Spring review thread

[nando]

Currently konis and ix H&R sports. this setup satisfied me for a while but right now I'm ready to move on. it's not stiff enough at all, my ride sucks anyway and I hate the way my rear suspension feels (too soft). It's probably fine for a DD with Bilsteins, but I'm ready for something much stiffer. I'll probably switch to GC and 500/400 springs in a few months.

[Dave]

I had H&R Race with Bilsteins on my cabby - liked it alot. I know Bobby Wells has H&R Race Springs on his car now, not sure what shocks he has though.

I have GCs for my Sedan, but they are not yet installed.

[StereoInstaller1]

B+G and KYB's.
215/40/17 ES100's
Too soft for some, WAY too much body roll. I am gonna try some better sway bars.

I put over 150,000 miles on a set of GR2's that are stilll firm, but not as much as they were.

The stance with B+G's is a bit too "ass high" but would look great with a late car.

I am doing IE camber kits on front and rear someday.

Luke

[asubimmer]

I'll probably switch to GC and 500/400 springs in a few months.

do you mean like 400/500?

[rs4pro3]

Racing Dynamic Green springs
Bilstein M-tech shocks
21mm front with m3 links and 14.5mm rear sway bars

I love the Springs, I've heard many people say the racing dyn. springs are soft, but mine must be odd balls as they are super stiff. But the car sticks no problem at all:twisted:

[Old'n'Slow]

is this guy retarded, eibachs are one of the softest springs out there, now i know why he's banned.......

....and Bilstein is one of the stiffest and highest pressure gas shocks...

Shocks have far more to do with ride comfort than springs.

Ride quality is subjective. One man's passion is another's poison.

This thread was started presumably so people could post their opinions about their level of satisfaction with their current set up. He feels that his is not compliant enough to suit him, and is therefore is not happy with his.

I'm glad, however, that your mother is happy with yours.

Oh, and I am running Eibach Pro-Kit with Koni SAs and Eibach bars. The Konis are left full soft in the rear, and full soft front for freeways and 80% firm on twisty backroads.

Ride is fine, but a bit abrupt on certain surfaces, especially with all the post-snow road damage this time of year. I still like it, though...

[RCWells]

Per someone's request, I will post my thoughts on my current setup vs. my old setups. Note, these are just my opinions.

My first E30 had E30 M3 springs coupled with Bilstein touring shocks. This was a great daily driver/commuter setup as it offered a more controlled ride than the stock setup offered, without being at all harsh. However, it required more driver input and control for more spirited driving. You gotta know the limits of this setup and it is limited. Bottom line: This is NOT a very good setup for more spirited drivers, but should be reserved for "normal" driving.

My current E30 came with H&R sports combined with Bilstein sport shocks. This was a great setup for daily/commuter purposes and offered even more control than the E30 M3 setup. It was much firmer but still plenty forgiving on average roadways. I liked it for the most part but still found it lacking for my driving style. It was much flatter than the previous setup going into corners at higher speeds, but still a noticeable amount of body roll, and I don't like body roll.

I got lucky and found a good set of used H&R Race (thanks Dave;-) ) and acquired them and I retained the Bilstein sport shocks (perhaps some Konis when money permits?). I am very very pleased with this setup but would like to have the adjustability of the Koni SAs (and I hear that they offer a more forgiving ride than the Bilsteins while offering more control at the same time). That said, this setup offers very high cornering limits, equal to and even better than my compadre's E30 M3s. Alecs Mac rides on H&R sport springs/Bilstein sport shocks (*I think*) and Eric G. has H&R Race/? springs. I have walked them both in the corners at higher speeds though I'm not sure if that's attributable to my balls of steel or just the suspension, but I can say it's very controlled and without any drama.

I also changed out my Control Arm Bushings at the same time (Treehouse racing CABs) and that altered the ride a great deal as well, and I can tell you that at times, it CAN be harsh. Even the smallest bumps in the road seem HUGE with this setup, this of course affecting the front suspension only. IF you went with something like the offset M3 bushings, it would certainly ride smoother, but I think that the Treehouse racing cabs do an incredible job of tightening up the steering feel and increasing control and it's worth the sacrifice in ride to have the control, imo.

Of note also:
Suspension Techniques adj. sways fr./rr.
Sparco strut bar
Ground control RSMs (though I don't think they are affecting the handling any)
(this was applicable to both suspension setups on my current E30)
IIRC, my first E30 had E30 M3 sway bars fr./rr.

