[Der2z]

Good evening everyone!

I've spent the last 4 hours researching this forum for information regarding lowering an xdrive F36 but didn't really find the information I was looking for so figured it was time to make a post and ask.

On Friday I am going to pick up my first bmw. 2016 f36 xdrive and I have already purchased 437m wheels and 235/40/19 tires.

I didn't realize that there was going to be as big of a wheel gap until I was watching a YouTube video and someone mentioned it and now I can definitely tell the big wheel gap as I look at pictures on the forums and google.

I would like to lower the car but really don't want the car to look lowered if that makes sense. I'd just like it to be dropped slightly to remove the wheel gap and look like it came from the factory that way.

Is there a setup where I can only drop it and inch and still have great ride quality? I spent hours researching this but could never find a good answer. Rev motoring offers springs that are only 10% stiffer and drop it about an inch. Would I even be able to tell a difference in ride quality and do I need new dampeners etc?

Thanks in advance!
Dereck

[thatBimmerBloke]

1 inch drop while retaining ride quality is probably only achievable using coilovers, I've been researching a setup for my 435ix coupe for a few months now I think I'll be going with B14 coils set on highest setting i.e. 30mm drop all around. xDrive front wheel gap is ridiculous, it's around 60mm for me, rear isn't that bad.

Other alternative is switching shocks and springs but the ideal setup only lowers the car about 15-20mm in the front. 19" wheels might close that gap additionally by 5-10 mm which might be ideal (~25-30mm drop when you add it up).

Do you have adaptive suspension? In that case you don't even need to replace the stock shocks, just using the Eibach springs should be good enough. If you don't have adaptive then you definitely need to replace the shocks also, they go bad pretty fast with lowering springs.

[cfm56d7b]

If your vehicle doesn't have M Adaptive suspension, your most practical option will be KW Street Comfort coilovers which can be set at near OEM height. I had these coilovers on 2013 335i xDrive sedan.

[xpro]

Coilovers are not the only solution for a good ride.
Fitting coilovers will give you a very harsh ride and some people only find it out after they fit them. They are designed for track and not so much for road use.

Most people just use lowering springs which improve the stance and they are ok for normal day to day drive.

If you want to take it a step further, there is a Bilstein B12 Kit available for less then 1k. ( I currently have one fitted)

This is a perfect set up for fast road, daily driving. You dont lose too much comfort and you dont go too low. I would grade them a little bit better then the OE M sport stock suspension. Something similar what you would get in stock M car per say. My car with B12 feels pretty much the same as my friends F80 M3..

And the other downside of going too low, and especially if you have an M front lip, that you will scrape anything taller the 3,4 inches.. It might look nice but believe its a pain in the ass.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by xpro

Coilovers are not the only solution for a good ride.
Fitting coilovers will give you a very harsh ride and some people only find it out after they fit them. They are designed for track and not so much for road use.

Most people just use lowering springs which improve the stance and they are ok for normal day to day drive.

If you want to take it a step further, there is a Bilstein B12 Kit available for less then 1k. ( I currently have one fitted)

This is a perfect set up for fast road, daily driving. You dont lose too much comfort and you dont go too low. I would grade them a little bit better then the OE M sport stock suspension. Something similar what you would get in stock M car per say. My car with B12 feels pretty much the same as my friends F80 M3..

And the other downside of going too low, and especially if you have an M front lip, that you will scrape anything taller the 3,4 inches.. It might look nice but believe its a pain in the ass.

Please don't confuse opinion with facts

Coilovers span more of the spectrum for comfort to performant (track oriented) than springs do. Springs are a single component of the suspension system, where a coilover is the complete shock and spring pairing. There are plenty of coilovers for the street, in between, and hard core tracking.

A coilover is better pairing than a spring on a random shock/damper. To reach the same symbiotic relation ship you get out of a coilover system you will have to do much leg work finding the right shock and right spring to get what you want out of the system. A coilover makes this search much much much easier.

.

[xpro]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

Please don't confuse opinion with facts

Coilovers span more of the spectrum for comfort to performant (track oriented) than springs do. Springs are a single component of the suspension system, where a coilover is the complete shock and spring pairing. There are plenty of coilovers for the street, in between, and hard core tracking.

