"Needs a Drop"

[YUN]

Why can't we appreciate things for what they are, lowered M3 will never look like true sport's car. I thought about it hard in the end I've decided to wait till I can buy me a true sports' car F458 or Ford GT. M is an everyday car for me to get to and from work.

[1MOREMOD]

im at stock ride height too. if i keep it long enough to need suspension i will probably go with a coilover setup though and lower it somewhat just dont like the slammed look.

[niicknac]

I would only put on sway bars to help with the sway, id keep the stock struts and everything else the same. Stock ride height is 1000 times better for daily driving

[thurston]

I agree that it does not "need" a drop, but to each his own. I prefer more of a drop and enjoy a stiffer ride. I didn't buy a GT3 or a 458 because they are completely different cars. I wouldn't buy an entirely different car just because it has the drop I'm looking for.

[Denk]

I'm on Dinan and it's actually a little low for me, I'm just not into the knuckle dragging look anymore...a little to race car wannabe looking. My friend with stock suspension running spacers looks better than my Dinan w/o spacers. Funny how my tastes have changed, I've had H&R, Eibach's and Dinan on my M3's but my next one will be riding stock height.

[Proenca007]

Personally I like my cars low! It just looks so much better IMO. It definitely requires more attention when driving around town...but it's a price I'm willing to pay.

Nothing wrong with stock ride height as long as the car remains stock. Just don't like it when stock ride height is accompanied with aftermarket wheels, lips, ect.. It's kinda like looking at a really hot chick wearing granny panties

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by drburton

It seems there is a bit of an obsession on this forum with dropping the M3. Everytime pictures are posted of a car that isn't riding on the bump stops there are multiple posts that say, 'needs a drop'.

I'm starting to believe I may be the only forum member with a stock suspension.

For the few of us who have a stock setup, I thought I would share some reasons why the M3 does not 'need' a drop and some owners are choosing not to drop:

1) The M3 is already pretty low compared to most cars, I'm not sure why there is an obsession with having no gap between the tire and the fender.

2) The appeal of the M3 to me is that it is a very capable car that can be used as a daily driver. If dropped, a number of clearance issues come up in daily driving - parking curbs, speed bumps, slanted driveways etc...

3) To add on to #2, if you live in a state that gets snow, clearance is a key variable. I can't imagine navigating a Minnesota winter with a dropped car.

4) A drop impacts ride quality. If I wanted a stiff ride and no clearance I'd buy a GT3

5) I think there is a valid argument that BMW did a nice job engineering the suspension for the M3. Not sure why I would want to potentially upset the balance by throwing in aftermarket springs (comment doesn't apply to coil over)

The intention of the post isn't to judge the members with a drop. I'm just providing some reasoning why some M3 owners don't 'need' a drop.

If you're driving in snow conditions, I wouldn't do it. Spacers or aftermarket wheels whith more offset help the appearance a lot. I have the Dinan Stage 1 springs, and I feel they help the looks significantly with little detriment to ride.

[aresh]

The m3 can def use a drop. Especially the front. That was such an eye sore for me that huge gap. I'm dropped on eibach springs which gives it a great balance and felt no difference at all but better appearance.

[big fra]

Im 10mm lower than the norm on my alpine edition. I was gonni lower it in the summer but I think I will just get spacers now.As people have stated I need the car to work in car parks etc.

[MKE_M3]

Dinan does great work. It'd be interesting to see if people can put down better track times with their slammed car. I'd guess not, especially on a non-glass smooth track. I remember a national champion autocrosser telling me once to "put the stock springs back in, BMW spent millions of dollars getting it right and you spent $250 screwing it up"

That is in my e36 M3. The only after market suspension I've owned that I really liked was the Dinan setup in my 335i, which was incredible. My ZCP M3 has a very similar feel in soft, and is a little stiffer in Sport, perfect adjustability and no need to change.

A lot of people underestimate how important suspension travel is.

[Wendall]

Originally Posted by jdemetry

Dinan does great work. It'd be interesting to see if people can put down better track times with their slammed car. I'd guess not, especially on a non-glass smooth track. I remember a national champion autocrosser telling me once to "put the stock springs back in, BMW spent millions of dollars getting it right and you spent $250 screwing it up"

That is in my e36 M3. The only after market suspension I've owned that I really liked was the Dinan setup in my 335i, which was incredible. My ZCP M3 has a very similar feel in soft, and is a little stiffer in Sport, perfect adjustability and no need to change.

A lot of people underestimate how important suspension travel is.

Well said. I keep thinking about going the Dinan route but then i look at my car and it looks good. Then i drive my car and it feels good. I dont want to mess anything up. My old E36 I swapped out the springs and after a two years they car was much lower and mushy. The springs already started sagging. I bought SPAX coils and struts. It was horrible, I was slamming the car on speed bumps. Im sure the Dinan kit is great and im still undecided but its hard to mess with a ride this smooth and responsive.

[dans///m3]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I'm debating this with myself ... to drop or not to drop ... I dropped my E46 M3 (with coilovers), and the suspension went from stock stiff to just as stiff but also bouncy. Ride comfort went from awful to worse than awful. Hated it - plus I couldn't stand the look, could never get the rear to look "right".

Originally Posted by tlr

I'd rather have spacers pushing the wheels outward than a drop moving them upward.

IMO there should be equal space all around the wheel between the wheel and fender.

Since the radius of the wheel and fender is different, dropping the car such that the top is flush looks terrible.

This is a great description of how I feel dropping the car looks. I hate that when you drop the car, the radius of the wheel and radius of the fender don't "match" up.

Originally Posted by Denk

I'm on Dinan and it's actually a little low for me, I'm just not into the knuckle dragging look anymore...a little to race car wannabe looking. My friend with stock suspension running spacers looks better than my Dinan w/o spacers. Funny how my tastes have changed, I've had H&R, Eibach's and Dinan on my M3's but my next one will be riding stock height.

I was considering the Dinan, but after reading this, I think I'm just going to go with some MS spacers and keep the ride at stock. The stock ride comfort is so good, and the roads around here are so bad.