Riz, I just had my coilovers installed last Friday, and I must say I agree with you 100%. The ride is brutal now. I had someone speak with a tech from H&R and he said that when you first have them installed they should be stiff but they will soften up over a period of time. How much time, I dont know. I'm going to let it ride for about 2 weeks and if it doesn't improve I'm selling my coilovers at an awesome price for anybody with a 545i that wants them and I will have the H&R sport springs to replace them. I'll keep you updated

 

Hmmm... You failed to mention to me that you got the coilovers this last weekend. Actually, I forgot to check out Rizbel's as well. I blame the Asahi.

 

This is what I've been telling you guys about the H&R product for a while. Good people, and quality product, but just not designed for the US market. Roads here are too poor, surfaces lousy, and expansion joints too intense. I wish that we could find someone that had a slightly lower spring without a dramatically higher spring rate. It seems that the Euro guys just don't want to believe that us Yanks want mostly cosmetic lowering (at least a good many of us do). Still wondering if there is a Euro part number for a sport or M spring set that is lower than US height.

 

Guys,

Give it some time, I bought this coilover used, the car handle awesome. You do need some time to let the coilover to settle. The guys I was buying from, he told me he had it for about 4000 miles, and I can tell you it ride great,,,

Please give it some time...

alan

 

Instead of changing out the coilovers, you could try switching out the springs for something a bit softer.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the dampeners play the biggest role in ride comfort? And springs are just for height and only slightly effect ride?

Could always invest another 500-1g and getting KW coilovers v2 with dampening adjustment support.

 

Yeah, I think the dampers do play a bigger role, but changing out the springs would be a cheap fix that could provide reasonable results in terms of comfort.

 

Yep, in addition to the KW V2s you can get Bilstein PSS10 which was just released or their electronic B16 Ride Control suspension system..so there are a lot of choices out there regarding coilovers which may be better than the H&R.

 

Ken, could you educate me really quick about the dampers? I would like to know every way possible to soften up the ride, but I'll find out for sure just how stiff they will be after 1000 miles or so.

 

"There are two parts to this: The spring and the spring damper (we call the dampers "shocks" in the US).

The spring is a simple mechanical device, in that by its design it provides so many ft lbs of resistance. Most springs are progressive, i.e. you can usually see two or more "zones" in the spring that offer various resistance. Usually a small portion of the spring is soft and provides bump softening, the rest of it takes care of the bigger bumps.

The damper -- Ill call it a shock from now on, although bugs the hell out of me -- is there to control the movement of the spring. Ever rode in someone's old caddy, or olds, and the car rolls up and down after hitting a bump like it's on waves? That's because the springs are still doing there jobs, but the shocks are shot, and are not controlling the movement of the spring. Ideally, the spring should only compress/decompress once. The shock is what controls the movement of the spring.

Jesus, this is getting long. You better make this a sticky.

The shock has two "settings"...at least. There is the rate of compression, the rate at which the shock allows the spring to compress. YOu dont want the spring to just shoot up and end up bottoming out every time you run over a twig (exaggerated example). Too stiff, and the spring doesnt give at all, and the car goes bouncing up in the air.

THe second setting is the speed at which the shock moves the spring back down to the pavement. The stiffer the shock -- to a point -- the quicker the wheel gets back down to the ground.

Okay, got all that?

Coilovers are combination shock/spring combos, most often adjustable. Do a search on the site to find them. You will see a spring on an adjustable perch on the strut, and within that spring you will see the shock (spring damper).

When looking at aftermarket coilovers, you want to compare a) the spring rate with your current spring rate and b) the compression and rebound stiffness of the shock. Too soft, and you get a smoother ride with decreased handling and increased body roll, too stiff and you're riding in a kart down city streets.

I didnt get into how the shocks physiologically work, through hydraulics and heat. Someone else can do that.

Hope this helps."


H&R do not have adjustable dampeners.