MyE28.com

You guys have not covered INTRAX Springs or Tokico shocks? Why? I had a pair of Tokico shocksn on my old BMW E34 and they were significantly better than Koni. I thought Koni was way too soft and their lifetime gurantee was bogus.

I have not had anything but Eibach springs. However, is INTRAX a ghost brand? How about Spax? Or what about Vogtland?

Please, respond, anybody who has had them.

[QUOTE="Lee in LA"]I believe the Eibach Pro kit is probably a bit stiffer than I want. H&R sounds about right, or just slightly to the stiff side of what I am looking for based on what others say, but I have heard that they wear out, and start to bottom out in the rear easier than others. I think Bavauto would probably be softer than what I am looking for. ST, possibly, but I am worried that they might be a little less in terms of performance than I am looking for as well. When I called they told me their front rates are only 151lb/in which, according to m535i.org, is actually lower than stock.

TIA, [/QUOTE]

Well i have a little bit of experience with springs, first of all, i would totally disagree about the Eibach vs. H&R. I had Eibach's on my 635 with Bilstein's and that really produced a reasonable ride. on the other hand, i currently have the H&R-Biltein combo which is... well stiff doesn't even begin to describe it. I like the ride but on bumpy roads i feel like my shock towers are going to get ripped out. I would go back to Eibach but i just love the cornering ability my car has with the H&R, i mean no chassis roll, period. The Alpina Springs in my E12 are probably my favorite, but i'm not sure if you could even find those for an E28 anymore. What you may want to try, is Bav-auto springs with Bilstein's up front and Boge's in the rear. that was the setup on my 535i when i first got it. It looked good, rode well and if you were buying these parts new it would save some money. Speaking of, i have a set of ST springs FS. $150+ship.

The 325ic may be fine, just not the e28 esp on the M5....but then there is that problem of customer service...

Approx 100 per set difference

I will say it again for everyone again, H&R are awful , customer service stinks and they absolutely refuse to discuss the shortcomings of their products and for you M5 owners, the rear springs DO NOT WORK[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE="fastpat"]I had not heard that, Steve. The main reason I'd consider them, before your posting this information, was that for my 325i Cabriolet, they're one of the few that make specific springs for it, and the amount of lowering is a pretty conservative 1.2 inches front and 0.70 inches rear. Are their figures unreliable, or are their springs inconsistent?[/QUOTE]

could i get a link do the dinan lowering springs and boge turbo gas shocks? cant seem to find em.. thanks

[QUOTE="Justin in C'ville"]Well i have a little bit of experience with springs, first of all, i would totally disagree about the Eibach vs. H&R. I had Eibach's on my 635 with Bilstein's and that really produced a reasonable ride. on the other hand, i currently have the H&R-Biltein combo which is... well stiff doesn't even begin to describe it. I like the ride but on bumpy roads i feel like my shock towers are going to get ripped out. I would go back to Eibach but i just love the cornering ability my car has with the H&R, i mean no chassis roll, period. The Alpina Springs in my E12 are probably my favorite, but i'm not sure if you could even find those for an E28 anymore. What you may want to try, is Bav-auto springs with Bilstein's up front and Boge's in the rear. that was the setup on my 535i when i first got it. It looked good, rode well and if you were buying these parts new it would save some money. Speaking of, i have a set of ST springs FS. $150+ship.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the informative post justin. My conclusions were based solely upon the way individuals described their ride, which was pretty much all I had to go by. Its great to hear from someone who has had experience with both. I do think that the Bav Auto springs are probably going to be a little soft for what I'm looking for though. I don't just want a lowering spring with a nearly OEM ride. I definately want a noticable improvement in performance.

I haven't really been able to find much about the STs, but from what you say, it sounds like the Eibach's might in fact be what I'm looking for. If the ST's are comparable to the Eibach's or maybe just slightly softer, i'll probably go with those.

Have you used the ST's that you have for sale, and if so, how did they compare to the others? How many miles do they have on them?

TIA


[Edit by Lee in LA on [TIME]1107832591[/TIME]]

What about Alpina? I have 2 cars (e21 323i and e12 530i) with Alpina springs (made by Ahle) and Alpina-valved Bilstein Sports. Both have excellent high-speed ride, very controlled but not harsh. The e21 is a little harsh at low speed, the e12 is not bad at all, even on 50-series rubber. Probably the extra weight helps.

