The Cabrio Suspension Thread

[mattdk318i]

I cant believe this thread is still going strong. I may be in another cabrio soon!

[bradnic]

lots of great vert suspension info here and great pics no doubt.

Last fall, eibach front and OEM rear springs. too low in front for my taste. bottomed out regularly, and outside of tires rubbed on fenders. definitely needed camber plates too as front wheels were canted inward at the top quite a bit


HR vert sports and billie sports here, new spring pads. some negative camber in the back. just out of spec camber wise in the front.

[mpower]

lots of great vert suspension info here and great pics no doubt.

Last fall, eibach front and OEM rear springs. too low in front for my taste. bottomed out regularly, and outside of tires rubbed on fenders. definitely needed camber plates too as front wheels were canted inward at the top quite a bit


HR vert sports and billie sports here, new spring pads. some negative camber in the back. just out of spec camber wise in the front.

Did it bottom out because of old or improper struts?

I did some H&Rs & Bilsteins with my 91 cab (also 92 MBZ 500SL w/18s) and both handled great
and never bottomed out

[bmk]

I started my own thread but found this one after some searching so thought id post it here also. Im seeking out some advice on my v8 swapped cabby. So the car is originally a 92 318 cabrio. It now has an LQ9 6.0L iron block V8 with a t56 6 speed long story short im guessing my curb is gonna be around 3200-3300.

Right now suspension i plan on running H&R race with Billy sports IE race/street camber plates and e90 drop hats if needed and stock spring pads all around. Wheels with be custom rotiform sjc's weighing 14lbs each + tires.
specs are :

17x8 +18 205/40/17
17x9 +15 215/35/17

What are your guys opinions on how it will look and ride with this proposed set up?

From what ive read its gonna be low (already have a skid plate) just wanna make sure its not gonna be too low with the cabrio+iron block V8. I could always go to sport springs but im thinking they will be too soft with the added weight

[THEhomelessONE]

Very interested in what you guys recommend for bmk, if an iron block feels fine up front, it'll be time to rip out the m50. Folks with the GE coilovers, are you happy with the 450/650 rates or wish you went GC with custom rates? I've got an m50 in there and soon to have a sub system from GAS. Don't want to run a rear sway, so thinking 450/700 or 500/750 would be a better option?

[phenryiv1]

I recently picked up the convertible below. (Build thread in my sig). It has YellowSpeed coilovers (http://www.amazon.com/1982-92-3-SERI.../dp/B005CZL9LC) that came on the car and are currently set to all the way down. I purchased the wheels pictured with tires and got them on the car this week. They seem to rub pretty much any time I even look at the steering wheel. Rubbing os on the fender liner more than on the metal of the wheel arch.

Specs: 17x7.5" et18mm 4x100, tires are 215/45/17.













I am not set on keeping the coilovers but am not opposed to raising them up a bit. Alternatively, I was thinking about the H&R cup kit for the convertible (http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-43...FWgF7AodkW8A0A)

Obviously raising the coilovers should fix any complications with the wheel arch but my mental calculation is failing me on whether or not that will impact (positively) whether the tires rub on the fender liners.

If raising them up is an option I still might just sell the coilovers and convert to the Cup kit.

Thoughts on how raising the coilovers might impact the contact with the fender liners?

[bmk]

what about cutting the fender liners and or rolling the fenders?

[fporro]

phenryiv1, those shocks might be able to handle higher spring rates, if so, my biggest consideration would be wheel arches, street-able or not.
that can be somewhat fixed with the c/c plates you already have.

Your Camber/Caster plates will also help with inner fender issues and those 17's are a bit oversize,
I always forget what the oem size is but enter it here and then play other rims tire combos ... http://www.willtheyfit.com/
maybe you like the tucked-in front tire look, that requires upper liner removal and not sure if requires rolling.

other things to consider, like

- going to 205/50/16 from 205/45/17's made a huge difference in regards to confort,
- adding strut and lower x-brace bars make a difference during turns etc. also if you'll keep oem sway-bars or not
- oem bumper weight's +/- = euro's/fogs 20+, MT1's 35 lbs, DB's 40+, Plastics 60+, MT2's somewhere about 70lbs., almost 80lbs if not mistaking.

