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      06-25-2016, 11:43 AM   #1
shimmy23
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Spring Ride Height Measurements

Just picked up my e90 M3 (non-zcp but equipped with EDC) and would like to lower it just a little. Car will never be tracked and serves as my daily driver. I've been reading thru several threads, sites, and PMs, but none seem to have actual height measurements or alignment specs.

From what I've gathered, here's what I conclude:

Low---->Lowest
Eibach>Dinan>H&R sport>H&R race>Swift>B&G

Based on what I've read:

Eibach - tad more drop than OEM ZCP and ride very well
Dinan - similar drop to Eibachs, maybe the same and ride well
H&R sport and race - ride harsh and bouncy at times
Swift - aggressive drop and OEM ride
B&G - most aggressive drop for springs, OEM ride but rear spring rates may not be stiff enough.

I'm not looking to drop as much as the B&Gs, but I do want something a little more than the Eibachs. Any suggestions or ride height measurements would be helpful. I've flipped thru countless pics and its so difficult to see actual wheel gaps considering shadows and misc pic angles.

Height/Stance/Look I'm going for below. Does anyone have more info on this e90?





TIA!
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Last edited by shimmy23; 06-25-2016 at 11:50 AM..
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      06-26-2016, 10:21 AM   #2
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congrats on the pick-up! i loved your e46 so can't wait to see where the e90 goes....

i don't know specifics about the car pictured but looks like similar ride height to H&R's. i have the sport versions and they're great. not too harsh though i do get some bounciness. EDC helps with that. i've had them for 2 years now and no complaints, really, but i do prefer the full adjustability of coilovers and may be moving to bilsteins. if you're going to obsess over the height like i do, it may just be better to get a good coileover kit and be done with it.
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      06-26-2016, 10:55 AM   #3
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also looking to get springs for my edc e90. Torn between B&G and swift. Sounds like swifts are less bouncy but I like the drop of B&G
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      06-26-2016, 11:32 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sansin View Post
congrats on the pick-up! i loved your e46 so can't wait to see where the e90 goes....

i don't know specifics about the car pictured but looks like similar ride height to H&R's. i have the sport versions and they're great. not too harsh though i do get some bounciness. EDC helps with that. i've had them for 2 years now and no complaints, really, but i do prefer the full adjustability of coilovers and may be moving to bilsteins. if you're going to obsess over the height like i do, it may just be better to get a good coileover kit and be done with it.
I had read in several threads that H&Rs were stiffer than other springs with a harsh ride. I think those were Race setups though.

I too prefer coilovers, but with EDC and this being my daily driver I can't seem to bring myself to spend $4k+ on EDC type coilovers at the moment. Maybe later?

Quote:
Originally Posted by nyfg56 View Post
also looking to get springs for my edc e90. Torn between B&G and swift. Sounds like swifts are less bouncy but I like the drop of B&G
I'm leaning toward the swifts. The drop seems to be a little less than the B&Gs. I hear great things about both springs.
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      06-26-2016, 12:24 PM   #5
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Quote:
I'm leaning toward the swifts. The drop seems to be a little less than the B&Gs. I hear great things about both springs.
I prefer the drop of the B@G but absolutely dont want any bounce. I made the mistake of putting tein s tech springs on my 335 back in the day and it was like a bouncy bounce....AWFUL. Let me know what you end up getting
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      06-26-2016, 12:49 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shimmy23
Quote:
Originally Posted by sansin View Post
congrats on the pick-up! i loved your e46 so can't wait to see where the e90 goes....

i don't know specifics about the car pictured but looks like similar ride height to H&R's. i have the sport versions and they're great. not too harsh though i do get some bounciness. EDC helps with that. i've had them for 2 years now and no complaints, really, but i do prefer the full adjustability of coilovers and may be moving to bilsteins. if you're going to obsess over the height like i do, it may just be better to get a good coileover kit and be done with it.
I had read in several threads that H&Rs were stiffer than other springs with a harsh ride. I think those were Race setups though.

I too prefer coilovers, but with EDC and this being my daily driver I can't seem to bring myself to spend $4k+ on EDC type coilovers at the moment. Maybe later?

Quote:
Originally Posted by nyfg56 View Post
also looking to get springs for my edc e90. Torn between B&G and swift. Sounds like swifts are less bouncy but I like the drop of B&G
I'm leaning toward the swifts. The drop seems to be a little less than the B&Gs. I hear great things about both springs.
I had the exact same thought; maintain EDC (as my e92 is my DD) while stiffening up the suspension and lowering the ride height. I bought Swift springs and e36 bump stops and fully intended to install.

Here's why I didn't -- at the time I was going to install the springs, my OEM suspension had 50k on it and was already beginning to feel sluggish. Slapping springs on with soft dampers was only going to finish off my OEM setup and quickly degrade ride quality to that of a bouncehouse.

Here's what I did instead -- bought an Ohlins R/T coilover setup. While I hated the idea of losing EDC (as I pressing a button is far more convenient than twisting four knobs that are strewn about the car like Easter eggs), the reality is, for the ride quality I want (OEM compliance; increased chassis stiffness; reduced body roll / pitching) and the ride height I prefer, springs would have simply masked the problem and left me unhappy in 6-9 months.

EDC is great, for a while. After finding that I drove on EDC1 95% of the time, I resolved myself to "set it and forget it" when it comes to adjusting the Ohlins.
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      06-26-2016, 04:00 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Emm Tree View Post
I had the exact same thought; maintain EDC (as my e92 is my DD) while stiffening up the suspension and lowering the ride height. I bought Swift springs and e36 bump stops and fully intended to install.

