[3X3=5]

I lowered the car this past weekend on H&R sport springs and OEM sport shocks. The drop is rated at 1.3" front and 1.2" rear but it definitely looks lower than that (no, I didn't accidentally get race springs). It's actually settled a bit more since the pic below was taken. I guess the drop is just more than expected. But the car drove horribly after I finished - hitting any bump was very jarring. I checked and even though I'd trimmed the bumpstops about .75" it was completely riding on them. I had literally zero suspension travel. I trimmed another .75" and now have only about 1" of bumpstop left. This seems like too little, but it still only allows about 1" of suspension travel. See the attached picture of the installed spring - the car is jacked up a couple of inches to allow me to take the picture and it's still almost completely compressed.

My question is - is this normal for H&R sports on a sedan?

[kevin@bavarianx]

Why did you trim the bump stops? They are a buffer and help with the ride quality. You lowered your car even more by trimming the bump stop. Well I guess it is now time for you to upgrade in shocks like Koni's or Bilsteins if you feel the ride is unacceptable.

[3X3=5]

Like I said, even after minor trimming the suspension was resting on the bumpstop and leaving no room for the spring to compress. The ride WAS horrible. After further trimming to allow suspension travel it's a much better ride. That's what I'm confused about - the suspension shouldn't rest completely on the bumpstop right (this gave an unacceptably harsh ride). But trimming it to the point where it allows the spring to compress (which improved the ride a lot) left me with only about 1" of the bumpstop.

[oomikeyboy]

If i recall, H&R's drop are aren't "conservative" so what you have seems right. The trimming and no suspension travel is weird though, you sure you installed it right?

Anyways, the pic of the car looks good.

[3X3=5]

That's exactly what I'm wondering, but the spring is seated properly so how could I have screwed it up? It's not a conservative drop, fine, but I feel like more of the bump stop had to be trimmed to allow spring travel than it should have. It concerns me a bit to have only 1" left, and I've searched but no one else with H&R sports has mentioned this.

[subieworx]

I'm with you. I just installed these springs on my e92 and feel the same way. The ride is rough and there is no suspension travel at all. I have been thinking of trimming some of the bump stop, but haven't yet. I have noticed that BMW likes to use the bump stops regularly in their suspension tuning. They seem to use it as a support for the main spring.

[GaryS]

You can get 1/2" more travel in the rear with Dinan rear shock mounts. You might be able to get 1/3" more travel in front with Dinan M3 front guide supports (not sure if they'll fit).

About trimming bump stops, be sure to trim from both ends, because one end is soft and the other end is hard, and you need both. If you have to replace them, you might be better off starting with Z4 bump stops, which are pretty short.

[bimdaddy]

I felt that mine also dropped much more than advertised with H&R Sport. Only difference is my ride is not harsh. Actually it rides like stock, and I'm not riding on the bumpstops.

[BOOSTED4DR]

Ive got H&R's on my sedan and the ride is great no complaints. Didnt trim nothing at all. Wont lie the ride is lower than i expected considerin I was on sport suspension....

[ellipsis212]

this happened to me too. back when i had H&R sports installed my wheels tucked and i was concerned because it was close to a 2" drop all around...way more than i had anticipated or wanted. the bumpstops were trimmed to provide a little extra travel just like you but the ride wasn't great on the OEM sport shocks either so i eventually went with a whole new setup. i got the eibach pro/koni fsd package and it's much more conservative.

i have to say though, your drop looks great. your best bet now is to go with some koni yellows or if it's just too low for your comfort level then you should change to eibachs or an adjustable setup like KWs.

[3X3=5]

So the consensus is definitely that this drop is under-rated which is odd since in searching posts and talking to vendors, everyone says it will only lower the car about .75" more from the OEM sport suspension. I'd say it was closer to 1.75". If that's the case, it would explain why I had to re-trim my bump stops (I cut them in anticipation of about a 1" drop, actually got about 1.75" so it wasn't trimmed enough the first time). But that doesn't explain how other people with H&R sports are riding around just fine, not at all on the bump stops and haven't trimmed them at all.

Is it safe, now that they're trimmed down to only about 1, maybe 1.25"? The drop does look pretty good, I have to admit, though it is more than I wanted. 19"s go on next week and I'm hoping they won't rub.

