E46 Lowering springs

[xypro 0]

Hi all,

Struggling to find good information on lowering springs. I am wanting to acheive similar ride height with lowering springs to the picture i have attached. Does anyone know the best springs? There are so many out there with so many different heights.

P.s wheels on car in picture are 8.5 & 9,5x19" ET25 (Similar size to wheels that are going on my car)

Cheers,

Rob

Edited May 11, 2016 by xypro

[gjm 3258]

That looks to be at least a 40mm drop on a standard E46 ride height. Possibly 65mm. Someone else will know better than I.

There's lots of options... At 40mm, there's possibly a question over whether or not dampers should also be changed. Certainly a damper designed to work with a shorter spring will be more effective than a stock damper and shorter spring. Compare BMW stock suspension with Motorsport.

My background is in Europe, where suspension means Bilstein, Eibach, H&R, Koni, Spax, Vogtland and others (alphabetical order - not suggesting any preference!) are common, This side of the planet you also have King Springs and doubtless others. These are (believe it or not) the cheap end of the market, but you still get what you pay for. Some manufacturers have shared production facility at one time or another, but this doesn't necessarily mean the products are the same. Aside from the different colour (makes a huge difference, of course) the rates are unlikely to be the same.

In my opinion, to do the job properly you want Bilstein or Koni dampers fitted with Eibach, Koni or (possibly) H&R springs. Bilstein don't (as far as I know) manufacture their own springs, and their suspension kits generally include Eibach springs. Koni can provide a complete Koni setup. Economically, the H&R Cup range of suspension kits represent good vfm for road and occasional track use (-40-45mm iirc), and their Cup Sport kits drop the vehicle further (-60mm, iirc).

Prices for kits vary depending on source and the kit in question. A Bilstein B12 kit sourced from Europe when on special offer may be cheaper than a H&R Cup kit - it's normally the other way around) - but it is always worth checking locally (NZ) to see what is available.

Edited May 11, 2016 by gjm

[xypro 0]

Thanks for the help!

I have been looking at H&R race springs, as they seem to have a nice drop. Know if these are the right ones? I might have a look around locally and see what everyone has to offer.

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-325i-M54_2.5L/Suspension/Springs/ES10800/

[gjm 3258]

Assuming your car is a 6-pot, then this looks to be correct. This kits lowers a M-Sport-kitted car by about 25-30mm at the front and up to 25mm at the rear. Bear in mind you can use different spring pad thicknesses to subtly change the ride height, too.

Also looks to be a good price for the H&R springs.

However, Eibach springs currently seem to be cheaper... No idea why.

I think Eibach p/n E20-20-001-03-22 is correct for the 6-cyl Touring. (You'd need to check specific suitability for your car.) They can be had ex-Europe for about 30% less.

I was trying to get a set of the Eibach springs for an E46 M3, but was unable to do so. Availability may be an issue.

[Ugan 41]

I have a set of Eibach Pro Springs set on my touring, bought of TM for $395 brand new and personally feel that the H&R sit slightly better i.e the front sits slightly lower that the rear. The ride on the eibach is really good though for the drop cant comment on the H&R but should be close or better..