Suspension choices, calling Seattle area r3v members

[RoDo]

Hey all,

As of a few weeks ago I am back in the BMW game with an 88 325is. It is pretty much bone stock right now and for me it is destined to be a play/autox/track car.

That word "play" can mean different things to different people, what it means to me is that I want to be able to have fun driving it around town and maybe the occasional multiple hour drive in the mountains, as well as have it perform well in the autox & track stuff too. I know this puts me in compromise territory and I am okay with that.

I am pretty sold on the H&R spring/Bilstein Sport combo as I figure there is a strong reason so many people choose that. I'm undecided on whether I go H&R Sport or Race though, leaning toward Sport as they seem to fit what I am after better.

On bushings I'm leaning toward doing offset poly control arm bushings and OEM rubber everywhere else. I have been told that a fresh set of stock rubber bushings on these cars will do wonders and to go with the poly bushings all around will be a pretty harsh experience from an NVH pespective.

All of this leads me to my request. Any chance some of you Seattle and/or Eastsiders running suspension setups similar to what I am considering would be willing to meet up and give me a ride so I can get a firsthand feel for this stuff? It would be much appreciated and likely to be compensated with a beer or several.

Let me know and thanks in advance.

[deutschman]

im not from seattle, but i ran the H&R/Bilstein combo and i loved it. it was stiff enough to handle some nice turns, and soft enough not to give you back problems and piss your girl friend off when riding around the city. i was also running the m3 control arm bushings.

[lylefk]

We've been talking about putting together a meet for quite a while...this seems like as good a reason as any to push forward with it. I would also like to ride in this combo, as it is what I'm leaning towards too.

['90 325is]

I was just like you and didnt know which way to go between race and sport. In the end i bought the race just because i didn'tr want to be dissapointed by the sport. Keep in mind this car is my daily driver and even with the race suspension i am fine every day. I know everybody has different preferences but that's just mine.

[RoDo]

im not from seattle, but i ran the H&R/Bilstein combo and i loved it. it was stiff enough to handle some nice turns, and soft enough not to give you back problems and piss your girl friend off when riding around the city. i was also running the m3 control arm bushings.

H&R Sports or Races?

[yberther]

In the end i bought the race.

[87e30]

I run Ground Control 650 rear 450 front. I started out with cut springs when I bought the car. I find my setup Dailyable if you so desire so I would definitely go for the Race as they are like 500 rear 350 front or something like that.

[E30-M3]

I'd get the races.. I got sports because I was worried about the stiffness. I was dissapointed and I really should have gotten the Races.

If I could do it again I'd get the Races no hesitation.

[318isbmw]

Go race's. I've got the ireland's which are same height, haven't had issues in seattle, spokane, or any of the cities inbetween.

[balooshinakus]

I have H&R Sports and Bilstein Sports and I wish I got the H&R race (and probably will get them this summer). The Sports handle nice but I think there is too much body roll. I would go race if you want to be able to autoX and whatnot. I will be getting a skid plate if I get the race springs though, my car already makes me nervous how low it is (and I'm used to driving a truck around).

[yberther]

get sway bars?

[87e30]

I don't scrape ever. Be smart and you won't either.

Go race or go home. :D

Well really go GC... but of your options race for sure.

[balooshinakus]

get sway bars?

Yeah but I really don't want to lose too much of my suspensions independence.

[DipStick]

My 318is has IE stage 3 springs, which are approximately the same as H&R race. I have had the Sports on a previous 318is...I must say that I am more happy with the the IE 3's during anything other than very casual driving. In my opinion, based on what you are saying, I would reccomend the stiffer springs (IE or H&R) and go for fresh OEM rubber bushings all around. I would also highly suggest fresh strut mounts, front and rear spring pads, etc.

I might avoid camber plates up front, as they tend to transmit a lot of road noise, but if you want a little extra caster, you could go for the M3 offset solid rubber control arm bushings. As far as going with the offset Poly RTABs, I would suggest that if its that important to you to have adjustabilty, buy or fabricate the IE-style weld-on tabs. I have heard that the offset bushings dont always stay in place. Besides, with the weld on adjustments, you can use OEM rubber bushings intead. The drawback to the weld-on tabs (from experience) is that they are difficult to access and adjust during alignment. I can only speculate that the offset bushings are equally challenging.

For dampers I went with Koni Adjustables and on their softest setting, are pretty reasonable on the street. Whats not reasonable is their price... While I have never experienced the Bilsteins, they have a lot of positve feedback on the forums and definitely worth riding in someones car to see how you like them. One thing is for sure.. they are less expensive!

I am in Tacoma, so if you are ever down or nearby let me know and you can take mine for a spin... Mine is becoming a bit more of a track toy with all the poly bushings and camber plates, so its pretty rough, but you will at least gain some perspective.
-Paul

[Rennsport]

We've been talking about putting together a meet for quite a while...this seems like as good a reason as any to push forward with it. I would also like to ride in this combo, as it is what I'm leaning towards too.

There is a BMW weekly meet in tacoma every wedsenday night. But an all e30 meet drive would be cool.