Koni sports, Ireland Stage 3 springs and E92 drop hats

[Von Soman]

I have a 1990 325i and want a nice upgrade in cornering but do not want to be beaten to death on the streets. I drive harder than most but I am not trying to build a race car. This combo seems like a good upgrade but I am looking for feed back from you guys. The plan is to run a 15 x 7 wheel on 205 performance rubber.

Second question: Will I have Suspension travel problems with lowering springs and standard length shock like the Koni's?

[nrubenstein]

You will, but it’s a too-soft-spring and drop hats issue more than a shock length strut one.

[LEANE30]

Koni sports, Ireland Stage 3 springs and E92 drop hats

Running any setup with less than 3" of ground clearance on public roads (at least in my area) is tantamount to juggling your oil pan while tight rope walking over a volcanic pit of molten fire. Stage 3 (aka H&R Race spring rip-offs) many people would say "beat you up" in daily driving use, but anything stiffer, or if you couple them with IE's bars will still cause fatigue to your chassis' structure over time. I would personally recommend a softer spring for long term chassis wear considerations. If you want to slam it, bag it.

If cornering is your first imperative, look at getting bigger sway bars, coupled with some milder springs it can be a nice ride, but too soft of spring choice and you gotta really watch your oil pan.

[Von Soman]

Running any setup with less than 3" of ground clearance on public roads (at least in my area) is tantamount to juggling your oil pan while tight rope walking over a volcanic pit of molten fire. Stage 3 (aka H&R Race spring rip-offs) many people would say "beat you up" in daily driving use, but anything stiffer, or if you couple them with IE's bars will still cause fatigue to your chassis' structure over time. I would personally recommend a softer spring for long term chassis wear considerations. If you want to slam it, bag it.

If cornering is your first imperative, look at getting bigger sway bars, coupled with some milder springs it can be a nice ride, but too soft of spring choice and you gotta really watch your oil pan.

Thanks, great advice. I have a set of e30 M3 springs from a car back in the mid 90's with low millage use. This should make for a better ride quality paired with some Koni's. thoughts?

[nrubenstein]

M3 springs work well. They are NOT a performance upgrade, however.

[mwagner10702]

You may want to consider Bilstein B8 Sport dampers and H&R Sport springs (50406). You'll get an average lowering of 1.0"F and 0.75"R. Springs are progressive giving you some ride comfort while providing a firmer ride under more aggressive driving.

Many owners feel this is how the car should have shipped. Perfect street setup.

Here are some spring rates for your review. Notice that the IE Stage 3 springs are pretty stiff. Plus they lower the front 2", which as other have pointed out may be too low depending on the quality of your local roads.

Spring---------------------Front(lb/in.)------------------Rear(lb/in.)

Stock 325i*-----------------------106-------------------------245
Stock 325is*----------------------118-------------------------265
Stock 325ix*----------------------106-------------------------308
Stock M3*-------------------------114-------------------------314
Stock M3--------------------------140-------------------------250
Dinan Sport-----------------------172-------------------------300
H&R OE Sport---------------------180-------------------------380
H&R Sport-------------------------180-------------------------380
H&R Race-------------------------315------------------------- 570
H&R Coilovers***----------------340--------------------------380
Eibach Pro-Kit--------------------114 -------------------------280-326 progressive
Eibach Race----------------------160--------------------------445
IE SIII-------------------------315--------------------------570

[varg]

If you do decide to go with the stage 3 springs, can the drop hats. You'll already be 2" lower than stock in the front, an extra inch or so is not going to improve handling enough (if at all) to make up for increased risk of smashing an oil pan or bottoming out the shocks. Lowering in general is overrated, the E30 aftermarket needs some springs that are stiffer but not low.

[Zambuzan]

if you couple them with IE's bars will still cause fatigue to your chassis' structure over time. .

Elaborate pls? Is the car gonna rip in half lol

[LEANE30]

Elaborate pls? Is the car gonna rip in half lol

Yes. Cleanly right in the middle of the drivers seat, cartoon super villain style targeting your crotch.

[jbontke]

Elaborate pls? Is the car gonna rip in half lol

The e30 chasis puts a lot of force on the sway bars in turns. Where the sway bars connect to the chassis are weak and tend to 'tear' off over time. There are other weak spots as you put aftermarket parts on the car. They were engineered for the stock parts, when you change that sometimes things give... like stock rods at 20+ psi. Just have to build the chassis and reinforce for what your plans are.

[kronus]

Any aftermarket swaybar worth its weight will come with reinforced chassis mounts. IE's front and rear bars come with mount blocks. You'll want to reinforce the TA sway bar mount points as well.

The unibody will not fatigue unless you're jumping it over railroad tracks all day, that's absurd.


OP, both springs and sway bars affect how quickly the car will transition weight in corners and change direction. The faster that is, the more "alive" and "fun" the car feels. In addition to side-to-side motion, springs affect how quickly a car transitions weight front to back. A car with soft springs will feel lurchy with brake inputs. You can keep the car comfortable with moderately stiff springs without sacrificing too much comfort by adding sway.


I run IE3 springs and Konis on a street car and an upgraded front sway bar. It's not terrible comfort-wise. Keep rubber bushings in it.