ninja07
Well-Known Member
Hi folks
Just thought I’d share some pics and info of my recent suspension + rims mod on my FL E46 320. I’ve read and learnt much from this very informative forum so I thought should contribute as well. Its not a big deal or as ‘hardcore’ as some of the featured rides here, so please bear with me if it bores you, haha.
As with everybody else I wanted to get rid of some fender gap and the OEM 16” style 45 rims that came bone stock. I was looking for something that offered a moderate drop (especially the rear) not slammed and with a firmer/stiffer ride without sacrificing too much comfort (wife and kid sits in the rear mostly). Just normal daily driving and I don’t track.
Considered a few options ranging from pairing Eibach or UUC springs with new OEM shocks (most economical but shocks wear prematurely) to BC Coilovers (not a trackkie so dun need adjustability) to Koni FSDs (costly). I had Bilsteins on my previous E30 and liked the handling, comfort was still acceptable given the rawness of the E30 chasis. So I figured that generally Bilsteins would be ok on the more ‘refined’ E46.
So I searched and ploughed thru the various forums and sites on Bilsteins, went with my gut feel and finally decided on the Bilstein B12 Tuning Kit (product code : SE5-B633). Suits me well in terms of lowering height and budget - got it brand new at $1.1K.
The B12 is a full suspension kit comprising of pretuned lowering springs (made by H&R to Bilstein specs) matched with uprated shock absorbers. Lowers 35mm front and 20mm rear, same drop as the H&R Sports springs offering a slight ‘raked’ look. Also learned from E46Fanatics that H&R/Bilstein is a popular and proven combi, just that they get the springs and shocks separately and not in a complete kit like the B12.
yellow + blue = my favourite colours
Its been installed almost a week now and will wait another week for wheel alignment. The immediate difference in handling and how the car felt was really apparent. Feels tighter, especially going over bumps felt much more firm and less vibration/bounce, yet not too harsh. The front wheel gap is now down from stock 4 fingers gap to a tight 2 fingers. At the rear, somehow its remained relatively unchanged at 2 finger gap. I think its due to the fact that my previous rear shocks were due for change and already sitting quite low, so maybe the drop is not that visible. I think stock height for rear is around 3 fingers? New rear mounts were installed and according to BVO that could also push the rear up slightly plus some settling would occur a bit after more driving.
Some pics after install:
Before : stock height
After
closeup of front fender gaps : stock height
lowered
Pretty happy with the result
As for rims, after reading all the recommendations here, I dropped by Ray-S last week and got 18” CSL replicas with offset of ET40….I just love the way they look! Don’t have the weight but would say its almost similar to the OEM 16s. Wrapped them with new Eagle F1-GSD3s, 225/40/18s all round. After some neg, damage came to $1.7K. Sounds like good value to me.
closeup of CSLs
Also, I have recently noticed/heard some minute creaking noises, at very low speed going over humps, coming from the rear. It sounds the springs been wound too tight. Is this normal as new springs settle/compress? Or is this related to some other parts eg bushings etc. that I should get checked/replaced as well.
Does anyone here have the same suspension setup or know anyone with it? Would like to hear your views as well. Appreciate your feedback…….hope you enjoyed the pics!
Cheers
Just thought I’d share some pics and info of my recent suspension + rims mod on my FL E46 320. I’ve read and learnt much from this very informative forum so I thought should contribute as well. Its not a big deal or as ‘hardcore’ as some of the featured rides here, so please bear with me if it bores you, haha.
As with everybody else I wanted to get rid of some fender gap and the OEM 16” style 45 rims that came bone stock. I was looking for something that offered a moderate drop (especially the rear) not slammed and with a firmer/stiffer ride without sacrificing too much comfort (wife and kid sits in the rear mostly). Just normal daily driving and I don’t track.
Considered a few options ranging from pairing Eibach or UUC springs with new OEM shocks (most economical but shocks wear prematurely) to BC Coilovers (not a trackkie so dun need adjustability) to Koni FSDs (costly). I had Bilsteins on my previous E30 and liked the handling, comfort was still acceptable given the rawness of the E30 chasis. So I figured that generally Bilsteins would be ok on the more ‘refined’ E46.
So I searched and ploughed thru the various forums and sites on Bilsteins, went with my gut feel and finally decided on the Bilstein B12 Tuning Kit (product code : SE5-B633). Suits me well in terms of lowering height and budget - got it brand new at $1.1K.
The B12 is a full suspension kit comprising of pretuned lowering springs (made by H&R to Bilstein specs) matched with uprated shock absorbers. Lowers 35mm front and 20mm rear, same drop as the H&R Sports springs offering a slight ‘raked’ look. Also learned from E46Fanatics that H&R/Bilstein is a popular and proven combi, just that they get the springs and shocks separately and not in a complete kit like the B12.
yellow + blue = my favourite colours
Its been installed almost a week now and will wait another week for wheel alignment. The immediate difference in handling and how the car felt was really apparent. Feels tighter, especially going over bumps felt much more firm and less vibration/bounce, yet not too harsh. The front wheel gap is now down from stock 4 fingers gap to a tight 2 fingers. At the rear, somehow its remained relatively unchanged at 2 finger gap. I think its due to the fact that my previous rear shocks were due for change and already sitting quite low, so maybe the drop is not that visible. I think stock height for rear is around 3 fingers? New rear mounts were installed and according to BVO that could also push the rear up slightly plus some settling would occur a bit after more driving.
Some pics after install:
Before : stock height
After
closeup of front fender gaps : stock height
lowered
Pretty happy with the result
As for rims, after reading all the recommendations here, I dropped by Ray-S last week and got 18” CSL replicas with offset of ET40….I just love the way they look! Don’t have the weight but would say its almost similar to the OEM 16s. Wrapped them with new Eagle F1-GSD3s, 225/40/18s all round. After some neg, damage came to $1.7K. Sounds like good value to me.
closeup of CSLs
Also, I have recently noticed/heard some minute creaking noises, at very low speed going over humps, coming from the rear. It sounds the springs been wound too tight. Is this normal as new springs settle/compress? Or is this related to some other parts eg bushings etc. that I should get checked/replaced as well.
Does anyone here have the same suspension setup or know anyone with it? Would like to hear your views as well. Appreciate your feedback…….hope you enjoyed the pics!
Cheers
