Lowering the X5 E70, H&R Springs installation *** Lots of pic's ***

[King]

Lowering the X5 E70 required a bit of research and a lot of trial and error. Several members have since lowered their X5's including myself so I thought I would post some pics and info for others looking to lower their E70...

1. Install front H&R springs
2. Install custom adjustable rear links to lower rear. The rear height can NOT be adjusted/reprogrammed by the dealer. Most dealers are either not able or not willing to do this. Although my service rep tried to 'trick' the vehicle to thinking the new height is the default height, it only caused errors. It is much easier to simply replace the rear links with custom made links. What this does is allow you to adjust the height of the self leveling sensor, which in turn adjusts the rear height of the vehicle.
3.After adjusting both front and rear ride height, you will need to get an alignment done.

The following are pics BEFORE installing the H&R springs. Notice the large gaps in the wheel wells! I measured the height of the wheel arches from the ground up. The proper way to measure is from the lower edge of the wheel up, however this measurement can differ for others with different size wheels.

The height from the ground to the stock front arch was 32.25" and the rear was 32" with my 20" style 214 wheels...