Aftermarket coilovers for 1990 e34 535i

[Sckormanec]

I just recently bought an e34 535i 1.5 months ago with virtually 0 car experience. Just got outta the Marines and wanted to start getting into cars as a hobby. Luckily, I have my dad as a pretty big car guy, but he has never worked with a BMW before. I have already learned a lot and we have already done a ton of small little repairs and fixes across the engine. All that is kind of unrelated, but I just want to show my lack of experience and wanted to get some input on what would be a good coilover option for whenever I decide to lower it a little bit. My goal is to make it a nice-looking streetcar. I don't want my wheels at a 45-degree angle, but I do not mind some tilt. I have seen a lot about BC racing coilovers and I already understand I would have to weld the front ones which is not an issue. Do you guys have any suggestions?

[MauiM3Mania]

Welcome to Bimmerforums! Your post has been movedc to the E34 discussion area.

[jbontke]

If you want to lower it a little bit, why not go with the H&R lowering spring option? I think they are a 1.3" drop in the front and .75" in the rear. I have them and the look and feel is great. I have never been a huge fan of coilovers for street cars mainly due to them being over sprung for the street.

[theBMWbeast]

By the time it’s all said and done with lowering springs, shocks, top mounts, etc, you’re close to 1k and the price differential with full coilover systems isn’t that great.

Lots of people run BC Racing and like them. Depends what you’re driving style is, spring rates you want, how low you need to go. You get serious with driving, they will need to be revalved properly.

I got some GAZ coilovers, and like them as well. They’re custom valving and spring rates, do the welding for you, and have a single adjustable option that is similar to BC racing prices. Stay away from anything eBay, it’s all junk. Absolutely anything sub $1k is junk.

Lowering springs are not bad, but it’s a compromise that doesn’t necessarily save you money.

[Sckormanec]

Ok thank you, I was also looking into springs as well due to the supposed increase in comfort compared to coilovers.

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By the time it’s all said and done with lowering springs, shocks, top mounts, etc, you’re close to 1k and the price differential with full coilover systems isn’t that great.

Lots of people run BC Racing and like them. Depends what you’re driving style is, spring rates you want, how low you need to go. You get serious with driving, they will need to be revalved properly.

I got some GAZ coilovers, and like them as well. They’re custom valving and spring rates, do the welding for you, and have a single adjustable option that is similar to BC racing prices. Stay away from anything eBay, it’s all junk. Absolutely anything sub $1k is junk.

Lowering springs are not bad, but it’s a compromise that doesn’t necessarily save you money.

Awesome, thank you for the suggestion. That would be a valid reason to get coilovers if buying springs would still amount to the same cost.

[dannyzabolotny]

+1 for BC’s. I had em for a long time and my friend Dane has put like 75k miles on his, they really do seem to last quite a bit. All E34 coilovers need welding, that’s just the way the suspension is designed. Make sure whoever does your welding does a good job, it’s a thick piece of steel and you gotta use a good bit of heat to get proper penetration on the welds. You do *not* want one of those welds breaking, ask me how I know.

[jbontke]

By the time it’s all said and done with lowering springs, shocks, top mounts, etc, you’re close to 1k and the price differential with full coilover systems isn’t that great.

Lots of people run BC Racing and like them. Depends what you’re driving style is, spring rates you want, how low you need to go. You get serious with driving, they will need to be revalved properly.

I got some GAZ coilovers, and like them as well. They’re custom valving and spring rates, do the welding for you, and have a single adjustable option that is similar to BC racing prices. Stay away from anything eBay, it’s all junk. Absolutely anything sub $1k is junk.

Lowering springs are not bad, but it’s a compromise that doesn’t necessarily save you money.

I disagree with the price being $1k for springs/struts. All prices listed are from FCP Euro: upper from mounts $30x2, front bump stops $8x2, rear upper mounts $20x2 and rear bump stops $8x2... so $132 in quality replacement "wearable" parts. Yes, you could replace the isolator pads and every small part, but in my experience, that is usually not the case.