My e9 has ST's and Bilstein Sports -- the front is a tad underdamped.


[Edit by Velocewest on [TIME]1107807186[/TIME]]

can someone post links to these things? i just need new springs that will lower my car ~ 1 inch and new shocks that will go with the springs and not have any problems.. i'm sure the ride will be 100x better than my wasted springs now, i need to make a decision ~0

Hi,

I bought a used 88 535is (diamond black) with the ST springs on bilstein shocks sports. The ST springs pretty much suck. The car will roll over pretty hard when you get on it . Also it will bottom out on bumps etc.. I plan to swap them out at some point. They are basically a cheapo lowering spring not a performance spring.

Good luck,

Paul

This is great information. Based on this thread, I'm starting to lean toward Eibach w/ Bilstein Sports. But I'm concerned about dropping too low. Has anyone any experince with using thicker spring pads to reduce the drop? IIRC, the stock spring pads are 7 mm, but that there is a 10mm version available. Those 3 mm might be just the right difference. I guess with two 10mm spring pads you could reduce the drop by 6mm, but that gets you back up to about a 3/4 inch drop.

Rich in WI

i still dont know what to get for a shock/spring combo also wanting ~1 inch drop..

have you guys decided? Lee or Rich?

[QUOTE="88 535is south florida"]i still dont know what to get for a shock/spring combo also wanting ~1 inch drop..

have you guys decided? Lee or Rich? [/QUOTE]

I'll probably go with the eibach pro kit, unless I can find out some more about the ST's. I've heard 1+ and 1- about them. On the other hand, there are quite a few guys that use the eibachs and most seem pretty pleased with them. The drop is 1.2"/1.4" which is reasonable IMO. I'll probably use Bilstein sports and set the rear perches pretty high, so that it gets that raked look, and the drop won't be quite so much in the rear. I also might use koni's up front to give me a little more adjustability. It won't have a chance to mess with it for a few more months though, but as of now, thats what I'm thinking i'll do.

i'm running intrax drop springs and koni adjustables on my car and i love it. it is harsher than stock, but i don't think its too excessive. they are combined with some racing dynamics anti-sway bars and reinforced sway bar mounts. i like the setup a lot and don't feel beat after 250 mile drives. plus, with a decently sticky set of tires i can handle the twisties with e46 m cars easily. the only thing to be a bit wary of is that the drop is a bit much for some. i.e. the bottom side of my airdam looks like canned hell only and it was painted less than 6000 miles ago along with the car.

[QUOTE="al525i"]i'm running intrax drop springs and koni adjustables on my car and i love it. it is harsher than stock, but i don't think its too excessive. they are combined with some racing dynamics anti-sway bars and reinforced sway bar mounts. i like the setup a lot and don't feel beat after 250 mile drives. plus, with a decently sticky set of tires i can handle the twisties with e46 m cars easily. the only thing to be a bit wary of is that the drop is a bit much for some. i.e. the bottom side of my airdam looks like canned hell only and it was painted less than 6000 miles ago along with the car. [/QUOTE]

Yeah, I looked into those on the web when I saw them in your signature, but the drop is a little more than what I am looking for.... From the description on the web it sounded like it would be close to oem ride quality/performance, but I definately want an increase in performance - just not one that will rupture my spleen!!
I'm torn.... On one hand, it sounds like the ST's might be similar to yours and moderately increase the performance while maintaining a decent ride quality without as large of a drop. But on the other, I wouldn't want to get them and then end up wanting something stiffer later b/c they are too soft.

What to do.....

Eibach Pro Kit w/Bilstein's are not too low with the rear shock spring seat clip set in the middle to upper position. The ride at low speeds is FIRM on smooth roads but is smooth and planted as the speed increases and I have had no scraping problems although I do not use a air damn/spoiler at this point.

Tire size, air pressure, sway bar settings, bushing material all play into the ride/handling quality or lack thereof. Any choice is a compromise and you probably will make the wrong choice the first time. You may ride in a car that feels perfect to you at the moment and set your car up similiarly but, the same set up may not feel as good after living with it for a few months!!

Too, any improvement in handling will promote higher cornering speeds that eventually exceed the capabilities of the setup of the moment and the formerly "good ride/handling" combo is found lacking.