Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Moderators: GRNSHRK, ron, bfons
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Hey guys,
This is my first post. I got my first 6-er (1982 633csi) last year. I've done a bunch of small things to the car (installing antenna, replacing missing interior trim pieces, etc) and finally got around to the wheels / suspension setup.
I just purchased / installed style 32 wheels with the following specs:
17x8 235/45 for the fronts
17x9 255/40 for the rears
As you can see on the pics, the car sits a bit high, especially in the rear. So I would like to lower it a little but not too aggressive.
I saw the following suspension kit on ebay for around $600:
Two - 34-181546 - Bilstein Sport
Suspension Struts Insert Performance Upgrade (B8)
Front Driver Left and Passenger Right
Two - 24-006071 - Bilstein Sport
Shock Absorbers (B8)
Rear Driver Left and Passenger Right
What are you thoughts on these? Are there any other options that I should consider (for a reasonable price)?
Also, what springs would you recommend?
Thanks a lot in advance,
Andy
This is my first post. I got my first 6-er (1982 633csi) last year. I've done a bunch of small things to the car (installing antenna, replacing missing interior trim pieces, etc) and finally got around to the wheels / suspension setup.
I just purchased / installed style 32 wheels with the following specs:
17x8 235/45 for the fronts
17x9 255/40 for the rears
As you can see on the pics, the car sits a bit high, especially in the rear. So I would like to lower it a little but not too aggressive.
I saw the following suspension kit on ebay for around $600:
Two - 34-181546 - Bilstein Sport
Suspension Struts Insert Performance Upgrade (B8)
Front Driver Left and Passenger Right
Two - 24-006071 - Bilstein Sport
Shock Absorbers (B8)
Rear Driver Left and Passenger Right
What are you thoughts on these? Are there any other options that I should consider (for a reasonable price)?
Also, what springs would you recommend?
Thanks a lot in advance,
Andy
- Attachments
-
- IMG-3152_2.jpg (1.7 MiB) Viewed 14928 times
-
- IMG-3146_2.jpg (1.25 MiB) Viewed 14928 times
-
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3726
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: Gilroy (SF Bay Area) CA
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Hi Andy, welcome to the madness, nice looking example
In general, if you are going to use Bilstein Sports, you will need to also purchase a set of lowering springs, as they are designed for use with shorter springs
But as your goal is to lower the car, or at least the rear end, you will need these anyway, as it's the springs that determine the ride height, not the struts
The MY82 is a bit of a "tweener" model, I think you are still riding on an E12 chassis, but has Motronic FI under the hood for instance, just to confuse things
Alas, suspension bits for the E12 are becoming scarce, but I think there are a few sources for lowering springs still out there
Once again, welcome
In general, if you are going to use Bilstein Sports, you will need to also purchase a set of lowering springs, as they are designed for use with shorter springs
But as your goal is to lower the car, or at least the rear end, you will need these anyway, as it's the springs that determine the ride height, not the struts
The MY82 is a bit of a "tweener" model, I think you are still riding on an E12 chassis, but has Motronic FI under the hood for instance, just to confuse things
Alas, suspension bits for the E12 are becoming scarce, but I think there are a few sources for lowering springs still out there
Once again, welcome
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Thanks!GRNSHRK wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:02 pm Hi Andy, welcome to the madness, nice looking example
In general, if you are going to use Bilstein Sports, you will need to also purchase a set of lowering springs, as they are designed for use with shorter springs
But as your goal is to lower the car, or at least the rear end, you will need these anyway, as it's the springs that determine the ride height, not the struts
The MY82 is a bit of a "tweener" model, I think you are still riding on an E12 chassis, but has Motronic FI under the hood for instance, just to confuse things
Alas, suspension bits for the E12 are becoming scarce, but I think there are a few sources for lowering springs still out there
Once again, welcome
You're correct, my car was produced in 1981 (even though it's MY82) so it's based on E12 chasis.
Any idea what those sources are? Would really appreciate if you can point me in the right direction.
