Hey whats up guys, I've been looking into lowering my car for a while. I want the dropped look for a more agressive appearance, and better handling of course, but BavAuto advertises the product saying that their springs don't sacrifice comfort. Can anyone vouch for this or any other aspect of the springs like the handling or the drop?

Also, I don't have a lot of money to throw around, and I know it's always advisable to pair these up with some aftermarket shocks too, but I wanted to know if it would be hazardous to run them on stock struts. If this is the case, could anyone point me in the right direction (not too expensive) :]). TIA

I would assume after reading the write up on bavauto.com that the spring rate of their springs is similar to that of a stock spring. they seem to just have made shorter springs with a similar spring rate which is why they are not as "harsh" as sport springs or coilovers with higher spring rates. If that is true then there should be no reason that a working stock strut wouldnt be enough to control the rebound.

I have full ground control coilover suspension on my Ti and with the aggressive spring rates i can say that my car is indeed "harsh" ride.
Many aftermarket springs have slightly increased spring rates which fell very similar to stock though and arent so rough.

Bavarian Autosport usually chooses pretty good products and while their prices arent always the cheapest they can sometimes offer you products like those springs that you cant get other places.

remember that if you dont get struts you will still have to pay to get them taken off and put back on. you save a lot of extra future labor costs by getting new struts when you get springs and have them installed together.
also almost without a doubt you will want new rear shock mounts such as the ground control RSM. stock ones fail all the time.

I had a set for my ti and never put them in,i sold them to a member on www.318ti.org. There are a few members on that site who have them in there car and are satisfied with them.

I had them on my ti with Koni SA shocks. The ride (with the shocks set at full soft) was almost exactly as stock.

Yeah go for it. Its pretty similiar. Unless you're going for serious drop with some serious spring rates, stock is good enough. A lot of spring companies recommend stock struts with their springs, such as Tein and H&R

I had Bilstein Sports with BavAuto springs on my last two E36 325is -- the ride is definitely harsher than stock, but not nearly as bad as a full-on race setup on the street. Its a good compromise setup for a DD that also sees a bit of track time, imo.

I wouldn't use those springs on the stock struts.

do you guys think if i paired them with stock struts, the struts would just blow out? That's my main concern right now about running these springs with the stock struts. I really want to get the struts too, but i don't have the money, but really want the drop soon.

I know friends who have installed shocks/springs by themselves in a day, using a spring compressor they borrowed from kragen. If i have friends who could help me out with the installation (i've never done it), installing the springs now and maybe removing them for struts later really shouldn't be a problem should it? TIA again guys

I would wait until you had the $ for struts to do the installation. It's a pain in the butt to get into the suspension twice and install all of the stuff.

do you guys think if i paired them with stock struts, the struts would just blow out? That's my main concern right now about running these springs with the stock struts. I really want to get the struts too, but i don't have the money, but really want the drop soon.

Yes, it will cause them to fail early. If you're going to the trouble now to pull the struts out and install new springs, go ahead and replace the spring & strut together. I've done this several times now on my different E36s, and I'm telling you, you just want to do it all at once and be done with it.

The guy who had my Ti before put on the Eibach pro-kit with stock shocks...it was so bad that it was scary. It would bottom out constantly...a truck felt more secure than my car did. I took care of that if you look in my sig however :)

thanks for all the input guys, i guess i'll wait till i have the money to get struts and just do the whole suspension in one go.

btw, windnsea, ive been wondering what your car looks like nowadays. care to post any pictures? i remember seeing your post about when you first got your ti a while ago, and i see you've got a lot of mods on it now. just curious :)

^I actually need to get some new pics, however the only visual difference is the Kosei K1's. All my mods have been underneath the car so far.

^I actually need to get some new pics, however the only visual difference is the Kosei K1's. All my mods have been underneath the car so far.

I love kosei's! how much did u pay for them? from what i recall you're planning on doing a m swap? gl with that. You have any ideas for me about getting some more power out of this car? I know most people suggest the DASC or a straight up swap, but those dont really seem like realistic options to me right now, and i'm having a hard time finding any "worthwhile" gofast mods for the m44.

You have any ideas for me about getting some more power out of this car?

Trade it for an M3.

Seriously, you didn't buy a 318ti and expect to make it fast did you? Put a good suspension under it and take it to the track, learn to drive, then get a faster car. You're just pissing away money if you try to make this one fast, money that would be better spent making YOU a better driver.

That's my standard advice, but nobody really ever listens...

I bought them new from Tirerack for $800 plus $50 for shipping. They do look great and are quite light...however with my suspension stiffness they have been known to crack, hopefully I won't have that happen anytime soon.

Ideally I would like an S52 in here with a sunbelt cam package (~310hp), however I'm in college now so that type of spending is not realistic...thus the M44 is staying for the time being and it has 105k miles on it so it has plenty of life.

