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323ci cheapest shocks/spring???

4K views 30 replies 14 participants last post by  pawelgawel 
#1 ·
Hello everyone, my gf 323ci shocks are shot so what are the cheapest shocks and springs I can get that are decent close to oem or even oem quality? Any info would help thanks.
 
#13 ·
This is probably your best option for quality per $$$
 
#17 ·
Stock oem as already said. If your springs have more than 200K on them I would chnage them at the same time. I replaced my rear shocks at 200K miles on an E36 I had a couple of years ago. Not sure whether they were originals but I think they were. 5K later a spring snapped. So had to pull it apart again. Kicked myself.
 
#18 ·
I run the Bilstein Touring on my car with absolutely no issues at all. It does raise the height of the front ever so slightly, but otherwise I haven't had any issues with them whatsoever. I too was going to replace the shocks with Sachs but the Bilstein offer a lifetime warranty and that plus the fact they were $180 cheaper made my decision easy. They handle great and the ride is very comfortable.
 
#23 ·
I've got 125K on my 330CiC, stone stock, southern car. I measured the ride height as instructed in the Bentley manual and found 3 corners about 1/4" lower than the lowest tolerance in the spec. One corner was still within spec. My point is, springs may sag without a ton of miles and without environmental damage. That said, other than dragging a few speed bumps, I don't have a problem with the height and was still able to get the car aligned to spec. Oh, and stock rear springs are about $125 ea. I didn't check the price for fronts.
 
#27 ·
The KYBs are not rally ment for shorter springs... they are a great substitute for original suspension, but thats about it.

if you are looking into lowering the car, look for something with long history of success like HR Koni and Bilstein... sometimes guys sell the HR kits slightly used for $400 (this includes the springs).

Consider your road conditions as well... I chose to stay at original sport suspension springs because the car handles great as is, and realistically, the firmer your car is the more items will be impacted by the road surface, and more items will begin to wear on you. If your GFs is a touring hight then get a set of sport springs with low milage (very cheap alternative) and use the KYBs... This will eliminate most of the gap and give you a good performance overall without braking the bank and sacrificing the ride.
 
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