They are indeed about the same length (uncompressed). The spring rate of a steel coil spring is dependent on 3 variables:
- Coil diameter (here they are both the same)
- Number of active turns (ditto)
- Wire diameter (?)
The paint on the Vogtland spring is very thick. It is possible the wire diameter is slightly smaller than the 'Sport' spring. This is a very sensitive parameter (goes as the 4th power of the wire diameter in the equation). If this is correct, then the Vogtland spring is softer and compresses more, thus giving the drop.
The Vogtland drop is supposed to be 1.2" for a non-Sport i6. Since a 'Sport' is 0.5" lower than a non-Sport, you are therefore expecting a drop at the rear of 0.7". First of all, in my case, the rear dropped a little over quarter of an inch over about a month following the install. That still means you are missing about 0.4" of drop. Question: are your bushings pre-loaded? Did you slacken all the nuts on the bolts that are associated with rubber bushes? Something to check.
Has your rear camber changed (for whatever reason). Believe it or not, changing camber will rotate the plane of the rear wheel and alter the wheel to fender gap. 10 minutes doing some high school trig. on the back of an envelope will convince you of this. The effect is such that less negative camber will increase the gap.
Last edited by Graham E39 528i; 04-17-2010 at 08:05 PM.
2002 Schwartz II 530 5spd Sport Premium
2011 X5 35i
1966 Mustang f/b longterm project
1996 Malibu ski boat
9 1968-73 2002s, all gone......
1995 530i w/4.4 conversion (sold).
1985 535i w/mods, sorely missed.
BMWCCA member #110881
He who dies with the most toys, wins....
Thanks to Graham E39 528i for the new sig.
aa240sx
I think as soon as you drive the car and get an alignment you will see that the car will be lower. Don't forget to fill your gas tank up, it does make a diff.
Took me a second re: bushings pre-loaded? No, they aren't. I never touched any of the bushings when I removed the strut. The Beisan procedure for the rear doesn't call for it, so I didn't need to touch them.
As for the camber, I'll need to check that. Thanks for letting me know about what the sport drop is from stock. I was trying to figure out just how much drop these Vogtlands will ultimately result in. I think I'll just drive it around for a couple weeks as others have suggested and let it settle.
Oh and I did the work with the gas tank full again as the Beisan procedures call for.
Last edited by aa240sx; 04-18-2010 at 02:50 AM.
2003 BMW M3 - Alpine White - 6 speed
2002 BMW 330i - Gray - 5 speed
now we need some side pics
Mornin' Freddie!
Yeah, let's see some pics.
You can measure the camber with a digital clinometer:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1373419
Another question: Did you trim your bumpstops?
G.
Last edited by Graham E39 528i; 04-18-2010 at 11:56 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
2003 BMW M3 - Alpine White - 6 speed
2002 BMW 330i - Gray - 5 speed
The Beisan procedures are primarily written for the replacement of worn shocks. You will need to go back in there and shorten the bumpstops by an amount indicated by the advertised Vogtland drop relative to your old ride height.
Question: Have you driven on this new suspension yet?
>'97 528i, 200000 miles, Hella Xenons, 17" Stilauto wheels, Vogtland Drop Springs, Dynomax Race Muffler, Homelink, 540 brake upgrade, 15mm spacers >'65 & '74 MG Midgets BFC OT Lego Club #48 Manual conversion in process!!!
Not being a suspension expert, why do I need to cut the bumpstops by the same amount as the height difference provided by Vogtland springs vs stock and/or sport? I've driven my car around quite a bit this weekend and not once did I encounter any jarring effects commonly associated with bottoming out on bump stops.
Considering that you are currently at 4000 posts (congrats btw), I would assume you have some experience on the matter. I really would like to know if cutting bump stops are necessary.
