Taller sidewall tires options?

[t walgamuth]

Thanks for that link!

[JDStrickland]

The tires came mounted to the wheels. They look nice. the 225/50s look big enough to me. I just discovered there is no factory jack. I guess that is a way to keep the weight down. Is there a skinny small spare that fits this car?

There is no factory jack because there is no factory spare. You don't need a jack if there is no spare.

[t walgamuth]

The wheels fit fine. I have them on now. They look fine too. The weight saved is 6# per wheel, all unsprung weight.

[dankatz]

Any pics of the wheels on the car? How is the ride? Which tires did you end up getting?

[t walgamuth]

The ride is great! The wheels look great too. I bought Michelin all season 225/50r16 tires. The car rides and handles excellently. It still sits too low for my taste. I am still trying to figure out if it is normal or has been lowered.

[greenohawk69]

The ride is great! The wheels look great too. I bought Michelin all season 225/50r16 tires. The car rides and handles excellently. It still sits too low for my taste. I am still trying to figure out if it is normal or has been lowered.

You said the car has the sport package which generally sits lower than the non-sport models. You can Google this info.

[t walgamuth]

Thanks very much for responding, greeno. I have actually spent hours trying to find out what is a correct ride height for my car by googling. Would it be possible to provide a link to such an article or source please? I also am wondering if I could buy the non sport springs and put them in the car with higher ride height being a result?

[greenohawk69]

I just googled this: bmw sport suspension.vs non-sport. and lots of info.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=451308

First one I found.

[t walgamuth]

Thanks Greeno!

[marvinstockman]

And if you raise the ride height by one inch, things will be perfect? No they won't. In most cases, it pays to buy the car you want, they way you want it, and not try to make the car exactly the way you want after the fact.

[t walgamuth]

What fun is that?

[dworthy]

What fun is that?

#Facts

With any BMW, if it has the Sports suspension, you normally will need both shocks and springs for a proper switch over. Also would be worth getting an alignment, for you may throw the camber off some raising the vehicle up.

[t walgamuth]

Thanks dworthy.
Yes, I am willing to do that. What I have had no luck determining so far is whether my car has been lowered beyond the standard sport suspension or not. I'd like to put standard springs back on it if it has been lowered. I priced new stock springs from my local dealer. He quoted about $1,000 for springs without any installation cost. I'd be willing to do that if I was sure it would get me where I want to be.

[JDStrickland]

Springs are going to give you, maybe, a half inch. There's a small chance you will get an inch, but you shouldn't expect any more than that. Since you had 18s, then you already have the sport package, so measure from the lowest point on the rim to the highest point on the wheel opening in the fender, this is your ride height. The specification of what the actual height is is difficult to find, but the variance is what most people are concerned with because they are chasing a broken spring or something along that line. The specification is that the Left and the Right be within 10 mm. The front and rear will be different because the fender openings are a different shape, so you cannot determine any fault be differences here.

FOR THE PURPOSES OF ILLUSTRATION
I have the ride height specs for the E36, and the difference between the non-M cars with standard and sport suspension is 0.33 inch, and 0.44 inch, front and rear respectively. Your E93 most certainly will not be the same, but the difference in the measurements between sport and standard suspension on factory springs will be the same kinds of numbers, basically about 1/2 inch. My point is, if you pick up a half inch in making your car higher, will it remedy the problem you think you are having? I suggest you will not make your car high enough to get in and out more easily. You have the cost of springs, and then the labor charges -- or time investment -- to mount them.

[t walgamuth]

Thanks for the detailed response JD.

I guess what I am really interested in is ground clearance, not ride height by your definition. My ride height with the 16" rims is 22 3/8 right side and 22.5 driver side.

If I understand you, I believe you mean that the sport suspension ride height is .33 lower front and .44 lower rear? And then are you saying the sport will offer about a half inch less clearance than the non sport? My car looks low in back, perhaps because of the folding roof weighing 200# or so. I have not mentioned anything about getting in and out because that is just part of the deal, but if the car was higher any additional height should make getting in and out easier.

