Shocks & Springs for the E30 325i

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325i_Pilot

2
#1
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Charleston S.C.
#1
I am just starting to get "sea sick" from the bouncing and swaying of my car[8]. I push down on each corner of the car checking the shocks, and on the rear you can hear the whooosh of air....lol.. So I have read up and am looking into the following shocks and springs... I know Bilstein is the most prefered shock and eibach the most prefered springs, but I am not sure that I want to ride on rails or not.. I have alot of tight turns that I haul ass around [bmwdance], and ripping them up like I am riding on railroad tracks would be even better[thumb], but it might not be what I want[scratch]... Which combination of shock & springs do you guys recommend for sportier than stock ride but not built for the track, and a little lowering wouldn't hurt?? Oh and would stiffer swaybars kill that body roll???

Shocks:
Bilstein SP
Bilstein HD
KYB GR-2
Tokico
Koni Yellow Sport

Springs:
Vogtland Made in Germany
H&R race springs
High Performance BILSTEIN LOWERING SPRINGS
Eibach
 
echothreezero

echothreezero

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#3
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Bay Of Islands, NZ
#3
Eibach have a reputation for having a harsh ride for street use. They are a great spring, but it depends on what you want. Eibachs are commonly also paired with the Konis.

I have heard very little about Dinan so i can't really comment.

Vogtland are good.
H&R are excellent (both race and sport versions), and are amazing when combined with bilstein sport shocks - its one of those match made in heaven things.

Stiffer sway bars will help lots.

Go and have a look on www.r3vlimited.com forums. There are a couple of spring/shock threads there with some really good info - and alot more options than you have listed. The guys on that forum can be a little rough to n00bs, but they do know their stuff.

www.e30tech.com is another great e30 resource. These guys take their e30s seriously.
 
E30m42cab

E30m42cab

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#7
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Toronto, Canada
#7
Dinan definately knows what they're doing. I cannot speak for their springs, but they use Koni Adjustables (as do I) and I use Intrax springs... they are not very harsh, have tightened up my ride, and have given my cabrio a nice stance. I do feel that I need to get some new sway bars to tighten up the body roll a little more (and some sweet tires).
I have Bilstein and Eibach on my 5er, and they are indeed very firm... but the 5er handles better than the cabrio... it just feels like you're hitting potholes when you're hitting expansion cracks.
http://www.intrax-suspension.eu/?cat=productoverzicht&title=producten_assortiment&mid=10&lang=EN
 
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M.C. Sketuls

M.C. Sketuls

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#8
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Orem, Ut
#8
It's just me but i would never put a Japanese spring or shock on my German car. I think they are made in Germany for a reason. They know there own cars. The Bilstiein HD's are a stock, heavy duty, shock. Hence the "HD". VERY bad combo with lowering springs. For me and my cars? I go H&R coilovers on my Audi Sports Sedan and I will go Bilstein shocks on my E30. I have not decided between Vogland or H&R sport. I still have more research to do on springs. I too want a sport feel yet a state where i can take clients out in my E30.

BTW..... Swaybars are a must!
 
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selavia

selavia

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#11
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Maryland
#11
I have koni yellow adjustable shocks / springs on my 318is. Huge improvement over stock. Of course, my stock suspension had about 140k miles on it when it was changed, so it was tired.

I will say this though. My old car was a 1995 toyota camry. I put Tokico Sports and Vogtland springs on it. The right was a little rough, but that thing could corner and drift like no one's business. It's a front wheel drive car and I could manuever that thing like nobody's business. ...And I have no special training. It just improved the feel of the vehicle the turns were pin sharp, the car was just MUCH tighter. I would have gone with Vogtlands when I replaced the springs on my 318is, but I couldn't justify spending $500 on just the springs when I got the whole koni set for $700.

I had never heard of vogtland before. In fact, I got them because they were fairly cheap ($150 new) off ebay. I was really impressed with them.
 
selavia

selavia

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#12
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Maryland
#12
Tokico is a japanese company, I believe; however, I think that there struts are assembled in the usa now. The sport adjustables are supposed to be really good. But they are better known for their suspension set up on Supras/Celicas/Nissans/Fords/ etc. They are not really well-known for their BMW set-ups or Merc set-ups. I really think Dinan/Koni/ and Bilstein dominate the market as far as quality.


Oh, I forgot, the tokicos shocks/struts and vogtland springs come with a lifetime warranty (!) for the original purchaser. EVEN if it wears due to normal wear and tear.
 
B

Big Daddy

Senior Member
#16
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PNW (Left) Coast
#16
Sean a quote from the Tire Rack,

Built For A Lifetime

KONI shock absorbers are built to last a lifetime. Once KONIs are installed on a vehicle, they will usually outlive it! KONI street shocks carry a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser for as long as they own their car.
Click to expand...
 
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