Xi Owner - Want to lower the car, what are the options?
04-12-2015, 09:51 PM
#21
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My Ride: 2006 BMW 525ix (N52 Engine)
Lol its been a couple of days, just seeing if anyone heard more?
Kinda off topic from the thread... can someone chime in on a 528ix or a 535ix? I'm thinking maybe down the road ill find myself in one of those E60 of course. I would love to save up for a M4 after college, but thats going to be a long time from now, I do plan on keeping my E60 for quite some time. I do have a few ideas for it down the road.
Kinda off topic from the thread... can someone chime in on a 528ix or a 535ix? I'm thinking maybe down the road ill find myself in one of those E60 of course. I would love to save up for a M4 after college, but thats going to be a long time from now, I do plan on keeping my E60 for quite some time. I do have a few ideas for it down the road.
04-27-2015, 12:29 PM
#22
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My Ride: 2008 535xi
Model Year: 2008
Engine: n54
I thought I would post here since I just put in my H&R lowering springs on my 2008 535xi. Soo.. I was very hesitant about this because of the bad bad reviews.. and a "few" good reviews on this. It seems that the spring route with stock shocks were shunned...
I saw a deal on the H&R used here in the classifieds and I was just watching them and thinking about it. Busted a bunch of my 17" tires just at the end of the season and I was forced to quickly order myself a new set of 19's. Hey.. if I have to replace a whole set of tires I might as well make it look nice. Wheel gap looked big.. not super unbearable big.. but it was noticeable and so it got me rolling onto the next problem of lowering the car.
So here's some background info on the stock 17" tires my car felt great.. not minivan Lazy boy recliner, not SUV.. but it was REALLY REALLY forgiving on many bumps and dips in the roads. 19" wheels came in.. it got stiffer, cornered better.. but I would only say 10-15% stiffer with less tire. I went with a square 245/35r19 for the tires. I'm running on Hankook V12's which is a more summer oriented all season tire. I'm not going for summer only, because I do not want to be caught with my pants down when the season changes etc. Plus it's a daily commuter, and not a race car!
Since I was doing all the labor myself I thought, with the price of this used set of springs... why not give it a shot? Install was painful... compared to many other cars I've done. Front struts were fine... I read that you could leave the headlight leveler connected.. and I snapped it.. so my bad. DISCONNECT IT! I think it was the rusty looking nut that I said I saw someone did it without it.. so why couldn't it? Well at least I found a replacement for $30.. it's on the way. In the mean time, creativity and safety wire it's working perfectly fine!
Rear struts.. god awful tight space to get to it under the trunk.. but the worst part was fishing the damn thing back up all by myself. You're basically blind because you can't see the hole it goes up into, and it's not humongous enough you can guide it in. I probably wasted 10-15 minutes each side cussing while I was rattling it up there to get it in!
Okay so here's my impression of the springs. First.. it's perfectly lowered. Not slammed so the wheels are hidden in the wheel wells, a nice even gap still there.
Is it bouncy? Yeah.. it's bouncier.. but they are lowering springs... the spring rate changed. Deal with it. I don't feel like the car is shuddering or jumping around. It is a much faster rebound than stock. If I were to give a percentage, it would be 50% faster rebound, a lot MORE than I would expect for 1.5" drop.. If I could get a stiffer strut, it might not bounce so fast.
Does it hit bumps harder.. yes.. it's lower remember? So some of the road dips that already were bad enough I shouldn't hit it at 45mph or more. It definitely hit it harder with more of a boom than a bang. No, it isn't the wheel denting braking hole.. but a good solid dip. I'll go slower tomorrow by 5 or 10mph to see if it's different.
Parking lot and speed bumps. Actually this was a lot more of a worry for me.. but to my surprise it wasn't too much different (with the 19's before or after springs) Stock 17's are really, really forgiving.
If any of you have had the pleasure (or displeasure) of driving a 335xi which I have taken along the same route... well, the suspension is sill SOFTER on the E60 with springs and 19's than the STOCK 335xi.
All in all.. day 1 on my first 30 miles to work and not testing it around the parking lot and grocery store... it's fine and not that bad at all.
I do understand the fast rebound/bounce that I wish could be a bit slower.. but everything tells me that you need to understand in your mind that lowering a car is going to have that effect. Now I'd love to get into someone's car with the KW's to see exactly "how much" better this setup is. I'm sure in my mind it isn't 8X better in cost to me.
Flying down my bumpy street is still not that much worse.. but then again, I don't purposely do that because I don't like it either way. Here's some hope for those that want to at least try the H&R lowering springs and don't have or want the $2,500 bill (plus install).