A coilover is better pairing than a spring on a random shock/damper. To reach the same symbiotic relation ship you get out of a coilover system you will have to do much leg work finding the right shock and right spring to get what you want out of the system. A coilover makes this search much much much easier.

.

I dont disagree with you. Speaking strictly from my experience rather then a formed opinion, been involved in motosport and lancer evo racing rally and track since 2005 and have experienced a lot in relation to coilovers and suspension, from Ohlins to Tein suspension set ups and can tell you coilovers are overkill for road use and bring discomfort no matter how well they are tuned. And not to mention expense..

Hence I mentioned for a regular Joe Bloggs daily driving, work and back, springs alone or likes of B12 set up is more then sufficient.

[bqik]

Originally Posted by xpro

Coilovers are not the only solution for a good ride.
Fitting coilovers will give you a very harsh ride and some people only find it out after they fit them. They are designed for track and not so much for road use.

Most people just use lowering springs which improve the stance and they are ok for normal day to day drive.

If you want to take it a step further, there is a Bilstein B12 Kit available for less then 1k. ( I currently have one fitted)

This is a perfect set up for fast road, daily driving. You dont lose too much comfort and you dont go too low. I would grade them a little bit better then the OE M sport stock suspension. Something similar what you would get in stock M car per say. My car with B12 feels pretty much the same as my friends F80 M3..

And the other downside of going too low, and especially if you have an M front lip, that you will scrape anything taller the 3,4 inches.. It might look nice but believe its a pain in the ass.

B16 since 4 years ago and done 200.000km with them.

never felt harsh by any means.

bilstein has 10 positions, if you put them at 0-3 the ride is far better and more comfortable than stock, as stock was wobly.

I only felt a harsh ride when going to 8 or higher values.

just my .02

[Onizukachan]

Congrats! I’ve been enjoying my f31dx and one of the kids at work has a white 435 and it is equally nice. I haven’t lowered mine yet as I want both comfort for long distance and Daily driving plus lower ride height (and that means kw $treet comfort$)
It is hard to stay focused on saving for home ownership when everyone has Coilovers or rwd with lower suspension.

The following is all second hand from my spending hours here reading and trying to make sense of the info overflow. I hope it is of help.

Farkle! says that the Eibachs are good for f31 xdrive if you get the European kits, and the 4s tend to be also heavier compared to f30s, so you might check the EU Eibach website to make sure you get the correct p/n for your car to not wind up with weird reverse rake etc..
Eibachs are usually about 0.6-0.8 lowering, just enough to put an xdrive back to “normal” height.
The downside to springs is that you will also eventually (or possibly since used, immediately) need struts and by the time you buy b8s or koni yellows all around plus springs... you are already nearing decent Coilovers pricing.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by Onizukachan

Congrats! I've been enjoying my f31dx and one of the kids at work has a white 435 and it is equally nice. I haven't lowered mine yet as I want both comfort for long distance and Daily driving plus lower ride height (and that means kw $treet comfort$)
It is hard to stay focused on saving for home ownership when everyone has Coilovers or rwd with lower suspension.

The following is all second hand from my spending hours here reading and trying to make sense of the info overflow. I hope it is of help.

Farkle! says that the Eibachs are good for f31 xdrive if you get the European kits, and the 4s tend to be also heavier compared to f30s, so you might check the EU Eibach website to make sure you get the correct p/n for your car to not wind up with weird reverse rake etc..
Eibachs are usually about 0.6-0.8 lowering, just enough to put an xdrive back to "normal" height.
The downside to springs is that you will also eventually (or possibly since used, immediately) need struts and by the time you buy b8s or koni yellows all around plus springs... you are already nearing decent Coilovers pricing.

I was planning on B8+Eibach setup earlier but it's almost the price of Bilstein B14. Moreover just 15-20mm lowering in the front with Eibach felt a bit inadequate when compared to 60mm wheel gap of xDrive. Still contemplating between B14, KW V1 and SC. Leaning towards B14.

