BMW lowering question.

[manolop10]

Hey guys, i'm a newbie with setting cars up, and i have a question on lowering my car, its a '98 BMW E36 316i. My rear coil springs have already settled really low, and i had the shocks replaced already, mababa pa rin. And if you guys noticed, most of the Euro cars have a negative alignment with the rear wheels. So meaning yung kain ng gulong, sa loob rin. I noticed on the brand new tires i replaced, only after 3 months, medyo napudpod na yung goma sa loob. I wanna know if replacing my springs to lowering springs, ganito pa rin ba mangyayari sa negative alignment ng rear? Or should i just replace the rear springs to factory height to have egual alignment? Is there a way to put lowering springs sa car pero maayos pa rin alignment niya or ganun talaga pag mas lowered?

Take note, the alignment of the car can only repaired from its sides, yung left to right and vice versa lang, wala sa positive negative position.

Thanks!!

[speedyfix]

lowering the car will have the same result as the sagging springs you have on now imo. i'm sure you can buy some sort of camber correction device naman for your specific model...

[redorange]

Hey guys, i'm a newbie with setting cars up, and i have a question on lowering my car, its a '98 BMW E36 316i. My rear coil springs have already settled really low, and i had the shocks replaced already, mababa pa rin. And if you guys noticed, most of the Euro cars have a negative alignment with the rear wheels. So meaning yung kain ng gulong, sa loob rin. I noticed on the brand new tires i replaced, only after 3 months, medyo napudpod na yung goma sa loob. I wanna know if replacing my springs to lowering springs, ganito pa rin ba mangyayari sa negative alignment ng rear? Or should i just replace the rear springs to factory height to have egual alignment? Is there a way to put lowering springs sa car pero maayos pa rin alignment niya or ganun talaga pag mas lowered?

Take note, the alignment of the car can only repaired from its sides, yung left to right and vice versa lang, wala sa positive negative position.
Thanks!!

Are you saying that you can only adjust the caster but not the camber on your car? Also how many Km are on the tires since you installed the new ones, maybe it's time to rotate your tires. That's determined more by the distance travelled by the tire rather than the time it's been on the car. It seems a little early for your springs to be sagging so soon, normally car makers put in a bit of negative camber to prevent oversteer on rwd cars.

[empy]

the e36's do appear to sit low in the back, meaning that if you're used to a non-bmw, the tire will look unusually close to the fender lip. that's normal. but having the rear suspension misaligned to the point of uneven tire wear is not normal.

if you use the proper lowering springs or shock/spring kit, you should be able to run with the proper camber with no issue. i think your suspension has a problem that needs to be fixed before you tinker with the ride height.

[manolop10]

*speedyfix - I figured that would be the result, but i never knew there could be those camber coorrection devices! Would you know where i can look for those? Can your shop check my suspension?

*redorange - Thanks for giving the correct terms. Yes only the caster may be adjusted and not the camber. The new tires have only about 5000kms on them. The springs are 10 years old and surely this is enough time for them to sag and settle this low. I will rotate the tires but isn't this too soon?

*M54powered - i'll have my suspension checked, but i already had the rear bushings and shock absorbers changed, so that leaves the springs left AFAIK. anymore to add?

Thanks for the reply guys. A lot of help so far, just need the time to have it checked then. Can you suggest a place? I go to European Motors but they can be overkill sometimes. I'd like to try other experienced places. I appreciate the help! Thanks again!

[StraightSix]

According to the TIS service disc ...

Camber deviation may be caused by:
- insufficient spring force
- faulty rubber mounts in the rear-axle carrier
- faulty rubber mount in the control arm
- deformed rear-axle carrier
- deformed control arm
- distortion in the floor assembly.

For the E36 on standard 15" wheels and on standard suspension, the distance between the lower edge of the rear wheel arch and the rim flange at the bottom middle should be 510 mm ± 10 mm. This distance differs according to wheel size (up to 17 inches) and suspension type (standard/low-slung sports/rough road package).

HTH

[Si 06]

the e36's do appear to sit low in the back, meaning that if you're used to a non-bmw, the tire will look unusually close to the fender lip. that's normal. but having the rear suspension misaligned to the point of uneven tire wear is not normal.

if you use the proper lowering springs or shock/spring kit, you should be able to run with the proper camber with no issue. i think your suspension has a problem that needs to be fixed before you tinker with the ride height.

I used original M sport lowering springs in my 3 before with the same results nakabuka. 1 or 1.5 lang lower set yon not just the rear.

[manolop10]

*Straightsix - One positive reason for my camber deviation is because of spring force. Not only does my rear springs sag and settle real low, but it has lost its firmness! Sorry i forgot to mention this earlier. The rear springs are more bouncy than it should be. This happens when i dive downward or rise upward speeding on uneven roads. The rear bounces and i hear the tires hit the fender lip. I'll check the other reasons you mentioned. One last thing, whats the TIS service disc? Sorry newbie. Hehe

*Si 06 - Yeah i'm aware of of lowering set. Speaking of that, can anyone point me to the best place for getting a lowering springs set? Prefferably H&R Sport springs

[StraightSix]

whats the TIS service disc?

TIS is a German abbreviation which also means Technical Information System. It's a service/repair manual on CD, the same one dealer technicians use. It has specs on most aspects of the car, also estimates for the time it'll take to do the job ... know how much you're getting screwed .

[manolop10]

Cool thanks Straightsix. Hope you don't mind me asking, how did you get a hold of a TIS disc? You think i can get my hands on one too? Hehe