Posted by stewart gilmore on February 28, 2000 at 16:36:40:
In Reply to: Re: Upgrading Suspension posted by Richard on February 28, 2000 at 16:21:18:
: : : He all,
: : : I am seriously considering upgrading the suspension on my '81 528i . I have been looking around and have found a number of different shock options. Bilsteins seem to be the all around favorite, so I searched for those first. It seems that Bilstein makes a front "Sport" shock for our cars, but does not make a rear "Sport" shock. Would the car handle funny if I had front sports, and rear heavy duty? Then comes springs. Eibach, H&R, and Suspension Techniques all make springs for our cars, and they all seem to lower the car about an inch. Which spring is the best?
: : : Another option would be coil-overs. Top-End claims on their web-page that they offer coil-overs for our cars, I sent an e-mail, and will wait to see the price on those. Any opinions? What have been your experiences? Thanks for the help.
: : : Peter
: : Although I have not had experience with the sport Bilsteins on an E12, my experience with other BMWs is that the sport is pretty stiff. If you want to use those, I would recommend a front stress bar too. I think you're better sticking with the HDs.
: : My experience with springs is similar. H &R tends to be on the stiff side. I would bet on Eibachs.
: : The E12 I bought came with some aftermarket sway bars... they are very effective in controlling roll and would recommend those (Sorry, don't know what brand of sway bars they are). They are pretty thick, probably 28mm front and 22mm rear.
:
: I would agree with the H&R vs. Eibach. In fact Tire Rack, on their web site, did a very nice comparison of the two on a Lexus. I know that is a far cry from an e12. They found the Eibach springs to be a little more forgiving.
: Same thing as far as the Bilsteins, HD's for the road.
: In addition to the e12, I have a '96 Golf that I have run Suspension Tech with Bilsteins, then H&R with the Bilsteins. The Sus. Techs droped the car more than the H&R's, they both claimed the same drop. The Sus. Techs were softer and had a little more body roll, but i got them very cheap. I like the ride height of the H&R's and I like the performance of the springs, but they are a little harsher. If money is not a major issue, coilovers with adjustable damping would be very nice. The H&R coilovers are claimed to work very well, yet they do not have any damping adjustments. If you get coilovers get ones that are true coilovers, not just a shock-strut with a threaded devise on them, make sure they are blue-printed as the real thing!
: This could go on and on.... I hope that my very novice opinion will be of some use.
I was able to get a good deal on a set of eibach springs & was wondering if bilsteins were worth the extra cash over boges or kybs.
thnx