Thicker spring pads/shims to raise the front a touch?

[NaweedM]

Are you running spacers on the fronts and rears? I think B4 + eibach pro's don't run into rubbing if spaced correctly with spacers. I am yet to install this combo (waiting on parts to arrive). I already have 15mm rear and 12mm front spacers so I'm hoping not to run into any rubbing After installation and settling

 

[Meds]

Are you running spacers on the fronts and rears? I think B4 + eibach pro's don't run into rubbing if spaced correctly with spacers. I am yet to install this combo (waiting on parts to arrive). I already have 15mm rear and 12mm front spacers so I'm hoping not to run into any rubbing After installation and settling

I had rubbing with a 225/40 front et37 with no spacers. Eibach Pro.

Thought id update this, had my b4 and eibachs fitted with the 6mm thicker e46 front spring pads. Here is the stance. Pretty happy and its level. Rear has dropped about 15 to 20mm. Front maybe 5mm from before but i think my suspension was so tired it was already lower than standard

That looks perfect. For reference what was the part number for the 6mm?
Great wheels, too. I had them on my 130i, just watch for cracking as apparently they're quite fragile. I never had an issue, though.

 

[PedroSouth]

Thanks both. Part number 31331128522, 9mm thick rather than standard 3mm.

No issues with rubbing, no spacers but the 216s offsets mean the wheels sit 13mm further out than standard e86 wheels anyway with the e90 offsets.

 

[Meds]

Part number 31331128522, 9mm thick rather than standard 3mm

Ahh ok.. 6mm different, not 6mm thick.
Got ya.

 

[NaweedM]

Maybe I've got a knackered top mount?

Do let me know if the rubbing is linked to worn out top mounts. Already bought new parts for the full assembly (including washers) but considering the E46 spring pads with 6mm difference. Don't want to go through all the effort to install everything only to end up with the same issues you have with B4 + Eibach pro's. Still haven't assembled my spring and dampers yet so I got time to either go with the E85 spring pad or E46.

I have a roadster so not sure if that plays a role between the hight and feel of B4 + Eibach

 

[Meds]

Maybe I've got a knackered top mount?

Do let me know if the rubbing is linked to worn out top mounts. Already bought new parts for the full assembly (including washers) but considering the E46 spring pads with 6mm difference. Don't want to go through all the effort to install everything only to end up with the same issues you have with B4 + Eibach pro's. Still haven't assembled my spring and dampers yet so I got time to either go with the E85 spring pad or E46.

I have a roadster so not sure if that plays a role between the hight and feel of B4 + Eibach

Many folk with the Eibachs have no issues at all, but others, including me, do.
It seems hit and miss.
That's why I think im fighting another hidden issue such as saggy springs, or sunken top mounts..
Upon inspection, though, the top mounts seem fine.

 

[PedroSouth]

Not sure it it helps but i also had new e86 OEM top mounts fitted at same time as the suspension in my image above.

 

[Meds]

Not sure it it helps but i also had new e86 OEM top mounts fitted at same time as the suspension in my image above.

It looks perfect.

 

[3002 tii]

Are you running spacers on the fronts and rears? I think B4 + eibach pro's don't run into rubbing if spaced correctly with spacers. I am yet to install this combo (waiting on parts to arrive). I already have 15mm rear and 12mm front spacers so I'm hoping not to run into any rubbing After installation and settling

Why would adding spacers help avoid rub?

 

[Meds]

Update.

I eventually got 31331135590 spring pads from the 740i added, along with my Eibach Pro springs in the front, in theory they should raise the front by 10mm (but they will squash down a touch I assume?).

It looks perfect.
Time will tell if it does completely solve my front rub issue with the Eibach Pro, it's gotta help, right ?

