Howitzer

Ya man, those stock shocks will take a brutal beating with sport springs on. Just do what everyone else here has done and upgrade both at the same time to avoid double labor costs.

A good coilover setup has several advantages over lowering springs that fit in the stock struts.

The first, and really most important feature is adjustability. You can set the height of the car, within a range, without removing the suspension. Second, In a properly designed coilover system, the shock absorbers are designed and valved to operate optimally at whatever height setting the driver chooses. When a simple lowering spring is installed in the factory strut, it may cause the factory shock absorber to operate improperly, sometimes causing the suspension to smash the bump stops on rough roads. That can be bad for both your handling and your wallet. Third, because of the narrower wind of most coilover springs, the camber of the wheels can be adjusted, either using camber plates or hogging the mounting holes in the strut mounts (the budget racing solution). By getting negative camber (looking at the front of the car, the bottom of the wheels are further out than the tops of the wheels) one can improve cornering by achieving a better tire contact patch.

The one caveat with the coilover systems is that they need proper adjustment to work most effectively. For the real enthusiast, mearly measuring the height of each corner is not sufficient. The car must be corner weighed, which costs money. An alternative to paying for your car to be corner weighed is to find a local club racer with scales and bribe them with beer. I find beer is a very valuable currency.

All I do is read about this shit ever since I got a Bimmer. But ask me to do it, and I'll be like

wasupdu

Very nice ride Howitzer

I noticed that you're in Chicago, IL. Do you have any problems in the snow with the car lower? In other words, do you have any clearance issues in the snow? How would you say that the car handles in terms of ride quality with the H&R's compared to the stock suspension?

thanks!

Howitzer

Thanks,

I was paranoid at first. As soon as snow hit I took off the 166 wheels and put my stock 17's back on with all-season Eagle F1's, (made a huge difference in handling in snow). If I hit a mound of snow more than like 6" high my front end turns into a snow plow. Its not a big deal though. When I see slushy snow that I can clearly tell is higher than my ACS Spoiler, I go super slow and go through it. I live in the suburbs and snow removal is pretty good out here. I stick to the main roads, keep the F away from Chicago side-streets, and pray that Spring will soon return so I can put my rims on. Can't wait! So, to answer your question, its fine.

Nick@Jlevi SW

Those are both solid choices for your car and would certainly lower the car from its current ride height. I do recommend upgrading the shocks if you are planning on keeping the car past 60-70k miles. The harsher springs do wear out the factory shocks more quickly so it's best to save on labor by swapping it out all at once.