All 4 Bilstein B8s are $704 and Koni are $740 (tuner motorsport prices)


So $840 to $875 to replace springs and shocks. That's cheaper than $1k. Coilovers will require welding on the front spindle. If you are paying someone, look at $200-$400 for labor to do that. And Optionally I suggest reinforcing the rear upper shock mount. A stiff coilover will eventually crack the mount. It's cheaper to reinforce it than to repair a crack. So BC coilovers at $1200 plus $200 to have welded up... $1400


$1400 - $875: That's $525 more to run coilovers. An expensive compromise.

[theBMWbeast]

$1400 - $875: That's $525 more to run coilovers. An expensive compromise.

You forgot the lowering springs themselves cost around ~200. But it's kinda in the noise anyways, as per your calcs that's still a $300 delta potentially.

Whatever financially makes sense for the person and their use case, that's my rec.However, some people go into this scared by the sticker shock of coils. It's not double the price of springs, it's closer than one might expect, all I'm saying

[jbontke]

You forgot the lowering springs themselves cost around ~200. But it's kinda in the noise anyways, as per your calcs that's still a $300 delta potentially.

Whatever financially makes sense for the person and their use case, that's my rec.However, some people go into this scared by the sticker shock of coils. It's not double the price of springs, it's closer than one might expect, all I'm saying

You are right, I did leave out the spring cost. Thanks for pointing that out. And if you got a buddy that can FAB or can do it yourself, its much more close in cost. Then we are back to preference at that point.

[danespann]

Not having to match up front mounts and struts is worth it to me on these cars. The extra couple degrees of front negative camber really wakes up the turn-in on these cars too. Then, you have rear shock mounts that actually last with a coil over setup.

[dannyzabolotny]

Not having to match up front mounts and struts is worth it to me on these cars. The extra couple degrees of front negative camber really wakes up the turn-in on these cars too. Then, you have rear shock mounts that actually last with a coil over setup.

+1, the stock style rear mounts all suck nowadays, doesn't matter who you buy it from, Sachs, Lemforder, Meyle HD, they all fail pretty fast, especially once you're on stiffer suspension. Negative front camber is an absolute must if you want an E34 to handle properly.

The other thing is that Bilsteins ride like absolute trash no matter what springs you pair them with. Heck, they ride bad even on stock springs. Overly firm and crashy over every bump. People who praise them have either never driven in a car that rides well or live in a place with absolutely perfect roads. Konis ride better, but once you pair them with springs that go fairly low like Vogtlands they start to bottom out a bunch and don't have enough suspension travel to absorb bigger bumps.

[E34 Lives]

I consider coil overs but got the impression that they would be a harder ride then going with Bilstein B6 / Eibach setup. The savings was a consideration as well, but having to weld on securely and accurately was concerning.

The coil over adjustability was also interesting, but again comfort with a little sport turn out to be the goal. I am sure coil overs for maximum performance wins over original design of shock and spring design with more camber and lowering options.

So, I guess it depends on the ride characteristics that you are looking to achieve. Let me know if comfort with a little sportiness can be achieved with a specific coil over formula, and I would like to give it a try.

[circuit.heart]

I consider coil overs but got the impression that they would be a harder ride then going with Bilstein B6 / Eibach setup. The savings was a consideration as well, but having to weld on securely and accurately was concerning.

The coil over adjustability was also interesting, but again comfort with a little sport turn out to be the goal. I am sure coil overs for maximum performance wins over original design of shock and spring design with more camber and lowering options.

So, I guess it depends on the ride characteristics that you are looking to achieve. Let me know if comfort with a little sportiness can be achieved with a specific coil over formula, and I would like to give it a try.
You don't have to weld it on that accurately honestly, people get it wrong all the time and just correct it out via the camber plates and some bumping of the LCA's.

Coilover dampers can be valved as stiff or soft as you want, I personally made sure mine were softer than Bilsteins because those freaking suck. All harsh all the time no matter what springs you try to use.