I saw a deal on the H&R used here in the classifieds and I was just watching them and thinking about it. Busted a bunch of my 17" tires just at the end of the season and I was forced to quickly order myself a new set of 19's. Hey.. if I have to replace a whole set of tires I might as well make it look nice. Wheel gap looked big.. not super unbearable big.. but it was noticeable and so it got me rolling onto the next problem of lowering the car.
So here's some background info on the stock 17" tires my car felt great.. not minivan Lazy boy recliner, not SUV.. but it was REALLY REALLY forgiving on many bumps and dips in the roads. 19" wheels came in.. it got stiffer, cornered better.. but I would only say 10-15% stiffer with less tire. I went with a square 245/35r19 for the tires. I'm running on Hankook V12's which is a more summer oriented all season tire. I'm not going for summer only, because I do not want to be caught with my pants down when the season changes etc. Plus it's a daily commuter, and not a race car!
Since I was doing all the labor myself I thought, with the price of this used set of springs... why not give it a shot? Install was painful... compared to many other cars I've done. Front struts were fine... I read that you could leave the headlight leveler connected.. and I snapped it.. so my bad. DISCONNECT IT! I think it was the rusty looking nut that I said I saw someone did it without it.. so why couldn't it? Well at least I found a replacement for $30.. it's on the way. In the mean time, creativity and safety wire it's working perfectly fine!
Rear struts.. god awful tight space to get to it under the trunk.. but the worst part was fishing the damn thing back up all by myself. You're basically blind because you can't see the hole it goes up into, and it's not humongous enough you can guide it in. I probably wasted 10-15 minutes each side cussing while I was rattling it up there to get it in!
Okay so here's my impression of the springs. First.. it's perfectly lowered. Not slammed so the wheels are hidden in the wheel wells, a nice even gap still there.
Is it bouncy? Yeah.. it's bouncier.. but they are lowering springs... the spring rate changed. Deal with it. I don't feel like the car is shuddering or jumping around. It is a much faster rebound than stock. If I were to give a percentage, it would be 50% faster rebound, a lot MORE than I would expect for 1.5" drop.. If I could get a stiffer strut, it might not bounce so fast.
Does it hit bumps harder.. yes.. it's lower remember? So some of the road dips that already were bad enough I shouldn't hit it at 45mph or more. It definitely hit it harder with more of a boom than a bang. No, it isn't the wheel denting braking hole.. but a good solid dip. I'll go slower tomorrow by 5 or 10mph to see if it's different.
Parking lot and speed bumps. Actually this was a lot more of a worry for me.. but to my surprise it wasn't too much different (with the 19's before or after springs) Stock 17's are really, really forgiving.
If any of you have had the pleasure (or displeasure) of driving a 335xi which I have taken along the same route... well, the suspension is sill SOFTER on the E60 with springs and 19's than the STOCK 335xi.
All in all.. day 1 on my first 30 miles to work and not testing it around the parking lot and grocery store... it's fine and not that bad at all.
I do understand the fast rebound/bounce that I wish could be a bit slower.. but everything tells me that you need to understand in your mind that lowering a car is going to have that effect. Now I'd love to get into someone's car with the KW's to see exactly "how much" better this setup is. I'm sure in my mind it isn't 8X better in cost to me.
Flying down my bumpy street is still not that much worse.. but then again, I don't purposely do that because I don't like it either way. Here's some hope for those that want to at least try the H&R lowering springs and don't have or want the $2,500 bill (plus install).
04-27-2015, 05:51 PM
#23
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My Ride: 2008 535xi
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Oh, I guess I should add that I picked up my carpool today and he didn't notice anything until the big dip that we hit harder than normal. Then I broke the news to him.. he said maybe it's a bit firmer than normal. He did, however, notice the ride get stiffer when I got the new wheels (he didn't notice the wheels also when I picked him up ).
04-27-2015, 10:38 PM
#24
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My Ride: 2006 BMW 525ix (N52 Engine)
Thanks for the information!
Would you be able to show pictures of a before and after of the gaps?
To me personally, I dont want the wheels to be "tucked" under the wells. I just want a modest drop. I dont want to slam it. Basically want to reduce the gap thats there. I do know what happens when you lower the car so I am perfectly aware that regardless... the ride is going to be stiffer and you are going to feel more of the bumps etc in the road regardless the way you are going to take.