-
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3726
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: Gilroy (SF Bay Area) CA
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Well, please keep in mind that I haven't checked any of these suggestions to see if they are still offering springs, just going on past experience
That, plus I have an E12 chassis 6er myself, and have replaced the springs more than once
Korman Autoworks
Suspension Techniques
B&G Suspension (Swedish company, actually have a set of these, patiently waiting to get installed, long term project)
Let's see if others chime in
That, plus I have an E12 chassis 6er myself, and have replaced the springs more than once
Korman Autoworks
Suspension Techniques
B&G Suspension (Swedish company, actually have a set of these, patiently waiting to get installed, long term project)
Let's see if others chime in
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Perfect, thanks! So going with one of these lowering springs + B8 shocks/struts is a good combo in your opinion? What setup do you have on your car at the moment?GRNSHRK wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2018 12:18 am Well, please keep in mind that I haven't checked any of these suggestions to see if they are still offering springs, just going on past experience
That, plus I have an E12 chassis 6er myself, and have replaced the springs more than once
Korman Autoworks
Suspension Techniques
B&G Suspension (Swedish company, actually have a set of these, patiently waiting to get installed, long term project)
Let's see if others chime in
I also found this: https://groundcontrolstore.com/collecti ... conversion They have a kit available for E12 chasis even though description only states 82+. But these are coilovers which I am not too familiar with.
-
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3726
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: Gilroy (SF Bay Area) CA
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Fanatic, those Ground Control bits won't work on your 6er, E28 chassis fitment
But here's a set of springs for ya, I actually know this gent, his name is Dale and he's in Buffalo
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=28830
If the B8 shocks/struts are Sport version, then yes, that's the correction combination to use with lowering springs
My 6er runs Billy Sports with Suspension Techniques springs, here's a shot for ya that shows how much of a drop you will get
The rears have sagged just a bit and if I wasn't looking to replace the ST springs with the B&G set that I have, I would raise the rear spring perches up a notch, which I think is 1 cm
Please keep the questions coming, fun stuff
And if you reach out to Dale, please tell him that Bob in CA says hi
But here's a set of springs for ya, I actually know this gent, his name is Dale and he's in Buffalo
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=28830
If the B8 shocks/struts are Sport version, then yes, that's the correction combination to use with lowering springs
My 6er runs Billy Sports with Suspension Techniques springs, here's a shot for ya that shows how much of a drop you will get
The rears have sagged just a bit and if I wasn't looking to replace the ST springs with the B&G set that I have, I would raise the rear spring perches up a notch, which I think is 1 cm
Please keep the questions coming, fun stuff
And if you reach out to Dale, please tell him that Bob in CA says hi
- Attachments
-
- IMG_1312-sm.jpg (96.97 KiB) Viewed 14869 times
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
FWIW you appear to have standard height suspension at the moment. Lowered looks better but it is not without compromise; you may run into obvious troubles with ride height/ground clearance and other troubles to do with suspension travel. There are less obvious issues with unintentional camber (front) and toe (rear) setting variations with lowered cars which (unless corrected) may result in faster than normal tyre wear.
The main benefit of getting B6 dampers is that the quality of the suspension is improved; the dampers will be new not ancient and anyway give a better action than the twin-tube ones that were usually fitted.
Note that the Bilstein kits don't come with rear shock shrouds or rear bump stops; you will have to go to BMW for those. If you lower much the rear bump stop needs to be shorter than standard.
Note also that the front bump stops are (with monotube bilsteins but not twin tube shocks) hidden inside the strut inserts. The (twin-tube Boge insert) suspension would originally have had external bump stops and these are not required with bilsteins (and they won't fit anyway).
In E28 chassis the B8 front inserts come with shorter bump stops than the B6 ones; if you run a B6 insert at a lower ride height you are into the bump stop earlier and this results in a slightly harsher ride and a variation in the way the car turns in (the bump stops affect the roll stiffness). E12 stuff is different of course but the same logic may apply.
Also note that the various bushings in the suspension need to be in good shape; the E12 chassis can be a bit evil if the trailing arm bushings are knackered.
cheers
The main benefit of getting B6 dampers is that the quality of the suspension is improved; the dampers will be new not ancient and anyway give a better action than the twin-tube ones that were usually fitted.
Note that the Bilstein kits don't come with rear shock shrouds or rear bump stops; you will have to go to BMW for those. If you lower much the rear bump stop needs to be shorter than standard.
Note also that the front bump stops are (with monotube bilsteins but not twin tube shocks) hidden inside the strut inserts. The (twin-tube Boge insert) suspension would originally have had external bump stops and these are not required with bilsteins (and they won't fit anyway).
In E28 chassis the B8 front inserts come with shorter bump stops than the B6 ones; if you run a B6 insert at a lower ride height you are into the bump stop earlier and this results in a slightly harsher ride and a variation in the way the car turns in (the bump stops affect the roll stiffness). E12 stuff is different of course but the same logic may apply.
