E9 spring replacement

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vorarat

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Hi

i want to lower the car but i dont want to cut the spring because it will stiffen up the drive, is there any aftermarket spring that i could buy that will fit the E9 and will lower the car.. is there any other model of bmw that uses the same spec spring as an E9 so may be i can find it here in thailand. i saw one vendors on ebay that have a lower spring kit for E9 but it will cost arm and leg to ship here to my country


thx
B
 
vorarat said:
i want to lower the car but i dont want to cut the spring because it will stiffen up the drive
Click to expand...

Most aftermarket, lowering springs are stiffer than stock. I'm not trying to take business away from LaJolla Independent, but if you cut 10% (say) off the length of your stock springs (which will increase their spring rate by 10%), they may still be less stiff than aftermarket springs.

Note that when you lower a car, some increase in spring rate is desirable in order to reduce the risk of bottoming out.
 
a third way,

i met albrecht walloth in his warehouse
he showed me a solution for e9: progressive springs
these springs have variable thickness thinner in both ends and thicker in the center
the preformance is not so stiff at the begining of the travel of the spring but is getting stronger and stronger if you push them to the limits
they should be installed with bilsteins b6
they lower the car 2,5cm
i recall he said 500 euro for the set of four
 
Vorarat, if cost is the big issue, I know a few E9 owners here in OZ who have fitted Holden Commodore VK sedan springs to the front ( HFL-22XSL ) . To the rear , BMW 2002 lowering springs available from King Springs in OZ ( KBRL-22). They seem to be happy with the ride and the stance is good (although you will need to roll your front fenders )...I know one of the guys had to revisit the sizing of the upper rubbers on the rear to get rid of the 'gangsta' look .Shipping should be a lot cheaper too . Cheers, Simon
 
I think what he means is that the clearance between tire and wheel arch is the same front and back.

Something I often wondered about.

Is it normal that this clearance in a standard set up is different between front and back?

Both of my cars have more clearance on the front than the back.
 
NilsH said:
Beautiful set of wheels, are those 17 inch Alpinas?
What do you mean by even stance, same size?
Click to expand...

16" Alpina knock offs. Made by a Japanese company, but the name escapes me at the moment.

By stance I mean the ride height front to rear. It's lower, but level, without any rake where one end is higher than the other.
 
MyFemurHurts said:
16" Alpina knock offs. Made by a Japanese company, but the name escapes me at the moment.

By stance I mean the ride height front to rear. It's lower, but level, without any rake where one end is higher than the other.
Click to expand...

Did the car's handling change in any noticeable way?
 
Not noticeably. Sharp impacts are a little firmer, but unless you were really familiar with the car before and after, you probably wouldn't notice it.
 
Talked to Carl Nelson on the phone yesterday. I'm thinking of having LaJolla install the CN springs, but also considering larger wheels. According to Carl, 17" wheels are verboten, and it was his opinion that even 16" wheels are a bad idea.( "bad idea", those were his words) He likes 14" or 15" wheels, but that 14" inch wheels have problems with tire selection. I would love to go to 16" from my current 14". Just reporting what he said...

Really like the stance on your Sahara. Thanks for the photos
 
MyFemurHurts said:
Not noticeably. Sharp impacts are a little firmer, but unless you were really familiar with the car before and after, you probably wouldn't notice it.
Click to expand...

So DQ is right, for handling you may need progressive springs.

The aesthetics of the stance alone may not be worth the trouble.
 
my experience: using CN´s + Bilsteins B6

before:
107n8rc.jpg


after carl nelson springs


before
289ambd.jpg


after CN springs


i like the stance very much

more actual pics




another one to compare, see now the before setting:
P2205772_zps0236a434.jpg






similar photo of before
P9305736.jpg











see thread:

http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14519&highlight=springs
 
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