Member
hey folks, new here, ive had a few bmw's before but the ex said no to mods. but this one is all mine 2006 330i hehe. have alot of experience with nissan and auto-x and drift but with nissan. I have about 1-1.5 inch of gap now but the question is i want way better handling but every spring/strut, coilover option im seeing has a decent amount of drop to it. not really looking to drop it but if it drops a little im fine with it, just dont want it rubbing the fender on every bump. Planning on getting some auto-x done this year and just some great driving on some country roads. So, would a strut/spring combo be better or strut only?
Apprentice w/#yrs. exp.
Moderate lowering with adjustable strut/spring combo:https://www.tirerack.com/suspension/...lar=Base+Model
Member
I'm an E36 guy, but expect the principles are relatively similar.Originally Posted by agentsmithsm
I think the biggest returns on a new car would be alignment. There's The Definitive Alignment guide for your E336 M3 - I'd guess a lot of the principles there apply to an E46 330 as well. Getting the camber you really need is a great thing; zero toe is a revelation (OK, maybe a little in the back. The closer to zero in back, the looser the rear end gets - which can be a lot of fun!). There are shortcuts detailed in that link that can get you some camber for less than $500 camber plates.
The other thing I would start with is getting the right wheel and tire combo before messing with the suspension, since decisions there can affect what kind of suspension you're able to run. If you're still running a staggered setup you should be able to find some rears of whatever wheel you have that you can run up front with a little spacer. A square setup is the biggest thing that will impact your handling to start with.
Once that's done, you should be able to get a read on whether some lower springs will cause a problem. But FYI, most of the "normal" H&R Sport springs are in the ballpark of 1.5" lower in front, "1 lower in rear. H&R's OE Sport springs are about half that. I just got new springs, and avoided the "Race" springs because they're 2.2" lower in front - which seems like way too much to me. Lots of race cars out there with coilovers stick with about 1" of drop (from M3 stock height, so your mileage with a 330 may vary).
One other thing. If you're trying to control for body roll, stiffer sway bars are a better approach than stiff springs, especially if this car will retain some DD duties.
Not an expert by any means, but I've got 220k on my M3 and am happy with my current setup. I'd definitely tackle the alignment stuff and wheels first, then start buying suspension parts.
-Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.
Apprentice w/#yrs. exp.
Blkstrm, I agree that principles for most vehicles are relatively similar,
but take care of worn suspension parts first, then wheels & tires, and finally a 4 wheel alignment,
that's just my take on the subject, other gurus are welcome to chime in.
Member
good stuff. thanks for the input guys. going to get the alignment done this weekend anyway, now i know a little more to tell him to dial it in properly. ill post up some pics of it soon. Got alot of before/after/during shots. My girl never took care of it so now its being taken care of properly.
Member
Yeah, no argument from me there. An alignment with worn stuff is pretty useless.
And an alignment after new tires is a must - kinda depends on how soon new tires are due, though.
-Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.
Member
If you want to autocross a little bit, I would get a firmer spring while you upgrade the shocks and rest of the hardware. Dinan would be a good choice bec they do not lower your car very much at all. Recommend getting a fully-assembled kit so you do it once, do it right. Like this one:
koni sport kit complete.JPG 270 tops.JPG
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks