders in to boot. Basically the rear koni yellows come in 2 "models" (they are the same internally). One model you have to life the car and then you can adjust damping, the other you can adjust with some extenders in the boot, with the car on the floor.

OP, please read the link that gangzoom posted earlier, if you haven't already. A few of us discussed various options including most of what has been mentioned on this thread.

I read it, and now my head hurts

So bassically...current price on the birds is ?

[RajB]

Originally Posted by Dave2013

I read it, and now my head hurts

So bassically...current price on the birds is ?

A lot lol

[E92Dan]

Your best bet would be to phone them and ask

[Dave2013]

£1,532 fitted

[RajB]

Originally Posted by Dave2013

£1,532 fitted

Told you lol

Tbh I've got the B12 kit fitted to my X5 and that's been round Spa and Silverstone with no issues other than the bloody weight of it lol. Superb bit of kit tbh and not silly money for matched dampers and springs.

I fitted it too so save the labour costs.