Here's why I didn't -- at the time I was going to install the springs, my OEM suspension had 50k on it and was already beginning to feel sluggish. Slapping springs on with soft dampers was only going to finish off my OEM setup and quickly degrade ride quality to that of a bouncehouse.

Here's what I did instead -- bought an Ohlins R/T coilover setup. While I hated the idea of losing EDC (as I pressing a button is far more convenient than twisting four knobs that are strewn about the car like Easter eggs), the reality is, for the ride quality I want (OEM compliance; increased chassis stiffness; reduced body roll / pitching) and the ride height I prefer, springs would have simply masked the problem and left me unhappy in 6-9 months.

EDC is great, for a while. After finding that I drove on EDC1 95% of the time, I resolved myself to "set it and forget it" when it comes to adjusting the Ohlins.
I was originally headed this direction, but I really felt that EDC was a bonus. I held out for the right e90 with EDC.

I figure if/when my shocks needs replacing, i'll opt for the bilstein EDC replacements.
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      06-26-2016, 04:33 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shimmy23
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emm Tree View Post
I had the exact same thought; maintain EDC (as my e92 is my DD) while stiffening up the suspension and lowering the ride height. I bought Swift springs and e36 bump stops and fully intended to install.

Here's why I didn't -- at the time I was going to install the springs, my OEM suspension had 50k on it and was already beginning to feel sluggish. Slapping springs on with soft dampers was only going to finish off my OEM setup and quickly degrade ride quality to that of a bouncehouse.

Here's what I did instead -- bought an Ohlins R/T coilover setup. While I hated the idea of losing EDC (as I pressing a button is far more convenient than twisting four knobs that are strewn about the car like Easter eggs), the reality is, for the ride quality I want (OEM compliance; increased chassis stiffness; reduced body roll / pitching) and the ride height I prefer, springs would have simply masked the problem and left me unhappy in 6-9 months.

EDC is great, for a while. After finding that I drove on EDC1 95% of the time, I resolved myself to "set it and forget it" when it comes to adjusting the Ohlins.
I was originally headed this direction, but I really felt that EDC was a bonus. I held out for the right e90 with EDC.

I figure if/when my shocks needs replacing, i'll opt for the bilstein EDC replacements.
So what springs are you running?
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      06-26-2016, 04:34 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shimmy23
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emm Tree View Post
I had the exact same thought; maintain EDC (as my e92 is my DD) while stiffening up the suspension and lowering the ride height. I bought Swift springs and e36 bump stops and fully intended to install.

Here's why I didn't -- at the time I was going to install the springs, my OEM suspension had 50k on it and was already beginning to feel sluggish. Slapping springs on with soft dampers was only going to finish off my OEM setup and quickly degrade ride quality to that of a bouncehouse.

Here's what I did instead -- bought an Ohlins R/T coilover setup. While I hated the idea of losing EDC (as I pressing a button is far more convenient than twisting four knobs that are strewn about the car like Easter eggs), the reality is, for the ride quality I want (OEM compliance; increased chassis stiffness; reduced body roll / pitching) and the ride height I prefer, springs would have simply masked the problem and left me unhappy in 6-9 months.

EDC is great, for a while. After finding that I drove on EDC1 95% of the time, I resolved myself to "set it and forget it" when it comes to adjusting the Ohlins.
I was originally headed this direction, but I really felt that EDC was a bonus. I held out for the right e90 with EDC.

I figure if/when my shocks needs replacing, i'll opt for the bilstein EDC replacements.
That's what I thought first. In fact, Bilstein makes a coilover that's a direct plug and play with our EDC module. That was really tempting. Unfortunately, all of the reports I've seen from reliable (and trusted sources) say that the Bilstein setup is no better than stock. If I'm dismantling a part of the car, I'm hard-pressed not to upgrade.

Comparatively, the Ohlins R/T system is top notch in all categories. The Bilsteins simply cannot compare.

I understand you sought out the EDC car, so you might as well give springs (preferably, Swift) a try. Just promise us you'll post back here to tell us about your new coilover system early next year.
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      06-26-2016, 09:44 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shimmy23 View Post
I had read in several threads that H&Rs were stiffer than other springs with a harsh ride. I think those were Race setups though.

I too prefer coilovers, but with EDC and this being my daily driver I can't seem to bring myself to spend $4k+ on EDC type coilovers at the moment. Maybe later?

must have been race or sport plus. the regular sport versions i have are not harsh at all.

i agree with all the posts above... but the bilstein B16 will allow you to retain functional EDC. i hear they measure equal to or better than stock, but have height adjustability while retaining OEM qualities (i.e. EDC). unfortunately, there aren't too many people with them. there are, however, many that have experience with the shocks/struts + spring setup and they all seem to report that bilsteins are far better than OEM. the few that have the B16 plug-in coilovers love 'em and say they are better than OEM in all settings - more comfort in comfort setting and more track ready in the stiffest setting. at least that's what i got from a search on this site and in PM'ing the few that had experience. to me, it seems if you want OEM+ (including functional EDC) with height adjustability (and probably a little more reliability), the bilstein B16 is the answer... of course Ohlins and JRZs would be far better, but the cost is far greater and the functionality is somewhat lost for daily drivers.

Last edited by mmbv1000; 06-27-2016 at 09:49 AM..
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      06-26-2016, 11:49 PM   #11
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Google confirmation bias before you put too much stock in what people post 50 miles after they've just dropped a few grand on suspension
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