Lowered E34 530i

[gviloria99]

I just lowered my car this weekend using Vogtland spring and Koni shocks. The spring lowered the car more than I liked, it dropped 2 inches in the front. I want to replace the spring with something that won't drop it so much, any suggestions?

Thanks

[Incantation]

you kidding? that looks fxckin perfect

[Alexlind123]

Awesome car.

[Martin in Bellevue]

How is the ride? Do the ass cheeks squeeze together at the sight of potholes & speedbumps? My bav auto springs imparted that sensation often.

[BigTed00]

very nice drop, whats not to like? Is it riding too rough?

[632 Regal]

Unfortunately them springs dont take into concideration the weight of the V8. Contact the seller and try to return them, the bottoming issue will not get any better with any shock. I have the Eibachs and they are low but not unbearable, did you see my writup on cutting the bumpstops with the Bilstein sport shocks?

[gviloria99]

Not going to deny that is freaking sweet looking, but the issue with the extra weight the front is just taking a beating with the potholes and such. As for the bumperstops I did cut them in half so there is room for piston travel. I'm in So. Cal and the roads are not that bad, its just potholes that makes my cheeks pucker. Also since the M Pars are from an E38 the 13 offset of the front wheel is rubbing the fender. If the front was 3/4 inch higher I would be fine.

Thanks for the compliments.

[Erwin8r]

..Might have to roll them fenders... M-Tech Springs would work fine. Or, you could cut a 360-degree coil off the bottom of the stock springs....

[GoldenOne]

looks good aesthetically, post some other angle shots....

[Incantation]

hehe careful with this advice.. there are people here that will lynch you for suggesting cutting springs
lol

[E34 530]

hehe careful with this advice.. there are people here that will lynch you for suggesting cutting springs
lol

Shocks, not springs.

[E34 530]

gviloria99, your car looks great, but I decided to not go with the vogtlands due to the weight of the V8. I just debated this question last week and decided to go with Eibachs/Bilsteins.

[Erwin8r]

hehe careful with this advice.. there are people here that will lynch you for suggesting cutting springs
lolYeah, I know... I was kinda worried after I hit the submit button... :D But I know a few people (and racers) that have rolled fenders and cut springs with excellent results. I know that the top of the spring needs to fit into a grove, but I'm pretty sure it would be okay to cut from the bottom--this would stiffen the rate up and provide about a 3/4 drop from stock... No matter how you slice it, though, the fenders just might have to be rolled with those 18's / et 10....

[infinity5]

Is rolling fenders a very expensive/difficult thing to have to do? Are you actually bending the metal as the name implies or actually cutting as well?

[E34 530]

Is rolling fenders a very expensive/difficult thing to have to do? Are you actually bending the metal as the name implies or actually cutting as well?

Around here it's about $75 for 2 wheels.

[gviloria99]

Cutting the spring is not a option, the driver side sag a 1/2 inch more than the passenger side. To guess how much to cut would be a pain is the a$$. I could probably find a M parallel rim with a 20mm offset so the wheel does not rub and I don't want a set off a E39, already gone through all the hubcentric rings for this life time, talking about the 55mph shimmy.

E34 530 when are you going to change your springs and struts? Post pics when done.

I have not looked in the fenderwell, is there an inner liner?

Old spring had 225000 miles on them.

[E34 530]

Cutting the spring is not a option, the driver side sag a 1/2 inch more than the passenger side. To guess how much to cut would be a pain is the a$$. I could probably find a M parallel rim with a 20mm offset so the wheel does not rub and I don't want a set off a E39, already gone through all the hubcentric rings for this life time, talking about the 55mph shimmy.

E34 530 when are you going to change your springs and struts? Post pics when done.

I have not looked in the fenderwell, is there an inner liner?

Old spring had 225000 miles on them.

Whenever I get around to buy/install them. I will most def. post pics when they are done.

[Erwin8r]

Cutting the spring is not a option, the driver side sag a 1/2 inch more than the passenger side. To guess how much to cut would be a pain is the a$$. I could probably find a M parallel rim with a 20mm offset so the wheel does not rub and I don't want a set off a E39, already gone through all the hubcentric rings for this life time, talking about the 55mph shimmy.

