Touring Suspension (again)

[Steve N]

I want to get the front end swapped out before winter gets here. I have decided to go with the M5 springs and 3mm pads but what strut insert are people using? Also, is BMA a good source for the OEM parts or should I stick to a dealer? My 190k front end is getting a bit worn:-)

Thanks.

[gtopaul]

I want to get the front end swapped out before winter gets here. I have decided to go with the M5 springs and 3mm pads but what strut insert are people using? Also, is BMA a good source for the OEM parts or should I stick to a dealer? My 190k front end is getting a bit worn:-)

Thanks.
I was also looking into the M5 springs or M-Tech springs for my Touring but thought the drop wasn't enough. I read somewhere that the M5 springs are even less of a drop because they are firmer because the M5 engine is heavier than the 2.5 in our cars. I decided that rather than take a chance using 3mm pads and the M-tech or M5 springs I would get springs with more of a drop and just use new stock upper and lower spring pads to offset that just a bit. I chose the H&R Touring springs for the self-leveling supension, which I have, and used just the front springs initially to see how it looked. The self leveling suspension seemed to have compensated for the lower front end by itself and the results are what I was hoping for. There is a slight rake but it has a very nice look to it with the bigger 18" rims.

Paul L

[genphreak]

Do you mean that the rear has actually gone down too? Was the rear around the right height before you put the front springs in?

Someone else might have better experience than me here, but I am not sure how the LAD will actively compensate if you lower the front of the car- does it not just work against the the kinds of lateral forces involved in cornering? I guess it probably does forward/aft compensation too since BMW were so keen about fitting it to the tourings. Does it help level the car if you put a load in the back? (I've never seen the system before).

Thing I do know is, invariably when you lower the front of a (non-LAD) car the back should raise some as the some of the weight will have shifted to the front.

If yours compensates for loads in the back and you've lowered the rear your LAD might have actually dropped the rear below its normal ride-height. If so any idead how much?

Anyway, the point is that normally the rear would go up a bit (probably 3-7mm) which is why us non-LAD equipped owners have to change the rears when they do the fronts :(

[gtopaul]

Do you mean that the rear has actually gone down too? Was the rear around the right height before you put the front springs in?

Someone else might have better experience than me here, but I am not sure how the LAD will actively compensate if you lower the front of the car- does it not just work against the the kinds of lateral forces involved in cornering? I guess it probably does forward/aft compensation too since BMW were so keen about fitting it to the tourings. Does it help level the car if you put a load in the back? (I've never seen the system before).

Thing I do know is, invariably when you lower the front of a (non-LAD) car the back should raise some as the some of the weight will have shifted to the front.

If yours compensates for loads in the back and you've lowered the rear your LAD might have actually dropped the rear below its normal ride-height. If so any idead how much?

Anyway, the point is that normally the rear would go up a bit (probably 3-7mm) which is why us non-LAD equipped owners have to change the rears when they do the fronts :(

I checked with the Master Tech at the dealership where I work and he agreed the LAD will adjust the rear height both up and down. It was higher after I swapped the front springs at work and lower after I got it home. Maybe why that's why it's called a load leveling system. If you think about it if the rear has automatically adjusted up for an increased load then it does automaticall adjust down once the load is removed. So, it has to adjust down. It can also be manually adjusted lower at the point where the LAD linkage attaches to the rear sway bar. Either way, I don't see any reason to use the H&R rear springs as far as needing to lower the car further in back. I'm still going to wait until I see if the front settles and the back gets higher or there's a difference in ride firmness between the front and the back. Can't tell yet.

Paul

[genphreak]

Sweet Paul, sounds like you found a great solution there.

Be sure to post some pics so we can all check out the results. I contributed to the sticky thread BigKriss started on doing just that- you might know all about it but if not its worth a read :).

I'm personally waiting on some M-Tech springs off a '95 540i that I couldn't resist buying on eBay. It will be interesting to see how they go on my 535 with some Sashs sports. Have to get some 3 and 9mm pads to make sure its right and a fwe other suspension bits whilst I'm at it. There's always more to get... :) GP