opinions on g max springs

[irish320i]

just looking for some info on best spring choice and what the best drop on 17 s is

[tomstickland]

my opinion: gmax are not good.
40mm drop is generally considered an OK amount, 60 is a bit too much.

[Dan318-is]

mate there cheap and shit

for springs get HnR or Eibach

cant beat them

[fuzzy]

if your wanting to go -60, id recommend spax kits,they sell them on the zone shop

[Brian28]

What is it about G max springs (apart from being cheap) that makes them sh*t? How does their lb/in compare with other springs? I asked on a different thread the other day but nobody seemed to know why they are considered crap springs though most people seemed to assume that they are. I'm guessing its because of these people's personal experience and comparison of driving with Gmax and then with other springs fitted. I'm reasonably used to driving quickly on road and/or track, but know that there is absolutely no way that I could tell what brand of springs are fitted from the drivers seat. Just interested really as although dampers can be adjustable and have their own characteristics I always thought that by and large a spring is just a spring and the rate (lb/in) is what has most effect on how the car feels and handles, not what is written on the box the springs came in. But mebbe I'm completely wrong and somebody will be along shortly to enlighten me

[325iSportMark]

Mine has got g-max springs on that were there when I bought it, and it sits too fcuking low, especially at the back. I run 16" Alpinas with 225/45 tyres an the back and you can barely see any of the tyre at the top.

As soon as I can get round to it I'll be changing them, probably for H&R's.

So if you want nice springs, go for H&R or Eibach, if you want to go ridiculously low, buy g-max, better still, buy mine!

Here endeth the lesson.........

[panesar_e30]

from experiance, i found them shit. spax is the best ive used. imo 60m is the best drop for 17's but it depends what you want......................

[Dan318-is]

maybe calling them shit is a bit extreme

but not many people use them on here, an why are they the cheapest make off spring???

on the experience side of things, my mate put gmax springs on his 316carb an teh right rear one snapped lol

he sent them back to gmax, got a refund and a new set tho

[Brian28]

Thanks for the info, that's useful to know and mebbe an indication of quality. Tho didn't somebody post last month that one of their Spax springs had snapped, and spax told them to go and whistle? At least Gmax offered replacements. Apart from potential quality issues tho, I'd still be interested to know how they compare to anything else handling wise, and more especially why specifically? (i.e. not just that the car handled like a sack of pants with Gmax springs and was much better when I swapped for Superfastwhizzy springs, but what was it about the handling that was bad, and what improved with the new springs?). Have to say, I'm still not too convinced about the brand of springs making much of a difference to handling if you are comparing like with like i.e. both with similar drop.

Cheers
Brian

[panesar_e30]

im only sayin from experience because cheaper springs tend to sag more.

cheap and cheerfull's the word.

[Dan318-is]

panesar ahs hit the nail on the head here

as jimbob always says to me (all be it in a mean manner lol)

you get what you pay for

[tomstickland]

TBH most people (myself included) can't be arsed to try five different manufacturer's in succesion. A spring is just a coil of metal, with the only difference between the players being the spring rate, the raw material and the quality. I've no idea whether Gmax are different from the bigger names, but I associate them with cheap and cheerful lowering kits. Hence I went to Koni with my previous car. They were a big name and well regarded.

With regard to spring rate, I think that they generally increase on the std rate by 10-20%.

[Dan318-is]

whats a koni set up liek fella?

i considered them before HnR but the kit i went on in a fiesta was soo hard

hence why i probs go for HnR as i have heard the ride is still quite good

[tomstickland]

I had a koni kit - 4 springs and 4 top adjustable dampers.
First impressions were that it was way too hard. I almost sent it back after a week. After a month or so I got to like it though. Either it softened up or I got used to it. After a month I was hooked on it. This was on a 1990 Astra GTE btw.

They are definitely a big name and quality is good. Some say that they are fine for German style smooth roads but too harsh for UK.

[Dan318-is]

ye probabaly that mate the roads here are shit

the only reason im probably goin for HnR is cos all the people on here seem to use them, they certianly seem to be popular an considering i no jack shit about the makes and difference in rides i dont wona risk 350 mate no what i mean?

good to hear about other makes rather than koni n bilstein tho fella

isnt the nutcase with that hartge lump in his black 325i running a koni 60/40 drop?

wonder what thats like

[Brian28]

I had koni adjustable shocks a few years back, top notch kit. Thanks for the input on the springs, I'll have a surf around later on to see if I can get any technical info on spring rates as well and will post for info if I find anything useful.

Cheers
Brian

[M5pilot]

The likes of Eibach and H&R use progressively coiled springs for a start which gives a much better ride on our pothole ridden roads.

Then you have the quailty of the materials used including the paint finish which stops the springs rusting. Better quailty coating protects the springs for much longer.

H&R's are also tested on individual cars rather than just making a calucalation based on spring rates.

Alot of people here including myself have tried alot of different spring kits on the many E30's owned over the years and the conclusion everyone has come to is H&R is the best value for money + best performing.

The Koni route is also excellent for those who want to be able to tweak their suspension depending on mood, weather of application.

Spax, Koni and H&R are all available from the Zone shop.

[tomstickland]

Personally I'm either going to just fit OEM Mtech dampers, or go for a big name kit like those mentioned.

[M5pilot]

Try to get a ride in a car with H&R cup. It sells itself.
You wont ever want to goback to OEM ever again!

[irish320i]

thanx for the help lads think im gonna go for the 35 mm h+r if i can get them posted