I also went to 17" wheels w/ Goodyear GS-1s when I went to the Race springs, so that is also a factor, and these Goodyears are awesome tires! Their limits so far have exceeded the suspension's limits, and that's saying a lot! No squeal, just stick right up to the limit. Seriously badass tires. The only question that remains is how long they will last (a bit OT, but I felt it pertinent information).

I hope this helps.

[nickmp0wer]

thanks for the write up

I think eventually i will get

powerflex offset bushings
koni shocks
some camber stuff
new SF bushings
and for springs i think i might just go with h&r sports, although i am still a little undecided. Maybe an m3 rear bar to help with roll

[RCWells]

H&R Sports are a very good intermediate spring imo, so I don't think you will go wrong if that's what you decide.

[alexbaby88]

H&R Sports Vs Race

How do you tell the two apart? Are they of a different color?

Thanks

[RCWells]

The numbers on them are the only way to differentiate. H&R painted them all so many different colors, you can't tell by that. Get the numbers and call H&R and they can tell you what you have.

[tomgt325]

is this guy retarded, eibachs are one of the softest springs out there, now i know why he's banned.... just so no one get's confused my mom says she likes the way my H&R Sports and bilstiens ride, and they're a fair amount stiffer than eibachs.....

not quite true, ground control uses eibach ers springs that can be stiff as hell . i bought mine from a guy off ebay. 400 front 700 rear. as long as i turn the shocks down, and leave on the sloppy all season huge sidewall tires, the ride is rather supple. but once the shocks are stiffened, and performance tires are on, the ride is jarring to say the least (on regular roads). just my

[BMW BMXER]

GC use eibach springs but the rates are diff.

Anyway here is my take on eibachs.

People seem to have it in there heads like they drive and ride like saggy ass. Seriously they are not that bad. My car doesn't bounce like a trampoline nor does it bottom out over a small dip in the road. Also my eibachs have not to my knowledge sagged which is something they are apperently known to do. (I got mine 2nd hand so I don't know what height they started as)

My car rides comfertable. There is probably a fair deal of body roll and lean but I didn't really buy my suspension setup to turn my car into a corner monster.

I have my eibachs matched with bilstien sports up front and probably the equivelent of boge turbos out back. My rear shocks are not blown and my front struts handle the eibachs with ease.

Is this a race set up? No.
Is it a easily streetable setup? Yes

Eibachs will only do as much as a spring with its given rate can do. If you are going to track or auto-x a lot don't get them. If you are just going to boot around town like me and don't want a 4x4 get em.

Anyone who wants to know what they feel like and live in the GTA feel free to contact me.

[Old'n'Slow]

Switched to H&R

This is timely...

I've been on a Pro Kit with Konis for a year. It felt pretty firm sometimes,(which I now know was probably from running out of travel) and after reading what DigitalWave and Mystikal had to say about spring design, decided to try a set or H&R Sports. They're quite a bit firmer than the Eibachs, 182lb vs 102lb in the front, but here's the surprise: with a little more suspension travel, the car rides much, much better and body roll is improved as well. The lowering ended up about a half inch higher all around, and the increased ride height along with the increased spring rate gives a more controlled and perceptably better ride. The Eibach springs appear to be linear, while the H&Rs appear to be progressively wound. The cars alignment numbers are now closer to stock, so that should diminish rear tire wear a bit. I'm absolutely convinced that for serious lowering, like with H&R Race or IE 3s, modified rear trailing arm pickups are mandatory to avoid the dartiness from too much rear toe. A couple of degrees of rear camber is great, but not if you can't dial out the unwanted toe. I don't have time to mess with that right now, but would like to try it someday.

My Pro Kit is FOR SALE!

[alexbaby88]

This is timely...

I've been on a Pro Kit with Konis for a year. It felt pretty firm sometimes,(which I now know was probably from running out of travel) and after reading what DigitalWave and Mystikal had to say about spring design, decided to try a set or H&R Sports. They're quite a bit firmer than the Eibachs, 182lb vs 102lb in the front, but here's the surprise: with a little more suspension travel, the car rides much, much better and body roll is improved as well. The lowering ended up about a half inch higher all around, and the increased ride height along with the increased spring rate gives a more controlled and perceptably better ride. The Eibach springs appear to be linear, while the H&Rs appear to be progressively wound. The cars alignment numbers are now closer to stock, so that should diminish rear tire wear a bit. I'm absolutely convinced that for serious lowering, like with H&R Race or IE 3s, modified rear trailing arm pickups are mandatory to avoid the dartiness from too much rear toe. A couple of degrees of rear camber is great, but not if you can't dial out the unwanted toe. I don't have time to mess with that right now, but would like to try it someday.

My Pro Kit is FOR SALE!

Whats the part number marked on your H&Rs?

Thks