im looking to drop my xi

can anyone find me fk highsports for lower then 799 ecstuning will have it feb 19 and they use to have it for 689.00 now its 800 wow crazy increase please help me thanks

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1358487660

that how high my xi is lol

Don't mess with your xi suspension. its too hard on the front drive components. It also makes the ride quality terrible. I wish I would have never touched it. If you do though, follow the link in my sig for replacing wear components.

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

Don't mess with your xi suspension. its too hard on the front drive components. It also makes the ride quality terrible. I wish I would have never touched it. If you do though, follow the link in my sig for replacing wear components.

Originally Posted by redbull 325is

Its hard on the CV Joints. Plus, it kills ride quality.

I replaced my OEM springs with H & R for a lower stance...it was a mistake...the ride quality suffered way too much.

I ended up getting Eibach springs and Koni shocks.

It does drop in a couple inches...

With the knowledge I have now, I would have opted to do nothing to begin with.

Stick with OE.

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

Its hard on the CV Joints. Plus, it kills ride quality.

I replaced my OEM springs with H & R for a lower stance...it was a mistake...the ride quality suffered way too much.

I ended up getting Eibach springs and Koni shocks.

It does drop in a couple inches...

With the knowledge I have now, I would have opted to do nothing to begin with.

Stick with OE.

Something reoccurring is the actual needed parts to lower one of these babies. Some simply toss in springs and shocks to mount their heavy new wheels with a 1" sidewall. What they don't catch is, you just changed the physics of energy damping from road impacts i.e. potholes.

I see some owners preventing problems by adding aftermarket rear shock mount reinforcing plates to prevent tearing the factory trunk metal. They include strut tower rings so they don't mushroom the towers from new applied forces. The axle boots are sometimes slid up stretching the accordion folds so they don't fail from operating at a upward angle. Camber plates are often needed to get the thing back into alignment.

There's a lot to consider when you do this. When the spring rate is increased, tire sidewall absorption is reduced and shocks are damped stiffer, impact energy has to be transferred somewhere. That would be to your spine as well mount points. I've driven these skeleton jolting babies and yes, you can corner more aggressively but the supporting structures should be enhanced to handle it. Budget accordingly, read how the track guys do this. Check out the specialty vendors that offer reinforcement products to do it right.

Edit: I've also spotted where the guys who didn't beef up the mounts come back trying to fix a rear mount or mushroomed tower. It's not pretty after it occurs. +1 for Dreamliner330's honest comment. I don't think owners think this through as they're too focused on looks.

Don't do it. Yes it will mess up the ride quality.

I tried with H&R springs, tore through a couple of front CV dust boots in a month, and went back to stock, although with Koni shocks. The front cv angle gets quite steep on this car when you lower it.

Yep, I agree with everyone above. I bought my 2003 xi already lowered on H & R. While it looks gorgeous, the ride quality is horrid, and I'm worried about possible repercussions down the line. I've heard it's just another money-sink.

I can barely tell the difference with my Eibach/Bilstein vs. OEM setup so in this case I disagree with "White Knuckles". The only time I feel a difference in ride quality and I agree with "White Knuckles" is when I put my 18" summer wheels on. But it is not even close to Coilovers. They are a whole different animal that I would stay away from. My buddy has them and it rides like he has cut springs, way to firm and destroys everything. Most seem to regret the decision of coilovers and considering the cost I would stay away... But hey it's your car.

Originally Posted by E46er75

I can barely tell the difference with my Eibach/Bilstein vs. OEM setup so in this case I disagree with "White Knuckles". The only time I feel a difference in ride quality and I agree with "White Knuckles" is when I put my 18" summer wheels on. But it is not even close to Coilovers. They are a whole different animal that I would stay away from. My buddy has them and it rides like he has cut springs, way to firm and destroys everything. Most seem to regret the decision of coilovers and considering the cost I would stay away... But hey it's your car.

Reading this, made me see a Fail in my prior post. Sorry, poorly composed from blended thoughts.