Without going DASC or swapping the engine your not going to be able to get a whole lot more power...people will spend quite a few hundred (or even a thousand) for a cold air intake, exhaust and a chip/software to only make a few extra horsepower...to me that is wasteful spending.

One thing I would recommend is a lightweight flywheel...ours came with the heavy dual mass setup (~25lbs.) and that really makes the engine slow to rev. It really brings out the fun in a car when you have one that is 15lbs. or less...I have yet to do so but I've driven other BMW's with lightweight flywheels and it's a world of a difference.

You would also be amazed how "quick" our cars feel with a proper suspension. I may not win drag races but put me on a windy road and the M44 has enough pep to move rather briskly, it forces you to enter turns with speed and carry it thru rather than relying on a ton of torque to pull you out of the turn.

BTW, whose that girl in your sig...I like it :)

Trade it for an M3.

Seriously, you didn't buy a 318ti and expect to make it fast did you? Put a good suspension under it and take it to the track, learn to drive, then get a faster car. You're just pissing away money if you try to make this one fast, money that would be better spent making YOU a better driver.

That's my standard advice, but nobody really ever listens...
I agree to that, however if you can do an engine swap on your own...really there is no need for the M3. The only advantage is the z-axle but put in a stiff spring rate with proper dampening, adjustable brackets for the rear trailing arms and healthy size wheels/tires and it will come down to the driver utilizing its capability. Not to mention being 10 in. shorter and a few hundred lbs. lighter doesn't hurt.

Also I think there is something unique about a built up Ti and the route a person went to make it for his own taste. I had an E36 coupe and one nagging issue I had was the lack of headroom since the lowered the roof for the E36/E46 coupes and I was always worrying about subframe tearing, though M cars have reinforcement plates.

I agree to that, however if you can do an engine swap on your own...really there is no need for the M3.


True, but you'd spend several thousand "swapping" the ti over, or you could sell the stock ti for $xxxx and buy an M3 for $xxxx, and you're almost always going to come out with less output (and more resale value) than modding a ti.

That said, there's always a place for project cars and toys for those who can afford them... that's just not me. I'd rather buy a well-sorted example than spend months in the shed combining two cars into one. To each his own. :)

I bought them new from Tirerack for $800 plus $50 for shipping. They do look great and are quite light...however with my suspension stiffness they have been known to crack, hopefully I won't have that happen anytime soon.

Ideally I would like an S52 in here with a sunbelt cam package (~310hp), however I'm in college now so that type of spending is not realistic...thus the M44 is staying for the time being and it has 105k miles on it so it has plenty of life.

Without going DASC or swapping the engine your not going to be able to get a whole lot more power...people will spend quite a few hundred (or even a thousand) for a cold air intake, exhaust and a chip/software to only make a few extra horsepower...to me that is wasteful spending.

One thing I would recommend is a lightweight flywheel...ours came with the heavy dual mass setup (~25lbs.) and that really makes the engine slow to rev. It really brings out the fun in a car when you have one that is 15lbs. or less...I have yet to do so but I've driven other BMW's with lightweight flywheels and it's a world of a difference.

You would also be amazed how "quick" our cars feel with a proper suspension. I may not win drag races but put me on a windy road and the M44 has enough pep to move rather briskly, it forces you to enter turns with speed and carry it thru rather than relying on a ton of torque to pull you out of the turn.

BTW, whose that girl in your sig...I like it :)

I think her name is Rashida Jones. My sig is a scene from a show she's in, The Office. You heard of it? It's a hella funny show. But yeah... I like it too :).

As for the lightweight flywheel, do you have any suggestions as to where to get a good one? I know understeer sells one that you can also get with an m5 clutch....is their flywheel any good? Any estimates on how much the install would cost?

Ah, the Office...seen it a few times and it's funny. I know there are a lot of options for lightweight flywheels from Turner Motorsport to Understeer to Bimmerworld.

I haven't looked into whose are the best for the money but I notice they are in the $600 range which isn't cheap. I got an OEM Sachs clutch for $175 at my local euro store...I notice Understeer was quoting those for $375! So your looking at a grand in parts and probably at least $500 in labor...may not be quite worth all that unless you really plan on using your car for backroads and track usage.

My whole suspension setup (and replacement of old bushings/control arms, etc.) cost less than $2k and I know what I would much rather prefer. I did hear though that you can use an M20 flywheel (the 2.5 6 cylinder out of the E30 and early E34's) which weighed 16 lbs. and would be nearly free at a junkyard or what not. That wouldn't be a bad upgrade if your doing the clutch sometime as it's 11 lbs. lighter. I would double check that though...my BMW guru friend informed me of that AFTER I did the clutch on my car!

