E32 Suspension Thread

[m60power]

Call Ground control:

http://www.ground-control-store.com/...ion.php/II=857

They don't list e32 coilovers, but they'll make them for the e32 for whatever shock valving firmness you want. I emailed them a year or so ago and they said they'd build a complete matched system for a 740il, same price as the e34 sets.

[shogun]

He lives in the U.K., a bit costly to call a company in the U.S. in California.
Basically H&R will fit to normal shocks, often they mention excluding LAD/SLS
If in doubt, contact H&R in Germany directly by email http://www.hrsprings.com/application...s/4/Suspension

[TonyPa]

He lives in the U.K., a bit costly to call a company in the U.S. in California.
Basically H&R will fit to normal shocks, often they mention excluding LAD/SLS
If in doubt, contact H&R in Germany directly by email http://www.hrsprings.com/application...s/4/Suspension

I wished I could lower mine slightly. But I honestly don't know enough about it with Bmw. And if it would start to mess up my suspension components.

Although I have lowered many Beetles over the years. They were easy!

[RustBoxBrad]

Bringing this back from the dead.
Seems there are far less options for E32s these days. I’m trying to find something which will give me the stance like BavAuto or Vogtland springs (both appear NLA). All I could find is H&R Sports, but I’m not sure their mild drop is quite enough for me. I’m not trying to slam it and completely ruin the ride. Been there, done that before.
Anyone tried the Bilstein B12 Sportline kit from Turner? Anyone successfully retrofitted E34 parts? I’ve read E34 top mounts would bring it down a bit. I could easily fab a custom coilover setup, but I would rather stick with a bolt on affair.

[gregeast]

Here's my '93 740i on H&R's, stock EDC shocks and 18" Style 32's, just for reference. I've looked at Ground Control coil overs, my EDC's are getting a little tired...

[RustBoxBrad]

Here's my '93 740i on H&R's, stock EDC shocks and 18" Style 32's, just for reference. I've looked at Ground Control coil overs, my EDC's are getting a little tired...

That looks close to what I'm after. I have a short wheelbase 735i BTW. I may want mine just slightly lower. My main concern is they list the same H&Rs for both the 735i and the 740i. Last I checked, the M30 is about 100lbs lighter than the M60, so naturally I'd figure they would make my 735i sit a little higher.
Ground Control coilovers would be great, but I can't justify the cost on this particular car. Not that anything is cheap, but the GC's are about $1,800 more than I have invested so far.

[cirrusblau]

@gregeast - How's the ride on H&R's? I have one waiting to be fitted to be paired with Bilstein Tourings.

[gregeast]

The ride is just fine. I think my tired EDC shocks get a little overwhelmed by the weight of the 18" wheels sometimes, thus my interest in converting to Konis or the GC coilovers (also Konis).

I will add that I needed to add a fairly hefty bump steer correction plate to get the suspension geometry right since the springs lowered it quite a bit. I used the 1" plate from AKG Motorsport.

[m60power]

The ride is just fine. I think my tired EDC shocks get a little overwhelmed by the weight of the 18" wheels sometimes, thus my interest in converting to Konis or the GC coilovers (also Konis).

I will add that I needed to add a fairly hefty bump steer correction plate to get the suspension geometry right since the springs lowered it quite a bit. I used the 1" plate from AKG Motorsport.

Back when I contacted Ground Control I was looking for just the front coilovers with caster/camber plates (I was going to keep the rear SLS and add lowering springs). They said they would only make a complete matched set, so I never ended up getting them. I now have a second e32 740il that I will putting a 6-speed in. I'm also deleting the SLS rear suspension, so I actually just emailed Ground Control again today to see if they'll still make a coilover set for the e32. If they do that's what I'll be going with.

Yes the spacer plate is a must if lowering the car so that the control arms and tierods are back at the correct angle relative to the body. I plan on getting the AKG ones you linked above.

[gregeast]

M60Power, how are you planning on deactivating the EDC warning? I've read that just pulling the EDC relay will do the trick but have had a hard time finding definitive information.

[m60power]

M60Power, how are you planning on deactivating the EDC warning? I've read that just pulling the EDC relay will do the trick but have had a hard time finding definitive information.

My car doesn't have EDC, just rear SLS (I think it's actually called LAD).

