Calling XI's with a Drop...are u happy with ride comfort???

So I was thinking about doing a drop, but when I did a search it seems like many XI owners who did this regret it due to a harsh ride as a result. I would be interested in hearing from those who have done it & how your ride compares to stock. If lowering with springs & sport shocks will give a bone jarring ride, I'll think I will stick with the SUV look since ride quality/comfort is more important to me than looks. Also I would be interested in hearing from those who did a coilover. How much drop did it give you & is ride quality close to stock? Thanks much for your input.

I'm stock springs with Bilstein HD's, so no drop. Dinan gets the best marks for ride comfort. H&R springs are the worst. Eibach is somewhere in between.

I'd love a set of coilovers that would be stock height at their highest and h&r low at their lowest.

Bilstein Sport shocks seem to offer almost zero travel on an xi- they are going to be very rough regardless of spring choice. Much different than the ride the RWDers get on Bilsteins.

Why would you pay money for all wheel drive vehicle and then drop it?

Originally Posted by delmarco

Why would you pay money for and wheel drive vehicle and then drop it?

because they feel they need an "xi" in the snow rather than going with snow tires...

no offense OP, i'm sure you have your own reasons... but after having blizzacks in RI for 3 years, there is absolutely no reason to get an Xi

on the flip side, maybe the OP found the "perfect" e46 and it just so happened to have xi

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh.

Let's change the thread name to: "RWDers, Come speculate about the XI"

I personally see no reason to buy a 330i when you can buy an M3. In the e46 stable, a 330i doesn't do anything the best. M3's smoke the bejesus out of you in the dry, and a 330xi is faster than you in the wet and snow.

M3 or Xi FTW.

kubica
dinan just uses rebranded H&R sport and koni yellows... same thing.
these springs are actually quite harsh. very similar spring rates to H&R race

Originally Posted by JJR4884

because they feel they need an "xi" in the snow rather than going with snow tires...

no offense OP, i'm sure you have your own reasons... but after having blizzacks in RI for 3 years, there is absolutely no reason to get an Xi

on the flip side, maybe the OP found the "perfect" e46 and it just so happened to have xi

i rock dedicated snow tires for the winter months and its FAR better than my e36 with winters. even though i did think my e36 was already fantastic in the snow. i would never trust a rwd with winters outside the city where conditions are far more unpredictable.

To OP, I have hr sport springs and it is a bit harsher than stock but definitely bearable. The look is great and sportiness feel factor does improve. I love it. Good luck with your decision.

Originally Posted by Kubica

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh.

Let's change the thread name to: "RWDers, Come speculate about the XI"

I personally see no reason to buy a 330i when you can buy an M3. In the e46 stable, a 330i doesn't do anything the best. M3's smoke the bejesus out of you in the dry, and a 330xi is faster than you in the wet and snow.

M3 or Xi FTW.

if you read my entire post you would know it wasn't a dig towards Xi owners

but the fact of the matter is, Xi's are "necessary" for winter... you only drive in the snow (literally) maybe a few days out of the year, other than that you are driving on plowed pavement that might have black ice, etc...

RWD with snow tires work COMPLETELY fine

touchy about have an Xi are we? lol

Originally Posted by Kubica

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh.

Let's change the thread name to: "RWDers, Come speculate about the XI"

I personally see no reason to buy a 330i when you can buy an M3. In the e46 stable, a 330i doesn't do anything the best. M3's smoke the bejesus out of you in the dry, and a 330xi is faster than you in the wet and snow.

M3 or Xi FTW.

xi's also have a faster 0-60 than regular 330s according to motorweek hahaha

Originally Posted by e36-2.0

i rock dedicated snow tires for the winter months and its FAR better than my e36 with winters. even though i did think my e36 was already fantastic in the snow. i would never trust a rwd with winters outside the city where conditions are far more unpredictable.

i would never doubt that Xi with snow tires is anything less than perfect in the snow

however what is your driving habits where your car is unpredictable? I'm not trying to cause an argument, but common sense will tell you if conditions on the road are bad, it doesn't matter what kind of drivetrain/tires you have, you drive with extra caution

if you want to talk about swerving out of the way or slipping on black ice... ya MAYBE if you use Xi to straighten out you'll have the upper hand, but 9 times out of 10, your reaction in a case of "unpredictable conditions" will cause you to use your brakes, not your gas pedal.... and in that case, it won't matter if you have 4wd or RWD

