e34 540i suspension/wheels/tires upgrade

[e34black]

Hello all. I'm new to the forms. I have seen a few posts about this topic but wanted to share/ask some personal questions. Basically, I have a bone stock e34 540i auto. I want to keep everything the way it is except for the suspension and wheels. It gets really confusing for me when it comes to offset/wheel size, brand springs to use, etc. From what I understand, some people like to do 18's on the car for the look but they also say it rides like crap and that 17's are the best way to go. I'm more interested in performance/simplicity then I am of the appearance. I'd also prefer not to roll the fenders. I want a simple setup that will handle like a go kart with little to no body roll but still have a somewhat acceptable ride quality. I don't drive all that far mostly so I'm ok with it.
Basically, I'm trying to figure out:
-What brand springs and shocks to use (seems Bilstein shocks and k&m springs is a popular option)
-What type of wheels to put on
-What type of tires to use
-Should I use aftermarket springs and shocks or coilovers?
-Could i get away with not doing any other mods other then suspension and wheels
-Achieve a lowered look
-Budget Friendlyish!!

I don't know wheels that good, I'm happy with anything that's shiny and somewhat classic/matching style of the car. M parrelles look really good on the car but almost all are 18's which like I said earlier don't really ride all that well. Iv seen people put older style wheels, such as style 5's on e34's which in my opinion look really good. Id be fine with bbs reps too. Alpina wheels also look really good. I'm just not sure what the best would be for the car.

Thanks!

[GazM3]

Problem with lowering is you can upset the geometry, especially at the rear and there is no adjustment. Also lowering the front you can make the car nervous inducing (bumpsteer) which makes the car wander on poor roads . That to one side, the H&R springs (or the slightly softer eibach springs) work nice, and personal preference is for Koni yellow (adjustable) shocks as they absorb the harsh bumps nicer.

On the wheels well it depends whether you want a filled out guard look, which most want I guess. On the m5 I run the factory throwing stars (17x8, & 17x9) both with 20mm spacers effectively making them et0, and et2 respectively. I have rolled guards which help clearance and run 235/45 and 245/40 tyres. Nothing wrong with running 18" if they are light weight, and keep the tyres at 40 rather than 35 aspect and it will still ride well.

If wanting to improve the car from a handling point of view, well you will have to bite the bullet and invest in some adjustable tabs for the rear subframe, some camber plates for the front, and some 25mm bump steer spacers, and then you need to ensure all your bushes are in good order. Upgrading them to poly from rubber makes the car slightly firmer but more precise.

On the subject of tyres, well there are plenty of good ones. I personally use the sticky yokohama A052 which are awesome but will wear in 5-10000 miles. As mine is an occasional car well that dont bother me too much. You also need 1 size skinnier than i mentioned as they are a wide fitment, equivariant to the next size up

[e34black]

Very helpful! Looks like I have some research to do, if all right with you when I find the parts/wheels I want ill have ask you to double check it. Thank you!

[GazM3]

Very helpful! Looks like I have some research to do, if all right with you when I find the parts/wheels I want ill have ask you to double check it. Thank you!
No worries there. Traffic is not very large on here these days so may be more beneficial asking on the bimmerforums FB group

[E34 Lives]

Comfort with a bit of better performance. I achieve this with Bilstein B6 shock and strut, paired with Eibach Sport Springs. It lower the car 1” and stiffen the ride just a bit, with improved cornering and feels way better in responsiveness than the original stock suspension.

I kept the 15” basket weave wheels to make sure to maintain comfort. BMW engineers were hesitant to use larger wheels for that reason! Anything larger and you will feel the harshness. I daily this car and currently running Othsu FP7000 tires (225 60 R15) They are OK budget all season tires with excellent overall traction, the rubber is a bit harder and will last longer but the trade off is more road noise. I could not pass up a deal at $436.88 mounted, balanced, 4 tires all in out the door!

I have had two sets of Yokohama DB, great tires, quiet, wears out quickly. I had Kumho, great tires, last forever changed them out because 11 years old. Would have gotten another set of Kumho but could not find a good deal on them.

I replace the entire suspension and upgraded to mono-ball thrust arm (Turner Motor Sport) to address common failure point in BMW suspension design, also I added one piece solid designed strut bar (QMS Performance) and upgraded to UHMW subframe bushing (Condor Speed Shop) and new dog bones, new rubber sway bar bushings front and rear.

Been running this setup for 7000 miles and I like the over all performance and comfort balance!

[e34black]

Very helpful! Quick question though, lets say I do the Bilstein shocks and struts with the Eibach sport springs, could I just do that for now and ride around on the stock wheels and then in the future through on some larger wheels if I wanted?

[E34 Lives]

Sure you can switch to new larger staggered front and rear wheels in the future with the existing setup. You will need to look into spacers for specific wheel size. Also if you experience bump steer issues you can add a bump steer shim.

https://akgmotorsport.com/product/bump-steer-correction-strut-spacer-set-for-bmw-e34-5-series-and-e32-7-series-12-inch/

I am not experiencing any bump steer issues with my current setup (B6 / Eibac Sport) running 15 inch wheel.