King Springs Vs Eibach Vs H&R Springs

[e30Brah]

Hey guys,

I bought my e30 (1989 318i) a month or so ago and have finally got some money together to start spending.

I am in the market for springs right now (and shocks if need be). Honestly, I cannot justify the price (or need) for coilovers, as it's going to be a daily driver from point A to B, not a track car.

Springs I'm currently looking at:
Eibach (pro kit)
King Springs (super low)
H&R (sport)

Now from what I've read:
Eibach is an extremely soft ride; and the pro kit is utter rubbish
King Springs (haven't read much) but they are a good all round lower
H&R seem to be the best but aren't as low as Eibach, but are a stiffer ride

I'm not looking for a solution to purely 'drop' the car, but, also for the ride to be relatively comfortable.

The best combination seems to be H&R with Koni shocks, or Billstein.

Questions:
Will I be able to run the springs with OEM shocks?
Of the springs I've mentioned what would be your choice? Why? (if you have experience with them, mention that)

*Eibach and King Springs same price, H&R ~$200 more

Also, maximum I will be running this with is 17" tires.

Thanks!

[bangn]

ive had eibach pros before and they were very good, yes they were soft but they were more forgiving and more willing to keep traction when the body roll set in, mated up with some decent sway bars would of been great. Harder springs will tend to skip the tyres over a bumpy road. Hard springs are for race tracks where the surface is smooth, public roads are far from smooth, you want something thats going to travel with the road surface. King springs handle no better than stock m sport suspension fitted from factory.

For the road you would benifit more from a softer spring rate, good quality shocks, sway bars and better tyres, especially under braking. The front end needs to alow to dip to transfer the weight onto the front wheels as thats where 70% of the braking is done. A stiff front end will just lock up and skid out on the road.

A rear sway bar upgrade does wonders for cornering.

[e30Brah]

@Bangn - Thanks for the advice; so that's one vote for Eibach - did you have the pro kit? I wasn't entirely sure on the whole soft vs hard ride on public roads considering they aren't by any means smooth.

Did you have any shocks to go with the Eibach's?
Also, how low was the all round lower?

@Everyone - Feel free to include pictures of before and after you put your springs in.

[Denniswhat]

I would get new shocks. It's silly to do the labor of disassembling the strut twice when your shocks go. Plus upgraded shocks would be valved better for upgraded springs.

[e30Brah]

Just had a look at a Bilstein/H&R spring combo, which will come in at around $1k (Yes, Australian shipping -.-)

Would BC racing coilovers do a better job at near that price?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BC-Racing-Coilovers-to-suit-BMW-3-SERIES-E30-/151030222811?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item232a1a4fdb

Cheers

[Cletonius]

I would get new shocks. It's silly to do the labor of disassembling the strut twice when your shocks go. Plus upgraded shocks would be valved better for upgraded springs.

This. I wouldn't want to pull the housings again unless I had to

[mr ilia]

Buy JOM.
Nice street setup. Adjustable too. Shipping fee is flat for everyone, I think.

I currently have stagg/jom shocks paired with ST springs, I have e90 drop hats too. Very good street setup.

Here is the pic.

BTW, Our Queen rules!

[bangn]

I had bilstein adjustables with the ebachs. Ride height was the same as kings lowered springs

[e30Brah]

Buy JOM.
Nice street setup. Adjustable too. Shipping fee is flat for everyone, I think.

I currently have stagg/jom shocks paired with ST springs, I have e90 drop hats too. Very good street setup.

Checked JOM prices out on eBay, they look like an extremely cheap soloution and I think the negative reviews surrounding them is somewhat based upon how cheap they are.

I am looking to lower the car for DD, and will most likely never track it - but I do want a quality drop done.

I have basically decided that a spring/shock combination of H&R/Eibach and Koni/Bilstein is far too expensive taking into account shipping; and comes to the same price as coilovers.

Therefore I am definitely considering coilovers.

To those with experience, do you prefer BC Racing BR coilover kit, or the Megan coilover kit? Also, what spring settings have you run?

Thankyou!

[mr.vang]

Low and soft don't go together because you'll smash you brittle oil pan. I say h&r sport. You can buy them used for cheap.