H&R Sport Suspension

[sweetride01]

I was reading the latest BMW CAR or whatever it's called and looked at the E30 upgrade guide. It mentions that when buying suspension, it is better to have more drop front than rear, mainly because of looks. Is this true?

So I was looking on the H&R website, and they say that their suspension lowers the 325iS 1.25" front, 1.25" rear. However, on the Turner Motorsport website, they have 2 options for the H&R Sports, the 1.25"/1.25" and then 1.5" front/ 1.25" rear. What is up with this???

[F|2eeSTy|e]

Ireland Engineering Stage III springs 2.0" front / 1.5" rear - thats what I want to get. Im running HR right now @ 1.5"/1.5" I think, or something close. They feel really soft to me but have had them for a long time, and they were on another e30 before mine.

IE also offers HR springs, but I dont remember the drop on them, and the website is down right now I think.

Anyways, rake is sexy... forward rake of course :twisted: :P

[F|2eeSTy|e]

nm about the HR springs that IE offer, they are just for the iX and are 1.25" drop also.

[sweetride01]

Well 2" is a little too much for me. I'm not a lowrider. Are the H&R Sports stiffer than stock iS springs?

[F|2eeSTy|e]

Yeah, they are stiffer and are good for daily drivers, I like mine, but want something a little more aggressive since I dont get to drive my car all that much - I like to have fun when I do :D

[sweetride01]

So, do H&R make 2 Sport suspensions?

Also, any pics comparing an even drop, and then more front than rear?

Thanks.

[Jon325i]

So, do H&R make 2 Sport suspensions?

Also, any pics comparing an even drop, and then more front than rear?

Thanks.

The three choices of springs offered by H&R that work on E30s are as follows....

OEM Sport - These firm up the ride just a tad and barely lower the car. A good match with Bilstein HD shocks. Good for someone who isn't interested in altering the look/feel of the car all that much.

Sport - These offer both a stiffer ride and lower the car about 1.5" in the rear and roughly 1.75" in front. I currently have these on my car with Tokico Illumina shocks. A nice match-up that has earned me numerous compliments about its improved handling and good ride quality.

Race - These are the most aggressive springs from H&R for the E30. They will lower your car approx. 2.0" in front and 1.6"/1.7" in back. They are a progressive spring which allows for a bit of ride quality, but what these are intended for are track work. With such a substantial reduction in ride height, your oilpan could be damaged if you're not careful about bumps and objects in the road.

Hope that clears things up.

Jon

[sweetride01]

Thanks for the info. I was planning on the H&R Sports and Bilstein Sport shocks.
Which set should I order though? According to TMS, there are two H&R sets, one of which lowers the car more than the other. Do H&R really make 2 sets for the 325?

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/subcategory_detail.asp?modelcode=E30&subcat_id=63

[Jon325i]

Do H&R really make 2 sets for the 325

Like I stated above.....there is more than one spring type from H&R for the E30. Quick recap...

OEM Sport - nearly stock ride height, slight improvement in handling.

Sport - offers a 1.75" drop for the front and a 1.5" drop for the rear. Firmer ride & better handling

Race - offers a 2.0" drop in front, 1.6" (or 1.7") in back....much firmer ride and much improved handling.

Again, I wouldn't go with the Race springs for a street car...just too aggressive IMHO. The OEM Sports are great if you want your car to retain a nearly stock ride height. The Sport spring is the best of both worlds: nice drop, better handling, reasonably priced.

I don't think I can make it more clear than that :roll:

Jon

Edit: From the Turner Motorsport website, one set will lower your car the same amount at both ends while the other will lower the front approx. .25" more.....a very subtle, yet effect touch. Personally, I would go with the raked look than the level look. But that's just me. Its your car, its your money. Do what you want.

[NC325iC]

eibachs man
theyre great
i think like 1.2 up front and .7 in the back doesnt sound like much but it gets the job done well

not completely sure on the numbers correct me if wrong

[JeffBij]

Do H&R really make 2 sets for the 325

Like I stated above.....there is more than one spring type from H&R for the E30. Quick recap...

OEM Sport - nearly stock ride height, slight improvement in handling.

Sport - offers a 1.75" drop for the front and a 1.5" drop for the rear. Firmer ride & better handling

Race - offers a 2.0" drop in front, 1.6" (or 1.7") in back....much firmer ride and much improved handling.

Again, I wouldn't go with the Race springs for a street car...just too aggressive IMHO. The OEM Sports are great if you want your car to retain a nearly stock ride height. The Sport spring is the best of both worlds: nice drop, better handling, reasonably priced.

I don't think I can make it more clear than that :roll:

Jon

Edit: From the Turner Motorsport website, one set will lower your car the same amount at both ends while the other will lower the front approx. .25" more.....a very subtle, yet effect touch. Personally, I would go with the raked look than the level look. But that's just me. Its your car, its your money. Do what you want.

Just remember, if you go with the Sports or Race springs (or any spring that is shorter than the stock heights) you need to change the strut cartridges/shocks to a "sport" type. These strut/shocks are typically shorter than the OEM length to keep the dampening at the right point in the travel.

[sweetride01]

I need new struts anyway, could you give me a link to some strut stuff, and whether I need to replace all strut parts, or whether not all of the parts wear very much.

Thanks.

Oh yea I don't know much about struts, so you might want to give me the "NewB" treatment when it comes to struts.

[sweetride01]

This is the info I wanted:

TMS: "Yes, they make 2 E30 sets. 50406 and 29664. They have been that way for almost 8 years now."

One has more drop than the other in front. I'm gonna go for the more drop.