[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by perryo91

Okay, so just to see if I understand. Yes getting aftermarket springs will increase wear on stock shocks because it's more of a firm "bounce" so the shock has to dampen more "force" and will wear faster. So the safest bet is to buy both springs and shocks... If I wanted to buy dinan springs (I only want a 10mm drop) How do I know which shock will with it? (I don't want to buy their shockware). Also, would this still be cheaper than buying coilovers? Or once you're buying shocks/springs you might as well buy coilovers. Thank you!

the primary reason the stock strut/shock wears out with lowering springs is because the shock is too tall for the lowering spring. with lowering springs, the stock shock is pre-loaded(partly compressed) due to the height difference between the stock and lowering springs. this causes reduced travel and performance. as the shock starts failing the ride gets bouncier because the springs are doing some of the dampening and the shock eventually starts to bottom out. some have not have had problems with only lowering springs and stock shocks(lucky for them), however i've read way too many that have had problems. especially with super low springs like H&R super sport.

shortened bumpstops such as dinan supplemental handling kit will mitigate some of this by reducing the total shock length.

to me, if you have adaptive with lowering springs, shockware is imperative. shockware doesn't work on regular susp.

bilstein b6 and koni orange are meant for stock to small lowering. it'll likely okay enough for you and be cheaper than coils but you never really know what you're getting when you mix and match. everyone's handling/ride/satisfaction scale is different, so you'll have to inform yourself by reading threads/post here and decide.

i suggest an entry level coilover like bilstein b14 pss or kw street comfort. preset damping, matched springs, adjustable height. a lil more pain on your wallet initially but once it's in, height is set and alignment done, move on to next project. re-doing and chasing stuff costs more than initially paying more for something better, most of the time.

[perryo91]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

the primary reason the stock strut/shock wears out with lowering springs is because the shock is too tall for the lowering spring. with lowering springs, the stock shock is pre-loaded(partly compressed) due to the height difference between the stock and lowering springs. this causes reduced travel and performance. as the shock starts failing the ride gets bouncier because the springs are doing some of the dampening and the shock eventually starts to bottom out. some have not have had problems with only lowering springs and stock shocks(lucky for them), however i've read way too many that have had problems. especially with super low springs like H&R super sport.

shortened bumpstops such as dinan supplemental handling kit will mitigate some of this by reducing the total shock length.

to me, if you have adaptive with lowering springs, shockware is imperative. shockware doesn't work on regular susp.

bilstein b6 and koni orange are meant for stock to small lowering. it'll likely okay enough for you and be cheaper than coils but you never really know what you're getting when you mix and match. everyone's handling/ride/satisfaction scale is different, so you'll have to inform yourself by reading threads/post here and decide.

i suggest an entry level coilover like bilstein b14 pss or kw street comfort. preset damping, matched springs, adjustable height. a lil more pain on your wallet initially but once it's in, height is set and alignment done, move on to next project. re-doing and chasing stuff costs more than initially paying more for something better, most of the time.

Super informative, thank you for the information.

I don't have DHP, so if I were to end up doing springs I'd feel comfortable with dinan's 10mm lowering springs and bump stops.

Then if I notice my shocks getting bad I'll upgrade the shocks to something else (after researching).

How does that sound for a plan? It makes sense to me, but I rather have your opinion.

And yeah I totally agree with your last sentence. Most of the time it's better to bite the bullet and spend the cash to get something than jump around.

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by perryo91

Super informative, thank you for the information.
I don't have DHP, so if I were to end up doing springs I'd feel comfortable with dinan's 10mm lowering springs and bump stops.
Then if I notice my shocks getting bad I'll upgrade the shocks to something else (after researching).
How does that sound for a plan? It makes sense to me, but I rather have your opinion.
And yeah I totally agree with your last sentence. Most of the time it's better to bite the bullet and spend the cash to get something than jump around.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...prings&page=28

i suggest reading through this and forum search dinan springs.

i think dinan lowers more than 10mm. i've read 5/8" front, 3/4" rear, 3/4" front & rear, 20mm. in the pics i've seen it appears to be 20mm and apparently some have had problems with reverse rake.

during a lowering spring install the front requires a spring compressor and is a big part of the labor cost. since everything is apart during installation, changing the struts/shocks at the same time makes sense to me. also, every time you change suspension components requires an alignment, keep this in mind because it will add up when you keep re-doing stuff.

since everything is apart, at minimum, replace the stock struts/shocks with bilstein b6/b8 or koni orange/yellow, you'll have to research this as well i've seen varying reviews, too bouncy, reverse rake, etc. this is the problem with mix/match.

my opinion is go straight to the bilstein b14 pss. it costs just a little more than springs+aftermarket struts. since it's just height adjustable, installation cost should basically be the same as installing just springs.

i prefer no guessing...install once, align once, refill wallet, move on to next project. but it's not my wallet so you do what you gotta do.

[perryo91]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...prings&page=28

i suggest reading through this and forum search dinan springs.

i think dinan lowers more than 10mm. i've read 5/8" front, 3/4" rear, 3/4" front & rear, 20mm. in the pics i've seen it appears to be 20mm and apparently some have had problems with reverse rake.

during a lowering spring install the front requires a spring compressor and is a big part of the labor cost. since everything is apart during installation, changing the struts/shocks at the same time makes sense to me. also, every time you change suspension components requires an alignment, keep this in mind because it will add up when you keep re-doing stuff.

since everything is apart, at minimum, replace the stock struts/shocks with bilstein b6/b8 or koni orange/yellow, you'll have to research this as well i've seen varying reviews, too bouncy, reverse rake, etc. this is the problem with mix/match.

my opinion is go straight to the bilstein b14 pss. it costs just a little more than springs+aftermarket struts. since it's just height adjustable, installation cost should basically be the same as installing just springs.

i prefer no guessing...install once, align once, refill wallet, move on to next project. but it's not my wallet so you do what you gotta do.

I was saying 10mm because I've got m-sport, so it's inherently 10mm lower than base.

I'd be doing it myself so that makes sense to just do it all at once not only for the time, but the alignment cost that I didn't think of.

I'll do some research, as long as comfort is similar to aftermarket spring/strut combo then I'll definitely just bite the bullet and go for the bilsteins.

Thanks for your advice, I appreciate it!

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by perryo91

I was saying 10mm because I've got m-sport, so it's inherently 10mm lower than base.
I'd be doing it myself so that makes sense to just do it all at once not only for the time, but the alignment cost that I didn't think of.
I'll do some research, as long as comfort is similar to aftermarket spring/strut combo then I'll definitely just bite the bullet and go for the bilsteins.
Thanks for your advice, I appreciate it!

fyi i have m-performance suspension and no real experience with bilstein b14 pss. my suggestions are based on info here and previous modding experience. i would hate to have you be disappointed with my suggestion. i don't believe in only doing lowering springs, ever. i always do matched, struts/shocks/springs such as m-performance or coils.

[perryo91]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

fyi i have m-performance suspension and no real experience with bilstein b14 pss. my suggestions are based on info here and previous modding experience. i would hate to have you be disappointed with my suggestion. i don't believe in only doing lowering springs, ever. i always do matched, struts/shocks/springs such as m-performance or coils.

Ahh you've got the suspension I want. I just keep telling myself that for the price I should get a coilover setup.

We'll see.

And I'll definitely do plenty of research before biting the bullet.

[alohasurftoad]

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1461839