 

[Bolle]

Very interesting to hear your experiences and road you followed @Meds

I have a 2003 E85 3.0 with probably very tired M-Sport suspension. It looks to be on the original shocks and springs, and slightly collapsed front top mounts. Measuring it, it seems to sit 15 mm too low. I live in an bigger city with many speed bumps, ramps, garage etc. So I’m scraping a lot. I’m running OEM wheels, Style 224M in summer, Style 103 in winter.

It is my daily, so coilovers or Bilstein B6/8 sound like being too firm. I’m not doing any track work, or much ’spirited’ mountain roads driving etc. Therefore B4’s seem to be the better choice. Also I’m interested in the Eibach Pro-kit, due to the more progressive springs and rumoured better quality (less snapping) than the OEM M-sport springs. By chance I managed to pick an as-new pair up nearby.

But with my urban use, I’m not interested in the lower ride of the Eibach. So now I’m thinking of the Bilstein B4 / Eibach combination, with some spring pads.

At the front I’m thinking of the 10 mm spring pads, with the E90 X-drive top mounts, these seem to less prone to collapsing than the Z4 mounts and add another 2,5 mm in ride height. Optionally I’m thinking of adding the re-enforcement plates.


For the rear I was thinking of some thicker spring pads as well, but if I see how your car sits there seems no need for that. In that case my main reason would be add some height and reduce the compression of the B4 shock. I already picked up the Rogue Engineering rear mounts during a recent US visit.

Some questions, I hope you can share your experiences.

• I understand you have B4/Eibach front and rear, with thicker spring pads only on the front?
• I also understand (and there seems to be a lot of confusion on this) is that the B4’s work with both SE and M-sport springs (15 mm difference). With Eibach you go another 15 mm lower than M-sport (although at the front the spring pads reduce this drop a bit) Do the B4’s still work at this even lower ride height, aren’t they compressed too much?

Thanks!

Pic of SE vs Eibach ride heights

 

[TriggerFish]

I'm contemplating the exact same thing right now! The 10mm front spring pads seem to be nla, from what I can see, so I need to do some research there, but this has some good info

E8x - Tweaking ride height using (mostly) genuine BMW parts

This is a collection of parts that others from across the internet have fitted to their E8x to adjust ride height when doing so with springs isn't possible/ideal. They'll also be useful to correct the cross-axle ride height imbalance on RHD cars. There's obviously more to consider than just...

www.babybmw.net

I too want to use the Eibach Pro + B4s, but have lower offset wheels so want to keep stock M Sport ride height (and also to protect the shocks from overly compressing). I have B8 + Eibachs on my E30, and while they're livable, I wouldn't want to daily them as they are stiff!

SuperPro Poly 9mm Raise Rear Spring Spacer/Insulator/Shim BMW E46 E36 3 Series | eBay UK

SuperPro Poly 9mm Raise Rear Spring Spacer/Insulator/Shim BMW E46 E36 3 Series This spacer fits between the rear suspension spring and the body to raise the car by approximately 9mm. These cars have a common problem where they can sit slightly lower on one side, the problem becomes even worse...

ebay.us

These seem like an easy solution for the rears. I read somewhere that the spacers have a 1.6x multiplier, so a 10mm spring pad is equal to 16mm at the wheels.

I also like the use of spacers over top mounts etc as they're easy/cheap to change to fine tune...

The challenge is making sure that the extra 10mm is between the spring perches (to protect the shocks), and not gained by adding several reinforcement plates (for example) between the top mount and the chassis

 

[TriggerFish]

Replying to myself - the e30 number 4 option seems like it could work, too, from that linked thread.

 

[Bolle]

The challenge is making sure that the extra 10mm is between the spring perches (to protect the shocks), and not gained by adding several reinforcement plates (for example) between the top mount and the chassis

Thanks for sharing the links. The last point (increasing distance between spring perches) is why I am thinking of going for spring pads over the thicker E46 top mounts, they don’t seem to do that?

These seem like an easy solution for the rears. I read somewhere that the spacers have a 1.6x multiplier, so a 10mm spring pad is equal to 16mm at the wheels.

