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Spring pads and ride height

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    Spring pads and ride height

    I see there are a few options for adjusting rear ride height with spring pads. BMW sells rear lower spring pads in 5mm, 7.5mm, 10mm, and 15mm heights. Condor Speed Shop has an adjustable set (up to 14.5mm). Ireland Engineering sells a rear spring spacer (.32").

    Is it possible to stack rear lower spring pads? Is it possible to use lower spring pads at the top as well?

    I recently refreshed the entire suspension on my 318is, and while the car sits level (measured on level ground to confirm) I think it would look better slightly raised in the rear. As part of the refresh I purchased new spring pads, so I still have the old ones around. If I want to raise the rear of the car .3", I could just add my old 7.5mm pads to the new ones if they can be safely stacked. Alternatively, if I can use a set of thicker lower pads at the top, I could gain some height in the rear that way.

    #2
    Yes you can stack pads in the rear. I've done this before with zero issues

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
    '91 318i (Alpine) - daily
    '88 325ix (Zinno) - drive here and there!

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      #3
      Man I am in the same boat. I need to lift the back maybe about 1/4 inch or maybe a bit more.
      Thanks for your question as I was thinking about doing the same thing.
      My question is: is it a 1:1 ration with the thickeness of the pad and height gain?
      What are our options in regard to the front?
      Thanks

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Nalex View Post
        Man I am in the same boat. I need to lift the back maybe about 1/4 inch or maybe a bit more.
        Thanks for your question as I was thinking about doing the same thing.
        My question is: is it a 1:1 ration with the thickeness of the pad and height gain?
        What are our options in regard to the front?
        Thanks
        You can use an e90 drop hat in the front to lower an additional 12mm.

        I like my front ride height as I can get my long reach jack to the front cross member easily. As I have another set of rear lower pads, I may just stack those and see what it looks like. Or I'll order the 15mm pads.

        Can the rear lower pads also be used up top?

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by mike.bmw View Post

          Can the rear lower pads also be used up top?
          Yes! Though I would recommend these things (non-affiliated):
          https://www.condorspeedshop.com/coll...spring-pad-set)

          I currently have H&R race springs w/ terrible wheel fitment (0 offset lol).. lets just say that I was rubbing very badly in the rear! I slapped these Condor pads over and under my rear springs and now I rarely rub! Install is rly easy too
          "Time doesn't heal anything... It just teaches us how to live with the pain." - My Cracked Dashboard

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Zambuzan View Post
            Yes! Though I would recommend these things (non-affiliated):
            https://www.condorspeedshop.com/coll...spring-pad-set)

            I currently have H&R race springs w/ terrible wheel fitment (0 offset lol).. lets just say that I was rubbing very badly in the rear! I slapped these Condor pads over and under my rear springs and now I rarely rub! Install is rly easy too
            Thanks for the info. Do the metal sleeves on the Condor kit rattle around? Do they stay in place in the upper position? Do the press fit into place or are they secured with a bolt?

            Comment


              #7
              Also, after some research it looks like increasing the pad height isn't a 1:1 to ride height. Due to the geometry and the spring being inbound, increasing the pad thickness by 10mm will yield a ride height increase greater than 10mm.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Zambuzan View Post

                Yes! Though I would recommend these things (non-affiliated):
                https://www.condorspeedshop.com/coll...spring-pad-set)

                I currently have H&R race springs w/ terrible wheel fitment (0 offset lol).. lets just say that I was rubbing very badly in the rear! I slapped these Condor pads over and under my rear springs and now I rarely rub! Install is rly easy too
                Did you use all three pads by stacking them to a 15mm increase?

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by nhhc View Post

                  Did you use all three pads by stacking them to a 15mm increase?
                  Yep, but the polyurethane (or delrin) pads didn't last long due to the nature of the springs. The base of the springs are quite small so they gouged the hell out of the pads, to the point where the pads just broke into pieces. So now I ordered thick OEM rubber pads, but I've yet to install them.
                  "Time doesn't heal anything... It just teaches us how to live with the pain." - My Cracked Dashboard

                  Comment


                    #10
                    My e46 rear pads are holding up great and provided just the amount of rear height I was aiming for. Highly recommended.

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