H&R springs or Eibach springs?

[Leafsrule531]

Do your eibach coilovers have linear or progressive springs ? Progressives will give you slightly better ride but will compromise on handling.

I can’t speak for other springs but I recently put on swift linear springs on my KW coilovers and I love how they feel. Firm yet smooth. That being said if you hit a pothole or really bad road you will definitely feel it. They are linear springs.

[9kracing]

Of all the springs mentioned ITT, only Eibach, Swift, and H&R make springs in house, everyone else outsources.

You can't go wrong with any of those 3 manufacturers.

I am selling my old Dinan setup if you're interested, Dinan springs with Koni yellows. I moved to Ohlins.

[Maxima SE]

I think OP is experiencing pitch, which makes the car feel stiff and bouncy.

I think thats exactly what im experiencing. The weight transfer from front the rear is just not there. The whole car as a whole is a bouncy brick. I am not sure how much of it is the spring rates and how much it is the welded on mason x brace.

And yeah the Bilsteins sit a little higher with eibach than konis do. There is another thread with comparison pictures of these two setups.

[K-Dawg]

OP states his problem with his current set up is that it's too stiff and bouncy. This problem will remain with basically all of the lowering springs. I've only personally used Eibach, but a spring is a spring. They're all basically the same rate, so the amount of lowering is the major difference.

If you must lower, I'd say Dinan is the only way to go. The less lowering the better. But you will have best ride and handling with the stock springs short of quality coilovers.The car was engineered brilliantly for road use from the factory.

I think OP is experiencing pitch, which makes the car feel stiff and bouncy.

OP, you could also try front springs of 300lb/in or less in the front and 600lb/in in the rear which would likely improve your comfort and performance significantly.

The stock springs, Eibach Pro-Kit springs and Dinan springs all give you flat ride as long as you aren't on the bumpstops.

FWIW, my Bilstein B6/Eibach (B12) setup is closer to the pre-Eibach height of the car in that video.

[Maxima SE]

U.S. M3 Coupe Spring Rates
Spring Rate Front 25 N/mm (143 lbs/inch)
Spring Rate Rear 60 - 120 N/mm (345 - 685 lbs/inch) progressive
Eibach Pro Kit
Spring Rate Front 27 N/mm (155 lbs/inch)
Spring Rate Rear 66 - 132 N/mm (375 - 750 lbs/inch) progressive

Thanks. Not sure why eibach decided to go with 400/450 for their coilovers. It looks like they have recently D/C them as well. Seriously considering the Koni and Eibach spring combo since its on sale.

[Tbonem3]

I think part of the problem is also the mason X brace making everything stiffer in the back. Do you know the spring rates for the eibach springs designed for struts?

U.S. M3 Coupe Spring Rates
Spring Rate Front 25 N/mm (143 lbs/inch)
Spring Rate Rear 60 - 120 N/mm (345 - 685 lbs/inch) progressive
Eibach Pro Kit
Spring Rate Front 27 N/mm (155 lbs/inch)
Spring Rate Rear 66 - 132 N/mm (375 - 750 lbs/inch) progressive

[Ragincajun5220]

are Koni yellows stock height?

Yes. This is why I went with csl shocks because they are shorter to accommodate the lower spring height of the csl. The same is true I believe in the e92 zcp cars.

I would only run a csl shock with lowering springs on an e46 or a true quality coilover. Although, the same logic applies. Each coilover shock has a certain length which is optimized with full travel given a certain ride height. If you max out the drop on coilovers you will have the same issue we are talking about here.

the only aftermarket shock I know of that is shorter than an oem shock is the bilstein b8 sport shock which is not offered for this platform.

[Maxima SE]

You cannot lower a stock length strut and expect to have good ride quality. There is already only about 3 inches of travel and lowering it puts the car on the bump stops. You need shorter camber plates or shorter shocks if you want lower.

are Koni yellows stock height?

[EthanolTurbo]

Are Koni yellow different than the shocks that are sold as a set with the Eibach lowering springs?

This is the set that I'm looking at. Link

I'm not intending to use an OE replacement design with a lowering spring.

Nay, the same. This is what I have on my car. Was able to outpace F90 M5's on backroads with this setup.

[tvan]

Are Koni yellow different than the shocks that are sold as a set with the Eibach lowering springs?

This is the set that I'm looking at. Link

I'm not intending to use an OE replacement design with a lowering spring.

[cobra]

You cannot lower a stock length strut and expect to have good ride quality. There is already only about 3 inches of travel and lowering it puts the car on the bump stops. You need shorter camber plates or shorter shocks if you want lower.

[tvan]

But people want a drop. Eibach gives you both. If drop isn't important, than stick with stock suspension which has maximum travel. Everything's a compromise of some sort. How much is the question.

I've been on KW V2 since I bought my M3 and definitely have gotten to a point where I need to consider a rebuild or replacement.

I don't need the adjustability but do like a lowered stance, so I'm considering Koni yellow with a set of springs. I've only tracked my car a handful of times and the vast majority of the time I'm on some pretty poorly surfaced roads. Do you think the Koni/Eibach setup would be an improvement in ride vs rebuilding the KW's for street driving?

[Ragincajun5220]

Suspension for the light csl will not necessarily be appropriate for your 3400lb m3.

We will see. Variance within m3’s can be more than 100lbs easily based on options.

my car has no options except xenon’s, so it’s the lightest spect possible.

you are only talking about 220lbs weight reduction from the average spec m3 on a 3450 lb car. There has been good feedback on csl suspension on a regular m3, will see how it goes on mine. Fingers crossed. Should be a good datapoint for others looking for a minimal drop without going the coilovers route

[Maxima SE]

I had Eibach springs and Bilstein B8 (I think) shocks, it was really nice for around town use. IMO it was the perfect OEM+ ride height and comfort vs sportiness balance. But it’s definitely a far cry from a more aggressive coilover. So just be aware of what you’re trading off and make sure that’s what you want.

looks very good ! I am not looking for a coilover slammed look. Too old for that. Just want a mild drop with 1 finger wheel gap all around. OEM + look

OP states his problem with his current set up is that it's too stiff and bouncy. This problem will remain with basically all of the lowering springs. I've only personally used Eibach, but a spring is a spring. They're all basically the same rate, so the amount of lowering is the major difference.

If you must lower, I'd say Dinan is the only way to go. The less lowering the better. But you will have best ride and handling with the stock springs short of quality coilovers.The car was engineered brilliantly for road use from the factory.

I looked at the picture of the drop dinan posted on their site and it is less than what I am looking for. Then I came across this video of eibach on youtube and it is more aggressive, its actually a little lower than I expected them to be but seems close to perfect. I certainly dont want it any lower than this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKhousmQUWY

[Maxima SE]

So too much up front and too little in the rear. No wonder you're bouncing around funny.

I think part of the problem is also the mason X brace making everything stiffer in the back. Do you know the spring rates for the eibach springs designed for struts?