Im looking for adjustable Crap-ma-roh shocks to fiddle with somewhat harsh ride, not that there's anything wrong with the H&R (Bilst ?) shocks that came with my 343lbs fronts / 450lbs something rear (H&R) coil-over set...
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/album.php?albumid=7028 if you look about you'll see "elvis lip" all over with minimum inner fender issues.

Take into consideration that they were designed to work with oem hats or K-mac C/C plates, I've upgraded to GC's so there's more travel due to extra clearance ... but ...
also lack of further height adjustment since those 6 inch springs are now too short., currently on IE's 7" x 300lbs.

thinking of replacing current H&R ZF070-16.5 Tender spring. (Rate: 16.5 N/mm = 95 Lbs and Free length: 70mm = 2 3/4") with 3" (1" travel) 180 lbs springs
to regain height adjustability while trying to mimic progressive springs, I don't see any reason why my current shocks should grumble.

if using same overall tire diameter as oem 14's you'll should get away with any size rim you choose as long as they are or are space-out to be...

7" et25
8" et13
9" et3
10" et-13

from ground to top of arches am at 24" front and 22 7/8'"s inches on back, current springs are 300f and 450" lbs something rears

btw, love the rims, do they come in 16's, offsets ?

here's on 9's et 0 and a little rear rubbing so raised it for 16x7 et25 Hartge's as running 15mm spacers to match front due to bbk

[bmk]

Anyone running H&R race with e90 drop hats on a vert? Trying to get a feel if i want to put the e90's in or not. Just a guess but im thinking that the weight on my swap with lower the car enough to make up the amount the e90 hats would.

[MT3CH]

Anyone running H&R race with e90 drop hats on a vert? Trying to get a feel if i want to put the e90's in or not. Just a guess but im thinking that the weight on my swap with lower the car enough to make up the amount the e90 hats would.

I think theMtechnique has that set up, not 100% though

[phenryiv1]

This thread would be a LOT more useful if everyone posted tire and wheel specs as well.

[phenryiv1]

These are the H&R Sport 50407 spring set, with Bilstein Sport struts and e90 drop hats. Wheels are 17x75. with 215/45/17 tires. Offset is 18.

Other than forgetting to torque the lugnuts on the front left wheel (resulting in a very, very slow trip back to the house to tighten them), the results were awesome.

The coilovers (Post 531) were very comfortable and I really liked the ride and handling but with my desired wheels they were too low plus I simply like conventional springs and struts better than a coilover setup. In the end I got the exact setup that I wanted, plus cash in exchange for something that I really was not thrilled to have. With the H&Rs my wheels/tires do not rub and the overall stance looks better than the slammed look that I have with the coilovers. I am very happy with the outcome.

Some "beauty: shots after my trip up and down the road:

[Mwishlist]

h & r coupe oe sport springs and e90 hats. :)

Is this still your current setup? I'm looking at this exact combo for my 325i vert. Do you have any other pics?

[DrewZ]

Here are my before and after pics for my front suspension swap. The car is a '92 325iC with 50k miles. I was going to keep it bone stock, but the left front strut blew . . .

After reading, re-reading and re-re-reading every post in this thread, I went with stock E30 M3 springs and Bilstein HD struts (on sale for $237.50 at BavAuto). After a brief test-drive, the drop measured in at 3/4". The ride is firmer than it was with the stock springs/struts** but still very comfortable. Wheels are 15x7 ET26 Racing Dynamic RGPs. Tires are 205/55/15 Dunlop D40 M2s. The rear suspension remains stock, and I may keep it that way.

Hope this post helps someone as much as the thread helped me . . .

**Captain Obvious alert: what did you expect after replacing 2 stock struts with 50k miles -- including one blown strut-- with brand new Bilsteins?

Before:


After:


Before close up:


After close up:


Stock springs vs. E30 M3 springs:

[phenryiv1]

^^^^^^^^
Looks good. Slightly more gap than I would want but it looks very clean and is probably both practical and comfortable for daily driving.