Dinan or Eibach -Ready to pull the trigger but need advice.

I have narrowed my search for springs down to either Dinan or Eibach. I have searched and searched and read numerous threads but I am looking for that last bit of advice before I purchase. I would like to hear what you would do, have done, or would change now given the chance?

The pros for the Dinan as I see it:

+ Warranty coverage for EDC shocks
+ Appears to be a well engineered system to take into account suspension travel, bump stops, etc.
+ Should at the very least be neutral in terms of handling ... maybe better than stock

The negatives:

- Cost $900 is a lot of money approaching coilover territory
- The drop is minimal and would likely leave the car, especially with aftermarket wheels, looking like it still needs some drop

The pros for Eibach:

+ Cost is very reasonable
+ Drop is more significant but still moderate

The negatives (real or perceived):

- According to Dinan with the Eibach you will be riding on the bump stops but even though I put this as a negative does it really matter to durability?
- Handling probably suffers due to riding on the bump stops
- Not engineered specifically for the M3 like Dinan's solution
- Could cause stock suspension components to wear more quickly.

I almost purchased the Dinan springs today but I do like a car with a visible drop and I would rather not have to shell out $900. If I do and the drop is not what I want then I will likely go with coilovers and I am out $900 with nothing to show for it.

If I purchase the Eibach's I run the risk of reduced handling and wearing out the shocks, bump stops, prematurely, but if that happens I could take the $750 I saved and just put that towards coilovers. In this way I think of the Eibach's as a cheap trial with coilovers in the future if necessary.

I generally only like to modify the car with components that enhance the car and not detract from it. That has me leaning towards Dinan ...

As you can see I am on the fence here. Please help!

I have the Eibach's and am happy with them. Especially now I finally got my alignment redone. The drop looks good, and glad I didn't go less. Dinan talks a lot of sh*t about their system being the only one that will work with your OEM suspension, and the bumpstop stuff, but I can tell you there is no problems with suspension travel with the Eibach.

Save your money.

I have the Dinan's and couldn't be happier. This is a performance upgrade. Slight drop but it is enough that you notice. But if you want drop>performance then you should look at Eibach. Some of those on here that bash the Dinan's only want to slam the car and talk #$# about the Dinan drop. What they are forgetting is that the aim of the Dinan's are performance>cosmetic. Of course, the slight drop helps with the center of gravity issue. But the drop is working with the stock suspension so that there is no compromise with performance. Yes the Dinan springs are expensive but like you listed there are pros which make sense. I would recommend seeing a car with Dinan springs installed to help you make this decision.

What about the 2010 M3 models that are lowered .4 inches. Will this be a concern with the car riding on bump stops as well? There are so many theories on what would be legit but the only people I feel that would know best is the ones that tried it out and felt how the system works. There isn't much R&D into these companies that make the product as the car just came out, how can they say they worked many years on it when it hasn't been out for that long.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267581&highlight=edition

Khoa|Khoalty.com wrote

What about the 2010 M3 models that are lowered .4 inches. Will this be a concern with the car riding on bump stops as well?

That is a good point. I would assume that BMW did something similar to what Dinan is doing to increase the suspension travel for the 2010 model but I can't be sure. One thing that I am sure about is that Dinan DOES spend time with BMWs to properly (at least in their mind) engineer their products. I would think that in Eibach's case they have a spring and it fits many different vehicles and they are not engineered for just one. I would love to know that I am wrong on this point but I doubt it. I know they had PencilGeek's car for testing so I would love to hear from him on what Eibach actually did with his car. Maybe they are in fact engineered for just the M3 and that would make me feel much better about buying them.

That being said, if I knew I would get at least 30K miles out of the stock suspension, have a good ride and handling as good as stock, then I would buy the Eibach's tomorrow.

That is what I am trying to figure out but I am sure I will not have all the data points to do so so keep your opinions coming.

Thanks.

Split the difference, get the AC Schnitzer Spring kit. It has the OEM fit, ride quality, and works with your EDC. ACS also has a very nice and tasteful drop.

I have riden in an Eibach car and an ACS car with just springs, yes there is a difference. If anyone claims they are the same and hasn't done a direct comparison of the two doesn't know what they are talking about. Yeah, Eibach does the manufacturing, but its a different spec. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

BMW's not going to lower the car without dealing with suspension travel appropriately.

I went with the Dinan for the performance. The drop is obvious to non-owners, since several people have asked, "what did you do to your car?"

The Dinan kit is complete, with springs hats and different bump stops to compensate for the different spring length. Besides the drop there's a different spring rate, which I think compliments the stock EDC shocks. This is obviously a matter of personal preference, but I prefer the Dinan's street feel over stock.

You gain control without giving up comfort. It IS firmer than stock, but not so firm as the Sport setting on the stock EDC. My MDM is set to "Normal" and I think that'll be the performance setting for all but the smoothest, flatest courses.

I'm not anti-Eibach, since I've been a customer in the past and gotten good results on my 5.0 Mustangs, but I sacrificed a lot of ride quality. I did that also for performance and combined the springs with Tokiko's top five-way adjustable shock. Hit a bump and it'd send you through the headliner.

If you're into 20" wheel and extreme drop, then look eslewhere, but the Dinan Stage I for anyone looking for improved performance while maintaining the M3's dual performance/luxury personality. This is a great kit.

Dave

I had H&Rs before. Loved the look. But thought the ride was a bit too firm. Then I moved to Houston, and just couldn't stand the scraping in and out of driveways... so I sold the H&Rs.

Now I am thinking of getting the Dinans. More expensive but comes with warranty. Also the bumpstop theory caught up in my mind (thanks to Lucid). Planning to pull the trigger in a few days, assuming my RE SSK gets installed successfully.

