What Next for the Verty30?

[Echo30V]

Ah, H&R sells Cabrio specific springs for the e30. Now it becomes a question of Billys vs Konis. I’m really concerned about the harshness of the Billy ride. However, does the weight of the Cabrio help even out the harshness of the Billys?

[Levy3Poop]

Ah, H&R sells Cabrio specific springs for the e30. Now it becomes a question of Billys vs Konis. I’m really concerned about the harshness of the Billy ride. However, does the weight of the Cabrio help even out the harshness of the Billys?

I can't speak for how konis ride like poorhouse can, but my vert has Billys (sport, I think), and the ride isn't harsh at all in my opinion. Of course it's firmer than my 2001 Malibu because that's a granny car, but I've never thought the Bilstein struts feel too hard.

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[2mAn]

You can do things to stiffen the chassis and increase handling without lowering or really affecting the overall stiffness of the ride.

Upper strut brace up top.
Lower X-brace down low.
bigger anti-sway bars.

[jeffnhiscars]

Ah, H&R sells Cabrio specific springs for the e30. Now it becomes a question of Billys vs Konis. I’m really concerned about the harshness of the Billy ride. However, does the weight of the Cabrio help even out the harshness of the Billys?

No it doesn't.

Keep in mind also that the cabrio Koni SA is NOT top adjustable so I go with the sedan version since it strikes me as nuts to have to pull your strut housing to tweak them. The rears are no big deal to adjust although I haven't had to.

I'd share the PN but I had to cut off then UPC code to claim my rebate :)

[Echo30V]

Thanks all, very helpful. Should I go with X-brace and Strut brace before Springs/Struts/Shocks?

[CorvallisBMW]

Definitely invest in a strut bar and x-brace. Worth every penny. Then sort out the rest of your suspension :up:

[flyboyx]

get a hard top if you can find one. unfortunately, they cost about 2 grand now days. this will tighten up the car better than anything.

i am running billie sports with h&r springs on my mtech II. i am happy with the ride. along with all new brakes, and suspension bushings, the car handles like it is a go cart. it is possible that the koni's are better. i had a set on a coupe i resold and didn't really notice a lot of difference. the suspension parts i have on my present car were almost new and came out of a junk yard car so i couldn't beat the price. if i had to pay retail, i am pretty sure i would buy koni.

with a grand to play with, i would say buy springs and struts. replace all the rubber parts in your suspension. get stainless brake lines. replace your brake fluid with a good brand. i don't think that will take you to a grand, perhaps you will have a couple hundred bucks left over.

as to wheels, i did respond to your thread above about the e36 superlites.

i would personally suggest a set of wheels that are not staggered. 7.5"(perhaps 8") width by 17" is about all you can cram under the wells without a good deal of rubbing. if you want that particular e36 wheel, perhaps 4 front wheels could serve you well with a set of adapters. you might get some rubbing though. perhaps 215/40/17 would be the biggest tire for that setup.

whatever you do, i would hate to see you roll the fenders. some jackass did that to my mtech II. i spent a lot of time and money fixing that bullshit. if the car was a standard cabby, i would have just passed on it and looked for another car.

hope this helps some. you can send a pm if you have questions.

[Echo30V]

Thanks all, I've been looking for a nice hardtop but no luck yet. I would never roll the fenders. If those 17" LTWs will rub then I would opt for a nice set of EuroWeaves. The Verty 30 drives ok but you can tell the suspension is now long in the tooth.

[Mwishlist]

I did the full front and rear suspension refresh on mine first thing and man, it's amazing what a difference it made. I did all new factory suspension with the Ground control / Koni set up. With pretty conservative spring rates it rides and handles great, for a street car it's perfect for me.

If I had it to do over again, I would have definitely put in the reinforced and adjustable rear subframe while I had it all out.

I would definitely suggest an X brace up front. Seriously made a huge difference in the front end and the whole car when going over bumps etc.

[Echo30V]

Still saving my pennies for the full suspension refresh. Had the whip out last weekend and to my dismay, I noticed some bubbles forming on the tonneau cover. Any suggestions?

[Mike36]

.

[Echo30V]

That’s interesting. I will give that a try. At worst I can always glue the cover back down.