znod

Hi All:

The issue of lowering the 5 Series has come up again here:

New Pics, Changes - Debadged, M5 Rims, B&B Exhaust

I am interested in lowering my 545i. So, I'd like to know about my lowering options, the amount by which the car is lowered via each option, the approximate cost of each option, and the reversibility of each option. In this regard, I'd like to have your opinions on how much the 545i needs to lowered to enhance its appearance maximally--given 19" wheels with 275 X 30's/245 X 35s (or equivalently the stock sport package setup).

I also would like to hear your opinions on the pluses and minuses of lowering via the various options. From an overall perspective, the obvious plus is appearance enhancement. A possible minus is reducing the efficacy of the engineering of the 545i--e.g., in the areas of ride, handling, and dealing with various road conditions such as dips, curbs when parking, and those which might cause bottoming in the center of the car--i.e., ^-shaped sharp ups and downs. I recently "middle-bottomed" my unlowered Z06 exiting a parking lot that I had exited in my also unlowered 94 RX-7 (sold recently) a zillion times.

m5lover

From what i heard,once you lowered your car or in other words shorten the suspension, you cant reverse it. The only way is changing the whole suspension if im not mistaken.My friends use to mod their cars and after they lower their cars,usually the ride is more rough and bumpier but the looks are way nicer also you may need to cut the side fenders so to prevent any rubbings between the tires and the fender...i think it called side fenders ...just my two cents and i may be wrong

znod

Thanks. I think there probably are better options. For example, on my Z06, lowering by an inch all around is a gimme, and reversing the process is equally easy. I quess we'll both wait for something more concrete.

EuroCarFan

The two most popular ways to lower a car is to 1) replace the stock springs with lowering springs and 2) replace the stock shock/springs combo with a complete coilover suspension. Both are reversible...you would just reinstall the stock set up to get back to the original ride height. There are actually cheaper methods such as cutting the springs or heating it to compress it, both of which would degrade the quality of the springs.

I believe H&R and Eibach make lowering springs for the e60 for probably less than $300. ACS and Hamman are closer to $700 I think. I'm not sure with the e60 but on other cars there are usually a sport and race option with sport having a lesser drop and more supple ride and race being lower and stiffer.

Coilovers are complete springs and shocks units. The body of the shocks are threaded and the spring sits on adjustable perches. You can manually raise or lower the height by turning the spring seats with a wrench that comes with the coilover kit. Coilovers will probably be around $1200 to $1500.

That's just my general knowledge of this topic. I'm still curious as you to know if I'll need to lower my Sports Package equipped car when I get my 20" wheels or if that's not necessary. And if I would need to roll the fenders. Guess I'll find out this week when I get my rims installed.

ipse dixit

Here are your basic options

1. Springs only
2. Springs and shocks
3. Full suspension kit/coilovers (w/ other goodies like camber kit, control arms, etc.)

If you go with option 1 (springs only), might look into H&R race springs, which are very good. I believe GC also makes an E60 spring application. This is a cost-effective option to drop your car, but without swapping out your shocks/struts, you'll find that in about 10k-15k miles, your shocks will be worn out.

If you go with option 2 (upgrading springs and shocks), I would give Bilstein a try.

If you go with option 3 (coilovers), I would choose H&R. I also hear that ACS is developing a system for the E60, but is not out yet.

Good luck.

I'm sure there are others here with more and better info.

znod

Thanks for the great info. I am wondering what drop typically would result from a "sport" option. And, I wonder what the effect on ride, etc., would be. How much drop typically is needed to reduce the "gap" significantly with the wheels/tires I mentioned?

Good luck with your new rims. I'll be looking for info on how it goes and pics.

znod

Here are your basic options

1. Springs only
2. Springs and shocks
3. Full suspension kit/coilovers (w/ other goodies like camber kit, control arms, etc.)

If you go with option 1 (springs only), might look into H&R race springs, which are very good. I believe GC also makes an E60 spring application. This is a cost-effective option to drop your car, but without swapping out your shocks/struts, you'll find that in about 10k-15k miles, your shocks will be worn out.

If you go with option 2 (upgrading springs and shocks), I would give Bilstein a try.

If you go with option 3 (coilovers), I would choose H&R. I also hear that ACS is developing a system for the E60, but is not out yet.

Good luck.

I'm sure there are others here with more and better info.
[/quote]
Thank you too for the great info. I am glad you mentioned camber. I installed lowering springs on an 87 RX-7 long ago, and the result was unattractive camber. If one goes with the lowering spring option, will the camber be out of whack on the 545i?

EuroCarFan

I think "sport" springs would lower about 1" - 1.5"...not too low. Race would be 2" to even 3" depending on the car. Significant drop in ride height and stiffer suspensions would cause bumpier rides and tramlining....that's where the car would react to imperfections in the road and veer a long with those imperfections as if it was on rails.

Again, I don't know if there are different options with springs...it may just be one option. Also, our cars have the factory Sports Package which means that the suspension is already tightened and the car is a bit lower than non-Sports Package cars. You should wait to see how your 19s look and then decide if you still want to lower it.

znod

Definitely. If it looks fine, and it probably will, then I am very likely to decide to leave it alone. I'm still interested in any additional info though. And, thanks again for your help.

ipse dixit

Here are your basic options

1. Springs only
2. Springs and shocks
3. Full suspension kit/coilovers (w/ other goodies like camber kit, control arms, etc.)

If you go with option 1 (springs only), might look into H&R race springs, which are very good. I believe GC also makes an E60 spring application. This is a cost-effective option to drop your car, but without swapping out your shocks/struts, you'll find that in about 10k-15k miles, your shocks will be worn out.

If you go with option 2 (upgrading springs and shocks), I would give Bilstein a try.

If you go with option 3 (coilovers), I would choose H&R. I also hear that ACS is developing a system for the E60, but is not out yet.

Good luck.

I'm sure there are others here with more and better info.
[/quote]
Thank you too for the great info. I am glad you mentioned camber. I installed lowering springs on an 87 RX-7 long ago, and the result was unattractive camber. If one goes with the lowering spring option, will the camber be out of whack on the 545i?
[/quote]

I don't know if the E60 camber will need adjustment ... really depends on how much you drop the car. On most previous 5ers (e.g. E39) a drop of less than .75 inches generally did not affect the toe or camber.