time to put in some new shocks

hey folks,

first time with bmw shocks.. in fact, first time changing a rear shock on any car. i've done front shocks on my gf's vw jetta before so i have an idea as what i'm doing but i'll find a few diy's on this forum.

my question.

i currently have a 325xiT wagon. i've seen countless threads on shock spring combo and yadda yadda.

the thing is, i'm not looking for a pimp ride. my wagon is my dd (until i can get my m3) and i spend a lot of time backpacking, snowboarding, lugging around 2-3 people and a dog. i don't need anything lower.

currently my car has ridden pretty harsh since i've gotten it. i suspect the shocks were on their way out and are now pretty much gone.

i'm debating a few things. do i go OEM or do i go aftermarket. if i do go OEM do i go with sports or the regular?

i'm assuming with the sport shocks i'll need to pick up the sport springs. will i be able to run rear sports with front regulars? if so what kind of ride will that give me? overall the sport shocks will give me a stiffer/firmer/more responsive ride than the regular shocks and ride a bit lower?

what about aftermarket. if i'm looking for a responsive ride but not have a serious drop to it (i'm ok with 1 or so inch drop from stock, but nothing more)

all information is appreciated.

bests,

john

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/BMW-...-cup-kits.aspx

i'm assuming that's for a set of 4. i only need the rears, but i guess i might as well do all 4. a lot more than i wanted to spend though :-(

The cup kit is the best bang for the buck for keeping the Oem feel, Switching rear shocks without the fronts is never a good idea as well as mixing and matching, It can lead to undesirable handling effects

what about these:
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...ock%20Absorber

seems like a significantly cheaper alternative?

john

Originally Posted by stevenluczynski

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/BMW-...-cup-kits.aspx

None of these fit xi models.

Originally Posted by john311tran

what about these:
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...ock%20Absorber

seems like a significantly cheaper alternative?

john

If you're not switching springs they seem like a good idea, but I would advise on switching all four shocks. I'm sure someone else will chime in on this

Originally Posted by john311tran

what about these:
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...ock%20Absorber

seems like a significantly cheaper alternative?

john

They are OEM so they should work fine. Your rear springs are probably shot/rusted out too.

Originally Posted by shadow 2

None of these fit xi models.

Damn I missed the XI part sorry!

what about going from regular to sport shocks.. i'm assuming i will need sport springs as well right? i want to most likely stick with OEM. germans know what they were doing when they were building the 325xi.

john

what is this crap?

Originally Posted by john311tran

what about going from regular to sport shocks.. i'm assuming i will need sport springs as well right? i want to most likely stick with OEM. germans know what they were doing when they were building the 325xi.

john

For the Xi, there is no difference between sport and non-sport in terms of OE suspension. It is all the same high riding soft suspension. The Germans definitely knew what they were doing, they were giving you extra ground clearance for "situations you may encounter due to ownership of AWD".

Originally Posted by shadow 2

None of these fit xi models.

^ This.

Get Koni yellow adjustables and Eibach Pro-Kit springs. Buy both from Tire Rack. Also replace your upper strut mounts, upper shock mounts, the upper and lower rubber bits on the front struts, and any hardware removed during the install (upper strut bolts, pinch bolts, upper shock bolts, rear shock gasket, etc). You are also going to need an alignment done when you complete this job.

This is going to cost you ~$1k when you're all done.

Will an E39 M3 complete suspension fit on the E39 XI? So I kept reading, and hit the suspension thread; it pretty much says the only thing that works is the rear shocks.

The front suspension on our XI's will not interchange with a RWD car?

Get Koni yellow adjustables and Eibach Pro-Kit springs. Buy both from Tire Rack. Also replace your upper strut mounts, upper shock mounts, the upper and lower rubber bits on the front struts, and any hardware removed during the install (upper strut bolts, pinch bolts, upper shock bolts, rear shock gasket, etc). You are also going to need an alignment done when you complete this job.
This is going to cost you ~$1k when you're all done.[/QUOTE]

I'm in the same situation. 2001 330Xi with 61K miles but I already have the Eibach springs. Where do I get the "upper strut mounts, upper shock mounts, the upper and lower rubber bits on the front struts?" I'll take it to Brake Masters for the alignment.

Does anyone know if the xit's have the same issue as xi's with broken rear springs?

Originally Posted by e46alfonso

what is this crap?

just trying to figure out what works with my car, that's all.

john

Originally Posted by Rickna

Does anyone know if the xit's have the same issue as xi's with broken rear springs?

They use the same springs so probably? I have no idea though.

Originally Posted by Espeedy

I'm in the same situation. 2001 330Xi with 61K miles but I already have the Eibach springs. Where do I get the "upper strut mounts, upper shock mounts, the upper and lower rubber bits on the front struts?" I'll take it to Brake Masters for the alignment.

Dealership, pelican parts, getbmwparts, thebmwpartstore, ECS tuning...choices are endless.

what is so special about the koni adjustables... i'm assuming the ride height is adjustable?

as stated before, i've never dealt with this type of shock/strut. i've done repairs/fixes but they were always oem stuff, slap off, slap on, no alignment etc required.

john

^softness/firmness adjustable, not height. In your position, I'd probably just go OEM.

See the link in my sig for a parts list.

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

^softness/firmness adjustable, not height. In your position, I'd probably just go OEM.

See the link in my sig for a parts list.

^ Yup, this is the difference. Only advantage is that if you want to go to a "sport" style suspension while maintaining a daily driver feel, the Eibachs are really the only way to go. If the sport doesn't matter to you, then go OEM.