lowering of E34

--

hi all,

I am going to get new lowering springs for my 1995 E34 520i. I was thinking
of 40mm in front and 20mm back. any suggestions for the "perfect"
combination of front/back springs? I want the car lower and more "agressive"
without being "too" low and "saggy"....

Erik Smith,oslo,norway


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"Erik Smith" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> --
>
> hi all,
>
> I am going to get new lowering springs for my 1995 E34 520i. I was
thinking
> of 40mm in front and 20mm back. any suggestions for the "perfect"
> combination of front/back springs? I want the car lower and more
"agressive"
> without being "too" low and "saggy"....
>
> Erik Smith,oslo,norway

Don't overlook shocks when you do it, they aren't working as designed when
you compress them that much extra and leave them that way all the time.

-Russ.

"Somebody" > wrote in message >...
> "Erik Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > hi all,
> >
> > I am going to get new lowering springs for my 1995 E34 520i. I was
> thinking
> > of 40mm in front and 20mm back. any suggestions for the "perfect"
> > combination of front/back springs? I want the car lower and more
> "agressive"
> > without being "too" low and "saggy"....
> >
> > Erik Smith,oslo,norway
>
> Don't overlook shocks when you do it, they aren't working as designed when
> you compress them that much extra and leave them that way all the time.
>
> -Russ.


Are you saying that shocks have different damping qualities at
different points of travel?

The trouble with standard size shocks on a lowered car is a) will the
spring fall out at full travel and b) will the shock bottom out.

"adder" > wrote in message
om...
> "Somebody" > wrote in message
>...
> > "Erik Smith" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > hi all,
> > >
> > > I am going to get new lowering springs for my 1995 E34 520i. I was
> > thinking
> > > of 40mm in front and 20mm back. any suggestions for the "perfect"
> > > combination of front/back springs? I want the car lower and more
> > "agressive"
> > > without being "too" low and "saggy"....
> > >
> > > Erik Smith,oslo,norway
> >
> > Don't overlook shocks when you do it, they aren't working as designed
when
> > you compress them that much extra and leave them that way all the time.
> >
> > -Russ.
>
>
> Are you saying that shocks have different damping qualities at
> different points of travel?
>
> The trouble with standard size shocks on a lowered car is a) will the
> spring fall out at full travel and b) will the shock bottom out.

I'm far from a shock expert. However they are designed to run at a certain
height, it seems to me that compressing them past that for their entire life
would not be ideal conditions for them. The bottoming out issue would also
be likely true, since the spring travel they are "expecting" is not there.

But what I can tell you from years of following various suspension mod
threads in other resources, is that all the old salts that really know their
stuff, seem to agree that you need to fit matched lowered shocks to your
lowered springs, be it for proper handling or longevity. Cutting a few
coils off your springs and leaving it at that being at the ultimate opposite
end of a properly sorted modification-- but the sort of thing that teenagers
do all the time.

-Russ.

"Somebody" > wrote in message >...
> "adder" > wrote in message
> om...
> >
> > Are you saying that shocks have different damping qualities at
> > different points of travel?
> >
> > The trouble with standard size shocks on a lowered car is a) will the
> > spring fall out at full travel and b) will the shock bottom out.
>
> I'm far from a shock expert. However they are designed to run at a certain
> height, it seems to me that compressing them past that for their entire life
> would not be ideal conditions for them.

Bad day for you, Russ. Unless there's some kind of unusual damping
setup, most shocks *do* perform the same throughout their travel,
regardless of where they started out. Bottoming out is the only
significant issue, and that's got nothing to do with a shock's
'expectations'. It's a physical fact. Either something hits or it
doesn't.

> But what I can tell you from years of following various suspension mod
> threads in other resources, is that all the old salts that really know their
> stuff, seem to agree that you need to fit matched lowered shocks to your
> lowered springs, be it for proper handling or longevity.

Ah, I think what they're saying is that the *damping* should be
matched to the springs. The only manufacturer I know that makes
*shorter* shocks for lowered suspensions is Bilstein; and no one seems
quite sure why, as their standard length HD shocks work just fine with
most normally-lowered suspensions. Remember, some of those 'old
salts' are just selling stuff to those who wouldn't recognize the
difference on their best days.
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; backed over that)

C.R. Krieger wrote:

> Ah, I think what they're saying is that the *damping* should be
> matched to the springs. The only manufacturer I know that makes
> *shorter* shocks for lowered suspensions is Bilstein; and no one seems
> quite sure why, as their standard length HD shocks work just fine with
> most normally-lowered suspensions. Remember, some of those 'old
> salts' are just selling stuff to those who wouldn't recognize the
> difference on their best days.

Don't most lowering springs from reputable makers have a soft coil or two on the
end to take up the slack? That is, even the linear rate ones are actually
progressive -- they fill up the full length of the shock when the car is on a
lift, but settle to a lower ride height when the car's weight is on them.

Matt O.

"Matt O'Toole" > wrote in message
...
> C.R. Krieger wrote:
>
>> Ah, I think what they're saying is that the *damping* should be
>> matched to the springs. The only manufacturer I know that makes
>> *shorter* shocks for lowered suspensions is Bilstein; and no one seems
>> quite sure why, as their standard length HD shocks work just fine with
>> most normally-lowered suspensions. Remember, some of those 'old
>> salts' are just selling stuff to those who wouldn't recognize the
>> difference on their best days.
>
> Don't most lowering springs from reputable makers have a soft coil or two
> on the
> end to take up the slack? That is, even the linear rate ones are actually
> progressive -- they fill up the full length of the shock when the car is
> on a
> lift, but settle to a lower ride height when the car's weight is on them.

No, the majority of the sport and lowering springs I have seen are actually
shorter in the fully relaxed position as well.

Probably so the compressed coils do not stack up?

-Fred