How Do You Like Your IE Stage III's?

[Low Level E30]

I know there are a couple threads out there about IE Stage III's --- I'm more interested to know how you like these springs now that you've had them for a while and really gotten used to them.

What shocks and tire sizes are you running them with? What sway bars? With your combo, are they too stiff for daily use, in your opinion?

Have you had any issues w/ binding? I have heard that the rear springs are susceptible to sagging and binding.

Is there enough stroke / strut travel up front?

Any and all input is appreciated!

Thanks,

[MR 325]

I've had mine for a qhile now and I fuckign love them! Much better than the H&R Sports I used to have! I am running mine with Bilstien Sports and now 215/40/17's. Also will be installing my ST swaybars in the next week or two [finally]. All in all, I am very happy with them and don't plan to change them anytime soon at all.

[Low Level E30]

I've had mine for a qhile now and I fuckign love them! Much better than the H&R Sports I used to have! I am running mine with Bilstien Sports and now 215/40/17's. Also will be installing my ST swaybars in the next week or two [finally]. All in all, I am very happy with them and don't plan to change them anytime soon at all.

What is it about them that's better than your old H&R Sports?

How rough are the IE's on the street w/ your 17's?

Thanks for the info!

[MR 325]

Much stiffer than the Sports and I'm a bit happier with the stance of course. :)

It's not super smooth with these stiffish springs and 17's but I'm fine with it, I love it.

[Jand3rson]

I'm madly in love with my Stage III's. I've got them paired with Konis at half-stiffness, and I absolutely love the ride. Yeah, it's stiff, but not to the point where my fillings are falling out. Throwing it around corners is what really makes them shine, they're great springs. I'm on stock swaybars, and my car has very little body roll.

[rede30]

I have the same setup as matt with the same tire sizes and i love them.

[e30sd]

i have no fillings.

stock bilstein valving leaves much to be desired.

[Sean]

Drove an e30 with IE 3's + Bilstein Sports AND my car.

My car has Koni's plus IE3's.

Mine is TONS stiffer, and just feels smoother. I love my koni's a lot more than those bilsteins.


But, in terms of springs, I love em!!

[MR 325]

I would have gone for Koni's for sure but my car already had Bil Sports so whatever.

[MikesJo]

Are you using any spring pads in the front or back MR 325?

[MR 325]

No front pads and stock pads plus one extra on each side in the rear.

[redcarbon]

318is

asthetically: front too high, rear too low

suspension travel: front too little, rear ok

I have IE3 with GC konis, ride on streets with them fairly soft and autocross them half a turn back from full stiff. Ride is ok, but it rides on the bumpstops way too much. I have GC bump stops which are about 1.5 inches long but I only have ~0.5 inch of front suspension travel before it engages the stops. I may shorten my front strut to allow more travel, can you do this with the stock spring perch still there? I may also try just cutting the bump stop down to get some usable travel. I'll make a spacer in the rear to lift it up a bit.

I also have big IE sways and the car handles very well, and it responds to sway adjustments pretty well. I had been autocrossing a few months and got used to the car so I decided to dial out a bit more understeer by stiffening the rear a bit (front was on the softest setting) and on my first run with the new set up I spun the car. Still has some tweaks left but it's getting there.

Overall I like them, I may want to go GC but I need to stop feeding the money pit.

[Low Level E30]

318is

asthetically: front too high, rear too low

suspension travel: front too little, rear ok

I have IE3 with GC konis, ride on streets with them fairly soft and autocross them half a turn back from full stiff. Ride is ok, but it rides on the bumpstops way too much. I have GC bump stops which are about 1.5 inches long but I only have ~0.5 inch of front suspension travel before it engages the stops. I may shorten my front strut to allow more travel, can you do this with the stock spring perch still there? I may also try just cutting the bump stop down to get some usable travel. I'll make a spacer in the rear to lift it up a bit.

Thanks for the good info!

Interested to hear about the front travel --- what can be done to gain more travel, other than cutting down the bumpstop?

You're thinking about cutting the stock perch off, and cutting the top of the strut down, then welding on a "replacement" perch?

[redcarbon]

Thanks for the good info!

Interested to hear about the front travel --- what can be done to gain more travel, other than cutting down the bumpstop?

You're thinking about cutting the stock perch off, and cutting the top of the strut down, then welding on a "replacement" perch?

No, I am not going to move the stock perch, it would stay in the same place so the ride heigt is the same but then cut down the housing to get more travel before it bottoms out.

The front Koni's you get from GC are short and they provide you with a 2-3 inch spacer that goes down the stock strut housing before you put in the damper. If you are using GC coilovers you can remove the stock spring perch and not use the spacer and cut 2-3 inches off the strut housing so that you would get all that back as wheel travel.

But I'm not sure if there is enough room to shorten the housing while still using the stock spring perch, though.

[madjurgen]

PERFECT setup for my tastes.
a little rough on the street but not really that bad, nothing you cant get used to plus all that goes away the first time you take a turn hard, you immediately realize its way worth it

but where the bitch really shines is at the track/auto-x

IE stg3s w/ Koni SA(not from GC)
225/50/15 with M3 rear swaybar, stock front
stock single spring pads in front, doubled up in the back
cut about an inch off bumpstops

very neutral