94 bmw e36 325ise auto uneven suspension problem-PLEASE HELP

hi im a new bmw owner and seem to have a problem with the suspension it sits over about 30mm lower on the drivers side ,the car is standard apart from the wheels and their 17s so the height is very noticable at the rear the drivers side rear sitS about 10mm in the arch.i have replaced the rear drivers side spring because the other one broke and there was no change in the height when the new one was in,please can someone help.

Reply to
steve14775
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The spec is to measure from the bottom of the wheel arch to the top of the fender opening.

The 17s will change the number you get because the stock wheel was a 15, but the number should be the same for left and right. I run 225/45x17 tires on all four corners, and I get 21.75 on the left and 21.625 on the right.

The measurement is taken from the lowest point on the rim (outside edge) to the highest point on the fender opening. According to these numbers, my car sits a bit higher than the spec calls for. I should be sitting at 21.06 (sport suspension) or 21.69 (std. suspension). I can't explain why my car is high, logic says it should be low, assuming the factory suspension components -- I have no clue if the factory parts are still installed, but I was thinking they are. I have a convertible with 17s, and that may make a difference because I'm not sure if the convertibles have sport suspension.

While you're at it, the spec for the front is (with 17s) 23.19 in. for the sport suspension, and 23.77 for the std suspension.

The manual says that uneven ride height is a result of 1.) incorrect springs, 2.)sagging springs, and 3.)bent or damaged suspension components. The corrective action is to measure the ride height and replace as necessary. Since you already replaced the springs -- and barring the possibility you used std parts where sports parts should be, you have bent or worn components somewhere.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

thankyou for your help,im going to swop the rear springs around at the weekend to see if there any difference.is it just the springs that control the height?.

Reply to
steve14775

yes.

Reply to
Fred W

thankyou for your help,im going to swop the rear springs around at the weekend to see if there any difference.is it just the springs that control the height?.

Reply to
steve14775

No, the rubber spring pads and any wear or damage in the suspension arms will make a difference. So will pressurised gas shocks to a small extent. If the front suspension is uneven for whatever reason then that'll also upset the rear.

You really should have replaced both rear springs rather than just the one (but it still may have sat uneven)

The usual approach to measure the ride height is to measure from the middle of the wheel to the bottom of the arch.

Reply to
adder1969

thankyou for the advice,im going to take it to my mate who work in a garage and have it up on the ramps to get a proper look.i cant wait untill it sorted it frying my brain,i just dont want to replace all the springs as new front ones are £70 a pair + p&p and new rear ones are £40 each

Reply to
steve14775

All the more reason to get a set of eibachs :-)

On the front, there are rubber upper strut mounts and an old one of these can cause a 1/4" drop. Even with new springs on mine I had to space out one of the rear springs with spring pads to try to even things out.

You can often pick up springs on ebay for next to nothing if you want to play around with different ones. At least they be more or less matched pairs.

Reply to
adder1969

i will have a good look at the front aswell,dont know what happened to last post its ment to say 70,40

Reply to
steve14775

i will have a good look at the front aswell,dont know what happened to last post its ment to say 70,40

Reply to
steve14775

will eibach springs give me the same ride height as i dont want the back to be lower because ive got 3 kid and when we go away i want to able to fill the boot

Reply to
steve14775

No. The suspension components -- control arms and that sort of thing -- also play into this trouble.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

do you know where i can buy the spring pads?

Reply to
steve14775

In a shop? BMW sell them.

I reckon the new spring you fitted is for the wrong model. Eibachs will leave a fingers width or so between the wheel and wing and probably aren't for you although the higher spring rate means it easier to carry heavy things.

Reply to
adder1969

is that a 30mmm drop?

Reply to
steve14775

is that a 30mmm drop?

Reply to
steve14775

can you please tell me what you did to even your your ride height?, ie- what pads did you use on what spring.

Reply to
steve14775

can you please tell me what you did to even your your ride height?, ie- what pads did you use on what spring.

Reply to
steve14775

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