Suspension help need

[86E30]

Hi guys, I'm from HKG and this is my first email joining this forum. Yet, I must first send my compliment to you guys. This web-site is the most organized and most entertaining web-site (car club) I've seen so far. Excellent !!

I have always been a bimmer fan all my life driving E30 323i, E36 M3 and currently an E46 330 ci. Have recently bought a 1986 E30 323i from a friend, it's a 2 door with stick shift (rare in HKG) and I just love it esp white is my favourite colour. I will post some picture of it when the car is done....it's now in the shop getting ready for a paint job. Problem is that I could not find any suspension set that could lower the car a bit. Of course, I can choose to use the Bilstein set which is too expensive; it is almost US$ 1300 (including installation) here.

I would appreciate any suggestion/comment from anyone re what alternatives do I have ?? Or where can I buy it ?

My requirement is that I want the car to look original and I do not like stiff suspension as the road condition in HKG makes the ride a torture. Have a nice day.

Cheers.

[Bharat]

Hi and welcome to the Zone.

I visited HongKong a couple of years ago to see my brother who lives there (lucky man !), so I know what you mean by the quality of the roads.

Most were good, but there were some pretty surprisingly poor bits of roads

Do you cross the roads that have tracks for trams ?

Reason I ask is because you mentioned Bilstein.

Bilstein suspension great for road-holding, but is not famous for tenderness.

Remember, it has been tried, tested and designed in Germany, where the roads are GREAT, not like the shit we have here in the U.K, and since HongKong was a British colony, obviously, that shit-minded attitude has passed on a bit in HK too.

Questions to ask are :

What is wrong with your current suspension ? Are you looking to change because it's crap ? Or are you simply looking to lower a bit ?

If you want to simply lower it, but not sacrifice ride quality, and want to keep the costs sensible, then Sachs/Boge dampers with H&R springs will be a good choice. Sachs/Boge suspension components have been used by BMW on E30s, and in fact, have M-Tech rated ones, which speaks a lot for them.

Otherwise, the H&R Cup Kit is a very good option, expensive, but worth it.

People have used Eibach springs, but they have had a mixed response, whereas H&R is a very well respected brand all-round, not just in the BMW fraternity.

Remember, if you decide to lower beyond 30mm, and get lowering springs for that, then you will really need to get uprated dampers accordingly.

Do some searches on this forum, in this (Technical) section, there is plenty that has been asked and said about E30 suspensions.

Check around, see what options you have available.

[astondg]

The first response was probably all you need, but I have an 85 323i and for some reason I feel like I should add something too.

I have mine lowered about 25mm (1") with King Springs and Koni adjustable sports dampers. I have the rear dampers on their softest setting and the fronts about 1.5 to 2 turns from their softest. It seems to ride ok, firm but ok, and it handles very well. At least that is my opinion, I don't mind a slightly firm ride though and would rather have the handling benefits so it's really a personal thing. I have had no trouble with the Koni's. I don't know if King Springs are available there anyway, and I don't really know how much development was put into them or how they compare to others because they are all I have had.

Aston

[86E30]

Tks gentlemen, tks for the great info. Give me some time to digest your info and I will get back to my friend/mechanic and see what I can do for this project car. I think I like H&R springs which I have tried before on my Porsche 996 (Gemballa kit), the ride and the look are maintained very well. Riding/crossing the rail (for the tram) is still OK.

Fyi, ordering parts from HKG is another issue. According to my friend, a lot of web-sites he visited did not have stock for the E30 suspension set, any suggestion.

Again, I appreciate the help. Have a nice day.