Also note that the various bushings in the suspension need to be in good shape; the E12 chassis can be a bit evil if the trailing arm bushings are knackered.
cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3726
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: Gilroy (SF Bay Area) CA
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Not to highjack this thread, but, where the hell have you been Brucey
We've dearly missed your extensive technical expertise
And as usual, your responses are extremely detailed and spot on
We've dearly missed your extensive technical expertise
And as usual, your responses are extremely detailed and spot on
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
about three months ago I came down with a bug that put me in bed for several weeks and I have not been quite right since. Hopefully I am on the mend now.
cheers
cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3726
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: Gilroy (SF Bay Area) CA
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Wow, not good, sorry to hear
Here in the states, the flu bug has been running ramped, lots of people down for the count, and has killed quite a few as well
Chin up Brucey, glad to see that you're in the mend and back in action, we seriously missed you
Here in the states, the flu bug has been running ramped, lots of people down for the count, and has killed quite a few as well
Chin up Brucey, glad to see that you're in the mend and back in action, we seriously missed you
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Thanks! I will get in touch with Dale if I decide to go with his lowering springs.GRNSHRK wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2018 4:46 pm Fanatic, those Ground Control bits won't work on your 6er, E28 chassis fitment
But here's a set of springs for ya, I actually know this gent, his name is Dale and he's in Buffalo
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=28830
If the B8 shocks/struts are Sport version, then yes, that's the correction combination to use with lowering springs
My 6er runs Billy Sports with Suspension Techniques springs, here's a shot for ya that shows how much of a drop you will get
The rears have sagged just a bit and if I wasn't looking to replace the ST springs with the B&G set that I have, I would raise the rear spring perches up a notch, which I think is 1 cm
Please keep the questions coming, fun stuff
And if you reach out to Dale, please tell him that Bob in CA says hi
Your car looks great! Exactly what I am looking for height wise.
re: Ground Control kit: it says 82+ on their website but I called them and they said they offer the same kit for E12 based chasis as well. I will need to send them my original strut housings so that they can modify them. It's a complete package so looks very appealing. Esp. Considering its price: around $500 for the whole setup. What do you think?
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Great info, let me digest it :) Thanks.Brucey wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2018 5:08 pm FWIW you appear to have standard height suspension at the moment. Lowered looks better but it is not without compromise; you may run into obvious troubles with ride height/ground clearance and other troubles to do with suspension travel. There are less obvious issues with unintentional camber (front) and toe (rear) setting variations with lowered cars which (unless corrected) may result in faster than normal tyre wear.
The main benefit of getting B6 dampers is that the quality of the suspension is improved; the dampers will be new not ancient and anyway give a better action than the twin-tube ones that were usually fitted.
Note that the Bilstein kits don't come with rear shock shrouds or rear bump stops; you will have to go to BMW for those. If you lower much the rear bump stop needs to be shorter than standard.
Note also that the front bump stops are (with monotube bilsteins but not twin tube shocks) hidden inside the strut inserts. The (twin-tube Boge insert) suspension would originally have had external bump stops and these are not required with bilsteins (and they won't fit anyway).
In E28 chassis the B8 front inserts come with shorter bump stops than the B6 ones; if you run a B6 insert at a lower ride height you are into the bump stop earlier and this results in a slightly harsher ride and a variation in the way the car turns in (the bump stops affect the roll stiffness). E12 stuff is different of course but the same logic may apply.
Also note that the various bushings in the suspension need to be in good shape; the E12 chassis can be a bit evil if the trailing arm bushings are knackered.
cheers
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
FWIW there are enough good suspension upgrades that don't require that your strut tubes are hacked about that I would question the purchase of any suspension that required this. For street use (with suspension that still, er, suspends, rather than rattles your fillings out of your teeth) I don't see the need, either.
Unless you happen to have a spare set of strut tubes (uprights) kicking around, any such conversion becomes irreversible too, so if you don't like it you are bolloxed. Last time I checked new uprights for E28 chassis were available but were a frightening cost, and used ones are often badly corroded. I can't see E12 ones being any different to that.
cheers
Unless you happen to have a spare set of strut tubes (uprights) kicking around, any such conversion becomes irreversible too, so if you don't like it you are bolloxed. Last time I checked new uprights for E28 chassis were available but were a frightening cost, and used ones are often badly corroded. I can't see E12 ones being any different to that.
cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
I see. Good point re: irreversibility.Brucey wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:58 am FWIW there are enough good suspension upgrades that don't require that your strut tubes are hacked about that I would question the purchase of any suspension that required this. For street use (with suspension that still, er, suspends, rather than rattles your fillings out of your teeth) I don't see the need, either.
