[whitewidow]

Hi all, Im looking to get Eibach lowering springs on my 2018 f36 440i w/ adaptive suspension. Would there be any issue with using the stock adaptive shocks with these springs at the lowered ride height? Would they cause premature failure? My thinking is to use the stock adaptive shocks until they begin to leak then either get better aftermarket shocks or coilovers.

The 440i has 50K miles and has been maintained very well. The car was fully serviced by BMW prior to the warranty expiring. Not sure if I should look into any other parts and/or preventive maintenance prior to installing springs but any pointers would be appreciated.

Here is what I what i'm looking to get:

x1 set of Eibach Lowering Springs: E10-20-031-05-22 (4x piece)
x2 F80 M3 front bump stops (strut bumper): 31-33-6-859-768
x2 F80 M3 rear bump stops (shock protector): 31-33-7-847-662

Side question - should i also get wheel spacers to perfect the stance if so which ones?

Here is the vehicle spec:

184V 440xi GC $50,500.00
475 Black Sapphire Metallic $550.00
LCL8 Black Dak Lthr W/ Oyster Hglgt $1,450.00
ZL0 Essentials Package —
508 Park Distance Control —
ZL1 Premium Package $2,000.00
494 Heated front seats —
609 Navigation system —
6AM Advanced RTTI —
6AP Remote Services —
ZMP M Sport Package $2,550.00
2VF Adaptive M Suspension —
ZTR Track Handling Package $1,700.00
2NH M Sport Brakes with Blue Calip —
2VL Variable sport steering —
337 M Sport Package —
21W 19" M wheel 704M w/perf rft $900.00
481 Sport seats —
4MN Aluminum Dark Carbon Trim —
710 M steering wheel —
715 Aerodynamic kit —
760 Shadowline exterior trim —
775 Anthracite headliner —
1CA CO2 relevant vehicles —
248 Heated Steering Wheel $190.00
2TB 8-Spd Sport Auto Transmission —
2VB Tire pressure monitor —
302 Alarm System —
319 Universal garage-door opener —
322 Comfort Access keyless entry —
3AG Rear view camera —
3DZ Without Lines designation —
423 Floor mats —
430 Auto-dimming mirrors —
431 Auto-dimming rearview mirror —
465 40/20/40 Split Rear Seat —
488 Lumbar support —
493 Storage package —
496 Heated rear seats $350.00
521 Rain sensor and auto headlight —
534 Dual Zone Auto Climate Control —
575 Additional 12-V power sockets —
WSA47 2023-12-05 17:42:50.142802
5AG Active Blind Spot Detection $500.00
5AS Active Driving Assistant $500.00
610 Head-up Display $1,100.00
655 SiriusXM Satellite Radio with —
688 Harman Kardon surround sound —
697 DVD Area coding, North America —
6AC BMW Assist eCall —
6AE BMW TeleServices —
6AK ConnectedDrive Services —
6CP Apple CarPlay Compatibility $300.00
6WA Instrument cluster —
840 Increased top speed limiter —
8KL Oil Chg 10,000 mls/12 months —
8TN Daytime driving lights —
925 Shipping package —
9AA Transport protection —
ZTM Tier 2 —
ZZD R4 —
Z06 Black Kidney Grilles $230.00
Z11 M Performance Power & Sound $3,230.00
Z1T Chrome Exhaust Tips $310.00
Z2T M Performance Side sill decals $295.00

[freakystyly]

Look into replacing the supporting hardware and fasteners. Mounts and rubber likely will be OK at that mileage but the aluminum or torque to yield fasteners aren't exactly reusable.

If you happen to go back in and replace the shocks later down the road, then do the mounts and rubber bits.

[sapphire black]

Recommend to save yourself the money and go with coilovers from the start - the springs will likely kill your shocks sooner or later (guess how I know) - and replacing those edc shocks is a minimum of 2.4K for 4 bilstein b4 replacements or pay 100-400 for EDC delete but in that case you’d end up having to replace both the rear and front. Price is Almost double for the OEM sachs.