Yes, but I think the rear standard pads are about 3 mm. So to compensate for the 15 mm Eibach drop, you need 15/1.6 =9.375 mm extra over the standard 3 mm, so about a 12 mm pad.
EDIT: correcting myself, these pads seem to be added to the existing pad?

 

[TriggerFish]

I was going to add the pads, yes. I guess you could go straight for a 12mm spacers and omit your existing rubber one. There's enough of a nub on the wishbone for both to fit, and the locating dowel for the spring to still function.

https://ebay.us/m/aDhdPD - there's various thicknesses

From refreshing myself on those links, I now plan to go for the E90 xi top mounts as they seem to be better built (31336775097 has better availability - £35/~€40 for Sachs on autodoc), and the e30 spring perch (31331128524 - £20/~€25 from BMW) on the front.

This should give me +2.5mm from the top mount, and -12mm from the spring perch, for a net change of .5mm. crucially, the 12mm from the spring perch will all be shock travel.

 

[Bolle]

The website mention a 12 mm lift using E30 upper spring plates compared to E8x. But with E8x they seem to reference to the 1-series, not the Z4. So question would be if the 1 series and Z4 use the same upper plate, so that the mentioned lift also applies to the Z4?

If so, this would indeed be an attractive option compared to spring pads (although my head has a hard time visualising how short top plates increase ride height! )

 

[Bolle]

Tried to visualise simplyfied how springs, spring pads, upper plates and top mounts all influence ride height. Please correct if wrong!

 

[TriggerFish]

That is a great point with the E8X perches vs. the E85 ones.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2455040-E36-M3-Front-Springs&p=30736555#post30736555

The Z4 shares a spring perch with the E36. The E30 vs. the E36 ones are shown there, and they are the same height, so I think that's a no go. I think that pushes us back to using the spring pads on the front.

(Note - the image shows E36 M3, but from what I can read, they are the same height as the non-M3 E36, but the diameters are different.

 

[TriggerFish]

If so, this would indeed be an attractive option compared to spring pads (although my head has a hard time visualising how short top plates increase ride height! )

Sorry, I was pretty tired when posting that last night, and not thinking it through.

The short spring perches actually lower the ride height (they allow the spring to mount closer to the top mount, reducing the distance between the chassis and the wishbone), but in doing so extend the effective length of the shock absorber.

Here's a crude drawing of how I think it would work. The E30 (or shorter) perch on the left, and the standard one on the right.

There is now more shaft available for spring travel, but the top of the spring is closer to the chassis, so it's lower, but does extend the shock length effectively.

I guess that a shorter perch with a taller top mount would give the same ride height, and negate the shorter Eibach spring from a shock absorber perspective. However... as the E30 and E85 spring perches are the same, it's a no-go anyway.

 

[Meds]

At the front I’m thinking of the 10 mm spring pads, with the E90 X-drive top mounts, these seem to less prone to collapsing than the Z4 mounts and add another 2,5 mm in ride height. Optionally I’m thinking of adding the re-enforcement plates.

For the rear I was thinking of some thicker spring pads as well, but if I see how your car sits there seems no need for that. In that case my main reason would be add some height and reduce the compression of the B4 shock. I already picked up the Rogue Engineering rear mounts during a recent US visit.

The rear is fine for me with my 245/35 8" profile, no issues at all.
My front height (Eibach, Koni, spring pad) with the 225/35 8" et34 combination is still a touch catchy, every once in a while I'll get a rub..
Adding 2.5mm with either the E9x mount or reinforcement plate will help and might fully elliminate it.

If it got missed, I installed the 10mm spring pad part number: 31331135590 from the 740i which superseeds: 31331134382; 31331135589
Original is 3mm so it raises by 7mm before squashing down.
And extra 2.5 from a change in top mount or strengthening plate will be most welcome, tbh.