[danespann]

My wagon with b6 and stock springs rides considerably worse/harsher than my coilover car. Cant imagine b6 and lowering springs will be good. Just bump stops all the time.

[BleedsBlue]

I think the common misconception is that all coil-overs are track-focused and thus stiffer than anything. This ignores the modern proliferation of street-focused coil-overs across all platforms, and the simple idea that coil-overs are adjustable (including using different spring rates).

I'll corroborate the experience that Bilsteins and lowering springs ride more harshly than multiple different coil-over setups I've sampled on this chassis. My white M5 had an unknown spring rate KW V2 setup, and unfortunately I never got the chance to measure spring rate; but it was soft enough to match H&R spring levels of body roll and often let the outer tire shoulder rub the quarter panel above the fender. I would challenge folks to drive that car and tell me if they'd ever driven a more compliant, lowered E34, and that car never lost the comparison.

Companies like Ground Control have options completely focused on the street and maintaining ride quality, and having ridden in multiple E34s with those setups, the ride is low but controlled and never crashy. It can pretty easily be argued that a coil-over setup is the only proper way to lower one of these cars and maintain the maximum amount of suspension travel + function.

Tldr; the myth that coil-overs are track-only and compromise ride quality is old news, and just that: myth. Pair street-friendly spring rates with appropriate adjustment and profit

Seeing that BC Racing price comparison above, I would have a hard time buying lowering springs and shocks for an E34 in 2024. BCs have more than proved themselves at this point.

[E34 Lives]

Thanks, this have been very helpful on coilover for street comfort application.

The other question regarding alignments, will wheelworks lifetime alignment be able to perform alignment on coilovers or do I need to find another alignment company specialising on coilovers since it is no longer stock? Always wondered about that, and your experience with getting alignment.

[atl530i]

Already a lot of good advice in this thread but wanted to add something. If you go the coilover route like BC Racing, opt for some Swift or EIbach springs for them. They'll add a little to the cost but they ride a lot better than the springs they come with. I have Open Road Tuning with the standard springs on my touring and it can be a bit harsh at times even with the dampening adjusted a little soft. It's worse on crappy roads and I tend to watch out for large dips in the road when driving that car.

I ran Vogtland/Koni for years on my 540i. The car rode great but towards the end of having that setup on the car, the car was more crashy over bumps and rough roads. I've also had H&R/Koni on other cars. This doesn't lower the car like the Vogtland setup but it rode a lot better. I'm currently running Ground Controls on that and couldn't be happier. The car handles amazing but is super comfortable to drive without the crashing over bumps. Unfortunately, it's not the cheapest setup.


Thanks, this have been very helpful on coilover for street comfort application.

The other question regarding alignments, will wheelworks lifetime alignment be able to perform alignment on coilovers or do I need to find another alignment company specialising on coilovers since it is no longer stock? Always wondered about that, and your experience with getting alignment.

You will have to find a shop that's capable to aligning lowered and modified cars. Some of these shops will ask you how you would like it to be aligned and go from there too.

[BleedsBlue]

And, a coil-over alignment will be more expensive than a regular car alignment, which won't have all of the adjustments (particularly height) in play. Some on this board (including Danny, who has posted above) have found good ways to set the cars up themselves.

[E34 Lives]

Thanks on the clarification on alignment required for coil-overs, something to keep in mind when switching over. It would be cool to learn how to DIY the alignment on coil-over and be self sufficient in the process.

I currently have the lifetime alignment service on my car, and I try to DIY everything on my E34 myself.

[ZenitramNaes]

I haven't seen anyone mention CAtuned. They offer kits and you have the option to have them weld the knuckles so you wouldn't have to worry about that. They're pricey and I have zero experience with that specific product but just throwing it out there.
https://catuned.com/#!/CAtuned-Coilover-Suspension-Kit-Compatible-with-E34/p/168650137/category=42777253