Early model E30 lowest lowering rear springs???

[DAN-E30]

Yes that is certainly possible. If the adjusters were removed in the rear with 4" springs the wheel would be rubbing inside the fender.

As @It's Soda Not Pop said, contact GC when you order and tell them exactly what you want and they will set you up. This is my third coil-over kit I've bought from them and they've been able to get me exactly what I need every time.

Keep in mind that if you goo that low you will need to weld in camber adjusters in the rear or you will be destroying the insides of your tires.

I just send GC an email to get all the informations i need.

Ok i understand. So i don't think i will be removing the adjusters in this case but i will definitely try the lowest setting with adjuster, i will keep a very small gap between the tire and the fender so i won't rub. Weld in camber adjusters are a pain to install? where can i get in case i have to?
keep in my mind my wheels are 17s so i won't need the same drop to close the gap as if i had 15s

[DAN-E30]

mine are set here, so probably like an inch?

ok perfect. so it looks like i would be able to close the tire/fender gap without getting rid of the adjusters. thanks man :)

[It's Soda Not Pop]

CondorSpeedShop sales an affordable rear toe and camber adjustment bushing that does not require cutting or welding. So if you go low and you need to adjust toe and camber you can.

https://www.condorspeedshop.com/products/adjustable-rear-trailing-arm-bushing-kit-e30?_pos=3&_sid=3fbef4543&_ss=r

[DAN-E30]

Yes that is certainly possible. If the adjusters were removed in the rear with 4" springs the wheel would be rubbing inside the fender.

As @It's Soda Not Pop said, contact GC when you order and tell them exactly what you want and they will set you up. This is my third coil-over kit I've bought from them and they've been able to get me exactly what I need every time.

Keep in mind that if you goo that low you will need to weld in camber adjusters in the rear or you will be destroying the insides of your tires.

what do you think of the recommended GC spring rates for street car with the conversion kit, 375/475 front/rear. I don't want the ride to be extremely hard and definitely not soft. Something in between but more towards a sportier ride

[DAN-E30]

CondorSpeedShop sales an affordable rear toe and camber adjustment bushing that does not require cutting or welding. So if you go low and you need to adjust toe and camber you can.
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/prod...fbef4543&_ss=r

i will check them out, perfect thanks

[It's Soda Not Pop]

i will check them out, perfect thanks

No worries

[It's Soda Not Pop]

what do you think of the recommended GC spring rates for street car with the conversion kit, 375/475 front/rear. I don't want the ride to be extremely hard and definitely not soft. Something in between but more towards a sportier ride

My spring rate is 450F/650R. It's a bit firm at that rate not too harsh but definitely not soft.
This is what GC recommended to me for an "aggressive back-road car" (mid range for a daily and a entry level track setup)

[moatilliatta]

I just send GC an email to get all the informations i need.

Ok i understand. So i don't think i will be removing the adjusters in this case but i will definitely try the lowest setting with adjuster, i will keep a very small gap between the tire and the fender so i won't rub. Weld in camber adjusters are a pain to install? where can i get in case i have to?
keep in my mind my wheels are 17s so i won't need the same drop to close the gap as if i had 15s

Before welding in camber / Toe adjusters get and alignment with your ride height that you want and see where you are. A lot of people just weld these things in and cant get into the range the need to. If you're going to run 4" spring in the rear, I'd consider shorten front strut housings.

I like the machined ones, if you go aftermarket RTAB, make sure the sleeve is steel and you have a good Genuine lock nut.
https://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspensi...-Z3-318ti.html

Check your front strut size before thinking they'll work. Early early cars had small front strut diameters.

[DAN-E30]

Before welding in camber / Toe adjusters get and alignment with your ride height that you want and see where you are. A lot of people just weld these things in and cant get into the range the need to. If you're going to run 4" spring in the rear, I'd consider shorten front strut housings.

I like the machined ones, if you go aftermarket RTAB, make sure the sleeve is steel and you have a good Genuine lock nut.
https://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspensi...-Z3-318ti.html

Check your front strut size before thinking they'll work. Early early cars had small front strut diameters.

ok perfect i will do my alignment before any welding in camber / Toe adjusters got it.

On the other hand do you think my Bilsteins sport would still fit if i shorten the front strut housings? i saw two youtube videos installing GC kit on e30s but i didn't see them shorting the housing. Do you have a reference for me i can read or watch?

[mtech325]

If you shorten the strut housings (so you can lower the ride height and retain proper shock travel), you would need shorter strut inserts, such as from a 325ix. Having pieced together suspensions versus doing it right the first time, I'd suggest getting Ground Control's complete setup with their custom valved Koni shocks/struts and having them shorten and reinforce the strut housings. That way you lower the car with the rates you want and the ride quality will still be good.

Bilsteins are good quality shocks, but in the e30 application at least, they don't seem to work as well with higher spring rates. Not sure on the newer Bilsteins, but the older ones you were able to pop the cap off the bottom to trim the bump stops for a little more travel, so could be something to consider, but I'd still pick Koni over Bilstein in this case.

[DAN-E30]

I'm running 4" Eibachs in the rear with GC conversion kit adjusters. There's still a little room to go lower.



The rear GC perches use 2.25 ID springs.

(Front strut housings were also shortened 2")

sorry i bombarded you with questions but how did you shortened the front strut housings 2'' on your car? youtube GC conversion kit installations don't do it

and is it something necessary to do with the GC c/o conversion kit in the front to go as low as possible if i need to? i currently have Bilsteins sport in the front and like i said before Koni's in the back

[DAN-E30]

If you shorten the strut housings (so you can lower the ride height and retain proper shock travel), you would need shorter strut inserts, such as from a 325ix. Having pieced together suspensions versus doing it right the first time, I'd suggest getting Ground Control's complete setup with their custom valved Koni shocks/struts and having them shorten and reinforce the strut housings. That way you lower the car with the rates you want and the ride quality will still be good.

Bilsteins are good quality shocks, but in the e30 application at least, they don't seem to work as well with higher spring rates. Not sure on the newer Bilsteins, but the older ones you were able to pop the cap off the bottom to trim the bump stops for a little more travel, so could be something to consider, but I'd still pick Koni over Bilstein in this case.

So if i don't shorten the struts housings and keep my Bilsteins would i still be able to go low enough on 17s inch wheels to close the tire/fender gap and retain an acceptable shock travel? im asking because i already got my struts/shocks, Bilsteins infront and Koni's sport in the back so it would be great if i can keep them for my GC c/o conversion kit im getting

[mtech325]

It's a long thread, but the Spec E30 board has an interesting discussion on the topic here since they are required to use Bilsteins with the Ground Control setup. Not sure if you have camber plates as well, but ditching the stock strut mount for camber plates drops the car around 1/2-inch or so due to shorter stack height.

[DAN-E30]

It's a long thread, but the Spec E30 board has an interesting discussion on the topic here since they are required to use Bilsteins with the Ground Control setup. Not sure if you have camber plates as well, but ditching the stock strut mount for camber plates drops the car around 1/2-inch or so due to shorter stack height.

ok i will check it out, thank you

[WestCoastEta]

sorry i bombarded you with questions but how did you shortened the front strut housings 2'' on your car?

I paid E30SPDFRK to do it lol. But there are plenty of guides online. A little cutting & welding.

You don't need to shorten them unless you're trying to be fully slammed