I want to get 19s as well Id get hankcooks as well. My dad has them on all the cars lol. Plus I had them on my 2010 Mazda 3s. Speaking of my Mazda 3s... the ride was stiffer compared to the E39 I used to own right before it, and i did feel pretty much just about every bump in the road, it was really crappy when i had the OEM tires on it. Which were really noisy. Once I got Hankcooks on it it was less noisy. All this was on the stock suspension. Its a Japanese car economy box more than anything else. I did enjoy how the car handled and how much miles I was getting per gallon. Power...well it lacked it. lol. My mom now drives the mazda and I got the E60.
This brings me to another point, I DD the car, and sometimes take it out on some curvy roads when I go out for a cruise... I am not trying to to build a race car lol. So I dont need the performance of KW Coilovers. Reason why I dont want to shell out so much.
All that being said, I came from a 2010 Mazda 3, I still take the car out once in a while when I am back home these are the only differences I see...
The Mazda:
-"Feels" quick off the line, and it "feels" like you are going fast while you are actually going from 0-40 MPH
-Defiently a siffer ride then the E60. Feels more planted at high speeds. During the winter when the road shrinks and those bumps are created in the roadway, when going over them its annoying, you feel them.
-Struggles past 80 MPH.
The BMW (525ix):
-"Feels slower", you dont get that UMPH when accelerating. But then again the car is built for comfort, So i totally understand.
-I really enjoy the ride, its like floating on the highway or any road in that matter. It does feel planted at tighter turns. Feels great. I feel like I have more control over the car. Going over those bumps in the road in the winter... you hear them, you feel them a little bit, but its not annoying. Its like the bumps arent even there.
-Has no problem going and pulling past 80 MPH (love that equal power band feel)
So like I said, PERSONALLY, I wouldnt mind the springs, Its just that a lot of people have been saying the ride sucks. Some people also said the gap didnt even change noticeably. To me thats scary sounding. Reason why I have been holding off. I am also 22, so comfort wise, I dont need the smoothest ride. Like I said I came from a Mazda 3. I had a BMW E34 as a first car, and then I owned a E39. Mazda and now the E60.
As of now I just dont know if I should run the springs on stock shocks, or would I just end up getting new shocks. If I were too, I dont know which ones to choose, I have heard bad things about Bilstein shocks on the Xi and H&R Springs. I know also Eibach makes springs I think for our Xi cars.
If anyone can say that the ride is worse then a Honda Civic, then at that point I would consider getting coilovers more. As of now I am still 50/50. Keep information coming. E60s are becoming cheaper and more people are going to buy them. This thread might help people, some might be in the same situation as me (reason I wrote so much on this post lol).
Would you be able to show pictures of a before and after of the gaps?
To me personally, I dont want the wheels to be "tucked" under the wells. I just want a modest drop. I dont want to slam it. Basically want to reduce the gap thats there. I do know what happens when you lower the car so I am perfectly aware that regardless... the ride is going to be stiffer and you are going to feel more of the bumps etc in the road regardless the way you are going to take.
I want to get 19s as well Id get hankcooks as well. My dad has them on all the cars lol. Plus I had them on my 2010 Mazda 3s. Speaking of my Mazda 3s... the ride was stiffer compared to the E39 I used to own right before it, and i did feel pretty much just about every bump in the road, it was really crappy when i had the OEM tires on it. Which were really noisy. Once I got Hankcooks on it it was less noisy. All this was on the stock suspension. Its a Japanese car economy box more than anything else. I did enjoy how the car handled and how much miles I was getting per gallon. Power...well it lacked it. lol. My mom now drives the mazda and I got the E60.
This brings me to another point, I DD the car, and sometimes take it out on some curvy roads when I go out for a cruise... I am not trying to to build a race car lol. So I dont need the performance of KW Coilovers. Reason why I dont want to shell out so much.
All that being said, I came from a 2010 Mazda 3, I still take the car out once in a while when I am back home these are the only differences I see...
The Mazda:
-"Feels" quick off the line, and it "feels" like you are going fast while you are actually going from 0-40 MPH
-Defiently a siffer ride then the E60. Feels more planted at high speeds. During the winter when the road shrinks and those bumps are created in the roadway, when going over them its annoying, you feel them.
-Struggles past 80 MPH.
The BMW (525ix):
-"Feels slower", you dont get that UMPH when accelerating. But then again the car is built for comfort, So i totally understand.
-I really enjoy the ride, its like floating on the highway or any road in that matter. It does feel planted at tighter turns. Feels great. I feel like I have more control over the car. Going over those bumps in the road in the winter... you hear them, you feel them a little bit, but its not annoying. Its like the bumps arent even there.
