Has my new Z4 been lowered?

[montymoore]

The car is beautiful and stands well, but the ride is very harsh. Could it have been lowered? It looks quite low... Yes, the wheels are 19" but I can feel things on the road that I really shouldn't !! Thanks

View attachment 1

 

[mr wilks]

Its a Se not Msport so almost certainly been lowered to achieve the arch gaps it now has , wheels also not what the car would have left the factory with so clearly a enthusiastic owner enhancing it at some point .
Black E89 silver 326s looks good

 

[montymoore]

Interestingly the full specification that BMW has does not show that it has been equipped with sports suspension that I understand was an option back in the day that lowered the car 10mm

 

[Tinker15]

A nice looking 30i. I don’t know if it has been lowered but if those tyres are run flats that would be a big contributor to the harsh ride.

 

[mr wilks]

Interestingly the full specification that BMW has does not show that it has been equipped with sports suspension that I understand was an option back in the day that lowered the car 10mm

Ive had a Msport 89 which i lowered & also a Se , the pics lead me to think yours has aftermarket springs , doubtful they are H&Rs possibly Eibach , should be easy enough to turn full lock & see what's on the springs

 

[buzyg]

Good looking Z4. 8)

 

[sunnydays]

Looks good op. Yes looks like H&R at a glance

 

[Silverstar]

Interestingly the full specification that BMW has does not show that it has been equipped with sports suspension that I understand was an option back in the day that lowered the car 10mm

Sport suspension was only on the M Sport model, so it appears yours has definitely been lowered at some point but I think the harshness you are experiencing is probably mainly coming from those tyres which look like runflats? If they are then change them asap and the difference will be night and day. Great looking Zed by the way and in the perfect colour combo but then I would say that, I am somewhat biased!

 

[montymoore]

I have already bitten the bullet and sourced some original 17" 292 rims with almost new non RF Conti contact 6s for a song. The wife wants much more comfort! The lowered Suspension will improve the look anyhow. Car is going for a full check over at some BMW specialists next week so we will see what they say!

 

[montymoore]

I am also thinking of painting the calipers. Not sure if red or Silver. They are currently black but were red as the red is starting to show through the paint. Won't be so obvious under 292s though.

 

[Silverstar]

You could do a combo of silver and red or shades thereof for the brakes:

 

[Zed Baron]

Here is a photo of my SE with the same size wheels / style for comparison

 

[montymoore]

doubtful they are H&Rs possibly Eibach , should be easy enough to turn full lock & see what's on the springs

Thanks

I cant see anything on the springs but they are black :? It looks like the shocks are original BMW and one possibly replaced as the BMW sticker is quite fresh so doubt 10 years old!

 

[mcbutler]

i'd be more worried about the teflon based non-stick potenza tyres you have on it, godawful things.....

 

[mcbutler]

doubtful they are H&Rs possibly Eibach , should be easy enough to turn full lock & see what's on the springs

Thanks

I cant see anything on the springs but they are black :? It looks like the shocks are original BMW and one possibly replaced as the BMW sticker is quite fresh so doubt 10 years old!

The wire used for performance springs is a greated diameter than the std spring, if you measure the diameter of the spring wire and PM me I will let you know if it matches my Eibach on the car or the stds I still have in the box.. If that helps..

 

[montymoore]

Interestingly the full specification that BMW has does not show that it has been equipped with sports suspension that I understand was an option back in the day that lowered the car 10mm

Ive had a Msport 89 which i lowered & also a Se , the pics lead me to think yours has aftermarket springs , doubtful they are H&Rs possibly Eibach , should be easy enough to turn full lock & see what's on the springs

So I can confirm that they are Eibach as the BMW specialist told me. If I change back to 17" wheels should I go back to stock springs or should I upgrade the shocks to stop too much bounceback? Thanks

 

[Jasonn]

You could do a combo of silver and red or shades thereof for the brakes:

IMG_6855.jpeg

I like that combo, looks nicer (IMO) than painting the whole caliper red.

Did you paint the anti rattle spring or buy it ready coloured?

 

[mr wilks]

Interestingly the full specification that BMW has does not show that it has been equipped with sports suspension that I understand was an option back in the day that lowered the car 10mm

Ive had a Msport 89 which i lowered & also a Se , the pics lead me to think yours has aftermarket springs , doubtful they are H&Rs possibly Eibach , should be easy enough to turn full lock & see what's on the springs

So I can confirm that they are Eibach as the BMW specialist told me. If I change back to 17" wheels should I go back to stock springs or should I upgrade the shocks to stop too much bounceback? Thanks

From my own Z experience I would go with Oe Msport springs over Eibach or H&R.
Lowering springs might give a better stance but adversely affects ride quality imo.
Se springs are great if your sole aim is comfort & not bothered about looks but Msport with E89 offers a good combination of looks, handling & comfort.
No need to revert to 17 inch wheels though just pay attention to brand choice & sizes with either 18s or 19s & you can still enjoy a decent ride quality

 

[Anonymous]

Ive had a Msport 89 which i lowered & also a Se , the pics lead me to think yours has aftermarket springs , doubtful they are H&Rs possibly Eibach , should be easy enough to turn full lock & see what's on the springs

So I can confirm that they are Eibach as the BMW specialist told me. If I change back to 17" wheels should I go back to stock springs or should I upgrade the shocks to stop too much bounceback? Thanks

From my own Z experience I would go with Oe Msport springs over Eibach or H&R.
Lowering springs might give a better stance but adversely affects ride quality imo.
Se springs are great if your sole aim is comfort & not bothered about looks but Msport with E89 offers a good combination of looks, handling & comfort.
No need to revert to 17 inch wheels though just pay attention to brand choice & sizes with either 18s or 19s & you can still enjoy a decent ride quality

If the OP had SE suspension orginally and only had the spring OEM changed then if he fits MSport springs would he not need the corresponding MSport damper 33526796441 rather than the OE part 33526784950?

FWIW I have the MSport springs on Bilstein B8 shocks and they seem to do a fine job..my car is an MSport variant anyay

I run them on 18" wheels and the ride comfort is very good save a small of 'jiggle' on broken /rippled tarmac..

Chassis control is very good!

World away from the 19" with OE runflats.. I can't comment on other tyres on 19" rims.

 

[mr wilks]

So I can confirm that they are Eibach as the BMW specialist told me. If I change back to 17" wheels should I go back to stock springs or should I upgrade the shocks to stop too much bounceback? Thanks

From my own Z experience I would go with Oe Msport springs over Eibach or H&R.
Lowering springs might give a better stance but adversely affects ride quality imo.
Se springs are great if your sole aim is comfort & not bothered about looks but Msport with E89 offers a good combination of looks, handling & comfort.
No need to revert to 17 inch wheels though just pay attention to brand choice & sizes with either 18s or 19s & you can still enjoy a decent ride quality

If the OP had SE suspension orginally and only had the spring OEM changed then if he fits MSport springs would he not need the corresponding MSport damper 33526796441 rather than the OE part 33526784950?

FWIW I have the MSport springs on Bilstein B8 shocks and they seem to do a fine job..my car is an MSport variant anyay

I run them on 18" wheels and the ride comfort is very good save a small of 'jiggle' on broken /rippled tarmac..

Chassis control is very good!

World away from the 19" with OE runflats.. I can't comment on other tyres on 19" rims.

No idea but i wouldn't have thought there would be a problem fitting Msport springs to Se shocks :?