E34 530 when are you going to change your springs and struts? Post pics when done.

I have not looked in the fenderwell, is there an inner liner?

Old spring had 225000 miles on them.YOu could find a set of stock 540 springs (very reasonably priced), and cut one complet 360-degree coil from the bottom--this would drop your front end by about 3/4". It will be difficult to find a non-E38 M-Parallel that does not feature the 74 mm hub center (replica's are almost always made to fit the E39). IF you want to run that large rubber up front, you'll probably have to roll your fenders, or live with hubcentric rings...

[gviloria99]

Here are side shots.

[632 Regal]

cant beat the looks

[E34 530]

cant beat the looks

True...

[mholbrook]

Wonder what upper spring pad you have. Did you use the 9mm pad or the 3mm? You can stack the pads, 2 9mm might make enough of a difference. That said, it is a LOT of work to R&R the struts. And to do it just to add a spring pad might make you crazy. Too bad there is not some "formula" on our website so you would know exactly what to expect with a particular shock/spring/pad combination. I'm in Idaho and the roads here are NOT like SoCal at all. So I'm going M-Tech, 3mm pad, and Bilstein HD's (shocks already bought by PO in the front). I probably will not be as low as I'd like, but I'll have to live with it.

[gviloria99]

Wonder what upper spring pad you have. Did you use the 9mm pad or the 3mm? You can stack the pads, 2 9mm might make enough of a difference. That said, it is a LOT of work to R&R the struts. And to do it just to add a spring pad might make you crazy. Too bad there is not some "formula" on our website so you would know exactly what to expect with a particular shock/spring/pad combination. I'm in Idaho and the roads here are NOT like SoCal at all. So I'm going M-Tech, 3mm pad, and Bilstein HD's (shocks already bought by PO in the front). I probably will not be as low as I'd like, but I'll have to live with it.

9mm pads, If I remove the struts it will be to go back to stock or different springs. I need to search for a springs that are strictly for a V8 not a 6er. Such a pain in the a$$ to get rid of excessive wheel gap.

[Speeder 553]

9mm pads, If I remove the struts it will be to go back to stock or different springs. I need to search for a springs that are strictly for a V8 not a 6er. Such a pain in the a$$ to get rid of excessive wheel gap.

I've read every post on this forum and others and am considering Eibach Springs. I bought Koni Sports and am waiting for my mech to install them. I am debating between staying with my stock springs and changing the stock 9mm upper spring pads to 3mm for a very modest lowering (about 1/4 inch) or buying the Eibach Pro-Kit.

Here is their info:
High Performance Handling
Lower Center of Gravity–Lowers vehicle 1.0"-1.5"
Progressive Spring Design
Excellent Ride Quality
Million Mile Warranty
Part of the Eibach Pro-System

The Eibach Pro-Kit is the perfect answer for most frequently-driven street cars. It’s our legendary spring system that dramatically improves both a vehicle’s performance and appearance.

Pro-Kit lowers your car’s center of gravity, reducing squat during acceleration, body roll in corners and excessive nose-dive under braking. When combined with Plus-1 or Plus-2 wheels and tires, the Eibach Pro-Kit is the finishing touch to a winning recipe for performance. Pro-Kit also reduces excessive
fender-well clearance, making your car look just as hot as it performs.

Every Eibach Pro-Kit is designed and tested by our suspension engineers and performance driving professionals, to deliver aggressive good looks and high performance handling, without ever compromising safety or ride quality. By using our proprietary, progressive spring design, Pro-Kit provides the ultimate balance to take your passion for driving
to a whole new level.

Could be a very good match for the Koni Sports on the heavier V8 E34???

[saj3n]

Here are side shots.

I am loving how this looks! Makes me want to divert my original tax refund plans...

[DueyT]

Well, it's hard to mess with the factory M-tech setup for the 540/6's...looks perfect, IMO!

