How low my car is

[Guest FrantiC]

In regards to the other thread where you posted :

My E30 sits very close to that with no one in it. I think it may be about a CM or 2 higher in the rear. Car is in garage atm with a flatty so cant really take a photo of it until the tyre is repaired (its got a gangsta lean going on)

Is that photo of your E30 before you rebuilt it?

The 17's

About half inch from arch

About 1 & half inch from arch

Yep, That was when it was a stock standard 320i manual. Painted it matt black. And they are Jamex superlows. You say yours is very close to that, But no way it's atleast an inch lower, as you can tell with mine on 17's.

Take your rear spring pads out, it will even the height abit more yours is on a mean front lean.

[bravo 35]

will it pass WOF, if cuts are captive?

NO. Frantic was wrong and I've removed his post as it was advocating illegal and unsafe practise.

The WOF rules clearly state that if your springs have been heated or cut you need a cert. You won't get a cert with cut factory springs, so you will fail a WOF. if you have an accident and the springs were found to contribute, you won't have any insurance and you will be liable for any damage you cause.

If you cut your springs, lose it on a corner (even if you were obeying the road rules), and kill someone, you will possibly be facing jail time.

Bimmersport does not condone illegal modifications to cars. Illegally modified cars are banned from all bimmersport events. Cars attending Bimmersport sanctioned events may be subject to scrutineering. Members found breaching these rules will be banned from the site.

[bmw_guy 0]

Thanks for clearing that up Bravo

[Braeden320 0]

It was ages ago, But I remember Ollie had a list he did about the do's and dont's of lowering cars?

It had cartoon pictures etc on it?

Ollie?

[Shady 0]

In regards to the other thread where you posted :

Yep, That was when it was a stock standard 320i manual. Painted it matt black. And they are Jamex superlows. You say yours is very close to that, But no way it's atleast an inch lower, as you can tell with mine on 17's.

Take your rear spring pads out, it will even the height abit more yours is on a mean front lean.

Looks much different on your 17s & close up. So yes, sorry my bad yours is far lower..looks much more staunh.

But if I put standard springs in mine, it would raise at least 2 1/2 - 3" from what it is now.

How low is your sump, if your car sits that low? I would of assumed about 50mm by the tuck you got? Since mine is 105mm without tuck - could however be my broken engine shock as stated in a previous post.

EDIT: are 318, 320 & 325 etc all different heights from factory? Is it possible the 318 is higher than the rest due to being lighter? Cos mine was extremely high when I got it...may have been why when I lowered it that I reckon it dropped "heaps" and others reckon its F all. Wish I got a photo of it at original height.

Edited September 13, 2009 by Shady

[Forrest 35]

It was ages ago, But I remember Ollie had a list he did about the do's and dont's of lowering cars?

It had cartoon pictures etc on it?

Ollie?

It is a sticky: http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=14472

[Braeden320 0]

Thats the one!!!! Thanks Forrest

[Guest FrantiC]

Looks much different on your 17s & close up. So yes, sorry my bad yours is far lower..looks much more staunh.

But if I put standard springs in mine, it would raise at least 2 1/2 - 3" from what it is now.

How low is your sump, if your car sits that low? I would of assumed about 50mm by the tuck you got? Since mine is 105mm without tuck.

Nah no way, Lowest point was like 90-95 on the chassis. Sump sat about 95mm too. I guess your engine mounts must be stuffed and your engines sagging down. Unless m40 has a lower sump.. I have sold urethane engine mounts in mine.

Only times I broke sumps was against a curb and once on a gravel road. That was about 2 years ago too, This sump survived fine for ages being that height. Just gotta know how to drive a low car.. Alot of people don't like it, cos of handling and excessive camber etc, But I like the look of an e30 slammed to the ground.. Just personal preference, Saftey is in the hands of the driver and owner of their car.

[Shady 0]

Nah no way, Lowest point was like 90-95 on the chassis. Sump sat about 95mm too. I guess your engine mounts must be stuffed and your engines sagging down. Unless m40 has a lower sump.. I have sold urethane engine mounts in mine.

Only times I broke sumps was against a curb and once on a gravel road. That was about 2 years ago too, This sump survived fine for ages being that height. Just gotta know how to drive a low car.. Alot of people don't like it, cos of handling and excessive camber etc, But I like the look of an e30 slammed to the ground.. Just personal preference, Saftey is in the hands of the driver and owner of their car.

Yeah is no doubt my engine sagging cos my driverside mount is meant to be buggered and the engine shock is also buggered. Im surprised the WOF people didnt pick it up - damaged engine mount = fail...surely?

I also love E30s that are low. Looks hot. Dont care what anyone elses thinks.

Since you removed you spring pads, it doesnt make any knocking or squeeking noises?

Edited September 13, 2009 by Shady

[Guest FrantiC]

Yeah is no doubt my engine sagging cos my driverside mount is meant to be buggered and the engine shock is also buggered. Im surprised the WOF people didnt pick it up - damaged engine mount = fail...surely?

I also love E30s that are low. Looks hot. Dont care what anyone elses thinks.

Since you removed you spring pads, it doesnt make any knocking or squeeking noises?

Nope.. Theres no reason it should if your springs are captive and they're always going to be compressed so they aren't going to be moving around except up and down as they are compressed. I never had mine in at all.

[zenetti 0]

Just a quick Q

Did you buy the springs brand new or 2nd hand? The only reason I ask is that if you bought 2nd hand are you sure you didn't get 6 cylinder springs? The heavier spring from the 6 cylinder will lower your car less.