[NE32]

Just wanted to add as much info to this thread as possible. Make it a little easier on everyone suspension wise. Redoing my LAD rears. I got the specific H&R spring kit to lower it (Part #29656-2). Not using the front springs since the front is already lowered on Bavauto springs and I like the way it sits.

Here are some side by side with the stock springs and the H&R springs. Just about the same height. The coil on the H&R springs are tighter.
20180226_211459.jpg 20180226_211606.jpg20180226_211648.jpg20180226_211642.jpg



I will get pictures on rear with H&Rs once I put the car back on the ground. Don't know why they all rotated. They are the right way on my laptop.

[m60power]

Just wanted to add as much info to this thread as possible. Make it a little easier on everyone suspension wise. Redoing my LAD rears. I got the specific H&R spring kit to lower it (Part #29656-2). Not using the front springs since the front is already lowered on Bavauto springs and I like the way it sits.

Here are some side by side with the stock springs and the H&R springs. Just about the same height. The coil on the H&R springs are tighter.
20180226_211459.jpg 20180226_211606.jpg20180226_211648.jpg20180226_211642.jpg



I will get pictures on rear with H&Rs once I put the car back on the ground. Don't know why they all rotated. They are the right way on my laptop.

Good info. I like that H&R still makes an LAD specific lowering/sport spring set. I remember looking into those a while back. I got in contact with Ground Control and I should be ordering the coilovers shortly (they still make them for the e32). I just need to figure out front and rear spring rates.

[NE32]

I wanted to do maybe coils or bags but it sits perfectly with the lowering springs in the front and adjusting the rear down. The problem was the accumulators were shot so I'm redoing the whole rear. Just got the old accumulators off the hoses today (pipe wrench plus a vise grip works wonders) and seeing if I can have someone just make me new hoses. Should ride better while sitting lower. Will post pictures when I'm done.

Good info. I like that H&R still makes an LAD specific lowering/sport spring set. I remember looking into those a while back. I got in contact with Ground Control and I should be ordering the coilovers shortly (they still make them for the e32). I just need to figure out front and rear spring rates.

[m60power]

You should be able to go to a hydraulics shop (for tractors, industrial equipment, etc.) and have them make you new hoses. It would probably be a lot cheaper than ordering the OEM ones from BMW.

Edit: Did you adjust the rear height by setting the LAD valve zero position on the rear sway bar? I always assumed that would be an easy way to lower (or raise) the rear ride height on cars with the self leveling suspension.

I wanted to do maybe coils or bags but it sits perfectly with the lowering springs in the front and adjusting the rear down. The problem was the accumulators were shot so I'm redoing the whole rear. Just got the old accumulators off the hoses today (pipe wrench plus a vise grip works wonders) and seeing if I can have someone just make me new hoses. Should ride better while sitting lower. Will post pictures when I'm done.

[NE32]

Yeah, I went to a shop yesterday and they said they couldn't do it just because of the fittings used. They said it was a an automotive fitting they couldn't order. It sucks because the hoses are NLA and it seems no one has a few spares. I just threw mines back on. There weren't any leaks but when I started it up. Going to actually put the car on the ground today so I can recheck.

I've turned it down to the lowest setting already. One of the main reasons why I wanted to keep the system since it's so easy to adjust it up or down. Thought it wouldn't to hurt to add lowering springs and new accumulators on top of the already great SLS.

You should be able to go to a hydraulics shop (for tractors, industrial equipment, etc.) and have them make you new hoses. It would probably be a lot cheaper than ordering the OEM ones from BMW.

Edit: Did you adjust the rear height by setting the LAD valve zero position on the rear sway bar? I always assumed that would be an easy way to lower (or raise) the rear ride height on cars with the self leveling suspension.

[mjimport]

The ride is just fine. I think my tired EDC shocks get a little overwhelmed by the weight of the 18" wheels sometimes, thus my interest in converting to Konis or the GC coilovers (also Konis).

I will add that I needed to add a fairly hefty bump steer correction plate to get the suspension geometry right since the springs lowered it quite a bit. I used the 1" plate from AKG Motorsport.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact you need geometry correction for HR springs that are stated to only drop 1.25”.
I have no experience with modding a 7 series, but I have lowered other cars up to 2” and did not lose drivability. Only when I slammed a Lexus GS400 on coilovers did i need correction, and that was only rear toe correction.