Unless you happen to have a spare set of strut tubes (uprights) kicking around, any such conversion becomes irreversible too, so if you don't like it you are bolloxed. Last time I checked new uprights for E28 chassis were available but were a frightening cost, and used ones are often badly corroded. I can't see E12 ones being any different to that.
cheers
So in your opinion the safest (with minimal issues down the road) approach would be: stock springs + Bilstein B6 shocks? I wanted to enhance the look as part of this uprade but not at the expense of something else.
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
by all means lower the car by 3/4" or so using proprietary springs and B6 dampers but after that you will get geometry changes and the B6 dampers may not be the best ones for the job. However you can try it and see if you like it and revert back to stock springs if you like with those dampers.
You can remove and trim the B6 bump stops (and the rear bump stops, obviously) if needs be; plenty of folk don't bother (with a 1" drop) and then moan that their ride is a bit jiggly....
If you start lowering ~1-2" or so then the B8 dampers may be a better choice if for no other reason than the travel in the rear shocks is less and the (shorter) rear springs don't dislocate so easily at full droop. You will probably need to adjust the rear toe and front camber if you lower this amount and intend to put enough miles on the car to wear the tyres. If you lower 2" then you may benefit from further trimming to the (shorter to start with) bump stops.
cheers
You can remove and trim the B6 bump stops (and the rear bump stops, obviously) if needs be; plenty of folk don't bother (with a 1" drop) and then moan that their ride is a bit jiggly....
If you start lowering ~1-2" or so then the B8 dampers may be a better choice if for no other reason than the travel in the rear shocks is less and the (shorter) rear springs don't dislocate so easily at full droop. You will probably need to adjust the rear toe and front camber if you lower this amount and intend to put enough miles on the car to wear the tyres. If you lower 2" then you may benefit from further trimming to the (shorter to start with) bump stops.
cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Posts: 75
- Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2016 7:10 pm
- Location: Columbus, OH
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Good day all.
I've got a suspension lowering questions that you guys may be able to answer. I'm in the finishing process of doing a full Euro transformation on my '80 633CSi. I've taken all the Euro bits and complete interior as well as the M90 motor, Getrag CR265/5 gearbox and 3.07 diff out of my very rusty '78 635CSi and fitted into my rust-free E12 633.
So far the process was straight forward with the exception of the front Euro bumper fitment. It was a bit of a pain. Anywho, my question regarding the suspension is US ride height vs. Euro spec.
The car seems to sit much higher in the front than my Euro 6 did. Is this due to stiffer springs to make up for the heavy US bumpers and US DOT minimum bumper height standards? I know that some makes (my '76 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT) were set up much higher here in the states than in Europe to meet ride height standards.
Is this the case with our BMW Sixes as well? With the lightweight stainless front bumper, my car seems to have its nose in the air.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Mark
I've got a suspension lowering questions that you guys may be able to answer. I'm in the finishing process of doing a full Euro transformation on my '80 633CSi. I've taken all the Euro bits and complete interior as well as the M90 motor, Getrag CR265/5 gearbox and 3.07 diff out of my very rusty '78 635CSi and fitted into my rust-free E12 633.
So far the process was straight forward with the exception of the front Euro bumper fitment. It was a bit of a pain. Anywho, my question regarding the suspension is US ride height vs. Euro spec.
The car seems to sit much higher in the front than my Euro 6 did. Is this due to stiffer springs to make up for the heavy US bumpers and US DOT minimum bumper height standards? I know that some makes (my '76 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT) were set up much higher here in the states than in Europe to meet ride height standards.
Is this the case with our BMW Sixes as well? With the lightweight stainless front bumper, my car seems to have its nose in the air.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Mark
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
BMW did (do) use different springs in different cars depending on the envisaged axle weights. Stuff like bumpers, engine type, AC, autobox, catalyst all make a difference. Because all NA spec cars had pretty much the same (weighty) spec you will find that these cars all have the same (long) springs fitted; in Euro models they varied the spring to suit the spec of the car. I'm not sure what they did for E12 chassis models but in later cars they used a 'points system' to work out what spring (from a choice of about four different ones) was required to give the standard ride height. Fine tuning is achieved using different thickness spring pads.
