Dropped, not slammed
03-29-2011, 01:59 AM
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My Ride: Alpine White 2006 530Xi (SLD)
List of parts installed:
- Bilstein B8 dampers
- H&R Sport springs
- OEM strut/shock mounts
Installed everything, replacing original parts, topped it off with an alignment to BMW spec.
Pic report:
Car pre-drop:
Rear shock and spring assembly with the mount on top:
Some pics of the rear getting put in:
This is a little tricky, in the sense that getting to the top bolts was a bit of a chore, and fitting the new shock is not possible if you're working alone:
Rear shock and spring assembly installed:
Front struts are MASSIVE! Take a look at the cores of OEM and B8's next to each other:
Here're a few pics of them installed.
Install, btw, was extremely straightforward and with the fronts - easy!
First pic off the lift post-drop:
Here she is on the alignment station (my indie just had this brand spanking new machine installed, like a month ago - AWESOME!). Aligned it to BMW spec, but the fronts ended up with a little more camber - will be monitoring tire wear to see if that might be a long-term issue.
Here are a couple of pics of the car post-drop:
Honestly, it needs 19's to look right. Or at the very least a set of spacers all around. I've actually thought about getting "i" - as in RWD - 123's and trying to fit them on; they are more concave and are offset 23mm's closer to the fender. But that's maybe something to consider when the winter is approaching.
Next step will be Dension - have an appointment with Motorcepts already
Then the short shifter and the rims are going on last in the end of April
And now, to thank my lovely vendors... well, vendor, really. Michael - owner of Acute Performance - was the one who scored the B8's for me. I was extremely happy to deal with him, since I have dealt with him in the past and he's generally an awesome vendor. Besides, he was able to get me and another member a KILLER deal on these - especially, considering that these are brand new to the U.S. market. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty confident I'm THE FIRST U.S. E60 Xi with these on
Awesome!
As for the reports on how it drives, I can only give you a few initial impressions, as I came down with an exposed nerve in my tooth the day after the install took place, and as a result, I've only driven the car twice after the new suspension was put in. BUT. This much is evident:
* MUCH more responsive handling.
* The car is COMPLETELY solid on these. Feels OEM, but harder - which is what I originally wanted.
* The car retained some of it's smoothness, but it is a hard setup - the ride did suffer some. If you don't have a lot of bad potholes where you live, you'll never know. But around NYC, you'll need to be dodging the potholes, if you want to save your rims and tires.
* I'm very glad I swapped the mounts, the little rattles from old mounts are gone and the car rides LIKE NEW!!! Highly recommend (they are 300 smuckaroos though).
* Flatter turning, more neutral. But the tires are still really soft, so I'll reserve the at-the-limit handling impressions until I throw the 19's on.
* There is some very minor bounce, but that's due to the fact that roads in NYC are crap and the car reflects the irregularities very accurately now. I also think - for some reason - that they'll bounce less as they break in.
Overall, my impression is GREAT - I love the new setup. It gave my car the much-need edginess.
- Bilstein B8 dampers
- H&R Sport springs
- OEM strut/shock mounts
Installed everything, replacing original parts, topped it off with an alignment to BMW spec.
Pic report:
Car pre-drop:
Rear shock and spring assembly with the mount on top:
Some pics of the rear getting put in:
This is a little tricky, in the sense that getting to the top bolts was a bit of a chore, and fitting the new shock is not possible if you're working alone:
Rear shock and spring assembly installed:
Front struts are MASSIVE! Take a look at the cores of OEM and B8's next to each other:
Here're a few pics of them installed.
Install, btw, was extremely straightforward and with the fronts - easy!
First pic off the lift post-drop:
Here she is on the alignment station (my indie just had this brand spanking new machine installed, like a month ago - AWESOME!). Aligned it to BMW spec, but the fronts ended up with a little more camber - will be monitoring tire wear to see if that might be a long-term issue.
Here are a couple of pics of the car post-drop:
Honestly, it needs 19's to look right. Or at the very least a set of spacers all around. I've actually thought about getting "i" - as in RWD - 123's and trying to fit them on; they are more concave and are offset 23mm's closer to the fender. But that's maybe something to consider when the winter is approaching.
Next step will be Dension - have an appointment with Motorcepts already
Then the short shifter and the rims are going on last in the end of April
And now, to thank my lovely vendors... well, vendor, really. Michael - owner of Acute Performance - was the one who scored the B8's for me. I was extremely happy to deal with him, since I have dealt with him in the past and he's generally an awesome vendor. Besides, he was able to get me and another member a KILLER deal on these - especially, considering that these are brand new to the U.S. market. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty confident I'm THE FIRST U.S. E60 Xi with these on
Awesome!As for the reports on how it drives, I can only give you a few initial impressions, as I came down with an exposed nerve in my tooth the day after the install took place, and as a result, I've only driven the car twice after the new suspension was put in. BUT. This much is evident:
* MUCH more responsive handling.
* The car is COMPLETELY solid on these. Feels OEM, but harder - which is what I originally wanted.
* The car retained some of it's smoothness, but it is a hard setup - the ride did suffer some. If you don't have a lot of bad potholes where you live, you'll never know. But around NYC, you'll need to be dodging the potholes, if you want to save your rims and tires.
* I'm very glad I swapped the mounts, the little rattles from old mounts are gone and the car rides LIKE NEW!!! Highly recommend (they are 300 smuckaroos though).
* Flatter turning, more neutral. But the tires are still really soft, so I'll reserve the at-the-limit handling impressions until I throw the 19's on.
* There is some very minor bounce, but that's due to the fact that roads in NYC are crap and the car reflects the irregularities very accurately now. I also think - for some reason - that they'll bounce less as they break in.
Overall, my impression is GREAT - I love the new setup. It gave my car the much-need edginess.
03-29-2011, 02:24 AM
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My Ride: 545 modded the F out
Damn! I thought you had the wheels on already. Looks good with the drop tho. Looking forward to seeing the final product. Good call on not slamming it. The several times I drove to NYC I was scared out of my mind with how terrible the roads were.
but looks good I think the rims will set it off more b/c the drop doesnt look too low to me
03-29-2011, 08:40 AM
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My Ride: Alpine White 2006 530Xi (SLD)
I bought it used from a member on this forum. It is an original Alpina - very rare
Thanks, mon ami! Liking it myself, I must admit
Suspension is still settling, so it will be a tad lower in the end. But yes, of course, without the rims it doesn't look right.