Edited September 14, 2009 by zenetti

[e30plz 1]

Having 6cyl springs makes the most sense for the height your E30 is, Except for why your sump is so low.

Sure you didnt break your engine mount supports when you broke your sump?

[mark247 39]

Having 6cyl springs makes the most sense for the height your E30 is, Except for why your sump is so low.

Sure you didnt break your engine mount supports when you broke your sump?

If his engine mounts were broken it would be pretty obvious wouldn't it? I've driven a car with broken engine mounts ( had no bonnit ) and it looked like the engine was about to bounce out of the engine bay..

[e30plz 1]

You never know.. lol.

My first E30 had a broken engine mount support when I brought it and it wasn't really noticible when driving it home.

Edited September 14, 2009 by James~

[Guest FrantiC]

Depends how they are broken, Worn out/cracked ones will sag and drop the engine down. If it is completely torn then it would cause the engine to lift and vibrate alot.

Rubber ones crack and you look at the engine mount and you can see when the mount looks all squashed and cracked, sometimes you won't even notice unless the engine is running and you rev it you will see it's torn or something.

[laadeelaa 0]

I think I need a ciggerette after reading this.

Listen to Bravo. Honestly. Please.

[Matty104 0]

I'll be having one too emily after reading this, keeps going round a roundabout haha ,

my sump guard sits at 65mm, and i hardly have any trouble (except on steep driveways and gravel farm roads)

[louis297 0]

NO. Frantic was wrong and I've removed his post as it was advocating illegal and unsafe practise.

The WOF rules clearly state that if your springs have been heated or cut you need a cert. You won't get a cert with cut factory springs, so you will fail a WOF. if you have an accident and the springs were found to contribute, you won't have any insurance and you will be liable for any damage you cause.

If you cut your springs, lose it on a corner (even if you were obeying the road rules), and kill someone, you will possibly be facing jail time.

Bimmersport does not condone illegal modifications to cars. Illegally modified cars are banned from all bimmersport events. Cars attending Bimmersport sanctioned events may be subject to scrutineering. Members found breaching these rules will be banned from the site.

hmm Ive got compressed springs they were done by my dads mechanic at italian job and he said no cert was needed and if done right compressed springs are fine (still not as good as lowering springs)

[huff3r 347]

I think you'll find the reason most E30s looks so high is because on standard springs they are massively high! But thats how they were designed to be, and if yours looked higher stock than anyone elses did stock, i'd think itd be more likely the springs and shocks were worn. Mine were completely buggered before i went race series shocks & springs.

However, i would not want a low E30, mines plenty low enough on the race series combination, it looks fine IMO and any lower would just be a pain, its hard enough for me (6"3') to get out of as is lol

[Shady 0]

Already said, my engine mount is stuffed. Was told by my mate who replaced my sump for me, said its a gonner. But thats according to him...I've had a look and it didnt seem bad but that lil shock, the rubber part has been torn off & I noticed it wasnt even bolted on - took me a lil while to put it back on (god knows how the bolt came off but it looks like the guy who done my sump took it off, put the bolt back in, but didnt bolt back to the engine)...will have to remeasure the sump height.

Not sure if my shocks/struts are worn? They passed a WOF with ease & dont make any noises. If I take them out, will they be stiff or saggy if they're worn out? So I can check sometime this week.

Remember: I havent taken my car for a drive yet, so the springs/struts wouldnt have settled in properly yet - been told it can take a few days of driving to settle them in fully...which may be why it doesnt look as low - yet.

[Shady 0]

The 14's look heaps better IMO. Looks very roller-skatish on the 17's at that height.

Will be having both sets. 14s I am going to sandblast & repaint Gloss Black with a Polished Lip (someone else on here has done it - cant remember their name?) it looked damn awesome. And will also sandblast the 17s, buff up (a bit of curbage) and then Gloss Black also. 2 sets so will 1 set each for whatever I feel like using.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Shady

[bravo 35]

hmm Ive got compressed springs they were done by my dads mechanic at italian job and he said no cert was needed and if done right compressed springs are fine (still not as good as lowering springs)

In regards to the comment about not needing a cert, that's simply not true. The people you spoke to are either not aware of the law, or just know that you are unlikely to get pinged for it, so weren't honest with you.

THe LVVT manual and the WOF manual are very very clear. Heated springs require a cert. It says exactly that. Whether you get one or not is up to you. Do a search on the ltsa website - it's all there for you to download.

Compressed springs may be ok, but the problem is, when you heat the metal the properties change, and it's very difficult to get an even rate throughout the spring, or even a progressive rate. If done by a pro they may be OK as at least they will have taken care to avoid hot spots, etc. That way although your springs may not provide the handling available from properly designed springs, they're unlikely to fail and cause an accident.

From the certification Threshold Schedule (the document that specifies what does and does not need a cert):

LVV Certification is NOT required, provided that:

...

replacement springs have not been heated or cut...

Otherwise you need a cert.

[Guest FrantiC]

17's are cruising rims. 14's are for SKIDZZZ.

[Shady 0]

17's are cruising rims. 14's are for SKIDZZZ.

+1

[ashy_aye 3]

what you need is a set ov 17's (+) and a set of 15's that are identical so you can cruze round with the 17's on the front and 15's on the rear and it will still look good and you can skid it up any time! (you find a private rd with permission of corse) i used to have 19" advanti stilletos on the front and 15" stilletos on the rear. workd mint. and lookd sweet.