If you want a standard spring that give the lowest ride height then perhaps choose one that is fitted to a poverty-spec 628 model; they had so little standard kit fitted in Germany even the passenger side mirror was an option on these cars!
cheers
If you want a standard spring that give the lowest ride height then perhaps choose one that is fitted to a poverty-spec 628 model; they had so little standard kit fitted in Germany even the passenger side mirror was an option on these cars!
cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Posts: 75
- Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2016 7:10 pm
- Location: Columbus, OH
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Thanks Brucey! I will rob the ones out of my donor car which is still at the breakers.
MP
MP
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
From what I've researched so far:Brucey wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2018 11:33 pm by all means lower the car by 3/4" or so using proprietary springs and B6 dampers but after that you will get geometry changes and the B6 dampers may not be the best ones for the job. However you can try it and see if you like it and revert back to stock springs if you like with those dampers.
You can remove and trim the B6 bump stops (and the rear bump stops, obviously) if needs be; plenty of folk don't bother (with a 1" drop) and then moan that their ride is a bit jiggly....
If you start lowering ~1-2" or so then the B8 dampers may be a better choice if for no other reason than the travel in the rear shocks is less and the (shorter) rear springs don't dislocate so easily at full droop. You will probably need to adjust the rear toe and front camber if you lower this amount and intend to put enough miles on the car to wear the tyres. If you lower 2" then you may benefit from further trimming to the (shorter to start with) bump stops.
cheers
B&G springs lower 1.6″ front / rear
Suspension Techniques springs lower 1" front / rear
So both of these would require B8 dampers.
I don't think I will be able to find springs that lower the car ~3/4". I think my only options are: OEM springs + B6 dampers or lowering springs + B8 dampers.
Thanks for all your help!
Edit: Actually, I just realized Bilstein has different part numbers for e12 and e28 based 6-er. I don't think I can even get B8 dampers for e12 based chasis.
Last edited by BMWFanatic2008 on Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
What about air shocks? I still run standard shocks on my 84 633 so I do not have any experience with them.
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
-
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 3726
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: Gilroy (SF Bay Area) CA
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Good idea but he's got a series I chassis, E12 based, so those springs won't work
Fanatic, I think that ST springs will lower more than 1", is that what their website says
Again, that's what I'm running
As far as finding B8 (Sport) version for the E12 chassis, you may have to go the used route
Fanatic, I think that ST springs will lower more than 1", is that what their website says
Again, that's what I'm running
As far as finding B8 (Sport) version for the E12 chassis, you may have to go the used route
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
http://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspension-S ... 7-81)~530i
lists B8s for E12 in front fitment, but not B8 rears.
If you can't buy B8s but want to lower the car over 1" then it may be possible to use B6 dampers instead. The risk is that the shorter springs will dislocate on full droop; the damping rates are about the same and the bump stops can be fiddled with. There are various options for addressing this;
1) Maybe there is a lowering spring that gives the right ride height etc but has a free length that means that it won't dislocate on a B6.
2) Have the B6s rebuilt with a spacer internally so the working stroke is shorter
3) have the B6s rebuilt with a shorter shock shaft
4) fit a so-called 'helper spring' (which is squashed flat until you go to full droop, when it extends to prevent dislocation)
5) grind the shoulder on the top of the shock shaft back about 1", so that the shaft will poke through ~1" more and will require a spacer tube to secure
6) have the B6 shock body machined with fresh grooves so that a longer spring gives a lower rider height
7) have 'deep drop' perches fabricated and fitted to achieve a similar result to above
8 ) The shocks differ from E28 shocks in one very important respect; the E28 lower mount uses a longer, offset bush. The other differences are IIRC in bolt-on parts only. You could maybe take a set of E28 B8s, trim the bush, and use the E12 spring perches, top mounts etc (which are a different OD size) on the shock body. IIRC someone else has done this in the past but I can't remember who exactly....
One thing I wouldn't do as a first choice would be to fit smaller diameter 'coilover springs'; the result of this would be that the OEM shock protection tube (which clips to the OEM bumpstop) won't fit any more, and the shock shafts may corrode prematurely.
hth
cheers
lists B8s for E12 in front fitment, but not B8 rears.
If you can't buy B8s but want to lower the car over 1" then it may be possible to use B6 dampers instead. The risk is that the shorter springs will dislocate on full droop; the damping rates are about the same and the bump stops can be fiddled with. There are various options for addressing this;
1) Maybe there is a lowering spring that gives the right ride height etc but has a free length that means that it won't dislocate on a B6.
