have boge's right now... too squishy for me... :-)

my car has shorter suspension dynamics springs on it right now... i have no idea what the specs are. do i need to start over with a new set of springs now that i'm going to replace shocks, or should i just stick with what i have? i've heard the bilstein hd's are a better choice for street than the sports... is that true? also, does koni make a set of adjustables for the 02's? one more thing. my car seems to sit slightly higher in the front than in the back. will this be corrected by my new shocks?

thanks in advance.

Hey, I just saw this post. Okay, I'll go over a couple things and try to keep it brief. Please let me know if you have questions and just email me.

The Boge's are pretty much stock for the 2002, so I am assuming you have ST or even stock springs based on your cars ride height. The car probably handles pretty well already. First thing to do is find out what you have, so you don't replace and end up with the same thing. Once you get a set of Bilsteins...sell the Boge's. 02 guys need love from other 02 guys.

Rob Torres (2002 Haus) is a great guy for advice and he recommended the Bilsteins for my setup. He also said that the rears should be HDs and the front Sports. This is what I did and am very pleased. People with 02s that drive my car can also see the difference in ride. The HDs out back add a little extra "chush" to the ride. The Sports are very stiff, so you may want to go to the HDs all around. Just make sure you match your springs with your shocks.

Here are a couple good examples that may work for you.

1:
Bilstein HDs
Suspension Tech springs
Suspension Tech Sways
this will lower the car about 1" from stock

2:
Bilstein Sports
H&R Springs
Suspension Tech Sways
this will lower the car 1.25"-1.5" from stock

My car has a lot of Ireland Engineering parts on it. Their parts are awesome and designed for the 02. But they are not concerned too much with appearance, so I had all my IE parts powder coated and color matched.:D I can only assume by seeing your tii that you are like me and want everything to be somewhat presentable AND functional. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or re-post. Good luck!

Joe

joe, thanks for the great info!!!

actually, i made a mistake... my car does have suspension techniques springs (NOT 'suspension dynamics') already, but i have no idea the specs of them or how old they are... i'll look at the sway bars again, but i'm pretty sure they are stock.

my biggest complaint right now with my car is how much the nose will dive under braking, and also how much the car leans in corners...

do you think i should just keep my springs, or go ahead and 'spring' for some new ones? (couldn't resist that.)

thanks again for your great info-
adam

I have Bilstein shocks with stock height springs (I don't know if they're OEM or not... but I'm not low). But, I'll tell you, the car rides great. It corners with minimal body roll, and the ride is not harsh at all... I've got a set of sway bars to bolt on, that should make a big difference.

my car seems to sit slightly higher in the front than in the back

Mine too! Not much that I know to fix that...


Finally got my title for the car just last week after owning it for a year... so now I can actually get it registered and start setting it up properly.

Originally posted by RenaissanceMan
joe, thanks for the great info!!!

actually, i made a mistake... my car does have suspension techniques springs (NOT 'suspension dynamics') already, but i have no idea the specs of them or how old they are... i'll look at the sway bars again, but i'm pretty sure they are stock.

my biggest complaint right now with my car is how much the nose will dive under braking, and also how much the car leans in corners...

do you think i should just keep my springs, or go ahead and 'spring' for some new ones? (couldn't resist that.)

thanks again for your great info-
adam

Your car looks great, so why not go for new springs/bars? It is just my opinion, but I'd go with H&Rs with Bilstein Sports all around with Suspension Tech or Ireland Bars. The parts will cost you a bit, but it'll be worth it. The Sports will keep you car from dipping at all during braking. The Ireland Bars almost eliminate body roll. If you put Bilstein Sports with ST springs, it wouldn't be a good match. If money is tight, get the Bilstein HDs and keep your springs, but remember this will not lower your car and will give some dipping during braking due to the valving on the HDs.

Let me know if you need any more info. I'd love to help.

Good Luck!
:D

Originally posted by ///M3CosmosJoe
Your car looks great, so why not go for new springs/bars? It is just my opinion, but I'd go with H&Rs with Bilstein Sports all around with Suspension Tech or Ireland Bars. The parts will cost you a bit, but it'll be worth it. The Sports will keep you car from dipping at all during braking. The Ireland Bars almost eliminate body roll. If you put Bilstein Sports with ST springs, it wouldn't be a good match. If money is tight, get the Bilstein HDs and keep your springs, but remember this will not lower your car and will give some dipping during braking due to the valving on the HDs.

Let me know if you need any more info. I'd love to help.

Good Luck!
:D

thanks for the reply. the springs i have _seem_ to have lowered the car somewhat, already... i know after a/b'ing them to some other cars that the springs are a bit shorter... if that is the case, would you still replace with h&r's? money is a little right right now, but i do want to get this thing handling nice. :D

Originally posted by RenaissanceMan
thanks for the reply. the springs i have _seem_ to have lowered the car somewhat, already... i know after a/b'ing them to some other cars that the springs are a bit shorter... if that is the case, would you still replace with h&r's? money is a little right right now, but i do want to get this thing handling nice. :D

The ride height is going to be up to your taste. If you see that your cars stance is lower than other 02s and you are happy with it...invest in Anti Sway Bars. Anti Sway Bars are what will make your car handle around corners. The Ireland Engineering Bars are great, the front requires some minor drilling, but they are worth it. After I installed these bars on my car, it dramatically changed the handling characteristics. Plus, the Sway bars are easy to install. Maybe you should start there.

The ST springs you have are just as good as the H&R's. The H&R's will just lower your car and extra .75-1".



:D

Are H&R springs just lower or is the spring rate higher too? What about eibach ones?

I would be interested in the highest spring rate possible with the less drop possible. Then I guess Blistein sport would be a good choice of damper... What would you guys recommend?

I'm planing on urethane bushings (if you have a suggestion here too it would be welcome), Top end swaybar ith engine brace, sway bars not decided wich one yet and finally a good set of tires (haven't decided wich size I'll go yet thought I'm thinking of 185 in the front and 205 in the back). It is my daily driver but handling is a major concern for me and I like my ride a lot firmer than most people.

I know this is a lot for my fist post, but here in Montreal were not a lot of 2002 and therefore not a lot of advice on suspension setting is given. I thought you guys could help. Thanks

Alex

Also I relocated my battery under the rear seat. Haven't been able to drive the car yet but I think that's best place to put it.

Another question, do you guys know anyone who sells harder engine mounts? My engine is moving a lot and if I end up putting a stahl I don't want it to crack because of excessive engine movement...

Alex

Ireland has urethane ones for 70, and you can get heavy duty ones from other places also.

Matt

Originally posted by Matt
Ireland has urethane ones for 70, and you can get heavy duty ones from other places also.

Matt

Thanks! You think it's worth it?

Dunno... i'll let you know when i get mine... and i get my car running...

Matt

A,
My '74 has bilstein sports and H+R and I like it. The roads in my area are similar to those in Kabul, and the ride is very tolerable. My sway bars and bushings are stock. You can drive my car any time.

My rear is a little lower, and the car supposedly handles better when the rear is lower.

Is the E36 set? You're all about suspension these days, huh?