Lowering the Z4

M

mini.cooper998

Member
 Wigan
Hi all
i like probably most of you (would seem a comon problem) have just snapped a rear spring (Balls) and wondered if anyone had gone down the lowering route and what it looked like before and after (Eibach are 30mm lower) and £142 so very tempted to fit afull set while im at it

can anyone post any pics up so i can have a look

also whats it like for ride comfort and getting over speed bumps
 
Dunno about those springs etc... I would be worried about those speed bumps though - mine grounds out sometimes as it is :o
 
I was thinking of exactly the same thing, my drivers side spring has just cracked, and with springs being £66.25 each from BMW, it makes Eibach's kit seem pretty good value.

After a bit of thinking, I've decided to stay on the standard route for exactly the same reason as gannet.

My car often grounds out on small speed bumps, and I definitely wouldnt want it to get worse. Likewise my bumper just clears the top of most kerbs, if my car was any lower, sure I wouldnt have much of a bumper left by now :)
 
My car is about 30mm lower on H&R springs (still need to do the shocks) plus i've got the aero kit which is very low. You will probably ground out once or twice but its a quick learning curve and won't fo any damage. Usually with speed bumps its just the mud flaps that catch despite sounding bloody awful. The more worrying thing for me with the aero kit are kerbs when parking...

Cant see the front of the bonnet so either have to get out and look or line up by judging the proximity of the rear to the back of the parking space to judge where the front is!! Madness.

Just learn your speed bumps the long ones are fine, the split ones are awkward but you won’t ground out. The worst are generally on private sites/roads where they can be very savage and abrupt! I have to do a set of those everyday - provided I go ultra slow its fine.

Thinking about ditching my H&R's anyway - haven’t decided what to get instead though. Where did you see the Eibachs for £142? What struts were you planning to use?
 
What the heck is it about the springs on the Zeds? I have never heard about such a thing on a car made after 1915 or so as a rule. Seems like a lot of guys are talking about having a spring fail. Is it because of racing or something like that. If they are just failing, why has BMW not been stuck with a recall? :headbang:

I have a squeak when I get into my Zed in the driver side rear, and jacked it up to look at the spring but could not see anything. But now you all have me worried as my warranty period is about up and I am wondering if I need to take it into the dealer to see if the spring is failing. Am I over concerned? :?
 
mine is lowered on Eibach pro-Kit, the ride is not too compromised at all, yes it's a bit firmer but you soon get used to it and the noticeable improvement in handling far outways it, you can really attack the bends with confidence. as for ground clerance no problem, i have fitted a Z4M front bumper to my car which is lower than the standard one and speed bumps are no problem if you just take them slowly. I have two mates with a Z4M and an Alpina, the pics below is a comparison, both these mates have driven my car and say it feels sharper than their cars with less body roll.

all in all i would highly recommend the Eibach Pro-Kit but remember my car is the 3.0 with M-Sport suspension so if your car is not it may be different... :thumbsup:

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definately the dogs dangelies

how much and where from also love the black grilles but not sure what they will look like on a sterling grey model
 
Plowy - Exactly how high is yours from ground to lowest edge of the ///M bumper. Just curious how much it is in real terms compared to a standard set up
 
BEFORE;

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AFTER

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These were taken just before and after fitting the springs, it has dropped further since they have settled in and now it's exactly 4 inches at the same point..
 
mini.cooper998 said:
definately the dogs dangelies

how much and where from also love the black grilles but not sure what they will look like on a sterling grey model
Click to expand...

The black grills were a DIY with some Halfrauds satin black, it looks superb on your colour car, the spoilers were from Ebay, they are a copy of the AC Schnitzers but a fraction of the cost , in total with painting and bonding kit to fix them on they cost me £180, a couple more pics of them here for you.... :wink:
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Cheers plowy - mine's sat at 5.5" on M suspension, standard springs and facelift front. Having never grounded the front once since fitting it, I may just be tempted to drop that 1"..... :)
 
plowy said:
...These were taken just before and after fitting the springs, it has dropped further since they have settled in and now it's exactly 4 inches at the same point..
Click to expand...
That is low, too low for me unfortunately, my SLK rubs at every opportunity. Looks great though.
 
WaZZZZman said:
I have a squeak when I get into my Zed in the driver side rear, and jacked it up to look at the spring but could not see anything. But now you all have me worried as my warranty period is about up and I am wondering if I need to take it into the dealer to see if the spring is failing. Am I over concerned? :?
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I think the squeak is coming from the parking brakes being on (I noticed that when i was hopping in and out of a brand new Zed in the showroom as well as on mine)
 
Wondermike said:
plowy said:
...These were taken just before and after fitting the springs, it has dropped further since they have settled in and now it's exactly 4 inches at the same point..
Click to expand...
That is low, too low for me unfortunately, my SLK rubs at every opportunity. Looks great though.
Click to expand...


When I got my brakes R2 the other day I realized just how much I've been scraping. Thank god we have that plate under their. Oddly enough that swinging cover that goes over the oil drain plug was gone from my car. I don't know if it was ever there when I got the car or if it was something I did....
 
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