E34 Suspension kit

535i sport wrote: Fitted the suspension kit yesterday,went on without any problems. I didnt have to take the whole front shock out,just compressed the spring,unbolted the top bolts in the engine bay,then lowered the whole shock down and pulled it outwards from under the wing,then removed the spring,changed the insert and rebuilt it like that. The car sits approx 40mm lower and im happy with that as i have 18" alloys and dont want it too low.

Glad everything fitted ok, do you know who manufactured your new springs/shocks ? I have just ordered the Bilstein Sprintline kit which should tighten the handling up a bit


Miles

I'll let you know how i get on with Bilstein kit.


Miles

Well I haven't posted for a while but it's good to see the old chestnuts are still going strong! The whole mtec top mount thing will sting anyone that believes the spring suppliers who say their springs fit 'all e34s'. Twaddle. Only go with a supplier that can tell you teh difference between mtec and std, or who at least lists them as different fitments. I bouthg sachs boge springs off GSF, and sent them back cos they don't fit my 535iS. If I ever do change the curent springs, I'll take a top mount into bmw first and ask them what it is. None of the info I could find at the time (last dec) was consistent with what I found on the car.
Of course, if you need new top mounts and want looks more than handling, changing to stds would be a hell of a lot simpler.

Anyone that wants to sell their old mtec springs, I might be interested. Got a bumpy driveway!

Good point, they're not.

Oh well...glad you got sorted in the end.

Forgot to mention that i took the GSF Car Parts springs back to where i purchased them from and they have confirmed that they are definitely not for cars fitted with M-tech suspension ! But i knew that anyway.


Miles

You normally had the m-tech suspension as part of the "Sport" package, however it was possible to order the m-tech suspension without the rest of the items, probably the best way to tell would be to give your VIN number to a BMW dealer who could then give you a print out of all the options on your car.

Another way to tell would be to compare it to a car that you know has "standard" suspension, the M-tech equipped car would sit approximately 15mm lower.


Hope that helps.

Miles

Edited by e34m5

I have a 535iSE that sits quite low and is wallowy and this does have the "Sports" option suspension, so don't take that as an indicator!   However, I found the BMW dealers very useful, as Miles says.  They faxed me a print out showing all options, so I now know how it left the factory - even if that differs slightly from how it arrived at my home!

This discussion seems to have been going on forever, but has anyone tried the Spax adjustable dampers and springs on a "Sport" option E34?  I got a quote for a Hartge set up (springs & shocks) and nearly choked to death!  £1154 + VAT fitted!  That's £300 more than BMW charge!

GSF quoted ~£200 for the 4 shocks, but I'm not convinced that they are "Sports" compatible.

Confused, or confused?

Thanks v much for the words of wisdom!  There's not much to choose between the Spax and Bilsteins on cost; I was interested in the adjustability of the Spax - I'm planning a Nurburgring trip next year, if I can get the suspension, etc sorted by then.  But, hey!  Much better to get components that actually fit is what I say! 

Price sounds pretty good, considering it's £508 just for the shocks from BMW!!  Was it Bilstein UK (Eurocarparts) you got your kit from?  I might try Turner Motorsport in the States, once I've got all the data together (top mounting size, etc); they're selling a Bilstein shocks/H&R springs kit for $669, which is comparable with the good exchange rate we get at the moment.  Only trouble being that you can't shake someone gently by the throat if it all goes pear-shaped!

Thanks.  I've just had a look on their web site (I really should be working, but there you go!) and, as seems to be increasingly the case, there isn't a kit listed for the E34 535 - let alone with "Sports"/M-Tech suspension!!   I've e-mailed them, so we'll see...