Cheers,
Duey

http://www3.sympatico.ca/dnatown/540FL-Lg.JPG

[Speeder 553]

I just lowered my car this weekend using Vogtland spring and Koni shocks. The spring lowered the car more than I liked, it dropped 2 inches in the front. I want to replace the spring with something that won't drop it so much, any suggestions?

Thanks


The Eibach Pro-Kit Springs only dropped my 540i about 1.2" F and 1.0" R. NO tire rubbing or bottoming out whatsoever. :D

Eibach Springs and Koni Shocks are an awesome combo. The ride is super smooth with tight cornering.

[E34 530]

The Eibach Pro-Kit Springs only dropped my 540i about 1.2" F and 1.0" R. NO tire rubbing or bottoming out whatsoever. :D

Did you cut the bumpstops???

[Evan]

as someone who owns a V8 and is searching for the right shock and spring combo, this is all very confusing.

Can I ask how the car rides on the highway after lowering the front end an inch?

[Speeder 553]

Did you cut the bumpstops???

Yes, they were cut to 1.5" finished lenght.

[Speeder 553]

as someone who owns a V8 and is searching for the right shock and spring combo, this is all very confusing.

Can I ask how the car rides on the highway after lowering the front end an inch?

It feels very smooth but still very responsive at high speeds. I had Bilstein HD's on the front/Boge's on the rear with the old OE springs and the feeling was harsh and unresponsive at the same time.

The Koni/Eibach combo is awesome. :D

[E34 530]

It feels very smooth but still very responsive at high speeds. I had Bilstein HD's on the front/Boge's on the rear with the old OE springs and the feeling was harsh and unresponsive at the same time.

The Koni/Eibach combo is awesome. :D

I wish I had the money for Koni's but I am a poor 17 year old kid that is going with the Eibach prokit/ Bilstein sports lol.

[Speeder 553]

I wish I had the money for Koni's but I am a poor 17 year old kid that is going with the Eibach prokit/ Bilstein sports lol.

I got my Koni Sport shocks for only $550 total incl. tax.

[Evan]

handle your money properly and you will be one wealthy 27 year old

[Rustam]

..Might have to roll them fenders... M-Tech Springs would work fine. Or, you could cut a 360-degree coil off the bottom of the stock springs....

Can you elaborate on the procedure a bit for me? Have you actually seen this done? End coils sitting on rubber ring wrap closer to preceeding ones - how is this effect compensated with greater distance between neighboring coils with full spacing?
---
It must not be overlooked that cut spring is stiffer if one is willing to resolve the issue of properly settling end coil with greater separation through one turn...

[Rustam]

Is rolling fenders a very expensive/difficult thing to have to do? Are you actually bending the metal as the name implies or actually cutting as well?

The fender lips can be rolled using baseball bat - stick between the wheel and the fender and roll sliding over the fender lip surface while keeping friction with the tire.

[Speeder 553]

I wish I had the money for Koni's but I am a poor 17 year old kid that is going with the Eibach prokit/ Bilstein sports lol.

The Koni's are worth every penny... they are that good and by far the highest quality and best riding shocks available.

[Jon K]

I just lowered my car this weekend using Vogtland spring and Koni shocks. The spring lowered the car more than I liked, it dropped 2 inches in the front. I want to replace the spring with something that won't drop it so much, any suggestions?

Thanks


Want to trade? My H&R sports for your Vogtlands?

[632 Regal]

that sounds like a viable option!

Want to trade? My H&R sports for your Vogtlands?
http://www.bimmer.info/~regal632/Side.jpg
Mine has never rubbed but I have the 20mm offset.

[gviloria99]

Want to trade? My H&R sports for your Vogtlands?

Give me a couple of weeks, I got in touch with the Vogtland and they are willing to exchange the springs if they have a V8 version available. How old are your H&R spings? Thanks

[632 Regal]

Vogtland has only one set, the V8s dont have an option.

[gviloria99]

Vogtland has only one set, the V8s dont have an option.

They made the suggestion that there may another part number that is not listed, so they are going to check with Germany. At least they responded and trying to fix it.