Is this possible? I was thinking of dropping my new ride sometime in the future and this seemed like the most reasonable rout. I dont want to slam the car as its going to be my ski mobile for the majority of the school year and thats important to me. My girlfriends got a subaru so on the real bad days were going to take her car so dropping it a bit doesnt fase me but I want to be able to move around a bit. Also I dont want the jarring ride from sport springs and shocks and Ive heard this mod keeps the ride feel pretty much stock so thats a major plus. Another bonus is that this setup with Bilstein NH's should only run like 400-425 if I play my cards right. Now since Ive got an ix what kind of drop should I expect? Seeing as it sits about half an inch higher than a stock is Im looking to get about 1-1.5 inches right? Thanks guys for the input.
-
Back to my roots
-
it's possible, just not a good idea. wrong spring rates for a heavier AWD car. -
Plus M3 springs suck and barely lower the car, albiet it might be more on iX's. H&R Sports are soft, and you could buy used springs and new Bilstein Sports for about $450 easily.Comment
-
oh yeah, there is no such thing as a front bilstein sport for the ix. that leaves you with HDs or konis.Comment
-
Ive read the the bilstein HD's have the same length as the sports when compressed. Does this mean I can run HD's with H&R Sports? I've also searched back to some older posts on the topic and Im worried about wear on the awd system and the rest of the suspension. Will I be asking for trouble by dropping it with the H&R springs? How does the suspension setup work on your car Nando? Are you experiencing any problems or anticipate that parts are wearing quicker?Back to my roots
Comment
-
you should have no problems with H&R springs. I'm not sure I would use them with HDs though. I know everyone says they are the same length compressed, but if they are the same then why do they make the sports? also, people here are reffering to the standard E30 struts, the ix HDs are definetly not the same as a normal E30 Bilstein Sport or HD.
as far as extra wear on the drivetrain, not really. you should replace all your CV boots (you have to take the struts off anyway, it's pretty easy to yank the front axles out once you've done that), the old ones will probably tear eventually anyway even if you leave the car stock, and they won't last 500 miles if you lower it. I have 30,000 miles on my suspension and I haven't broken anything yet..
if you are going to lower it you definetly want to replace all the bushings (subframe, trailing arm, control arm). check the upper strut bearings for wear, they should be okay (mine still look brand new). unfortunately they are expensive if they are worn, but they do last a long time. if they are in good shape clean them up and pack them with CV axle grease, and make sure the covers on the tops of the mounts are there.
I will warn you, modifying an ix is very expensive so you might not want to go down that path, and instead spend your money on maintenance (you don't want to wait until stuff starts to break). it's a fun car even in stock form (Bilstein HDs go perfectly with the stock springs) and you'll be glad you have the extra ride clearance when the fluffy white stuff starts to come down.
but if you're a die hard then go at it, but I still think you'd be better off with coilovers in the northeast. we don't get much more than 6" of snow here so I get away with being lowered. I did still manage to get my car high centered, but I was fucking around on backroads driving through 3' snowdrifts. :twisted:Comment
-
This car is going to be my ski wagon to whiteface in lake placid every weekend while Im up at school so I need to be able to get through at least some snow. The roads are always pretty well taken care of compared to most areas that get alot of snow but there are still drifts from time to time. Thats why I was thinking of the m3 springs, seeing as they wont drop me as low as the h&r sports. Whatever though, I think im just going to leave it stock if thats not worth it.Back to my roots
Comment
-
You guys are both wrong. HDs are not the same length as Sports, HDs have the same valving (compression and rebound) as Sports. The Sports are shorter, which makes them better for lowering springs.Comment
-
I read that the compressed length was the same, but with no weight on em the sports are about 1" shorter. Is that correct?Back to my roots
Comment
-
This is what we're all lead to believe by websites selling them, but apparently it's incorrect. When you compress them, the HD's are just as short (which baffles me, but meh).Originally posted by Digitalwave
Konis > Bilsteins anyway.
Comment
-
So you are saying HDs are exactly the same as Sports?Originally posted by MystikalComment
-
Here's the kicker. The HD's EXTEND farther than the sports:
"There is a long held myth about so called lowering shocks or shocks designed for lowering springs with reduced travel versus shocks designed for standard or taller springs. The best way to visualize it without physically looking at the shocks side by side is...the only tangible difference is the stroke is shorter in a shock designed expressly for a lowering spring...the throw is shorter. Full jounce position or fully compressed shock position is exactly the same...that is the critical factor for bottoming...wh ere the jounce bumper fully compresses onto the top of the strut collar nut threaded onto the strut housing...that shoulder position is the same for either shock and each shock will identically compress into its cartridge casing. With a standard Boge shock lets say..the throw of the rod internal to the shock is a bit longer..that's all...so the shock is cabable of "extending" farther...at full suspension rebound or when the suspension arms are fully down with a taller spring. With a shorter spring..you don't need a longer throw shock...however..this is the important part...Is putting a standard Boge with longer travel with a lowering spring bad? Absolutely not...you just end up not using the full travel capability of standard shock with a shorter lowering spring... that's all. All the speculation of a standard shock..say Boge..wearing out faster with a lowering spring...is a myth. (From George Mann)"Comment
-
once again, you can't compare ix HDs with standard E30 Sports, because there is no equivalent shock available for the ix!!!Originally posted by Mystikal
also, I dare somebody to try lowering their ix with standard boge shocks. you'll destroy them in a week. The compressed height might be similar, but the valving (what controls the spring, which is what shocks do) is definetly not.Comment
-
I don't know what to conclude, besides the fact that someone with some sort of authority at Bilstein informed a member than the HD's compressed length is the same. I'd personally research it more, but I don't give a damn since I don't know why someone would choose them over Konis in the first place.Originally posted by Digitalwave
And nando, we're just discussing non-iX HD's, I know it's the wrong thread for it. Comment
-
np, just wanted to make sure my point was clear. ;)Originally posted by MystikalComment
Comment