2) Have the B6s rebuilt with a spacer internally so the working stroke is shorter
3) have the B6s rebuilt with a shorter shock shaft
4) fit a so-called 'helper spring' (which is squashed flat until you go to full droop, when it extends to prevent dislocation)
5) grind the shoulder on the top of the shock shaft back about 1", so that the shaft will poke through ~1" more and will require a spacer tube to secure
6) have the B6 shock body machined with fresh grooves so that a longer spring gives a lower rider height
7) have 'deep drop' perches fabricated and fitted to achieve a similar result to above
8 ) The shocks differ from E28 shocks in one very important respect; the E28 lower mount uses a longer, offset bush. The other differences are IIRC in bolt-on parts only. You could maybe take a set of E28 B8s, trim the bush, and use the E12 spring perches, top mounts etc (which are a different OD size) on the shock body. IIRC someone else has done this in the past but I can't remember who exactly....
One thing I wouldn't do as a first choice would be to fit smaller diameter 'coilover springs'; the result of this would be that the OEM shock protection tube (which clips to the OEM bumpstop) won't fit any more, and the shock shafts may corrode prematurely.
hth
cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Thanks. I am leaning towards leaving stock springs at this point as: 1. It is very difficult to find lowering springs for this car as all suggested options are discontinued at this point 2. No new B8 rear dampers are available so I would have to modify B6s as you've suggestedBrucey wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2018 12:55 am http://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspension-S ... 7-81)~530i
lists B8s for E12 in front fitment, but not B8 rears.
If you can't buy B8s but want to lower the car over 1" then it may be possible to use B6 dampers instead. The risk is that the shorter springs will dislocate on full droop; the damping rates are about the same and the bump stops can be fiddled with. There are various options for addressing this;
1) Maybe there is a lowering spring that gives the right ride height etc but has a free length that means that it won't dislocate on a B6.
2) Have the B6s rebuilt with a spacer internally so the working stroke is shorter
3) have the B6s rebuilt with a shorter shock shaft
4) fit a so-called 'helper spring' (which is squashed flat until you go to full droop, when it extends to prevent dislocation)
5) grind the shoulder on the top of the shock shaft back about 1", so that the shaft will poke through ~1" more and will require a spacer tube to secure
6) have the B6 shock body machined with fresh grooves so that a longer spring gives a lower rider height
7) have 'deep drop' perches fabricated and fitted to achieve a similar result to above
8 ) The shocks differ from E28 shocks in one very important respect; the E28 lower mount uses a longer, offset bush. The other differences are IIRC in bolt-on parts only. You could maybe take a set of E28 B8s, trim the bush, and use the E12 spring perches, top mounts etc (which are a different OD size) on the shock body. IIRC someone else has done this in the past but I can't remember who exactly....
One thing I wouldn't do as a first choice would be to fit smaller diameter 'coilover springs'; the result of this would be that the OEM shock protection tube (which clips to the OEM bumpstop) won't fit any more, and the shock shafts may corrode prematurely.
hth
cheers
Do you know why 34-000243 and 24-007306 (B6) in the link that you've provided don't have pre-82 E24 in the list of compatible cars, only E12 528/530? I assume that's a typo?
Re: coilover springs and stock protection tube. Are you referring to ground control coilover kit?
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
I would assume so; try checking the BMW parts database (ETK) to see that they are indeed one and the same thing.BMWFanatic2008 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:39 am Do you know why 34-000243 and 24-007306 (B6) in the link that you've provided don't have pre-82 E24 in the list of compatible cars, only E12 528/530? I assume that's a typo?
not specifically, but they are much of a muchness in this regard. I have seen 'coilover springs' fitted to bilstien dampers and the result is the shock shaft usually has no means of protection, which it needs.Re: coilover springs and stock protection tube. Are you referring to ground control coilover kit?
cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:02 am
- Location: New York
Re: Advice needed for suspension upgrade kit
Good thing I checked. The correct pair is: 34-002292 and 24-008020. You actually had this info in another (older) post. Thanks!Brucey wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:29 pmI would assume so; try checking the BMW parts database (ETK) to see that they are indeed one and the same thing.BMWFanatic2008 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:39 am Do you know why 34-000243 and 24-007306 (B6) in the link that you've provided don't have pre-82 E24 in the list of compatible cars, only E12 528/530? I assume that's a typo?
It's confusing. I thought E12 and pre-82 had the same suspension and all components were interchangeable.