Save your money! Unless of course you just want to be like everyone else and say that you've spent alot of money. You really won't notice the difference between Konis and a set of Monroes from Autozone. The difference is in the springs. Unless your tracking your car, adjustable dampening is uneccesary. I'm running a set of H&R Race Rprings from a Z3 roadster 4cyl on my 97 318ti Sport. They are even more aggressive than the H&R Race Springs for the 318ti! I bought a set here on Bf.c for $80 and they fit perfect. The H&R's for the 318ti only lower the rear about 1.5" while the H&R's for the Z3 lower it about 2". Front is about the same at 2.5". I was going to fork out the cash for a set of Bilstein Sports or Tokicos but I'm thinking of buying a set of Sachs or Monroes or Gabriels for a Z3 because I think the spring perches are about an inch lower which would slam my Ti. Not to mention that they cost about half as much as Bilsteins, Konis or Tokicos. I checked realoem.com and they seem to be compatable since the kingpins(mounting brackets) are the same part#. BTW I'm running stock shocks & struts with no problems whatsoever. I'm not replacing them until I have to. It just doesn't make sense to throw away a perfectly good set of shocks away and before you say it, who would buy a used set of oem shocks and struts? They'll be replaced if and when they blow.

Save your money! Unless of course you just want to be like everyone else and say that you've spent alot of money. You really won't notice the difference between Konis and a set of Monroes from Autozone.

Er, unless you actually DRIVE your car... If you're just trying to make a show car, go ahead and follow this guy's advice (and get ready for a blown out set of OEM shocks if they aren't already)

If you really give a damn about performance and ever intend to see an autocross course or a track day, please ignore everything he said.

Er, unless you actually DRIVE your car... If you're just trying to make a show car, go ahead and follow this guy's advice (and get ready for a blown out set of OEM shocks if they aren't already)

If you really give a damn about performance and ever intend to see an autocross course or a track day, please ignore everything he said.

Thanks for the respectful "Er" insult. I don't know how Y'all drive down der on Granpappy's kern field in Tenessee, but not all of us cityfolk abuse our vehicles. Though the roads out west here in Ventura, Californy are pretty nice, we still slow down for speed bumps and swerve around potholes. The "Show Cars" round yonder sport Ferrari badges, not like yer typical green paint yellow wheeled Gidd'r Dunn Jobby's. While our little hatch community might be low on the food chain, when it comes to spending, we still have other obligations like education and rent. Oh that's right, you're what 16 and Momma and Paw's sendin you to drivin school. Well maybe if yer pig wins 1st place the state fair, they'll pay to have your beat ass beige 4dr piece of $hit excuse for a Bimmer with exspensive shocks painted and supercharged. I'll advise against the John Deere green though. BTW, my car's very well taken care of and the shocks & struts are in great shape. Although my Bimmer has never seen an autocross course, it's been to a couple golfin courses and a bunch of them dern surfin ponds. And Whooo Doggy it sure looks good goin down the 101 and PCH.

You're calling ME redneck? Good luck getting mouth cancer from your dip there, hayseed.

And congratulations for revealing yourself as a VWVortex-quality poster on this here web-board. What a dope; go learn to drive and come back to play you 'roid-raging fag. You're giving every Compact owner a bad name, although its quite often well deserved.

Just because your daddy beat you and shipped you off to the Army, you don't have to hate the Internet. Simmer down there, you've always got your all-show-no-go MAD TYTE WHIP LOLOLOLZZZZZ to dry your tears. Way to get all offended by words on a screen, you overgrown baby.

You're calling ME redneck? Good luck getting mouth cancer from your dip there, hayseed.And congratulations for revealing yourself as a VWVortex-quality poster on this here web-board. What a dope; go learn to drive and come back to play you 'roid-raging fag. You're giving every Compact owner a bad name, although its quite often well deserved.Just because your daddy beat you and shipped you off to the Army, you don't have to hate the Internet. Simmer down there, you've always got your all-show-no-go MAD TYTE WHIP LOLOLOLZZZZZ to dry your tears. Way to get all offended by words on a screen, you overgrown baby.

Just know that with every word that comes from your mouth/keyboard, you even further prove my case. That being said, I will not escalate matters by crapping on another member's thread. My advice was presented and it wasn't your place to dismiss it and/or insult me, my driving, my car or the Compact community. FWIW, you're the one who simply doesn't belong here and your comment's were ignored before they even reached the screen. Please respect the forum as these threads are meant for everyone's viewing but should only be posted upon with relevance taken into consideration. BTW this is my 4th Bimmer, the 2nd 318ti that I've owned and by far my favorite. 3 of the 4 had OEM shocks/struts which lasted years after the springs were changed. The exception being my previous Bimmer which I only had for 1 month before selling it and never upgraded the springs. So for the other readers of this thread, my advice is based on my own personal experiences and not rumors, myths or hearsay.
"BIGGER MAN"