Originally Posted by e36-2.0

xi's also have a faster 0-60 than regular 330s according to motorweek hahaha

well i would hope so.... 0-30mph should happen quickly and with ease

Originally Posted by JJR4884

i would never doubt that Xi with snow tires is anything less than perfect in the snow

however what is your driving habits where your car is unpredictable? I'm not trying to cause an argument, but common sense will tell you if conditions on the road are bad, it doesn't matter what kind of drivetrain/tires you have, you drive with extra caution

if you want to talk about swerving out of the way or slipping on black ice... ya MAYBE if you use Xi to straighten out you'll have the upper hand, but 9 times out of 10, your reaction in a case of "unpredictable conditions" will cause you to use your brakes, not your gas pedal.... and in that case, it won't matter if you have 4wd or RWD

i think where i live we get some of the worst conditions where ice is very prominent with -40 celcus weather and the thickest of snow falls. of course driver experience does play a role but the added traaction and stability is just a no brainer. i do still miss rwd in the summer months even tho it is slower jk

ahhhhh ya i didn't see your location... little bit different than the northeast over here

slower? GOOD, i'd rather be driving slower

Originally Posted by delmarco

Why would you pay money for all wheel drive vehicle and then drop it?

The drop is for looks mainly & handling too, but whether you drop or not you still have AWD..so I'm not seeing your point???

Originally Posted by e36-2.0

kubica
dinan just uses rebranded H&R sport and koni yellows... same thing.
these springs are actually quite harsh. very similar spring rates to H&R race

Hey I understand the Dinan springs are made by H&R, but i am fairly certain they are different. The reason I think this (besides the fact I have seen no proof) is the fact that I've driven Sna77's xi with Koni and H&R, and the ride was night and day different than the Dinan stage 1 setup for xi. I've read that Dinan "valves" their Koni's differently than those you can buy off the shelf, but i'm not sure just valving the shocks different would change the characteristics that much. All of this leads me to believe the Dinan springs, though made by H&R, are different to the ones readily available from sponsors.

Originally Posted by JJR4884

because they feel they need an "xi" in the snow rather than going with snow tires...

no offense OP, i'm sure you have your own reasons... but after having blizzacks in RI for 3 years, there is absolutely no reason to get an Xi

on the flip side, maybe the OP found the "perfect" e46 and it just so happened to have xi

I bought the XI so I don't have to worry about the harsh New England winters. With all due respect, after owning both a 5 & 7 series with rear wheel drive I have to disagree with you...they suck in the snow with or without blizzacks. Whereas with our famous noreasters my XI will plow through just about anything & the rear wheel drives are off in a bank somewhere or spinning sideways up a hill.

Originally Posted by JJR4884

i would never doubt that Xi with snow tires is anything less than perfect in the snow

however what is your driving habits where your car is unpredictable? I'm not trying to cause an argument, but common sense will tell you if conditions on the road are bad, it doesn't matter what kind of drivetrain/tires you have, you drive with extra caution

Haha. JJ, I'm sorry but you just don't get it man. Haha. You have never driven an xi in the snow! Do you know how i know? Becasue an xi is never unpredictable in the snow! Haha.

I drive retarded fast in the snow- I'm a ski racer. My xi does 15+ trips a year from Boston>>Jay Peak (it's on the VT/Quebec border if you didn't know). I stepped up to studded Nokian Hakkas last winter becasue i wanted to go even faster in the snow. You may have to slow down and "drive with extra caution" with your blizzaks. I'm the guy doing 85+mph in the unplowed left lane- you are the guy stuck behind a plow spreading rock salt all over your hood.

The none XI owners are good at speculating. The XI are not only faster but will bring you home in any kind of blizzards that mother nature brings on any terrain of Upstate NY and Vermont. Oh! and don't tell me Subaru and Audi are better because we really don't give a damn if they are.

NIght and day difference between capabilities of an XI vs non XI on winter tread.

With that said I really cant add to the topic at hand because I am running stock and have no experience with a lowered XI. So I guess all I am doing is just adding fuel to the fire.

Originally Posted by botaman

The none XI owners are good at speculating. The XI are not only faster but will bring you home in any kind of blizzards that mother nature brings on any terrain of Upstate NY and Vermont. Oh! and don't tell me Subaru and Audi are better because we really don't give a damn if they are.

Botaman for President!