Lowering 1986 E30 316

[DopeE30]

I Just Lowered My E30 316 1986 The Springs Are 60mm, But I Have Not Changed The Shocks They Are Standard. I Feel That The Car Is Still Sitting Higher Then I Expected, Is This Because The Shocks Have Not Settled Or Do I Need To Change Shocks And If So Any Recommendations On What Ones To Get Thank You.

[magpie]

-60mm is a sump breaker .
i hope you've got a few spare mate.

[DopeE30]

The Car Is Still Sitting Relatively High, About And Inch Above The Actual Tyre. Do You Know If I Need To Change The Shocks To Make It Sit Lower Or Do I Have To Wait For The Shocks To Settle ?

[verde]

Please Stop Putting A Capital At The Start Of Each Words.


It makes reading very difficult. Remember E30s sit lower on the rear naturally anyway, look into E90/2 drop hats as they will lower the front an extra 10-15 mm, if you want lower youl need coilovers, but as magpie says itl chew sumps like fucking wine gums. Best thing to do is drop the back 40 front 60, and have a bit of rake, stick deep 16"s on there and itl look a treat

[Kedge]

The shocks won't like a drop like that, probably sat on the bumpstops! You'll need shorter shocks and have you used 316 springs?

[ndg]

Have you moved the car yet? It will sit high until driven a couple of metres.

[DopeE30]

The shocks won't like a drop like that, probably sat on the bumpstops! You'll need shorter shocks and have you used 316 springs?

Yeah i used 316 springs and any reccomendations on what shocks to get ?

[DopeE30]

Have you moved the car yet? It will sit high until driven a couple of metres.

Yeah i moved the car but it is stil l sitting higher then i expected. I can post some pictures tomorrow if that would help ? Thank you

[magpie]

here's my old sumpcracker on - 60mm all round jamex cheapy £175 ebay bone shaker kit .

[DopeE30]

here's my old sumpcracker on - 60mm all round jamex cheapy £175 ebay bone shaker kit .

Yeah thats look im goi for how did you achieve that bro ?

[DopeE30]

And what inch wheels are they ?

[magpie]

it was a full jamex kit with shorter dampers -60mm all round i got it off ebay 5 or 6 years ago new for £175 .

the rimzzz are 15"

[verde]

I hate how e30s sit like that, arse looks like its broken. Needs a bit rake to it.

[DopeE30]

it was a full jamex kit with shorter dampers -60mm all round i got it off ebay 5 or 6 years ago new for £175 .

the rimzzz are 15"

Cool what do you mean by "jamex kit" Springs im guessing, And lovely it just sound like i need dampers all round then cheers..

[DopeE30]

I hate how e30s sit like that, arse looks like its broken. Needs a bit rake to it.

Any ideas on how to prevent ?

[verde]

Yeah, dont lower the back so much.


Lower the rear by 40mm and the front by 60 or 70. Thatl rake it, my car has the same problem, back is lower than the front and it looks shit

[snakebrain]

[magpie]

Yeah, dont lower the back so much.


Lower the rear by 40mm and the front by 60 or 70. Thatl rake it, my car has the same problem, back is lower than the front and it looks shit

i like the arse end lower than the front,just like ky old mk11 escorts.

the way my galvaniser sits isn't as harsh though -40mm eibachs on the rear and -15mm mtech sport springs on the front .

i don't want to change an m50 sump

[verde]

Your different though magpie you drag alot so its properly set up. Its all the council spec chav wagons scraping their arses I hate. It looks like a dog dragging its arse along the carpet

[magpie]

btw the jamex stuff was a FULL KIT shocks and springs

and it was shit!

i took out two sumps in a month

[Kedge]

Yeah, dont lower the back so much.


Lower the rear by 40mm and the front by 60 or 70. Thatl rake it, my car has the same problem, back is lower than the front and it looks shit

His is an '86 car so has a totally different rear arch profile to the one Magpie has posted so it won't look as low on the back.

[capnmchl]

Yeah, my pre-facelift sits like standard on the rear, even with a supposed 50mm drop. Front looks good though, thats meant to be about 75mm, but it's only around 50mm.

Also, M10 sumps sit relatively high. I've only knocked mine once, and they're made out of steel so they take a bashing before they go ;)

[magpie]

m10 sumps FTW .

i never knew that but then again i've never owned an m10 .

[Nobby_N]

lmao

[mcbonio]

DopeE30, have you released the handbrake since lowering the car?

