60mm lowering HELP PLEASE!!!

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Andyboy
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Fri Apr 11, 2008 5:44 pm

Like the man says - shorter springs need shorter shocks to retain the unloaded spring tension.
spook
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Fri Apr 11, 2008 5:52 pm

£10 satin blacked landfill , excellent mr pacer :D
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d6dph
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Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:49 pm

I just had a proper laugh at the chuckle brothers up there.

"Andy and Pete spotted at recent Ace meet"

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A: "Pass me a paedo pellet Pete"

P: "No problems Andy, To you"

A: "To Me"
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maxfield
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Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:51 pm

Dave, you've made my day!

:D :D
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Dave_M3
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Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:26 pm

@ Simon...

So are these a special sort of Cup kit, Since yout talking about special shocks?
Bilstein HDs are not the same as B8/sprints are they???
I get all confused witht the different branding between europr and the US.

What about Ireland Engineering Stage III springs???
They are a 60/40 drop and are a good bit harder than the Cup kit rates wise too, which will be good fot drifting on track. These coupled with Koni's or Biltsteins are suppose to be very good.

Only $290 for a set of springs on E30tech now too!
M42 rightness above 6500rpm, nobody can hear you scream
Bob_S
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:19 pm

just spend some proper money on your driftbitch and get some proper bilstein B8's and H&R 35mm springs it drops it plenty low enough.. even my 316i spares or repair POSS drift can spin up my ditchfinders on the gravel out my cul-de-sac
Bollocks to this 24v scrap!
Simon13
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:22 pm

americans can't make cars handle let alone improve on a bmw. Their stuff is way way to hard. Good suspension doesn't mean stiff as you like. The cupkit springs are a touch soft on the back for a reason, it allows the back end to keep traction in the wet and dry. Cheap 60mm springs are too stiff on the rear and this makes the back end on an E30 skitty especially in the wet.

H&R springs are tested extensively around the nurburgring before they are signed off for production. thats good enough for me!
The standard cupkit shocks are perfectly ok, but i've found the bilsteins to work better on track and harder road use

I don't know the new bilstein system but i think* the B8 damper is the HD inverted shock but don't quote me on that!
Andyboy
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:28 pm

They won't suit 60mm, but if you wanted to drop 35mm and upgrade, the black B4 Bilsteins from Euros are pretty good. I've just slotted a set in the Chromer and they are surprisingly stiff - a lot stiffer than standard Boge shocks on both bump and rebound. They are a bit stiffer than the E36 M Technic damper as a comparison so don't let the 'budget' bit put you off (A set of 4 is about £120 with VAT). I used 35mm drop Eibach springs and not only does the car steer and handle a lot better but the ride is still very comfortable. The Eibach springs have coil wire which is just over 13mm diameter compared to 12mm of a standard basic 6 cyl spring.
Bob_S
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:32 pm

agreed with the above.. I think your right Si regarding the shocks
Bollocks to this 24v scrap!
Gibson
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Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:08 pm

Andyboy wrote:
pacerpete wrote:
Andyboy wrote: No question mark? Or did you chop it off with a grinder? winkeye

Pete, what's wrong with trampdrift Man, a matt black '89 Carlton with cut springs, a welded diff and a bottle of meths in the door pocket. Scene, Dude.
Hey man, don't be dissing me and my drifter bros. Some of you lot think we are sad council losers who spend all our free time doughnutting £10 satin blacked landfill and watching dodgy jap videos of sparcoed up nips doing c0ck action. You are so wrong, drifting is a lifestyle, man :)
I'm very sorry. Please disregard any suggestion that you're a Giro jockey into Linkin Park and "The Fast and the Spurious - Droitwich Drift".

I Like Linkin Park.... and Landfill....
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papercutout
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Sun Apr 13, 2008 2:26 pm

What about Gmax, or is all their E30 stuff rubbish? (I ask because I've seen some cheap (I drive a 4pot, not 6pot) and if they're not good, I'll avoid them).

My aim is to drop the car 40mm all round and stiffen it up a decent bit so I'm not getting so much body roll. So okay, I've got a welded diff too for drifting, which produces understeer before you get the back end out, hence the attempt to stiffen up the front so its smoother.

Thanks for any help guys. And lay off the drift bashing, people ask for advice and you give them crap, not helpful really...
pacerpete
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Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:25 pm

MMMM, doughnuts ! :)
ed325i
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Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:38 pm

I read some where that you can use the front shocks from a golf g60 ? with are shorter.
jim-bob
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Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:33 pm

ive got -60mm springs front n rear, not fitted yet, as i am worried about the shocks? will it lower the car but not stiifen or will it sit on the rear bumpstops without up-rated shocks? i dont mind if its still a bit soft, it just looks soooooo high,
papercutout
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Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:53 pm

It won't be sitting on the bumpstops, but you might bounce off them if you hit a big bump.

More likely is that your springs will be lose within the cups, even to the extent of falling out because the shock isn't short enough to hold them in. (not well explained, but you get the gist).
If they 'fall' out, then obviously you have trouble. Some people have used clips to hold the top and bottom of the spring in place so that, for example, when you jack the car up and the wheel drops, the wheel can't drop far enough to let the spring fall out. Not ideal, but it works and is legal.

Pacerpete - just be helpful, I've seen a number of people say you're really good and genuinely know what you're on about, don't spoil it with opinionated negative (when not needed) comments. Indiscriminate help would be far better.
handpaper
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Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:35 pm

ed325i wrote:I read some where that you can use the front shocks from a golf g60 ? with are shorter.
Any Golf with 51mm front struts actually - but you have to shorten your ones to suit. Not easy.

At standard ride height and ignoring the bumpstop, an e30 has 76mm of bump travel at the front. Any lowering done without shortening the strut will have to come off this; drop your car 40mm and you have 36mm of travel remaining, 60mm and you've only 16mm left.
'Drop kit' springs aren't all that stiff, either. I did a few measurements on a set of -60mm fronts I had lying around and they came out at c.140 lb/in - standard is 108. Most of the stiffness in a -60mm kit will come from the bumpstops.

As for reducing body roll, uprated ARBs and higher spring rates will do more than any amount of lowering. The ARBs aren't a problem, a good few companies (Eibach, H&R, Whiteline) do seriously stiff bars which will make a huge difference.
If you want to increase your spring rates by a meaningful amount (x2 and more over stock), the only sensible option is to convert to coilover. This gives you access to a huge range of spring rates, all available off-the-shelf at £30-40 a pair and you can set your ride height wherever you want it.
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