[gregeast]

I will claim no particular suspension geometry expertise. I can tell you two things:

1) The general consensus is that these cars require bump steer correction due, presumably, to the suspension design, thus the ready availability of bump steer correction plates
2) I ran the car without the plates after installing the lowering springs and there was harshness going over sharp impact bumps which disappeared after installing the plates.

HTH

[mjimport]

^ thanks! “Before and after” observations are good enough for me, I’ll be sure to order those plates!

[chazsandiego]

This may be a silly question, but what kind of mileage should one expect from an after market spring/strut cartridge vs oem.

I have an extra set of front springs that are in good shape but I'm just not sure if I should ditch the OEM for aftermarket springs and struts. I'm also not against any type of lowering.

[m60power]

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact you need geometry correction for HR springs that are stated to only drop 1.25”.
I have no experience with modding a 7 series, but I have lowered other cars up to 2” and did not lose drivability. Only when I slammed a Lexus GS400 on coilovers did i need correction, and that was only rear toe correction.

You don't have to use the spacers under the strut, but if you want to retain the stock dynamics of the front suspension it would be silly not to. The e32 and other BMWs of that era use a MacPherson strut on the front suspension which isn't usually a bad thing if it's a little sports car with a small range of suspension travel. With the e32 and e34, when the suspension is sitting level the lower control arm and thrust arm have a slight angle downward from their mounting points on the chassis to the steering knuckle plate that bolts to the bottom of the MacPherson strut. When the suspension compresses both these arms trace an arc around their pivot points on the chassis - so when the front strut compresses the arms will push the bottom of the strut outward (negative camber gain, which is good) as they rotate around their pivot point until they are completely horizontal, then past that point in their arc, they will start pulling the bottom of the MacPherson strut inward towards the center of the car again until the camber approaches what it was when the car is level; and if you kept compressing the front suspension even more, the camber would become positive (loss of grip in cornering). The outer tie rods are also connected to this same steering knuckle, and also at a slight downward angle from the center drag link. So as suspension compresses the steering toes in the front wheels, then it eventually turns to toeing them back outward again once the tie rod passes the horizontal point.

What this means in theory is that for every inch you lower the car you should put a spacer plate of equal thickness between the bottom of the strut and the steering knuckle to put the control arms and tie rods back to their correct position for when the car is static. The Lexus GS400 has a much more advanced double wishbone front suspension design. This allows for the camber curve to be accurately controlled under compression of the front suspension even if you slam it to the ground.

One way which avoids compromising the suspension design when lowering a BMW with MacPherson struts is that most lowering springs are usually stiffer so the suspension travel is reduced. You can also use stiffer sway bars which effectively increases both front spring rates (and thus reduces compression when cornering hard). Or you can add the spacer plates to "correct" the front geometry after lowering.

[m60power]

This may be a silly question, but what kind of mileage should one expect from an after market spring/strut cartridge vs oem.

I have an extra set of front springs that are in good shape but I'm just not sure if I should ditch the OEM for aftermarket springs and struts. I'm also not against any type of lowering.

Aftermarket springs should last a very long time. This is anecdotal evidence, but in my experience no matter what you replace the original shocks with (not sure if they were Boge or Sachs or whatever on the e34/e32) the replacement shocks don't last nearly as long as the originals even if you go with an "OEM" brand. I've been in e32s and e34s with 150k+ miles on the original BMW shocks and they still have very good dampening. Not sure why that is. Maybe the originals were much higher quality than replacement pieces?

[NE32]

Here are some updates on the H&Rs. Not quite settled yet. I still have some air in the system so it's not adjusting all the way down yet. I did want to show how high the LAD system can do. Went from being able to fit my fist between the wheel and the fender to just two fingers. AND it can go lower. Glad I kept the system in. Once I get the air out and springs settle, I think I can have close to one finger/no finger gap between the fender and wheels.

20180313_164110.jpg20180313_164129.jpg20180313_165912.jpg20180313_165948.jpg

[e30luv318i]

Here’s mine lowered on e24 m6 front springs and stock Rear springs

[mjimport]

The ride is just fine. I think my tired EDC shocks get a little overwhelmed by the weight of the 18" wheels sometimes, thus my interest in converting to Konis or the GC coilovers (also Konis).

I will add that I needed to add a fairly hefty bump steer correction plate to get the suspension geometry right since the springs lowered it quite a bit. I used the 1" plate from AKG Motorsport.

AKG lists these as each? So it’s $260 for a pair? That’s insane.