Question:
What's the easiest way to stiffen up my ride without changing everything. Can I change to stiffer springs or something simple? I realized that I should have sprung for the "sport" package, after hitting those twisties on Saturday.

 

you could do springs. eibach pro-kit, which i went with, gives the closest ride to stock. drops 1.2" all around. eibach sportline drops 2" front and 1.2" rear. H&R sport 1.4" front and 1.3" rear. H&R race 2" all around. not sure if you wished you got sport package because most members with sport package still changed to aftermarket springs. if you dont want to lower, then to stiffen up on the twisties go with sway bars. H&R makes some. hope this helps.

damn i wish i couldve gone... haha

 

NeRwEEzy,
It does help - Thanks. What the price range for what you described above?

 

i bought my eibachs for about $380 including install. here's from H&R's website for retail price, just scroll down http://www.hrsprings.com/scripts/appguide....d3&MakeID=4

 

Thanks.

 

Just curious, but for those that have non-sport suspension, does doing just the springs make the car "bouncy" at all? The stock shocks have a compression rate based on the spring load of the stock springs, but once you change the springs, the rebound rate is affected.

I think it's important for those that are considering this mod, to know what the ride will be like if they do springs only. Sure, it's stiff, but is the car bobbing up and down?

 

negative C, I've ridden in nicke60gre's car, he's got stock shocks with Eibach prokit - the ride is just fine and we've gone through some challenging corners with confidence.

 

My non-sport 530i with H&R springs are a little bouncy (as the Eibachs would be), but not much.
Overall the ride is good. This is a good mod for both looks and feel. I would say that the springs will take you to 50-60% of the same stiffness of the sport model (obviously the suspension is still very important).
I see that you are also looking for 20" wheels. Make sure that you do not go too low with the springs (e.g., race springs) if you want to avoid rubbing. In addition, the springs settle over time.

We are always warned about rubbing with certain wheel/tire combos, but most of the contributors are warning about rubbing with the sport setup. You can probably go with larger tires and wheels without using lowering springs if you are starting with a higher base height.
For now, the change in springs will be good for you.

 

That's good for people to know. I too, changed out my springs only. Even though I have the Sport Package, we all know that the xi doesn't have the re-calibrated suspension, so my suspension is closer to that of a non-sport model. That said, my car definitely handles better and the ride is stiffer, but on occassion, the car can be somewhat "bouncy" as the rebound rates are clearly off since the H&R Sport Springs aren't an exact match for the stock shocks on my car. I'm still very happy though, but I just thought it was good for people that are new to this, to be aware of potential "cons" of doing springs only.

 

I appreciate all the comments.
I have a quite cushy ride now and will gladly sacrifice for improved handling.