does anyone have experience with RD sport springs from bavarian autosport?

[James]

I am looking for a semi, sporty ride, I like to take long trips and I dont want to compromise the smooth ride, what would be a good set of springs for whatI want?
Thanx-
James
89 525i 285k

[zmuff]

I guess it depends on how your whole setup is. With the RD springs and sways, the Bilstein Sports and 17 inch wheels, the ride on my car is pretty firm. I'm quite satisfied with the ride, but it is probably too much for another person. Right now I have 15 inch Blizzaks on and it rides much smoother.

http://www.roadfly.org/bmw/gallery/photos/photos-04-2003/9-2458521.jpg

[George M]

as Zmuff correctly states, its the whole set-up that matters. Tire sidewall height, shock type/damping, and spring selection all have a major influence on ride and handling. Personally, I opted for the factory M-technic sport springs and highly recommend them with Boge Gas shocks to keep the damping down a bit. Although I run the std. 225 60 15 wheel/tire combo, I believe this would be a particularly good set up for + wheel sizes.
HTH,
George

[Brandon J]

I had a set of RD springs, but opted to change them. I now have the Sachs kit and it is firm yet works well as a set. It can get harsh over bigger bumps and potholes and 17in wheels. If you want sporty handling with a good ride, you might want to consider M-tech springs and Bilstein Touring shocks. These also give a slight drop compared to other springs like the RD or BavAuto springs. The RDs dropped the height more than my Sachs. The M-tech and Bilsteins is a good choice for a not so harsh ride when using 16in or 17in wheels and tires.

If you decide to stay with 15in wheels, then the Sachs is a good kit. It does ride slightly firm, but works well for smooth rides when 15in wheels and tires are used. If you do stay with 15in wheels, then other sport spring and shock combinations will work well too.

Also, don't overlook swaybars. Swaybars really make the suspension more complete. The aftermarket ones work well b/c they allow for adjustment of oversteer, understeer, and neutral handling. I have driven several cars with H&R springs w/ bilstein sports and RD springs, etc. w/ and w/o sport swaybars. The swaybars make a huge improvement in handling and turns.