Does the wagon have stronger springs in back? If so can I use them in my car?

[JDStrickland]

Thanks for the detailed response JD.

I guess what I am really interested in is ground clearance, not ride height by your definition. My ride height with the 16" rims is 22 3/8 right side and 22.5 driver side.

If I understand you, I believe you mean that the sport suspension ride height is .33 lower front and .44 lower rear? And then are you saying the sport will offer about a half inch less clearance than the non sport? My car looks low in back, perhaps because of the folding roof weighing 200# or so. I have not mentioned anything about getting in and out because that is just part of the deal, but if the car was higher any additional height should make getting in and out easier.

Does the wagon have stronger springs in back? If so can I use them in my car?

Yes, the sport is lower compared to the standard. Ride height and ground clearance are essentially the same thing, if you raise or lower the ride height, you will also raise or lower the ground clearance. I don't know that the wagons have stronger springs or not, logic dictates that they should.

Consider though, that the car should be in pretty much the same place even with different size wheels. For example, if the ride height (distance from the lowest point on the rim to the highest point of the fender opening) is 22 with a 16 inch wheel, it will be 23 with a 17 and 24 with an 18. (Give or take.) The thing is, since the wheel lip is moving and changing the distance to the fender opening, the sidewall is also changing and the end result is that the tire overall diameter is remaining constant. Since the diameter is a constant, then the radius of the tire is also a constant, so the distance from the hub to the ground is the same, meaning that the distance from the bottom of the car to the ground is also pretty constant. In theory, a 225/50x16, a 225/45x17, 225/40x18 should all be very nearly the same diameter, so while you have more rubber in the sidewall (one of your goals) you still have the same clearance from the ground.

Tire diameter of 225/50x16 is 24.85, 225/45x17 is 24.97, 225/40x18 is 25.08. The 225/40x18 is only 0.23 inches larger in overall diameter than the 225/50x16. See? The ground clearance is basically the same because it is a function of the radius of the tire, and the difference in radius of the 16 and the 18 is only 1/8 inch.

Here is a pic of my car on 19s. My clearance from the ground to the rocker panel under the door handle is right at 6 inches. I cannot say which suspension/tire package came on my car, the VIN decoder does not specify this. I was looking at several cars all at the same time and pulled lots of Build Sheets, but I failed to recognize that the build sheet for my car does not list the suspension/wheel package.



E93.jpg

[t walgamuth]

Yeah, my current tires are within .1 inch of each other and the 18's in outside diameter.

[t walgamuth]

I have four inches measured to the lift pad on the passenger side just behind the door handle. The one on front is a bit less. If measured to the sheet metal it is a bit more.

[JDStrickland]

I have four inches measured to the lift pad on the passenger side just behind the door handle. The one on front is a bit less. If measured to the sheet metal it is a bit more.

I measured to the front (leading) edge of the door handle. My jack pad is about 5. The angle you are viewing can change the tape measure reading. I'm not interested in exactly what the measurement is, so I just pull out the tape and try to look straight on.

[t walgamuth]

After driving it now for a couple weeks I am not sure I need to do anything to the suspension. It feels very good. Good handling and good ride, though it still sits too low. I think I'll send the konis back unless I can get a koni engineer to convince me they will give me more clearance.

[marvinstockman]

Springs change ride height, normal shocks don't, unless they are ride height adjustable, which are normally sold for vans and trucks.

[greenohawk69]

Get air bags...problem solved.

[t walgamuth]

Thanks for not flaming me!

[JDStrickland]

After driving it now for a couple weeks I am not sure I need to do anything to the suspension. It feels very good. Good handling and good ride, though it still sits too low. I think I'll send the konis back unless I can get a koni engineer to convince me they will give me more clearance.

Shocks/struts do not change the ride height, they change the spring compression/rebound rates. Ride Height is changed with springs. You could, in theory, change the ride height with rear shocks if they were air adjustable shocks. I say, "in theory," because these are usually available for trucks and vans, arguably SUVs too. You should not be able to find an air adjustable shock for your E93.

[t walgamuth]

Thanks JD!