Cut front springs or not??????? 1989 325I Vert

[4ofus]

Okay I asked this question 3 weeks ago and got some good advise. I chose to buy a set of front springs from a company on ebay, they said it would lower the front about 1.5 inches. Well I was concerned when I got the springs because they were around 6 inches shorter than the stock ones but I contacted them and they assured me they were the right springs. I took the time to put them on and had to spend extra time to safety wire the top and bottom of the springs to the strut because the springs are so short i was afraid they would get cocked when extending all the way.

Well the springs are too short as I figured. The car was much lower than I want. Pretty much on the tire.

Now I am back to the decision....Cut the springs? If so, how much? I was thinking 1.25 rings. I just want the car to sit an inch or 2 lower in the front. Right now it sits so high in the front it looks stupid.

What are your final thoughts?

[bluptgm3]

H&R Sports front and rear, with Koni shocks to match.


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[95BMWIC]

If money is the issue, then cut away. However after being on this forum for many years, I don't recall seeing any info on cutting springs. (Im assuming you did a search too) So your best bet is to cut a little, install and if need more drop - uninstall and cut a bit more.

If you have a bit of money (instead of purchasing eBay springs) buy a set of H&R springs from bavauto or pelicanparts - they have periodic sales. Sometimes you can find a good used set in the classifieds. Search "H&R" and you'll get quite a bit of info and pics of the stance. This is the most common spring set for the E30. I run 2 sets (one for my coupe and one for my IX) The handling was improved on both cars.

If you do decide to cut, detail your progress here with some pics so others can see if it is a cheap viable solution.

[bobdavisnpf]

There are some entertaining threads out on the intertubes re cutting springs, pro and con. I'd never do it but looks like cutting fronts can be ok as long as you cut slow to avoid heat-tempering, chamfer the ends to avoid hat damage, and line up the top hat to the new end. oh yeah, and cut less than you want, try them out extensively, then go back for more bites to get where you want: if you take off too much you can't really un-cut that last half a coil.

Looks like drop hats can take off 12-15mm without modifying the spring at all. I might get a pair, since that's as much as I want to drop anyway, and I really like the stock spring rate. Maybe if you try drop hats before you start cutting, then if you cut too much you could go back to the stock hats to gain some back.

[nick325xit 5spd]

Cut half a coil, test and see. I told you not to put that crap on your car.

[4ofus]

What fun would it be if everyone listened to good advise? We could never say "I told you so!" Hahaha.
I know now I will need to wait until I have the money (still one daughter in school so might be 4 years) to drop it correctly since I am now aware that lowering it much with stock shocks will bend the shocks when it bottoms. If I had thought about that the other day I wouldn't have wasted the time putting those short springs on.
Anyway, I will either put it back together stock or cut half a coil off. Do you think it will drop at all with just a half coil off? I know the spring gets stiffer when cut so thats why I am wondering. If it just dropped an inch would be nice.

Where can I get a set of "drop hats" quickly?

Thanks

[ELVA164]

Keep an eye on this forum and r3vlimited for lightly used springs or bought-but-not-used ones, also. I got a set of unused M3 springs for I think $120 a while ago that way, and those are great for my 4-door. Convertibles obviously need different springs, so keep that in mind as well. You can find dampers that way, too.

[bluptgm3]

Cut half a coil, test and see. I told you not to put that crap on your car.

Or heat and droop half a coil,


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[4ofus]

I bought some drop hats. What do you think drop hats and cutting a half a coil off would do?

[bluptgm3]

What is a "drop 'hat'"?

Bekkers? Uhmmmm…? What about the rear? Guess I'd try the 'hats' first.

http://www.bekkers.com/Merchant2/mer...t_Code=SUFT007
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