Why NOT to install Lowering Springs only...
#11
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Originally Posted by 525iEnjoy' post='552370' date='Mar 28 2008, 03:11 PM
Even though the install was right any chance the rears were put in the front and viceversa?
C's
i dont see many xi's around in Socal. LOL Whats snow?
C's
i dont see many xi's around in Socal. LOL Whats snow?
#12
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My Ride: 2005 545i /w Sport pkg - SMG - Nav - Premium pkg - PDC - Ready to begin my modding! =)
Dr.......
I like your style.... "you'd rather look good and lose, then look bad and win" - Woody Harrelson
My only questions are, you mentioned switchin back to OE springs and rolling your 17's, what about OE springs and 19's you never mentioned that?
Also maybe you could switch your your H&R Sports for Eibach Pro-Kit, dont they ride just a wee bit higher???
The main reason I went away from an AWD car was due to the ride height factor and limited selection in wheel sizes that were offered for Audi's.
Since your car is a lease i think riding on what you have now could wind up causing you some considerable costs down the road if you stick with the status quo. Just something to think about.....
good luck brotha!
T
I like your style.... "you'd rather look good and lose, then look bad and win" - Woody Harrelson
My only questions are, you mentioned switchin back to OE springs and rolling your 17's, what about OE springs and 19's you never mentioned that?
Also maybe you could switch your your H&R Sports for Eibach Pro-Kit, dont they ride just a wee bit higher???
The main reason I went away from an AWD car was due to the ride height factor and limited selection in wheel sizes that were offered for Audi's.
Since your car is a lease i think riding on what you have now could wind up causing you some considerable costs down the road if you stick with the status quo. Just something to think about.....
good luck brotha!
T
#13
Aren't there any after market shocks that have revised travel? If you are saying that you lowered the car 1-1.5" and have no travel left, that can't be true. I'm sure these cars have appox 4" of travel stock. So it sounds as though the issue is shocks (struts) that are not operating in their designed range. I have seen pics of your car and it appears to ride about the same height as a 2wd with sport pkg. I would not remove bump stops as it sounds as though you already have metal to metal contact.
#14
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My Ride: 2008 Alpine White 550i Sport, Cream Beige Interior, 6-Sp Manual - retired 9/2011
My only questions are, you mentioned switchin back to OE springs and rolling your 17's, what about OE springs and 19's you never mentioned that?
Also maybe you could switch your your H&R Sports for Eibach Pro-Kit....
Originally Posted by bobster52' post='552424' date='Mar 28 2008, 04:56 PM
If you are saying that you lowered the car 1-1.5" and have no travel left, that can't be true. I'm sure these cars have appox 4" of travel stock.
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My Ride: 2008 535i w/ Sports & Permium Pkg. Silv/Blk
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2001 530i Sports/Premium-retired
Shocks & springs are designed to work as a unit, changing only one part of the whole causes problems with the way the UNIT functions. What shocks are designed to work with those springs?......and can that combo work with the rest of the car's suspension without creating new problems.?
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Originally Posted by bobster52' post='552424' date='Mar 28 2008, 04:56 PM
Aren't there any after market shocks that have revised travel? If you are saying that you lowered the car 1-1.5" and have no travel left, that can't be true. I'm sure these cars have appox 4" of travel stock. So it sounds as though the issue is shocks (struts) that are not operating in their designed range. I have seen pics of your car and it appears to ride about the same height as a 2wd with sport pkg. I would not remove bump stops as it sounds as though you already have metal to metal contact.
As for the rears, you can't see the bump stops due to their being up inside the strut housing, at the top, so who knows how that is?
#17
Originally Posted by DrLev99' post='552434' date='Mar 28 2008, 02:08 PM
We both looked at a stock 535xi that was up on the rack as well. You'd be surprised how little travel there really is between the middle section of the strut and the bump stops. You are correct that my car is only about 1.3" lower than stock and with bump stops cut in half, you'd think I would have made back some distance closer to stock...but obviously not. The struts themselves on my car have no signs of leakage or damage, according to my mechanic. When my car was on the ground, the front bump stops were completely being compressed...tried to stick a long screwdriver in to move it around with zero luck.
As for the rears, you can't see the bump stops due to their being up inside the strut housing, at the top, so who knows how that is?
As for the rears, you can't see the bump stops due to their being up inside the strut housing, at the top, so who knows how that is?
#18
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Originally Posted by bobster52' post='552444' date='Mar 28 2008, 05:31 PM
That sucks because it sounds as though they designed the car to sit up high! I guess another good comparison would be to look at the underside of a 2wd E60 and see if you can see the difference. It would suprise me if there were big differences between the two as the cost to build a whole different chassis would be too much. I would look at the relative position of all components but take special note of the bump stops in the front. One reason you may have limited travel (up front) could be that the U joints on the front axles may have limited up and down movement so a 4x4 may actually have less wheel travel than a 4x2.
#20
Originally Posted by DrLev99' post='552434' date='Mar 28 2008, 05:08 PM
We both looked at a stock 535xi that was up on the rack as well. You'd be surprised how little travel there "appears to be" between the middle section of the strut and the bump stops. You are correct that my car is only about 1.3" lower than stock and with bump stops cut in half, you'd think I would have made back some travel distance...but obviously something ain't kosher. The struts themselves on my car have no signs of leakage or damage, according to my mechanic. When my car was on the ground, the front bump stops were completely being compressed...tried to stick a long screwdriver in to move it around with zero luck.
For what it matters, in modern suspensions the bump stops are an active part of the suspension -- they do a lot more than on older cars where they were there just to "stop" travel well beyond the normal range. Now a days cars are into the bumps stops much more frequently, but the stops are designed to be progressive. That's why they are made out of an engineered foam and generally mounted on the strut itself rather than just a chunk of rubber on the frame. So, I wouldn't try removing them -- when you hit bottom (and it sounds like you would almost all the time) it could be really bad.