e36 M3 springs: OEM vs. Dinan vs. H+R OE Sport (sachs dampers)

[bmwstephen]

If it is any reference. Ltw springs (euro m3 springs) offered similar drop/spring rate as dinan and also utilize stock shocks

[RFBM3]

If it is any reference. Ltw springs (euro m3 springs) offered similar drop/spring rate as dinan and also utilize stock shocks

If only. We'll see tomorrow but I'll be very happy with a stance like the LTW or M3 GT.

The U.S. LTW used front spring 31 33 2 227 421. The GT used 422. Non-A/C cars and A/C cars got different front springs. Rears were 33 53 9 -64 881 for all 1995 and earlier Euro M3s and the U.S. LTW.

I was going to go with 422s with '95 hats and the 881 rear springs to mimic a M3 GT but these springs are NLA even in Europe. The Dinans, however, pretty much match their spring rate, as I mentioned earlier.

[RND1]

I think you should install them tonight

[RFBM3]

I think you should install them tonight

Dude, it was Friday night. I'm not that freaking dedicated LOL.Anyway, they are now on and the car is on all fours. I'm driving it around today and then I'll take my measurements tomorrow. Stay tuned

[bluptgm3]

I'll take my measurements tomorrow. Stay tuned

Changing the ride height changes the toe.
You need an alignment.

[RND1]

Dude, it was Friday night. I'm not that freaking dedicated LOL.Anyway, they are now on and the car is on all fours. I'm driving it around today and then I'll take my measurements tomorrow. Stay tuned

Awesome - look forward to seeing the pics. Most importantly how does it look to you?

[RFBM3]

My height comparisons as of this morning. I don't know if the springs need time to settle but I don't believe that myth, so these are the numbers in my mind. If there are significant changes in the next few weeks, I'll update...

Jack Puck Points (Pucks removed)

Stock 7" front, 7.5" rear, .5" rake

Dinan - 6.25" front, 7" rear, .75" rake

Wheel center to fender lip

Stock - 14.5" front, 13" rear.

Dinan - 13.75" front, 13" rear.

Rim bottom to fender lip (Bentley Method)

Stock - 24" front, 22" rear

Dinan - 23" front, 22" rear

Floor to fender lip

Stock - 26.5" front, 24.75" rear

Dinan - 25.75" front, 24.75" rear

Before

20250412_183916.jpg20250419_201426.jpg

After (featured in the car's natural non-coilover friendly environment)

After.jpg20250503_182731.jpg20250503_182715.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

Changing the ride height changes the toe.
You need an alignment.

Yup, correct. Dinan has the specs on its website. I posted them above but here's the link again. I'll do this next week.

https://documents.dinancars.com/6697...defa86d915.pdf

[RFBM3]

Awesome - look forward to seeing the pics. Most importantly how does it look to you?

Personally, I like the look. The .75" drop in front is perfect without making it look obnoxious, and even though the back did not drop at the rear tires, the rake is the E36 M3 ideal at .75" which I think looks good.

I also love the ride quality. I drove it all over Chicago yesterday to test it and it handles city streets and bad pavement as well as it did before, perhaps even better. There's always the "new" factor where you want to believe but here, it rides like stock, which was outstanding.

[RFBM3]

Ooops, one more key measurement. I can get two fingers in between the front tire and fender lip, versus four before. Sorry YouTube Dakar coupe owner!

[RFBM3]

FWIW, for further comparison, here's a couple of picture of the vehicle c 2004 when it was 100% OE equipment with 46k on the odometer. That would obviously be without the 9mm front pad and with the 5mm rear pad.

M3 001.jpgM3 003.jpg

[RND1]

Looks good! 3/4" drop is much better than the Dinan advertised 1/4" drop - was that due to the thicker spring pads? 13" in the rear is just about perfect. I'm at 12.75" rear, 13.25" front.

[RFBM3]

Looks good! 3/4" drop is much better than the Dinan advertised 1/4" drop - was that due to the thicker spring pads? 13" in the rear is just about perfect. I'm at 12.75" rear, 13.25" front.

I believe at least some of it. 9mm v. 3mm is .236" difference, but I'm not sure there'd be a direct correlation. It could've had more impact than that. I don't know. I also changed the 7.5mm he put on the back with the 5mm and as you see rear stayed exactly the same except for at the jack points.