A good set of coils will run you 1-2K and come with bump stops. I would recommend ST XA or KW V1.

Don’t make the same mistake I did because you will end up spending more in the end if you go springs first. I thought I would get away with it and I was wrong - it’s okay if you’re on base non edc shocks/struts because those are like 500 for all 4. But having EDC shocks greatly inflates the replacement costs.

Also keep in mind the costs for replacement hardware as noted above. Bolts alone cost 120 to replace all the TTY bolts.

Also spacers+extended lugs will run you another 200-300 plus 50 for bumpstops. Those two are technically not absolutely necessary but the wheels will tuck in even more after you lower, so it will look really weird without it. As for bumpstops, they will make a big difference in ride quality and shock longevity. Coils do come with built in bumpstops though

[whitewidow]

Originally Posted by sapphire black

Recommend to save yourself the money and go with coilovers from the start - the springs will likely kill your shocks sooner or later (guess how I know) - and replacing those edc shocks is a minimum of 2.4K for 4 bilstein b4 replacements or pay 100-400 for EDC delete but in that case you’d end up having to replace both the rear and front. Price is Almost double for the OEM sachs.

A good set of coils will run you 1-2K and come with bump stops. I would recommend ST XA or KW V1.

Don’t make the same mistake I did because you will end up spending more in the end if you go springs first. I thought I would get away with it and I was wrong - it’s okay if you’re on base non edc shocks/struts because those are like 500 for all 4. But having EDC shocks greatly inflates the replacement costs.

Also keep in mind the costs for replacement hardware as noted above. Bolts alone cost 120 to replace all the TTY bolts.

Also spacers+extended lugs will run you another 200-300 plus 50 for bumpstops. Those two are technically not absolutely necessary but the wheels will tuck in even more after you lower, so it will look really weird without it. As for bumpstops, they will make a big difference in ride quality and shock longevity. Coils do come with built in bumpstops though

Thanks. Very helpful. I will hold of for coil overs.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by sapphire black

Recommend to save yourself the money and go with coilovers from the start - the springs will likely kill your shocks sooner or later (guess how I know) - and replacing those edc shocks is a minimum of 2.4K for 4 bilstein b4 replacements or pay 100-400 for EDC delete but in that case you’d end up having to replace both the rear and front. Price is Almost double for the OEM sachs.

A good set of coils will run you 1-2K and come with bump stops. I would recommend ST XA or KW V1.

Don’t make the same mistake I did because you will end up spending more in the end if you go springs first. I thought I would get away with it and I was wrong - it’s okay if you’re on base non edc shocks/struts because those are like 500 for all 4. But having EDC shocks greatly inflates the replacement costs.

Also keep in mind the costs for replacement hardware as noted above. Bolts alone cost 120 to replace all the TTY bolts.

Also spacers+extended lugs will run you another 200-300 plus 50 for bumpstops. Those two are technically not absolutely necessary but the wheels will tuck in even more after you lower, so it will look really weird without it. As for bumpstops, they will make a big difference in ride quality and shock longevity. Coils do come with built in bumpstops though

Very well said. Another set of reasons to consider coilovers:

- Springs and struts are matched by design
- Depending on the brand / model: adjustable rebound and/or compression controls
- Adjustable suspension height within the intended range

Incidentally, the ability to tune suspension handling and suspension height - after the initial installation - is literally priceless because lowering springs alone do not offer these benefits at any price.

[Prak903]

Dissenting opinion here...

I have the same setup - down to being in Chicago as well! 2018 440i xdrive Gran coupe with adaptive. Switched over to the Eibach 5-22 in Feb of last year, so been exactly one year on it. Installed at 56k miles, now at 66k so 10k miles with them. Been a great experience (to be fair prior owner had H&R Sport Springs which sucked on these great Chicago roads). Went to Eibach as it allowed me to lower and have a more comfortable ride till I wear out the EDC shocks.

