Blaming Ruptured Tires on Billy HDs

[Emons34]

Sometime pot holes are unavoidable, such as in rush hour traffic or windy roads. Ive come to realize that i personally pop my tires more often than i should. Such as last night when i hit a pot hole on a road i have never traveled on before, i new immediately by the sound of my suspension bottoming out that i popped my tire, and maybe bent my beautiful BBS RX wheel. With that said my current suspension setup is as follows:

Eibach Sports
Billy HDs
Cosmo Camber Plates
New Lemforder arms all around

So my car is lowered but not slammed like vogtlands, im a cautious driver and value my car. But i know that the Billy HDs bump stop is relatively too large for most e34 setups, and the fact that i bottom out on even the smallest bumps in the roads make me come to the conclusion that its time for the Billys to go. I know you can physically take them apart and cut the bump stop, or even send them back out to re valve them. But im over it, Ive ruptured 3 very good, expensive tires in the past 2 years.

So now im off to install another tire, and pray that i did not bend or even crack my wheel.

end of rant, minus $150

[ross1]

What size and brand tire? Inflation pressure? Appropriately sized tire for the wheel?
Combining a stiff suspension having less travel and a low profile tire IS asking for it.
The sacrifices some of you guys make, often for looks alone, baffles me. It really does. A good friend has my old 530 which he has lowered. I used to enjoy this car, now I have too pee after a five minute ride in it.

[AndrewH]

Eibachs with the appropriate bilstein sports are terrible, can't even imagine on the incorrect HD's.

[Emons34]

What size and brand tire? Inflation pressure? Appropriately sized tire for the wheel?
Combining a stiff suspension having less travel and a low profile tire IS asking for it.
The sacrifices some of you guys make, often for looks alone, baffles me. It really does. A good friend has my old 530 which he has lowered. I used to enjoy this car, now I have too pee after a five minute ride in it.

Im currently running Cooper RS3s 235 45 17, im usually at 32 psi all around.

Your right, in the end i guess i am asking for it. Now that im 28 ( purhased the car at 20) my motives are different, time to go for a softer shock.

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Eibachs with the appropriate bilstein sports are terrible, can't even imagine on the incorrect HD's.

I really dont think they would be that bad if it werent for the bump stop issue. If it was a weekend or track car id keep the setup, but not as a daily driver.

Over on the e39 touring side of the forum, people are still installing them. Couldnt imagine them on a touring...

[M540fella]

I had eibach/billies and it literally scared the crap out of me and my occupants when I would hit the smallest bump. Switched to shortened housing/coilovers and it's like night and day. I was following a pair of slammed hondas a few months back. It was funny to watch them dodge ever bump so I started hitting the bumps on purpose just to prove how much nicer my suspension was.

[SwissCheeseHead]

There are some potholes that will blow tires regardless of suspension setup. With that said, Ross is right. Low profile tires, lowered suspension, big pothole = blown tire/damaged wheel.

I'm running Koni/Vogtland and I have a 45/40mm profile tires but I don't worry about blowing tires. Potholes are usually taken care of here....after the winter season.

[Jmac95E34]

I'm currently running Cooper RS3s 235 45 17, I'm usually at 32 psi all around.

Why such low tire pressure??
32 psi is under inflated.
I have the same tires and I run 38 front 44 rear.

[Emons34]

Why such low tire pressure??
32 psi is under inflated.
I have the same tires and I run 38 front 44 rear.

Wouldnt really consider 32 psi (cold) low, considering its mainly just me in the car most of the time.

But i run them at around 32 cause of the fact that my ride is so harsh lol. I wouldnt run 38 psi, especially in the front unless i was on a road trip. Thats just me though...

[K Fox]

Wouldnt really consider 32 psi (cold) low, considering its mainly just me in the car most of the time.

But i run them at around 32 cause of the fact that my ride is so harsh lol. I wouldnt run 38 psi, especially in the front unless i was on a road trip. Thats just me though...

While I can understand that you want to soften up the 'harsh' a bit, running the tires a bit higher would help a little with the tendancy to 'pop' them (which is likely just cutting the sidewalls on the sharp edges of the pothole). The higher pressure will prevent them from compressing quite as much, and might save a blowout or two over time.

That said, I'm one of the guys that had Billie HD's on another car, and I also dislike them (intensly) now due to the ridiculous ride. Teeth rattling over anything but the smoothest roads, and not enough travel to be useful, so you bottom out all the time. Yeah, I know, and I can agree that something else is a better choice for a street driven/daily driver car. There's a lot of guys here that have the Koni adjustables and love them, so I'd look there. Myself, I'd grab the Koni's if I wasn't planning on a set of coilovers - but I do want a proper set of coilovers, so I'll just wait and get those first. 'Do it right and do it once' is a motto I try to live by, so I'll live with my stock setup for a bit longer. But I did want to mention that your tire pressure is likely just a bit low - with 245/40's on my car I'm running about 37 - 38 cold. Anything less and the tires wear funny. Good luck.

Fox

[Trasportador]

I had eibach/billies and it literally scared the crap out of me and my occupants when I would hit the smallest bump. Switched to shortened housing/coilovers and it's like night and day. I was following a pair of slammed hondas a few months back. It was funny to watch them dodge ever bump so I started hitting the bumps on purpose just to prove how much nicer my suspension was.

I had Billie sport HD's and eibach's on my white 540 6. I hated holes, it was painful. I've done a lot of review reading, seems vogtland and adjustable konis are the way to go.

[rlfv5erie5]

Running Koni Yellows on Vogtlands, 40 and 35 profile Hankook V12's. Couldn't be happier. I still avoid manholes and potholes like I'm driving aired out though.