Regrets in dropping?

[SWOLE]

I was wondering if anyone has any regrets in putting new springs on their car. Specifically, if anyone finds that they tend to scrape on seemingly everything they go over.

I have a set of H&Rs sitting in my garage and I am so close to putting them on but I am still wondering if I will be bothered with constant scraping issues.

If no one seems to be dealing with these issues then I will put them on this weekend. But if you are dealing with scraping, please chime in with your thoughts. I am also curious to know whether it's the bumper that scrapes or the little felt covered boxes flanking the lower lip that scrapes? Thanks all.

Cheers,
Tom

[Lemans_Blue_M]

Originally Posted by SWOLE

I was wondering if anyone has any regrets in putting new springs on their car. Specifically, if anyone finds that they tend to scrape on seemingly everything they go over.

I have a set of H&Rs sitting in my garage and I am so close to putting them on but I am still wondering if I will be bothered with constant scraping issues.

If no one seems to be dealing with these issues then I will put them on this weekend. But if you are dealing with scraping, please chime in with your thoughts. I am also curious to know whether it's the bumper that scrapes or the little felt covered boxes flanking the lower lip that scrapes? Thanks all.

Cheers,
Tom

I'm thinking of going with Eibach myself, due to the same concerns you have now. H&R springs lower the car more in the front and back, so the scraping thing is more of an issue them and less so with the other brands.

I will predict that guys who installed H&R springs will complain about scrapping, performance, or ride comfort...while the DINAN and EIBACH guys will be almost universally happy with their purchase.

Just a hunch...

[J08M3]

On Eibachs and still happy...

[MrHarris]

I never scraped w/ stock front, but once I added the VRS front lip I do scrap on certain driveways that's almost unavoidable, even when putting the suspension in sport mode.

As far as speed bumps go, don't worry about scraping just worrying about short inclines that are steep.

[rominl]

i regret not putting them earlier. i scrape here and there but i don't really care coz' it's a lease car

but as long as you drive careful and go over things at angle if needed, the H&R aren't going to be a problem. my other cars (that i own) are even lower and i hardly scrape them

[SWOLE]

Thanks for all your responses. Sounds like I should go ahead and install the springs and enjoy the better look and performance associated with the swap!

[imballin2day]

When I was stock I would NEVER scrape coming out of my driveway. Now with H&R it is very hard not to scrape. I tend to scrape on some driveways and dips. But it is definetly worth the drop imo.

[SWOLE]

Thanks for your inputs. Are you all hitting the bumper or the aforementioned felt boxes?

[MrHarris]

Originally Posted by SWOLE

Thanks for your inputs. Are you all hitting the bumper or the aforementioned felt boxes?

felt box w/ stock bumper, lip after installing a lip.

[elm3]

H&Rs on my car and I have not scraped at all, so far. The ride is better than stock, not bouncy at all, like others have thought. Trust me, you won't regret it.

[Nawaaz]

The way I drive......I'd be scraping too much with springs. I'll just stay with the stock suspension. I'm very impressed with it so far.

[MWorldorder]

Ride is not as good as stock. Definitely bouncier on shitty roads. I only scrape the felt occasionally. I have no lip.

[Ca$hOnly]

Springs barely drop the car. Just be a little more careful with bumps and driveways. Easy and at an angle usually does it.

[disruptv]

cashonly

i love ur m3! its put together so well!

[onefastdoc]

Here are pics of my H&R drop.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284692

The ride is slightly stiffer, but completely tolerable. I drive around with my wife and 2 year old in the back and she says that the ride in her Rav4 is rougher.

It is lower, and you need to be careful entering driveways and over speed bumps. If I don't approach at an angle, I scrape on a lot of the driveways in L.A.

When I had my 335i, I had a set of H&R springs laying around in the house and never installed them. I wish I had installed them because I love the springs on my M3.

[NFDoms2k1]

I'd say it would depend on where you lived and what the road conditions are there. I would assume that being in a place with a limited freeze-thaw cycle and normal traffic, the roads are ion decent condition. Also, places like that tend to have smoother transitions from street to driveways, both public and private. As such with the coupe and its decent but not extreme drop you should be fine.

As for myself, I've got H&Rs on my vert with the stock 19s. Even though H&R supposedly made the E93 springs stiffer and such to allow for the extra weight, I definitely rub all the time and the car is VERY low both at the wheelwells and at the lip. This combined with the fact I live in NYC (I'm convinced worst roads in America) make me contemplate switching back to stock every day, as I am forced to drive like a granny half the time. I actually just detailed my car yesterday and was shocked with how much rubber was on the inside of my fenders. The reason the springs always win out though is that the car looks significantly better, plus when I actually am on smooth, fast highway the ride is much much smoother.

[AMPowerJ]

Dropped with Dinan and I am glad I did it. The pictures don't really do a good job of representing the drop but is in perfect in my opinion for a daily driver.

[PunjabiM3]

No regrets on the H&R springs. I think the front looks much better than stock and honestly I do not think there would be too much fender gap with the Eibach and especially Dinan springs. Only question is the long term effects on the struts, but probably by then it will be time to get something else.

[FrenchBoy]

Originally Posted by PunjabiM3

No regrets on the H&R springs. I think the front looks much better than stock and honestly I do not think there would be too much fender gap with the Eibach and especially Dinan springs. Only question is the long term effects on the struts, but probably by then it will be time to get something else.

Can you clarify? You mean the fender gap with the Eibach or Dinan is not enough, or do you feel that it's okay (i.e. better than stock).

All the cars that I have personally seen are on H&Rs and I really like the drop they provide (Dawgdog's drop is just about perfect to me) so that's probably the route I'll go.
I wish I saw a car with the Eibach's drop in person to make my final decision. On photos, it feels like the Eibach's drop is not quite enough in the front.

[duk]

I will lower my car not mainly for looks but for preformance. Going with Eibachs all the way. Nothing against H&R but the raked look is not for me.

[rominl]

Originally Posted by duk

I will lower my car not mainly for looks but for preformance. Going with Eibachs all the way. Nothing against H&R but the raked look is not for me.

agree, exactly the reason why i put e92 springs on my e93

[Eugene-TAIWAN]

dropping the car is a must!! in my case