X5 Springs
 

hey I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with Springs. I have seen the eibachs that they sell at bavarian autosport, they look like a good deal for 279. I was wondering if the car will really handle better in terms and if anyone has any experience with changing the springs that they could comment. I have a 3.0 with 17', but I am going to buy the 4.6 20" wheels, i think this will make the Truck feel and handle better in turns but I am considering the option of installing springs as well for better handling. What doyou guys think?

I have both Eibach front and 20" on 2001 4.4. After installing them, I feel more confident in turns at higher speed. I bought the spring and did not do it until 6 months later, for I worried the ride too rough. After asked several pioneers in a couple of boards, I finally did it and have no regret. I asked a BMW machanic to swap front spring for me, so can't comment too much on installation, and later took the car for computer lowering air suspension on rear.

One qs to you 01X54.4 and all of you out there :)

Was your X5 came with sportspack? Cause I'm wondering, if there are any differences between the Xs with SP or w/o SP installed on them that upgrade their front springs. And if there are any difference between the rides?

My X5 came with SP. Can't comment on non-SP to Eibach. From SP to Eibach, the ride is not much different in Atlanta road condition. Only when there is a big drop-off on road surface, I probably feel a little difference.

Hi 01X54.4,I am also contemplating lowering my X5 with SP and the 20",but worried
that It may give me a harsh ride.Do you know the ref.no.of the Eibach springs?Do you
know what it lowered at the front?...MANY THANKS

Could you send pictures of your X5 with and without the Eibachs?
That would help a lot of us in deciding on their installation!

Try to look at this website
http://eibach.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.exe...19901100030353

I am not sure whether different years of X5 have different part number, so it is better you go to above link to figure out the part number. Mine is EI2074-120 for 2001 X5 4.4.

I only have before and after with 19", for I bought 20" after installation.
Here is the picture:
http://home.comcast.net/~george_young/b4andafter.jpg

Whether it is harsh or not, it is very subjective. The road condition here makes me think they are as good as SP suspension.

do you know what the spring rate for the eibach lowering springs are? and stock spring rates too, if you know.

thanks

So does it handle much better with the eibachs or not? From the before and after I can conclude it looks a lot more sporty lowered

Hayaku, I am not that technical. No, I don't know the spring rate.
Diaz, at high speed turning or lane change body lean is reduced a lot, and that is major improvment.

thanks!

if body lean is reduced, then the spring rates are higher then stock. since these springs lower the car more, the car will roll more (yes, counter intuitive, but thats physics - instantaneous centers are moved further away from the car, giving it more body roll for a lower car).

That certainly does sound counterintuitive, but I can see your point wrt "roll". However, I believe lowering the vehicle will make it "lean" less and in turn, provide "flatter" cornering, which feels good from a handling perspective. If you did just the opposite – increased the height of the vehicle, I’m sure it would tend to lean more. It would make it very obvious, for example, if you took it to the extreme to prove the theory – raise the car 10 feet off the ground. Can you picture that going fast around a sharp corner? Just my $.02 guess...

Hayaku, I forgot to mention that Eibach claims the spring rate is progressive. I feel that being true, for it does not feel harsher than stock SP with minor bumps.

how much do you think istallation will be for these springs, how much should I expec to spend on the install?

How about H & R springs? i see alot more people using H & R :dunno:

there's alot of physics at work here that most people will not understand and i won't go very deep into it because i generally end up talking only to myself on this subject. only suspension engineers would be able to keep up, and i still consider myself a newbie on this compared to my race car builder.

here's a brief and simple article by our good Dr G. describing what happens when you lower a vehicle: http://www.e30m3performance.com/myth...t_transfer.htm

those were available first. not many choices in this area...

my guess is about $200-300 since its only the front that requires the work. but you will need an alignment after the springs are installed so add another $100?

Interesting stuff! Thanks for the pointer!!