No coilovers on 16x9 +15?

[backtrail69]

But, when people cut the strut housings to shorten them for more lowering with still maintaining shock travel, you lower the perch and sometimgs you actually require a lower offset to clear that perch. That happened with 4ce30 when he tried to shorten his struts 3 or 4in.

[IS]

Yup, I am unimpressed with the shortened strut housings, thats why I left mine stock height and used modified bilsteins.

On my buddies e36 m3, going to GC shortened-housing coilovers created less inner tire clearance.

[M42Technik]

When you have Ground Control coilovers matched with their camber plates, you have more suspension travel...

http://e30m3performance.com/installs/GC_susp/GC_susp3.htm

[backtrail69]

That is a very informative article. I am looking to upgrade to coil overs this summer on my 325is and that helps a lot to understand more about them.

[M42Technik]

That is a very informative article. I am looking to upgrade to coil overs this summer on my 325is and that helps a lot to understand more about them.

Glad to see it helped you out, Jay and a few others had a long discussion about how most people don't even know what suspension travel is and how it affects lowered cars. I sprung the cash for the camber plates after reading that, since it gave me even more suspension travel.

[IS]

Yah, I forgot to bring that up. Bilsteins + no camber plates = forget it. Most people are going to spring for konis anyways though, since those are pushed along with most coilover kits.

Even still, I wish for more travel, but refuse to use koni SAs over custom valved bilsteins. Suspension travel is simply one thing the e30's strut design doesn't excel in - which is perfectly fine for relatively stock ride heights. Previous cars I've owned, like the porsche 944, have longer springs and a longer strut stroke, which copes with lowering a lot better.

[2002maniac]

Vorshlag camber plates even more travel than GC parts. I love mine to death.

[JoeyJoeJ0]

So how do you go about the fab on the GC's with say, Koni's? And can you still keep stock height on the Konis and still be able to lower the car considerably, or is it better to shorten them? I dont really like the idea of shortening the strut, it sounds ghetto.

Oh and i appreciate all of your guys imput on this!

[808BMW]

You don't HAVE to shorten the strut.
If you don't want to slam it all the way (which you will) you dont even have to cut the perches

Most have coilovers for stretched tires on fat rims because you need really rolled fenders and a perfect height setup. You don't want to buy the rims, add a couple spring pads and still rub, then have to buy coilovers.
That happened to a friend of mine who had drop springs, when he bought 18's they had to sit in his garage for 6 months while he saved up for coilovers, because he needed to raise his car to fit them.

I have GC's with matching camber plates and koni SA's (rear is top adjustable too) and it r0x my s0x

[JoeyJoeJ0]

Im looking for something like Ed's height on his old car, maybe slightly lower. Is that doable without cutting the perches?

[Mystikal]

Ed did not cut his perches, he just ran 60/40 KW springs. Any old Euro spring set with that 60/40 tag will do it, just don't expect much strut travel / handling.

[egk2]

Hey guys, I ran KW 60/40's with deeper spring hats in the front, perfect stance for the wheel and tire combo, dampers were Bilstein sports, as far as decreased travel goes, I never bottomed the car out or had any handling issues, it handled quite well actually and I didn't have to run aftermarket sways.