GT Premi

Looks great! But it kind of looks like the stock height of an LCI 550i Sport.

noonehome

Looks good.

Not sure by what you mean by " ended up pushing the struts down further". Can you clarify how you got it to sit lower?

flybeam52

well im sorta new to this car thing, from what i observed when the mechanic was fixing my drop was that he loosened the shocks somewhere underneath the car, took it for a little spin, then tightened it back at the height i needed... the first time he did it, he had tightened the shocks when they werent all the way down, or at least to where i wanted it to be for that matter...not sure if im makin any sense but thats just what i saw..

o yea, does it really look only as low as a sports suspension? it wont settle down lower?

John Photography

did you do an alignment afterwards? if not, you'll def want to do it. i would wait until you find the perfect height, then get it aligned. cuz' from what i understand, everytime you adjust it.....it's adviseable to get it aligned.

also, can you comment on the ride quality vs the original suspension set up?

flybeam52

I haven't done an alignment yet, is it extremely important to get one? for me the ride quality feels great..cant really tell a difference, cept i feel more comfortable taking harder corners

John Photography

since i don't have personal experience with coilovers, i am only going by what other members has advised me on when i eventually get mine done.

nice to hear about the ride quality. it's one of the biggest determining factor for me. i figure since i already have the sports suspension, it shouldn't be that much stiffer of a ride.

anyone who has first hand experience want to chime in on this?!

GT Premi

Not necessarily. Just keep an eye on your tire wear. If you start to notice it's wearing unevenly, then you need an alignment. If it wears evenly, don't worry about it. And if it's out of alignment, you will notice the wear after only a few hundred miles or less.

Concerning your current ride height, yes, it looks to be the same as the stock '08 550i Sport. Don't be too concerned about that, though. The '08 550i Sport sits lower than the others, and according to the resident expert Rudy, it's even, what was it, a half inch lower than the M5.

John Photography

you'd honestly wait that long to see if your tire is wearing unevenly?

he spent all that $ to lower his car properly and he's gonna pass on a $200 alignment? yes, it may not be necessary - but i would make certain first.

just my .2 cents.

GT Premi

I surely would. When I lowered my '05 Mustang GT, the buzz was that you have to get an alignment after you lower that model. I was skeptical of that. Seemed more like a bunch of guys that aren't savvy when it comes to suspensions spouting off the "upsale" info their installers told them. I drove for 11K miles without a bit of uneven tire wear.

Here's your change. $.01

flybeam52

I hope you're right. My mechanic who is a close relative of mines told me the same, that he don't think I need an alignment cause he dont think it would make much change...ill just have to see what happens after a wfew weeks..