So in sum:

If you are the type of person who likes to play it safe (and assuming money isn't an issue), get the Dinan
If you are doing it just for the looks, get the Eibach

Either way think throughly. Installation and alignment cannot be resold/refunded/returned.

Khoa|Khoalty.com wrote

What about the 2010 M3 models that are lowered .4 inches. Will this be a concern with the car riding on bump stops as well?

There is a thread on Japanese vs. US/Europe models' suspension. The Japanese version (whose suspension is likely going to be transferred to the 2010 Edition models) is 10mm (~0.4") lower.

I did a comparison and found that all the suspension components are the same except for the struts/shocks and maybe the springs*. Therefore it is likely that BMW modified the struts so maintain the same amount of suspension travel as discussed by Steve Dinan.

*spring part # are not listed in catalogues because cars with different options have different springs. therefore I cannot conclude whether the Japanese and US M3s have the same springs.

Thanks for the comments. I think I will sleep better at night with the Dinan approach. Will probably order them tomorrow unless I change my mind AGAIN.

Well I ordered the Dinan spring package today and I also purchased the front camber plates. Figured while I was doing it I may as well go all out. Thanks for the advice folks. I will post pics in a few weeks once everything is installed.

AMPowerJ wrote

Well I ordered the Dinan spring package today and I also purchased the front camber plates. Figured while I was doing it I may as well go all out. Thanks for the advice folks. I will post pics in a few weeks once everything is installed.

Good move.

Unless you're planning on HPDEs or solo events, I don't think you'll need the camber plates. With the stock plates I'm getting negative camber of 1.25-degrees front and 1.75-degrees rear. That's with the Dinan Stage I spring kit. I plan to autocross with this set. I may have to take a little off the back if running lower pressures don't loosen the rear up for my preferred style of handling.

Dave

AMPowerJ wrote

Well I ordered the Dinan spring package today and I also purchased the front camber plates. Figured while I was doing it I may as well go all out. Thanks for the advice folks. I will post pics in a few weeks once everything is installed.

Where are you getting yours installed? I don't know if it's worth paying $1800 plus tax to have a "Dinan Shop/Dealer" install them. The Dinan warranty assumes a proper install, which one would think a good shop would be able to do for much less.

AMPowerJ wrote

Well I ordered the Dinan spring package today and I also purchased the front camber plates. Figured while I was doing it I may as well go all out. Thanks for the advice folks. I will post pics in a few weeks once everything is installed.

As Dave mentioned, camber plates are not all that necessary if you won't track the car, but you do "notice" their effect somewhat even on the street. They do result in less of a drop up front though, but they are not that thick.

I like the Dinan setup, and I still would prefer it to just a spring swap, but the more I track the car, the more I wish I had ordered a non-EDC setup and gone for the Motons.

lucid wrote

As Dave mentioned, camber plates are not all that necessary if you won't track the car, but you do "notice" their effect somewhat even on the street. They do result in less of a drop up front though, but they are not that thick.

I like the Dinan setup, and I still would prefer it to just a spring swap, but the more I track the car, the more I wish I had ordered a non-EDC setup and gone for the Motons.

AMPowerJ wrote

The negatives:

- Cost $900 is a lot of money approaching coilover territory

I don't think I've seen a $1k coilover for an E9x M yet. All coilovers available are near the $2k mark or more so its not quite approaching coilover territory. It's still a significant savings over buying coilovers.

schadenfreude wrote

Where are you getting yours installed? I don't know if it's worth paying $1800 plus tax to have a "Dinan Shop/Dealer" install them. The Dinan warranty assumes a proper install, which one would think a good shop would be able to do for much less.

I have a local shop that is going to do it with alignment for around $350.

lucid wrote

As Dave mentioned, camber plates are not all that necessary if you won't track the car, but you do "notice" their effect somewhat even on the street. They do result in less of a drop up front though, but they are not that thick.

I like the Dinan setup, and I still would prefer it to just a spring swap, but the more I track the car, the more I wish I had ordered a non-EDC setup and gone for the Motons.

Thanks Dave and Lucid. I will forgo the camber plates for now and save some $$$.

AMPowerJ wrote

Thanks Dave and Lucid. I will forgo the camber plates for now and save some $$$.

When you get your alignment done, ask for as much negative camber as possible in front and then ask to set the rears at that plus 1/4-degree. If you make the same "mistake" as my friend Lucid and I did, asking for all you can get all around, you will probably end up with too much in back. Lucid is heating the inside edges of his rears and mine's killing the oversteer. Most will prefer more in back than in the front to move the car toward moderate understeer, but too much negative in the back and you'll induce push and, perhaps, premature wear. (This is mainly of concer in performance events, but the wear issue could impact any driver).

Dave

My dealer built a track car with Dinan springs, and it looks awful. The rear sits lower than the front, and it looks like a truck. I was leaning towards them until I saw the car IRL... Please post up pics when its done so we can see it.

I will be sure to post pics. Since the front and back are lowered evenly it shouldn't look any worse than the car does stock. It doesn't particularly look like a truck to me now but we shall see.

Khoa|Khoalty.com wrote

What about the 2010 M3 models that are lowered .4 inches. Will this be a concern with the car riding on bump stops as well? There are so many theories on what would be legit but the only people I feel that would know best is the ones that tried it out and felt how the system works. There isn't much R&D into these companies that make the product as the car just came out, how can they say they worked many years on it when it hasn't been out for that long.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267581&highlight=edition

OK if BMW drops the car why do they only drop 0.4inches. Well because they are probably onto what Dinan has been doing with their spring set. With the stock setup, the max allowable drop without compromising performance likely ranges around .4-.5 inches. I bet they have shaved bumpstops etc like Dinan and a higher spring rate. This only confirms what Dinan has been stating.