H&R Race vs Sport

[5pointadam]

So I've read all of the posts available on here. But I still want some advice. I have a 318is. I know it is not the fastest car. But I dig it. I love riding the twisties even on the stock set up. About 3 years ago I replaced all the shock mounts and shocks and struts with stock. I've always thought it was cool to have the cleanest stock 318is around. But now I'm gonna switch it up. So anyway I live in San Diego. Mostly all freeway driving. My commute is very short. I drive a lot of cars. I love the way the old 911's rattle and roll and stick to the ground. Anyway I don't mind a little bit of a rough ride but I don't want my lower back to hurt. I guess the question I'm asking is, will the negatives of the Races outweigh the positives for a DD? Or are the sports similar enough that I shouldn't bother? Additionally I like the fact that the Races are lower and that it drops the front a bit more than the back because the 318is has more wheel gap in the front than in the back.
Thank you!

[Blackout]

Go with H&R race springs + bilstein sport shock absorbers.
The ride is no where near harsh. You will love it.

[Sagaris]

I like my H&R sports, they certainly improved my cars performance and they are very comfortable on a daily driven car. I was hoping that with the addition of some aftermarket sway bars that the handling would be awesome, it handles very well, but I think I am looking for the response and flatness that the Race springs would give and am looking to upgrade.

My E30 is not my primary daily driver though

[straight6pwr]

generally, the harshness of the struts is much more noticeable than the springs.
for instance: my bilstein strut + eibach pro kit felt close to stock in ride quality, while my konis + eibach pro feel much harsher. similiar handling quality, but add sway bars to the mix and body roll is reduced and a little more snappy response.

h&r race + bilstein will be a nice ride for you.

[S62]

Im currently running H&R races with billy sports and I dont think it harsh at all. After I ordered them I thought that I had made a huge mistake. You'll love them.

[cbouchez]

I'm running H&R race (cup kit) In my opinion they are amazing for daily driving, they have a nice rebound not harsh at all and makes driving, cornering really fun. I'll be adding some aftermarket sways so I can corner even better.

[StreetMafia21]

^^nice car bro

[Earendil]

Go with H&R race springs + bilstein sport shock absorbers.
The ride is no where near harsh. You will love it.

Warning: Matters of opinion should not be stated as fact!

There are enough stories of people buying race springs, installing them, and then uninstalling them because they were too harsh for a DD. These exist in enough quantity that the OP should really consider this.

On the other hand, I have yet to actually see or hear someone say that sport springs were too harsh for DD. At least no one has uninstalled them over it.

OP: Even sport springs are stiff enough that people will notice that something is... "wrong". People, and you, will notice a huge difference from stock, especially when matched with billy sports. That said, I am currently running sport springs and have "outgrown" them. They were good enough for DD, but now that I have a different DD, I'm looking to go even more harsh, as my E30 is the weekend fun and track toy car now. My frequent drivers to Seattle from the Portland area were not very fun on sport springs, I can't imagine doing that frequently on race springs.

So, my advice? Go with race springs, and when it ends up being too harsh, we can swap ;-)

[straight6pwr]

There are enough stories of people buying race springs, installing them, and then uninstalling them because they were too harsh for a DD. ;-)

you make a good point, but also remember that H&R races lose much less value if resold than H&R sports. (if you bought them new)

[acolella76]

Bilstein sports and H&R race were practically meant to be together when you look at the way the billy sports are valved.

[Roysneon]

After I ordered them I thought that I had made a huge mistake.

No seriously though as long as you have a good set of shocks and mounts you'll like the Race springs unless you're looking for a ride similar to a 70's Lincoln Town Car.

[benz-tech]

I'll throw my opinion in. H&R sport 325i springs w/ Bilstein sports. I think that combo is perfect for DD use. The progressive rate is soft for only about an inch of travel, then they stiffen up and corner flat. Not sticky tire track-car flat but street tire flat. M3 rear bar helped too. Gotta use drop hats because they will sit a bit higher with only an M42 under the hood. If want LOW this is not the combo for you. Comfortable on the freeway and tight in the twisties, yes.