Suspension upgrade - springs, shaved mounts, bump stops & spacers

[TimberWolf_3063]

Hello all,

as long promised (and 1 year overdue) - here is a writeup of upgrades to my suspension, for a 2010 (non-Comp) E92 w/ EDC.

Special thanks to Malek@MRF for his detailed writeup on the matter - really made it easy to follow and understand!

As mentioned in Malek's writeup, I got my hands on a pair of E36 M3 bump stops (part # 31332225377), and a pair of OEM front strut mounts (part # 31302283650).

I decided on Eibach springs, as the consensus seems to be that they provide a decent drop (advertised as approx. 1.0" F, 0.6" R) without killing the ride.



This would also even the car out, as it is no secret that the stock ride height is noticeably higher in the front than the rear.

Before I started, I also contacted Malek to make sure that I had all this right - glad I did:



What you now have is 90% of the old Dinan Supplemental Ride Quality & Handling Kit.

Strut mounts went on the lathe to cut the metal tube (starting from the inside), and I then shaved the rubber part with a boxcutter - slicing off thin layers repeatedly seemed to work better than carving off a big chunk.
I finished with a sanding wheel on a grinder - careful with this though, as the rubber will get soft and sticky. Take frequent breaks to let it cool down, so you're not on there long enough to heat it up - or, sand by hand.
For either operation - cut, measure, measure. Cut, measure, measure.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE.




As you can see above, noted on the sides of the mounts I kept track of my measurements. The OEM strut mount was 3.143" tall, so the range I wanted it in was 2.793-2.810" - this would bring a gain of at least 0.33", but no more than 0.35". I ended up with 2.795 and 2.783 - so one was near the short limit, and one was technically too short, but I used them anyways (difference of 1/4mm!)

So, we have shaved off approx. 0.35".

Now for the bumpstops. New E36 on the left, OEM E92 on the right:



As you can see, the difference in height between the two is 0.269" (minus the plastic bag).

The gain there is about 0.25" (say a half-mm plastic bag - it was fairly sturdy).

What is the point of all this? With the shaved mounts and shorter bumpstops, we have regained about 0.6" of the suspension travel that we lost with springs that drop 0.6-1.0". So, while the car will look 0.6-1.0" lower cosmetically, mechanically the suspension will only have dropped 0-0.4".
This means the ride will not be jarring, and the car will not bottom out over every speedbump!

So - now the parts went for install. VCP took care of that, and also recommended pulling the alignment pins - which gained me about 1.8° camber. While we were at it, this seemed like a good time for spacers - Turner Motorsport items, 15mm F and 12.5mm R.



When all was said and done, I got the car back - and it was AMAZING.

With the Eibachs, the ride was more compliant (especially in COMFORT mode) over speed bumps etc., and that aforementioned negative rake was also gone. On top of that, I have BPM Sport's software, including MDM and steering - and whereas on OEM suspension, steering in Sport mode was almost too tight, with these mods done it was a revelation. Grippy and eager to turn, but not jittery.

Some before/after shots:













While it is not the most extreme drop, or stance (hardly visible in some pictures. I know.), it is very visible when you stand next to the car, or if you know what stock looks like.

If you want a cosmetic drop on your car without killing the ride, or your budget doesn't stretch as far as coilovers - this is a very worthwhile set of mods that you will not regret!
Keep in mind you can go with more aggressive springs, and regain some suspension travel with this method - i.e. Malek used H&R Sport.

Special thanks to VCM Auto Service in Victoria, BC!

And finally - some post-drop glamour shots!




PS: It does NOT rub!

[6ixSpd]

Right. This is exactly the MRF ZCP suspension explanation and write up replicated.

[TimberWolf_3063]

Originally Posted by 6ixSpd

Right. This is exactly the MRF ZCP suspension explanation and write up replicated.

Malek's car was a ZCP, and used H&R Sport springs. I have heard from a few sources that the ZCP and non-ZCP cars react differently to certain springs, so I figured that this combination works well and I could share it as a success story.

I tagged Malek, with a link to his original writeup, which I take no credit for. And yes, I followed the writeup...problem?