standard ride height

Post Sun Jul 10, 2005 11:05 pm

i'm looking to lower my tourer a bit more. i suspect it's 60/40 (on very soft unknown springs) but i am not sure.

i have measured the distance from the wheel centres to the wheelarch lip and have the following measurements:
front: 325mm
rear: 305mm

any ideas what it's set to at the moment? can anyone spare a few mins with a tape measure?!!!

cheers

Post Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:43 pm

anyone?

Post Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:45 pm

if i hadnt just got out ta shower id run out and measure mine 4 ya im -40 all round

Post Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:01 pm

gareth wrote:i'm looking to lower my tourer a bit more. i suspect it's 60/40 (on very soft unknown springs) but i am not sure.

i have measured the distance from the wheel centres to the wheelarch lip and have the following measurements:
front: 325mm
rear: 305mm

any ideas what it's set to at the moment? can anyone spare a few mins with a tape measure?!!!

cheers

as far as i'm aware-my touring is standard ride height-i'll get a measurement when i go home

post it up on thurs when i'm back infront of the PC...

Post Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:07 pm

cheers!

Post Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:53 am

hi mate-here goes

YOUR FRONT=325mm YOUR REAR=365mm

MY FRONT=365mm My REAR=345mm

so as far as i can see, your car has had a 40mm drop all round (40/40)

a 60/40 would lead to 305mm all round.

My wheels were 15" BBS with 205/55/r15 tyres.

If you had very soft springs, i suspect the back would be closer to 300mm or lower...

the front springs are the same on tourings as on the saloons.

Hope this helps mate!!!

Neil

Post Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:29 pm

Would it be the same for a 323i (sedan or something)? I think mine is lowered an inch (about 25mm) all round but lately I have been wondering if it is. I'll measure it tomorrow and see.

Aston

Post Sat Jul 16, 2005 1:36 am

I just measured mine:

Front: 355mm
Rear: 335mm

That is with supposedly 25mm lower springs. Looks like it is more like 10mm all round, unless the sedan has different standard heights to the tourer?

I have 16" wheels and 205/50/16 tyres but they shouldn't make any difference to this measurement should they? They have a very similar diameter to the 205/55/15's anyway.

Aston

Post Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:21 am

thanks neil. i assume yours is all standard and not m-tech? (-20ish iirc)

i wonder if they're the BOGE springs from GSF. i've had them on a E30 318i and a MK2 VW Scirocco in the past and found them to be VERY soft! cutting the standard springs down is actually harder in my experience.

they are only Ãƒ”šÃ‚£50 ish a set so is suppose you get what you pay for!!! time for a decent set of -60 spring set i reckon!

Post Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:01 pm

gareth wrote:cutting the standard springs down is actually harder in my experience.

Don't do that! There is a chance the spring could fall out of it's mount over bumps if it isn't done properly! Happened to my car when I got it.

Aston

Post Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:12 pm

when done properly it's not bad. obvioulsy cutting the original ones short enough to allow them to loosen under full extension isn't clever. this is shorter shocks terratory but this also applied to anything from -50 and onwards imo.

anyone else feeling handy with a tape measure to confirm the above findings?

Post Sun Jul 24, 2005 12:56 pm

i have more figures...

G-Reg 320i 2 door. standard, even still got steeleis on! (new wifey wagon!)
FRONT = 355
REAR = 325

so it's sitting a bit lower than neils 320 touring. that said, i suspect the touring sits a bit higher anyway (most manufacturers estates seem to).

i still reckon mine must be about -40ish though

Post Sun Jul 24, 2005 1:20 pm

I knew my 325i Sport had been lowered over standard when I bought it, but I had no idea by what amount. The Sport is about 15-20mm lower than a non-Sport IIRC.

Just measured mine and I got...

Front 320mm (thats with S50 engine, expect about 330mm with the M20)
Rear 300mm

Mines on standard BBS with 205/55/15s.

Still no idea what the standard height should be, but I didnt think mine was that low.

Post Sun Jul 24, 2005 1:41 pm

hmmm... likely to be a -40 all round...

it's been suprisingly hard to find a standard one to compare!!!! i've been in the dark like you!

Post Sun Jul 24, 2005 1:59 pm

-40mm all round is what Ive been thinking. But would that be -40 over the Mtech or standard height??

The suspension receipt was the only one the guy couldnt find when I bought the Sport, so I had no idea how much its lowered by. And he couldnt remember.

gareth wrote:it's been suprisingly hard to find a standard one to compare!!!! i've been in the dark like you!

The only one Ive compared to is BillgatesE30 (Chris??). He bought Simons Sport and I think that was standard height.
Ive got a piccy of mine and Chris's Sport (when Simon owned it) and mine is a bit lower, but you can only see the front. There is definitely more of a gap between the tyre and arch on Chris's sport...

Mine is on the left.

Post Sun Jul 24, 2005 2:06 pm

most suspension suppliers quote the drop from the non m-tech height so some -40 springs on a sport will lower it another 20mm ish.

Post Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:48 am

gareth wrote:i have more figures...

G-Reg 320i 2 door. standard, even still got steeleis on! (new wifey wagon!)
FRONT = 355
REAR = 325

so it's sitting a bit lower than neils 320 touring. that said, i suspect the touring sits a bit higher anyway (most manufacturers estates seem to).

So mine at Front: 355, Rear 335 is standard at the front and actually higher at the rear?

Maybe time for some new springs?

Aston

Post Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:48 pm

i suspect the standard height can vary with age and wear on bushes etc.

does look like the tourer sits a bit higher than the saloon though