Not the biggest fan of EDC so I didn't mind the potential "Extra wear". It worked out in the end and I am happy with the setup! See below pic for drop height. Will be grabbing coilovers whenever these shocks wear out.

[sapphire black]

Originally Posted by Prak903

Dissenting opinion here...

I have the same setup - down to being in Chicago as well! 2018 440i xdrive Gran coupe with adaptive. Switched over to the Eibach 5-22 in Feb of last year, so been exactly one year on it. Installed at 56k miles, now at 66k so 10k miles with them. Been a great experience (to be fair prior owner had H&R Sport Springs which sucked on these great Chicago roads). Went to Eibach as it allowed me to lower and have a more comfortable ride till I wear out the EDC shocks.

Not the biggest fan of EDC so I didn't mind the potential "Extra wear". It worked out in the end and I am happy with the setup! See below pic for drop height. Will be grabbing coilovers whenever these shocks wear out.

Nice ride! That’s nearly the exact same spec as mine - minus the chrome.

The springs will scratch the aesthetic itch but if I were to go back, I’d have skipped them. Only one of my dampers went out but it put me in a position where I either replace the 2 rear dampers for almost 1K, and commit to replacing the fronts in the future, which are 1.6K and not getting any cheaper - or go with a full coil set for half the price - in which case I should have just got coils from the start - at least my rear edc shocks would still be intact.

Some people do get lucky with those shocks though and report them lasting for a long time - but honestly its one of those things where the degradation is slow and you don’t notice how bad its gotten until you get a fresh set

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by Prak903

Dissenting opinion here...

I have the same setup - down to being in Chicago as well! 2018 440i xdrive Gran coupe with adaptive. Switched over to the Eibach 5-22 in Feb of last year, so been exactly one year on it. Installed at 56k miles, now at 66k so 10k miles with them. Been a great experience (to be fair prior owner had H&R Sport Springs which sucked on these great Chicago roads). Went to Eibach as it allowed me to lower and have a more comfortable ride till I wear out the EDC shocks.

Not the biggest fan of EDC so I didn't mind the potential "Extra wear". It worked out in the end and I am happy with the setup! See below pic for drop height. Will be grabbing coilovers whenever these shocks wear out.

First - what a great F36 ...

Your experience with H&R Sport Springs is quite common. While some drivers are happy with H&R Sport Springs, they are far too stiff to absorb frequent road imperfections and inevitably generate a bouncy ride.

Glad to learn that coilovers are on the top of the list.

[Prak903]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

First - what a great F36 ...

Your experience with H&R Sport Springs is quite common. While some drivers are happy with H&R Sport Springs, they are far too stiff to absorb frequent road imperfections and inevitably generate a bouncy ride.

Glad to learn that coilovers are on the top of the list.

Thank you!

Coincidence…..I was just reading your threads on the availability of the B4-Damptronics. Still sporadic inventory nowadays. Were you ever able to secure a set?

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by Prak903

Thank you!

Coincidence…..I was just reading your threads on the availability of the B4-Damptronics. Still sporadic inventory nowadays. Were you ever able to secure a set?

Small world! Still shopping around. The availability remains very unpredictable.

[disintegrator66]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Small world! Still shopping around. The availability remains very unpredictable.

Another option that I would consider:
https://www.kwsuspensions.com/produc...-39020018.html

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by disintegrator66

Another option that I would consider:
https://www.kwsuspensions.com/produc...-39020018.html

Thanks for recommendation. KW DDC PnP coilovers lower the vehicle more than I'd like to see.

Front Lowering: 1.6" to 2.6"
Rear Lowering: 1.6" to 2.6"

Unfortunate. I am very familiar with KW products; had KW Street Comfort coilovers in the past.