I couldn't take the super soft, super high ride, and enormous body roll, so I had to drop it.

This is the first car I own that I do suspension work on so I had no idea what to expect.
Honestly, I thought it it was going to be much stiffer than it actually is.
When the springs were finally put in, I barely noticed a difference, but after I slept on it, now a day later, I notice a big difference.

Before I had the springs installed, I took the car around a few turns near my house and memorized how it handled and the speed I was taking the turns.
Without the springs, I was taking the "S" turn at 45mph and pretty much pushing the car to it's limit. The body roll was disgusting and felt like the car was about to roll over.
Today, one day after the springs were installed, I took the same turn at 50mph very comfortably. I don't want to push it more just yet as I am still getting used to the car.
By the end of the week when the springs have finally settled in, it should be a whole different ride.

Here are some before and after shots (5 minutes after the install without even driving it around yet)

BEFORE:




AFTER:











BEFORE:





AFTER:

 

One day after instal;:






Xdrive without H&R:





Xdrive with H&R:

 

Looks good!

 

likin it!

 

Looks great. I am thnking about springs also.

 

I like the look but is it really worth it? I'm under the assumption that shorter/stiffer springs will make your shocks work harder and thus fail earlier in their products lifecycle. I ran h*r sport springs on my e46 and it was so stiff I had to sell them almost immediately. I upgraded to h&r coils and it helped but their build quality was pretty bad and they seized up after one winter. Good luck with yours.

 

I'm liking the drop....nice ride!

 

Looks good.
But I'm not a fan of lowering springs that's the reason I bought one with sports package.
I lowered my first 3 series and it was a nightmare. It was to stiff and it was too low I had to slow down and watch every small pothole or road irregularities.
Can't drive the car any faster - in fact, I had to drive slower. So for me, its all for show. Just my opinion.

 

nice drop

 

Thanks guys.



Everyone would rather take factory sport suspension over aftermarket springs, but that wasn't an option offered to me.

You have to take it easier with bumps, but don't you have to take it easier with a car that has sport suspension over one that does not have it?
I owned a E93 335i with sport suspension and RFT, and I drove like a grandma.
The 535, even with the drop, is not as bad as the 335i was.

As far as not being able to drive fast...the point is not to drive fast over messed up roads, its to go around turns quicker and have less body roll.
I don't push the car if the road is not smooth because that puts a lot of stress on the suspension (taking a turn and hitting a pothole at the same time).

As I mentioned before, on my way to work I have an "S" turn that I could not comfortably take over 45mph.
Today I took it at 65mph and felt confident doing it. Finally, I look forward to taking out the car for a joy ride like I would take out the 335i because before the springs, it wasn't a fun car really. The suspension was way too soft and there was way too much body roll to enjoy a spirited drive.

Coils would be the best option, but if you can't afford them or want something more economical, I highly recommend H&R Sports if you don't have sport suspension.


Next mods on the list, RPi scoops, CF mirrors (or vinyl), warp roof with CF, and find out some way to get a quad exhaust without losing response and without hacking apart the stock pipes.

Nerweezy, any ideas?