Fitting E30 Rear Springs

[tibbs.james 1]

Hey guys

Just put my lowered Eibach 35mm drop springs in the frony of my E30. It was quite straight foward as i have changed many struts and shocks before.

But i went to put my spring compressors on my rear springs and wound them all the way in and i could not get it far enough to pull the spring out ?

are there any tricks to fitting the rear springs ?

On my 300zx (semi trailing arm suspension ) i had to unbolt the trailing arm to remove the spring.

Is this the case with my E30 ? or do you know an easier way?

if the trailing arm has to come out i will just wait untill i get a new diff and CV boots and do the whole lot at once.

Oh and BTW anybody who has said that Eibach Springs are way to stiff , well i tend to disagree.

Taking the car for a quick drive (only fronts in ) it was a little bit firmer overall and over bumps was still nice and soft and handled bumps really smoothly and all. Around corners is where it felt more responsive and you can feel the progessive spring work to keep the car even around the corner.

Front shocks are Near new factory replacements and the car is not harsh bouncy or uncomfotable at all.

However i can see i would get more improvement with better shocks and perhaps some new sway bar urethane bushings.

I believe the key to this was good condition shocks/struts not 70% worn ones.

Anyway if anybody can help it would be good as i would love to fit my rear springs tomorow !!!!

Thanks guys

[jpp 0]

I just removed some rears today, I only used compressors, crow bar for leverage, then a hammer to finish off the job...

[Silver Fox 43]

James, drop the bottom shock bolt out and the whole lot should drop far enough to lever old ones out and new ones in, no compressors needed. Once new ones are in, jack arm back up to refit shock bolt. Done half a dozen or more like this, never a problem.

[tibbs.james 1]

I had the lower shock bolt undone. and it looked as if the control arm would not go much lower ?

So you literally just jam a crowbar in there and lever them out?

What about putting the new ones in just shove em in ?

[Silver Fox 43]

yep, on both counts. Easier to fit new ones if they are lowering springs, but, just get a bar in there and lever the old ones out.

[HELLBM 1557]

D`ont forget the rear swaybar bolts and rear dif. mounting bolt. Makes it so much easier.

[tibbs.james 1]

ok Will let you guys know how it goes, cheers

[tibbs.james 1]

Well crowbar method working really well, i was susprised how easy it was to put the new ones in !

At the port hills the car is so much more flat around the corners, the only time the shocks struggled was when i hit a big bump really fast it didn't feel as tho it damped it very well but that was at about 90km/h around a corner so i can't compain.

[ducatiss 1]

You should always drop the diff when changing your rear springs as you can stress the drive shaft joints if you dont. This is fairly standard practice and not a lot of extra work at all. You may also find that if you are running standard shocks with uprated springs that your handling will quickly deteriorate when you start pressing on. You should really invest in some Bilstein or Koni Sport shocks - the difference will be worth it. Unless of course you are looking for that boy racer look!

Edited September 16, 2007 by ducatiss

[tibbs.james 1]

I was always expecting to need really decent shocks.

But i was quite happy with how the car drives in that it seems just like any other car i have driven but with less body roll. The shocks in there seem fairly new so perhaps thats why they work well for the moment. but if there are any signs of something not working it will be replaced. I am not a boy racer nor after that boy racer look. In no way at all is the car unsafe like other cars you see driving along which you can see "bounce along the road". As you say really good shocks will make a good improvement but for now the current shocks seem fine and while they are not very old they should last fairly well.

Why would you remove the diff when you could unbolt the axles at the diff, undo that lower shock bolt and proceed to pull the spring out anyway ? I don't see why the diff needs to be removed.

[Silver Fox 43]

James, what they're saying is that by taking the one hanger bolt out at the back of the diff, a 2 min job, you get the subframe to drop that little bit lower to take the strain off the driveshafts.

I've never bothered to do it, and haven't hurt mine yet.

[ducatiss 1]

I was always expecting to need really decent shocks.

But i was quite happy with how the car drives in that it seems just like any other car i have driven but with less body roll. The shocks in there seem fairly new so perhaps thats why they work well for the moment. but if there are any signs of something not working it will be replaced. I am not a boy racer nor after that boy racer look. In no way at all is the car unsafe like other cars you see driving along which you can see "bounce along the road". As you say really good shocks will make a good improvement but for now the current shocks seem fine and while they are not very old they should last fairly well.

Why would you remove the diff when you could unbolt the axles at the diff, undo that lower shock bolt and proceed to pull the spring out anyway ? I don't see why the diff needs to be removed.

Glad to hear that you are pleased with the way its handling - as the the last posted said, by dropping the diff you lessen the angle of the drive shafts as well as gain an extra inch or two clearance to help in spring removal. You arent removing the diff as such - just loweing it away from the body of the car. You can get away without doing it but it is a recommended procedure in BMW's own workshop manual. Unbolting the axles is totally un-necessary.

[zenetti 0]

a common mistake a lot of people make is leaving the handbrake on and the car in park. If you put the car in neutral, and release the handbrake, then unbolt the shock the springs come out in less than 2 minutes. It literally is a 10 minute job for the rears!

[ED1RTY 2]

^^true story.

Rear = Peice of Piss

[Nobimmer 694]

^^hell yeah,I always found fronts to be a PITA

[togate 0]

^^ fully fronts are a pain in the ass!