[DopeE30]

DopeE30, have you released the handbrake since lowering the car?

yeah ive taken it for a drive lol..

[DopeE30]

Yeah, my pre-facelift sits like standard on the rear, even with a supposed 50mm drop. Front looks good though, thats meant to be about 75mm, but it's only around 50mm.

Also, M10 sumps sit relatively high. I've only knocked mine once, and they're made out of steel so they take a bashing before they go ;)

Yeah thats sound about right lol, any idea on how to drop the rear anymore with out buying a new set of springs do you think i should get the sport shocks for it ? Thank you brother.

[Gert_8]

lmao

LOL,, but agree...!

[capnmchl]

Change the shocks, so they match the springs a bit better. Overwise you end up with the shocks reacting too slowly for the stiffer lowering springs and funny handling. Changing the shocks won't lower it more though, unless it is actually sitting on the bumpstops (which I highly doubt). You can only go so far with lowering springs. You're going to have to start looking at coilovers if you want to go lower.

Half the problem with the rear is that on pre facelifts, the rear arch sits higher than on facelifts, so it looks like it's higher. You shouldn't have too much trouble with the front. Also, tyre profile makes a different. A 15" wheel with 205/50's fills the arch a lot better than a 16 with 215/40. Rides nicer too

Mine looks pretty crap when parked, especially downhill, but when its driving it levels out alright.

m10 sumps FTW .

i never knew that but then again i've never owned an m10 .

Indeed. Good little engines considering how old they are. Very easy to tune as well.

[DopeE30]

Yeah, my pre-facelift sits like standard on the rear, even with a supposed 50mm drop. Front looks good though, thats meant to be about 75mm, but it's only around 50mm.

Also, M10 sumps sit relatively high. I've only knocked mine once, and they're made out of steel so they take a bashing before they go ;)

When you lowered the car did you change the shocks to sport ones ? Thank you

[DopeE30]

Change the shocks, so they match the springs a bit better. Overwise you end up with the shocks reacting too slowly for the stiffer lowering springs and funny handling. Changing the shocks won't lower it more though, unless it is actually sitting on the bumpstops (which I highly doubt). You can only go so far with lowering springs. You're going to have to start looking at coilovers if you want to go lower.

Half the problem with the rear is that on pre facelifts, the rear arch sits higher than on facelifts, so it looks like it's higher. You shouldn't have too much trouble with the front. Also, tyre profile makes a different. A 15" wheel with 205/50's fills the arch a lot better than a 16 with 215/40. Rides nicer too

Mine looks pretty crap when parked, especially downhill, but when its driving it levels out alright.

m10 sumps FTW .

i never knew that but then again i've never owned an m10 .

Indeed. Good little engines considering how old they are. Very easy to tune as well.

I've gone for the stretched tyre look as i have deep dished wheels lol :/.. I have 16's with 205/45/r16's on the rear and on the front i have 195/45/r16.. I think i am gonna change the shocks and maybe cut the springs . What do you think ?

[magpie]

ha...

[capnmchl]

Don't cut the springs, especially the rear.

[DopeE30]

Don't cut the springs, especially the rear.

What makes you say that G?

[Grrrmachine]

Let's nip this in the bud:

Suspension is a critical aspect of any car, and for the rear end twitchy nature of the E30 correct suspension is critical if you want to keep your wheels on the asphalt and your head facing in the right direction.

While BMW set up the car for the right balance of comfort and performance, people adjust their suspension depending on their specific needs, whether its increased comfort or increased performance. But either way it means buying the correct parts for the situation.

To that end, each component is critical. Each shock and spring has to support 300kg of weight, a quarter of the car, on a steady even path while the wheels are bouncing up and down to the road conditions. Lowering springs reduce the height of the suspension, and therefore the amount that the wheel can move up and down, but to compensate they use thicker steel so that they can still carry the weight of the car.

Butchering a normal spring means that you're removing that much strength from the suspension; when the wheel hits a bump it will be launched upwards, effectively punching the car from underneath, and you've removed the car's ability to absorb that shock just because you want to be cool in front of your mates.

This will ultimately mean that a raised manhole or a nasty pothole will send your car fishtailing. If we're lucky, you'll crash into a tree and only kill yourself, but knowing Sod's Law you'll take out a family of three on your way, killing them and saving yourself. Just because you wanted some stance, some lows, the right profile to make your car look sick, innit.

It's only a 316, and it's only a manky old Beemer, but it's still a 1.2 tonne killing machine and it demands a certain degree of respect. Taking an angle grinder to the springs is just plain stupid.