The opening was to point out stress transfer when stiff components are used. That would be commonly H&R springs combined with "sport" shocks/struts or most coil-over's. However, I failed to point out Eibach's and certain strut/shock choices can be very close to stock. Some say slightly more sporty but clearly still comfortable. This setup is popular and often recommended with good reviews.

The reinforcement items should have been pointed to aggressive driving style. I'm sure some owners don't have any suspension beef-up goodies and will never tear up their car. That's cool. I think most guys, after spending big performance bucks, will push those big-ol' fatty tires and shred something without bracing.

Coil-overs seem to have a bad reputation with these cars seeing many poor reviews. Google "FK Highsports" and check it out. Lots of VW forums not showing any love for 'em. But hey, it's whatever works for you. All opinions are just that, simply an opinion.

Thankfully Raceland does not offer a coilover kit for the "XI". I could not image a cheap pair of coilovers (around $500 and under). I wish some companies would not produce such garbage. I see alot of post with people asking about these in the "General Forum". The word "HARSH" and "FIRM" are understatements when it comes to these setups and nevermind how unsafe these setups are on the highway when a young aggressive driver gets a hold of them. Stay away from cheap setups!

I dont understand why do people that.have xi's say that if you lower your car its going to damage.the car. I.did enough research.to find out that puting coilovers is firm but not hrash. But like h&r spring or coilover these are harsh.fk coilover.are very popular and petty much to stock xi ride. Dont forget.stock xi.or stiff and frim but its to.high.off the grown for.my taste but as far as axles thats a myth if you have factory axles on your.car of course its going to.break .

To white knuckles i understand adding coilovers then puting 18inch or 19inch is outragous because you can lose control arm busing struct and shock bushing my set up is going to be fk coilovers and 17inch rims nuttin bigger big rims kill rides not coilovers . If some lower there xi with a set of heavy 19s your goin to have the wrost ride ever

If you have a bmw but you cant afford a fix if something happend, then BMW IS NOT FOR YOU buy a toyota or something. I have a 2001 330xi sport, winter, premium package. Ground Control Coilovers, stock shocks and my ride is amazing. For pictures and info of the process go to my thread. Dont be afraid to mod your car. If something happend, swap your stuff to stock parts, thats it. The e46/16 is not the first bmw awd, also is not the first with front axles please gentlemen, just make sure that your axle boots are ok and thats it and anyway thats part of the car maintenance. Info or details let me know.

Originally Posted by shotta0589

can anyone find me fk highsports for lower then 799 ecstuning will have it feb 19 and they use to have it for 689.00 now its 800 wow crazy increase please help me thanks

We had a pricing glitch on some FK products, my guys are working down the list currently. The highsports for your 325xi can be found HERE with the corrected pricing.

I actually bought a set of FK high sports a few months ago. Coming from an H&R/Bilstein setup, they improved ride quality dramatically. Set the ride height equal to my coworker's ZHP. Yes, front axle geometry will be changed, and in my case, i needed to replace my front axles as well (225,000 miles of driving at a different height changes the wear point on the inner joints). The key is being prepared. This can be done successfully and i'd invite anyone on a ride to prove my point.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by shotta0589

I dont understand why do people that.have xi's say that if you lower your car its going to damage.the car. I.did enough research.to find out that puting coilovers is firm but not hrash. But like h&r spring or coilover these are harsh.fk coilover.are very popular and petty much to stock xi ride. Dont forget.stock xi.or stiff and frim but its to.high.off the grown for.my taste but as far as axles thats a myth if you have factory axles on your.car of course its going to.break .

I'm all for modding. But if you could drive an xi with coilovers first you might have a different outlook on them.

Will coilovers destroy your car? No. If installed properly you'll be fine. I just personally don't like the "go kart" feeling suspension in a higher quality vehicle.

In the end, it's your car do what you want..

A little food for thought: If lowering your xi destroys it, then so would driving around on a regular basis with four adults in the car. Hint: It's a sedan and is designed to carry four adults.