[KRS_SN]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

I was planning on B8+Eibach setup earlier but it's almost the price of Bilstein B14. Moreover just 15-20mm lowering in the front with Eibach felt a bit inadequate when compared to 60mm wheel gap of xDrive. Still contemplating between B14, KW V1 and SC. Leaning towards B14.

i have that setup (b8 and acs and ACS are probably just posh eibachs)and its fucking amazing.
the levels of grip and cornering ability is awesome compared to stock xdrive damper spring combination.
Ride is not harsher but over medium sized potholes etc there is sounds like drumbeats but this is the payoff for a great handling car which is comfortable over speedbumps and corners snd roundabouts etc with minimum body roll and maximum stability.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

i have that setup (b8 and acs and ACS are probably just posh eibachs)and its fucking amazing.
the levels of grip and cornering ability is awesome compared to stock xdrive damper spring combination.
Ride is not harsher but over medium sized potholes etc there is sounds like drumbeats but this is the payoff for a great handling car which is comfortable over speedbumps and corners snd roundabouts etc with minimum body roll and maximum stability.

Is it on your F30? Did you measure the before and after wheel gap? My wheel gap is around 2.3 inches(~55-60mm) in the front and I think just 15-20mm lowering wouldn't make a considerable impact B14 has a minimum lowering of 30mm.

[KRS_SN]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

Is it on your F30? Did you measure the before and after wheel gap? My wheel gap is around 2.3 inches(~55-60mm) in the front and I think just 15-20mm lowering wouldn't make a considerable impact B14 has a minimum lowering of 30mm.

bilstein b8 https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1657159

hope this answers your questions

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

bilstein b8 https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1657159

hope this answers your questions

Thanks. The ride is definitely better with B8 + Eibach/ACS but I also want to get rid of some of the wheel gap I couldn't find anyone having this same combo on F32 xDrive, I'm worried it might not drop at all or maybe just 10 or 15mm which wouldn't really change a lot.
EDIT: Just realized you already had the springs, also saw your thread on springs, that looks like a decent drop. Do you remember what numbers they were advertising for your car?

[KRS_SN]

I can't remember the exact numbers but it is definitelyless than 30mm front and back. There is definitely lowering and compared to stock x drive its a million miles better. I found this pic on bimmerpost may help ?

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

I can't remember the exact numbers but it is definitelyless than 30mm front and back. There is definitely lowering and compared to stock x drive its a million miles better. I found this pic on bimmerpost may help ?

That ACS drop looks perfect but I think those are 20" wheels. I believe they also reduce the gap by 10mm I've 18" setup for both summer and winter.

[xpro]

This is my 335xdrive with B8 and eibach 06-22 spring kit.

Not too low as I'd hate to scrape my bumper every time I go over a road ramp.

[IMG][/IMG]

[johnung]

Originally Posted by Onizukachan

Congrats! I've been enjoying my f31dx and one of the kids at work has a white 435 and it is equally nice. I haven't lowered mine yet as I want both comfort for long distance and Daily driving plus lower ride height (and that means kw $treet comfort$)
It is hard to stay focused on saving for home ownership when everyone has Coilovers or rwd with lower suspension.

The following is all second hand from my spending hours here reading and trying to make sense of the info overflow. I hope it is of help.

Farkle! says that the Eibachs are good for f31 xdrive if you get the European kits, and the 4s tend to be also heavier compared to f30s, so you might check the EU Eibach website to make sure you get the correct p/n for your car to not wind up with weird reverse rake etc..
Eibachs are usually about 0.6-0.8 lowering, just enough to put an xdrive back to "normal" height.
The downside to springs is that you will also eventually (or possibly since used, immediately) need struts and by the time you buy b8s or koni yellows all around plus springs... you are already nearing decent Coilovers pricing.

Don't forget Koni Special Actives as a damper choice. Koni developed unique dual frequency technology with McLaren. Sportiness on curves and comfort on rough roads. Really works! They pair perfectly with Eibach mild drop springs (F0.8"/R0.6") which Koni tested and approved. (Considered a stock height spring by Koni)