84 318i lowering project

[Angeldaddy]

ok guys so i have a few questions id like to ask, simple and not many mind you but still very important.My buddy has a late model 325i coupe that had a set of h&n cut racing lowering springs i believe something like 1.5" front 2" to the rear. now his rear camber got all sorts of fucked up and out of line, if i were to take those springs and installed them on my 318 instead would it be as dramatic a difference in camber i mean he was killin a set of tires like in 3 months at best... i have oem springs on mine as of currently but want to drop it a fair amount struts to follow soon. will i NEED the camber plates after install? or what kind of neg camber change am i looking to expect? the springs are very straingt still btw, the rear end of his car is all sorts of messed up the guys and myself all think due to previous owner... any response would be great thx.

[Hey_You]

These old BMW's come with natural camber, when you lower them, it makes MUCH more camber. If you don't want to replace tires all the time, you're going to need to correct the camber. Also, with cut springs, they are going to be stiffer than an uncut set, and they WILL blow your stock struts in a very short amount of time. Also note that the 325i springs are made for a slightly heavier front end, so they are stiffer to begin with. If you do throw them in...keep your OE springs as a back-up

[Vivek]

With just a 2" drop in the rear his subframe and trailing arm bushings are probably a large part of the culprit to the tire wear.

[Angeldaddy]

Btw I did not mean cut springs I ment the cup springs... They are in great shape lol but my major question is if I do this drop will I need to do the wield on camber plates?

[Holland]

Camber does not eat tires, toe does. In the front you should have no issues. You will increase toe in the rear when lowering due to the angle of the trailing arm.

With that said even a moderate dose of low should not eat tires quickly unless your subframe and trailing arm bushings are shot. Keep in mind also having an 84, that your front strut tubes are the smaller 45mm housings, not the standard 51mm. Depending on the springs and especially the strut you will need to compensate.

[glnr13]

i have an 84 318i like you do. I installed ST springs with more than 2" lowered all the way around last month and it looks fine in terms of camber. i haven't gotten an alignment yet and i haven't noticed any major wear from excess camber after nearly 1200 miles on them.

[Angeldaddy]

hey glnr13, i appreciate the answer cuz i really wasn't sure what was causing his wear problems.. i do know that his trailing arm is from a junk yard which we all think is the major reason behind it all but not exactly 100%. thx for the answers though yall. i will be doing the switch over soon enough and if anyone has anything else to contribute info wise pls feel free.