Advice on suspension and brakes for my 325i

[mikey75]

Hi,

Recently bought an 1988 E30 325i, wanting to change the discs, pads, shocks and springs.

Might want to take it to some track days but will be mainly driven on public roads.

Had a look at several sites but there are so many different brands, was looking at Bilstein B4 shocks and EBC brakes but not sure if these are ok. Would appreciate some advice, also, would it be necessary to fit grooved/discs to the rear or just the front.

Cheers

[magpie]

grooved fronts are ok for road use but go all round if going to be tracked.
maybe red stuff pads.

b4's mmmm, boge turbo are good

[Morat]

The biggest question is budget.. followed by whether you want to get coilovers or springs/shocks...

People are probably sick of me saying this but...
Drop it 30mm ish all round which is the most you can realistically get away with without camber correction
Springs - HnR or Eibach Pro. HnR are stiffer, Eibach ride nicely everywhere
Shocks - Bilstein B8
Get some uprated rollbars. I reckon you may as well go with HnR if you use HnR springs, or Eibach if you use Eibach springs.... the only reason being they should compliment each other nicely.

As for brakes, you've got the option of 4pot calipers from WMS, willwood etc, or sticking with stock. Unless you're going with a lot of engine upgrades I'd say stick with stock but consider a caliper rebuild or trade in for some refurbs.

Disks/Pads are an endless debate
Have fun and don't forget tyres!

[shimsheemer]

There may be a set of Red Stuffs with EBC smooth vented discs (fronts) for sale soon due to me upgrading mine to the WMS kit. They have covered about 1,000 miles but were then unfortunately laid up as I had a broken foot. I have always got on really well with them but there are plans afoot for a touch more power, and the timing is right for a change in calipers. Mods - hope this isn't stamping all over no-no territory in this thread, but they will be in the for sale area when they actually become redundant...

The work is being done concurrently at Fritz' with my suspension upgrade - they have recommended B6 with Eibach springs if that is any use to you...

Oh, and they said to get strut braces too...

[town325i]

Oh, and they said to get strut braces too...

They said that to sell you more of there tat! stronger roll bars will do fine and if you do feel the need for a strut brace get one that is fixed not one with bolts holding either side together as they look to me a waste of money as they wont do nothing

[Morat]

Ditch the rear strut brace and go for B8s

[Duke137]

Have fun and don't forget tyres!

Thats my view as well, your car is only as good as the tyres you put on it. I would always recommend Michelin Pilot sport. I love them but I just can't afford them...

[shimsheemer]

Oh, and they said to get strut braces too...

They said that to sell you more of there tat! stronger roll bars will do fine and if you do feel the need for a strut brace get one that is fixed not one with bolts holding either side together as they look to me a waste of money as they wont do nothing

I'm hoping that it will be a fixed one, don't like the idea of adjustable ones or the ones with the bolted bar that mounts atop the turrets. I would look to fit anti-roll bars too, Eibach favourites at the mo. Do you reckon I should work from the bottom up instead then?

As for the B6/B8 conundrum, I bugged out at max-confused and put my trust in what other people were running/feedback - hence the B6...

[mikey75]

Thanks for the advice, I need to decide if I want to lower the car. Never lowered a car before but if i'm gonna use it on the track suppose it will make more sense.