[3X3=5]

Originally Posted by ellipsis212

this happened to me too. back when i had H&R sports installed my wheels tucked and i was concerned because it was close to a 2" drop all around...way more than i had anticipated or wanted. the bumpstops were trimmed to provide a little extra travel just like you but the ride wasn't great on the OEM sport shocks either so i eventually went with a whole new setup. i got the eibach pro/koni fsd package and it's much more conservative.

i have to say though, your drop looks great. your best bet now is to go with some koni yellows or if it's just too low for your comfort level then you should change to eibachs or an adjustable setup like KWs.

Can you provide a bit more detail about how the Eibach/KSD combo is more conservative? How's the ride comfort and handling compared to H&Rs with OEM shocks? I'd definitely consider switching if this doesn't work out. Also, what's height difference between the two set ups. Thanks.

[and1bball919]

mine are about the same pretty low and i have hnr sports springs and stock shocks

[3X3=5]

Originally Posted by and1bball919

mine are about the same pretty low and i have hnr sports springs and stock shocks

Did you trim bump stops?

[GaryS]

Originally Posted by 3times3

Is it safe, now that they're trimmed down to only about 1, maybe 1.25"?

Dinan says, "The shortest bump stop that we could employ needed to be 2.125 in. long in order to absorb an adequate amount of energy,"

[3X3=5]

Originally Posted by GaryS

Dinan says, "The shortest bump stop that we could employ needed to be 2.125 in. long in order to absorb an adequate amount of energy,"

If my bumpstop was 2.1" long I think it would be touching both the top and bottom of the strut assembly, and the car would be riding on them. I spoke to a rep at JLevi (where I got the springs) who said their shop doesn't trim the bump stops at all and it's fine - it's meant to be left as is because the bump stop is softer on the top and bottom and cushions the ride. But I've also read your car should NOT be riding on the bump stops, which it would be if I didn't trim. Doesn't that reduce (or eliminate) suspension travel which would result in an overly stiff/rough ride? I'm very confused here.

[GaryS]

^^ That's why Dinan (1) sells shorter shock mounts, front guide supports and spring perches, and (2) advises against dropping the car that far.

adding: You can usually get good advice from a Dinan tech without having to buy anything. But I think you should buy the rear shock mounts. 800-341-5480

[3X3=5]

Gary, looks like the rear shock mounts only provide an extra 10mm of travel - less than .5" - that's extremely minimal. I do see the Dinan shocks and struts both include shorter bump stops though, which suggests that clearly this is needed when lowering the car even by a small amount.

What I really need to determine here is should I have left the OEM bump stops in tact (as has been suggested) in spite of the fact that the car will ride on them (which has been said is bad). Any suspension experts care to chime in?

[USC2000]

I almost bought some of H&R springs. Now I'm glad I didn't. Hope you get it all figured out.

[vazbro]

Well, I just dropped (today) my 335xi dropped on H&R sport and Bilstein sport. I yet to feel any bump, rub or anything unusual but I haven't driven it too long either (maybe about 5 miles). Having said that, I have been driving it very aggressively but nothing yet. It feels OEM.
Yes, the drop seems more than I expected but I like it.

[ellipsis212]

Originally Posted by 3times3

Can you provide a bit more detail about how the Eibach/KSD combo is more conservative? How's the ride comfort and handling compared to H&Rs with OEM shocks? I'd definitely consider switching if this doesn't work out. Also, what's height difference between the two set ups. Thanks.

well by conservative i simply mean that the Eibach pro kit springs will actually give you a 1.2" drop vs the advertised 1.2-3" that H&R states which sometimes comes out to 1.75-2".

i can now see a little daylight between my wheels and my fender lip and since i was never going for the tucked look it made me happy. the car doesn't necessarily look lowered now, it just looks perfect IMO.

wish i had some more recent pics so i could show you the difference (the ones in my "garage" are the old springs).

as far as ride quality goes i never liked the OEM sport shocks with the H&R springs...it was too bouncy. there are numerous threads on here with wildly varying opinions about what constitutes a good ride quality but i wanted something that was sporty but wouldn't piss my wife off every time she got in the car so the Koni FSD's are great with the Eibachs.

however, some people flat out don't like them and that's fine too. you gotta find what works for you.

[3X3=5]

I agree - opinions about the same set up do vary wildly. Been trying to find someone in the Seattle area who has Koni FSDs to get a test ride, no replies yet. Like you said, you gotta find what works for you, the sucky part is the 5-6 hours of labor each time you remove something that doesn't work.