[RFBM3]

Looks good! 3/4" drop is much better than the Dinan advertised 1/4" drop - was that due to the thicker spring pads? 13" in the rear is just about perfect. I'm at 12.75" rear, 13.25" front.

I'd have expected the back to drop .25" but I'm not complaining. It now has the perfect E36 M3 .75" rake, and I think it looks good. When I had the Bilstein B12s on it, the measurement was 5.5" at the front pad and 7" at the back pad for a 1.5" rake. It looked goofy and couldn't have been great for at the limit handling because the weight was so far forward.

[RFBM3]

FRONT SPRINGS COMPARED:

DINAN: My research led me to believe the Dinan springs I had on hand would be too stiff for OEM shocks. It's pretty difficult to confirm or disconfirm this. The Dinans were not installed by me, but by an experienced BMW shop. They take 96+ hats (smaller diameter). I thought Dinan only made 95 springs? There are no markings and I can't confirm exactly what spring they are. Does anyone have any insight?

OEM: At first I tried OEM springs, but found the ride height much too high. The car looked ridiculous. They are apparently from a 96 Canadian car, so not a euro car ... ? They are definitely 96+, due to the smaller the upper diameter. 4 yellow markings on front springs and 4 green markings on back springs.

H+R OE SPORT: Eventually I settled on H+R OE sports.

Uncompressed lengths are difficult to measure exactly, but I tried to measure max length from coil tip to coil tip, parallel to the center axis of the spring.
H+R = 11.5"
OEM = 12.5"
Dinan = 10.25"

I've been driving the car around all week on the streets of Chicago on its new Dinan/Sachs setup. Aside from loving the car's new look with a ride height that is just about perfect for what I was looking for, I just want to point out that the Dinan springs are definitely not too stiff for OEM shocks.

The ride is absolutely wonderful. It is a little stiffer than stock, but not in a bad way. It is very sophisticated in feel, like something BMW would have come out with from the factory. The stiffness feels more like firmness and control versus the dreadful bounciness and crashiness I felt with the BC/BRs. It is literally like driving a different car.

Edit/Update - Everything now aligned in the green. See attached. It was surprisingly close to optimal as-is, they just made a few tweaks. Thalmann is a well respected performance alignment shop in the Chicagoland area and this was their recommended specs for the car's use.

Also, I spoke with my mechanic about the 9mm pad. He said he just ordered what his BMW parts guide specified for the car's VIN. Since I was going from coil overs to disassembled OEM springs/shocks, he had no basis for comparison.

Is it possible my car got 9mms from the factory, even though it wasn't a Canadian spec car? Could BMW have made a mistake? In any case, I believe him to be truthful and he'll give me a credit for future work for the inconvenience. And my fellow E36 M3ers should make a note to be cautious of this if they do their springs/shocks. Make sure you get a 3mm upper pad!

Anyway, all's well that ends well. The car drives straight and true, the stance looks perfect IMO, and I'm happy with the ride. Thanks for everyone's input!! This was actually a fun exercise.Alignment Specs.png

[Azuremen]

Here's my contribution albeit it is a 1995 so suspension is a little more bespoke.

• Springs (stock): Front-31332227836. Rear-33539067378
• Front Spring Perch: stock e90 aluminum "drop hat"-3133676409
• Reinforcement Plates: 31312489795 (did not come in OBD1 cars originally) probably added back 2mm
• Spring pads: 3mm-31331128523, and 5mm rear-33531136385
• Struts/shocks: OEM Sach all around
• Tires: Michelin PS4S 225/45/17 all around (squared)

my setup allows for an even drop-all around while retaining stock alignment, travel/comfort, slightly better handling all around.

Front Floor to Fender: ~25"
Front Center to fender lip: ~15"
Rear Floor to Quarter: ~25"
Rear Center to Quarter: ~15"

(excuse the dirty wheels)

How much do you estimate the drop is from this setup? Debating on staying with OEM springs or getting H&R OE Sports for a small drop.

And on the topic of '95 specific things, what color are your rear springs marked with? I'm trying to determine if the previous owner swapped out springs to another OEM option - my rears have 3 pink dots - and finding info on '95 spring color codes has been tricky.