-Has no problem going and pulling past 80 MPH (love that equal power band feel)
So like I said, PERSONALLY, I wouldnt mind the springs, Its just that a lot of people have been saying the ride sucks. Some people also said the gap didnt even change noticeably. To me thats scary sounding. Reason why I have been holding off. I am also 22, so comfort wise, I dont need the smoothest ride. Like I said I came from a Mazda 3. I had a BMW E34 as a first car, and then I owned a E39. Mazda and now the E60.
As of now I just dont know if I should run the springs on stock shocks, or would I just end up getting new shocks. If I were too, I dont know which ones to choose, I have heard bad things about Bilstein shocks on the Xi and H&R Springs. I know also Eibach makes springs I think for our Xi cars.
If anyone can say that the ride is worse then a Honda Civic, then at that point I would consider getting coilovers more. As of now I am still 50/50. Keep information coming. E60s are becoming cheaper and more people are going to buy them. This thread might help people, some might be in the same situation as me (reason I wrote so much on this post lol).
04-28-2015, 05:41 AM
#25
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Let's see if I can attach photos with my phone. To answer the mazda 3 vs e60..yes the springs will give it a tighter bounce more like the Japanese car. I can totally see how going from the cushy stock to what it is now you might dislike it. The quick rebound is the 'bounce' feeling that on a lot of the local roads today bringing the kids to school I noticed. Still it's not bugging me. Could it be better. .sure. . At least it's not jarring and rattling.
Oops looks like the icon I see is not to attach photos. .I might have to host them somewhere. If you want to pm me an email I can send you a bunch.
Oops looks like the icon I see is not to attach photos. .I might have to host them somewhere. If you want to pm me an email I can send you a bunch.
04-28-2015, 11:35 AM
#26
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Okay here are some pictures.
Before with stock rims, I just plastidipped it because the brake dust got annoying.
Next set is a lot of close ups of the 19" wheels at angles. Unfortunately none are dead on the side. I did a square setup of 19's BUT I put on 12mm spacers in the rear to bring the wheels closer to the fender.
Before with stock rims, I just plastidipped it because the brake dust got annoying.
Next set is a lot of close ups of the 19" wheels at angles. Unfortunately none are dead on the side. I did a square setup of 19's BUT I put on 12mm spacers in the rear to bring the wheels closer to the fender.
04-28-2015, 11:36 AM
#27
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Here are a few just after a quick spin around the block with the springs. I feel that have settled just slightly more than in the pictures.. but hardly.
04-28-2015, 05:08 PM
#29
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Im seriously considering the springs. It cant be that bad. And well compared to the E60 the Mazda was crappy, but I didnt mind it. The only thing i really didnt like was how noisy it was inside the car, and it got worse because i ended up buying a cat back for it and over time the drone got to me lol. Road noise was the main issue. With springs i dont think I will feel any major difference where I will want to revert back to stock, and if anything I can always do revert to stock.
Car looks good! Thank you for the pictures, thats pretty much the drop im looking for. I would like a bit more less gap in the rear, but im not too picky, as long as the gap is made smaller by a significant amount ill be happy.
Car looks good! Thank you for the pictures, thats pretty much the drop im looking for. I would like a bit more less gap in the rear, but im not too picky, as long as the gap is made smaller by a significant amount ill be happy.
04-29-2015, 12:39 PM
#30
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Yes definitely.... I think the rears have settled a bit more now.. I'll double check when I get off of work today 
The road noise is definitely not an issue at all with the springs.. it is certainly the rebound.. and the overall.. extra crunch in the big dips etc. I was totally not paying attention today and was in a rush to work.. I forgot to slow down at the big crunching dip in the road and hit it accelerating to 60mph after a toll booth. Well it made a nice thump and it made me cringe.. the funny thing is that I hit the same bump doing the same thing before the spring install and it would rock my phone off the magnetic mount and send it flying to the ground. Although the crunch was definitely jarring today the phone didn't budge an inch... weird. Maybe the spring rate did better in the overall bounce of the car.. just that it surely hit the bump stops hard.
The road noise is definitely not an issue at all with the springs.. it is certainly the rebound.. and the overall.. extra crunch in the big dips etc. I was totally not paying attention today and was in a rush to work.. I forgot to slow down at the big crunching dip in the road and hit it accelerating to 60mph after a toll booth. Well it made a nice thump and it made me cringe.. the funny thing is that I hit the same bump doing the same thing before the spring install and it would rock my phone off the magnetic mount and send it flying to the ground. Although the crunch was definitely jarring today the phone didn't budge an inch... weird. Maybe the spring rate did better in the overall bounce of the car.. just that it surely hit the bump stops hard.