Hi,
I OWN A 96 328I WITH 18in WHEELS. I CURRENTLY HAVE BLISTIEN SPORT SUSPENSION WITH A 1.5-2in DROP ON THE CAR. (I’M NOT SURE OF THE BRAND OF SPRINGS, BUT THE CAR IS PRETTY LOW).
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN TO BOSTON, YOU KNOW THE STREETS ARE AWFUL. NO MATTER HOW CAREFUL YOU DRIVE, YOUR BOUND TO HIT SOME ROUGH TERRAIN. WHEN I DRIVE MY CAR, HITTING BUMPS FEELS CATASTROPHIC, NO MATTER HOW SMALL THE POT HOLE IS.
MY FIANCE DRIVES A 92 525I AND HIS CAR FEELS SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE.
BASICALLY I NEED A SUSPENSION PACKAGE THAT IS RIGHT FOR ME. I WANT COMFORT AND STABILITY.
CAN ANYONE PUT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?
FROM WHAT I’VE READ, I THINK I HAVE TO GO WITH ADUSTABLE SHOCKS AND STRUTS.
ALSO, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COIL-OVER STRUTS AND REGULAR SPORT STRUTS?
WHAT BRANDS ARE GOOD? WHAT BRAND SHOULD I STAY AWAY FROM?
PLEASE HELP
If you desire the ‘look’ than you are the right track. But don’t expect a smooth ride.
Customizing is a trade off.
All manufacturers test and test again engineering their suspensions
to provide best ride etc with safety/cost considerations.
From the frame and suspension components to size/style rims and tires they are designed towards either comfort or sport(or some mix between).
If not returning to ’stock’ than try custom clubs. BMW custom owners and customizers – go with their solutions(as others have bled- er- gone b4 you)!
And some swear by one make and others swear by another- SOMEtimes you just swear at the time and money involved!
NASCAR racers have several setups for the type track/ weather they’ll be racing in and well test run and modify(and into the actual race) to ‘dial’ it in…
Have fun(as much as you can afford) and good luck.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I can understand your concern. I purchased a car with 18" rims and a lowered suspension and it rode like crap. I drive the car everyday and to make the ride better, I removed the 18" rims and put stock 16" ones back on. I also removed the lowering springs and went back to stock. It is always a toss up, if you want bigger rims and a lower car, you are going to have to have it ride like crap. Just something you have to deal with. But what you can try is, like you said, replace the shocks/struts and go with an adjustable kind. Koni is, as far as I know, one of the better manufactures of suspensions that are adjustable. If you visit http://www.tirerack.com, you can put in what car you have and it will give you a list of aftermarket suspension parts avaible for your car. As for coil overs, they are basically a stronger spring and strut that work together to dampen bumps. But these setups are a lot more expensive than adjustable ones. So check it out, and hoepfully you can find something that will work.
References :
If you desire the ‘look’ than you are the right track. But don’t expect a smooth ride.
Customizing is a trade off.
All manufacturers test and test again engineering their suspensions
to provide best ride etc with safety/cost considerations.
From the frame and suspension components to size/style rims and tires they are designed towards either comfort or sport(or some mix between).
If not returning to ’stock’ than try custom clubs. BMW custom owners and customizers – go with their solutions(as others have bled- er- gone b4 you)!
And some swear by one make and others swear by another- SOMEtimes you just swear at the time and money involved!
NASCAR racers have several setups for the type track/ weather they’ll be racing in and well test run and modify(and into the actual race) to ‘dial’ it in…
Have fun(as much as you can afford) and good luck.
References :
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