Last edited by aa240sx; 04-19-2010 at 12:34 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
2003 BMW M3 - Alpine White - 6 speed
2002 BMW 330i - Gray - 5 speed
Well, the world will not come to an end. When you compress your new springs, the likelihood of riding on the bump stops will increase greatly. However, an ounce of experiment is worth a ton of theory, so if you like your new suspension then don't worry.
Do you still have no drop at the rear?
Last edited by Graham E39 528i; 04-19-2010 at 10:37 AM.
if you actually want to lower your sport package e39 go with the B&G springs.
Success! Actually it has dropped. Did some spirited driving this weekend and I can scientifically state that the drop in suspension height from sport is for the rear about 1/2" and for the front a little over 1/2" or roughly less than a 1 finger gap all around. It's a little less of a drop on the left hand side which I think has something to do with the battery. I expect there will be further settling over the next 30 days, but doubt I'll see more drop at this point. I think what should be realized here in my specific case is that the previous springs had 107K miles on them before being replaced so they probably were pretty settled in if not past it, so I guess I just needed to be a little more patient. Very satisfied with the ride and the drop but will likely hit up EAC or someone else for some coilovers down the road, maybe Megans, D2, Nexx, etc.
Last edited by aa240sx; 04-19-2010 at 12:51 PM.
2003 BMW M3 - Alpine White - 6 speed
2002 BMW 330i - Gray - 5 speed
quick question...is it necessary to replace my bump stops or just trim my existing ones? Seems kinda pointless to spend $40 on something that doesn't need it.
i cut the stops because i always have 4 people in the car and didn't want any proplems with not having enough travel for the strut/shock.
1 finger gap all around is great. to have a some-what of even drop with out a big rake with a nice ride is what Vogtland springs gives you.
this is what it should look like:
non-sport - 4 finger gap
sport - +2 finger gap
Vogtland - 1 finger gap
for those looking for a lower drop then i agree with Mark, call him about the B&G's springs.
did you buy new bumpstops? Your car has about the same miles as mine.
Trimming the old bump stops is fine. Reduce the length by the amount the lowering springs are lowering that end of the car. So, if the spring will lower the front by 1/2", take 1/2" off the front bump stop. I found that a serrated bread knife cuts the bump stops admirably.
i didn't need new bumpstops, everything was good.
i dropped with Vogtland springs (last week) on my 528i and the front looks great but the rear looks like it needs to settle. this is the second time i used vogtland spring (e39 & e38)
rocae38
we want to see some pics
2002 Schwartz II 530 5spd Sport Premium
2011 X5 35i
1966 Mustang f/b longterm project
1996 Malibu ski boat
9 1968-73 2002s, all gone......
1995 530i w/4.4 conversion (sold).
1985 535i w/mods, sorely missed.
BMWCCA member #110881
He who dies with the most toys, wins....
I spent the last 2 days/afternoons installing the springs and struts. In some ways it was easier and some ways harder. Here are a couple of points:
-ALWAYS get all the spring pads BEFORE you start, don't ask me why.
-Follow the afore mentioned steps to the letter for doing the rears as there are no shortcuts. That being said, it was not that difficult and I used the jack with great success.
-Remember to disconnect the sway bar link in the front FIRST!! After that, loosen the clamping bolt, then undo the top and drop her down.
I went with the Monroe struts as I really did not want a harsh ride and WOW! I'm super impressed and very pleased with the results. In fact, the car is quieter an more rattle free than my 300c was 3months after I bought it. I am very impressed with the build qualitiy on this particular car. My '95 E34 was no where near as nice. Only 1 year difference in age and MANY more miles on the E39, but what a difference.
2002 Schwartz II 530 5spd Sport Premium
2011 X5 35i
1966 Mustang f/b longterm project
1996 Malibu ski boat
9 1968-73 2002s, all gone......
1995 530i w/4.4 conversion (sold).
1985 535i w/mods, sorely missed.
BMWCCA member #110881
He who dies with the most toys, wins....
I don't see any pics
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