[happymeal]

I have a 2011 BMW 550i sedan. I am looking to order lowering springs. Could anyone advise if springs would still allow me to utilize the EDC function that is equipped with my vehicle? I know with coil overs, you loose EDC functionality. I was wondering if the springs do the same. Thanks in advance.

Harpreet

[LACSTER]

Hey Happy,

You can go with H&R, ACS, Eibach or any other lowering springs out there and you'll be able to keep your EDC functions.
The only way you lose them is if you go with a full coilover conversion like KW, CKS, or Megan.

[happymeal]

thanks for the info Lacster....im sluggish on these mods, but i am getting there! the Morr wheels are on and are looking sexy! going to do the springs next....i will eventually catch up to you guys!

[info@trinityautosport]

+1 any springs will not cause the loss of EDC. here's a recent F10 we did H&Rs on, also had EDC:

[Heathryan]

Lacster, what did you use to lower yours? It looks great but in the pic I saw it didn't say which springs/coilover you are using.

Thanks, Heath

[happymeal]

I think Lancster is running coilovers...now if I can hijack my thread back...haha...I'm trying to see which springs are best...if they are all the same, I will just go with the cheapest?

[LACSTER]

Originally Posted by Heathryan

Lacster, what did you use to lower yours? It looks great but in the pic I saw it didn't say which springs/coilover you are using.

Thanks, Heath

Thanks Heath I'm running KW V3's

Originally Posted by happymeal

I think Lancster is running coilovers...now if I can hijack my thread back...haha...I'm trying to see which springs are best...if they are all the same, I will just go with the cheapest?

Go H&R's and call it a day.

[LACSTER]

and post some pics with your new wheels!

[45ACP]

I honestly cannot feel the difference between normal and sport modes pre- and post-suspension change with ACS springs.

[BeemER13]

+1; just did mine (H&R) and wow I love it and NO difference in ride comfort. Go for it and I promise you will love it.

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by BeemER13

+1; just did mine (H&R) and wow I love it and NO difference in ride comfort. Go for it and I promise you will love it.

I'm very interested in hearing more details... I just switched from driving a 335 with ZSP to a 550 with the ZSP, and I'd like to lower the new ride down to somewhere equivalent to what I had with the 335. What model H&R springs did you purchase, were they the "sport springs"? Happen to have a link for where/what you purchased? I'm assuming an alignment is necessary after installation?

[MELLOWYELLOW06]

h and r
no rain to spend extra money on acs

[decoy1116]

I have H&R's on mine... rides pretty much the same as stock... I'm running 20's as well.. but the car still sits about 1" above the tire... thinking of getting coil overs =)

[gre8tw8LL]

Has anyone used/tested out Eibach springs yet? I haven't heard much feedback on those. If you have, please chime in.

Thanks

[MWPos]

I've got Eibachs. Love 'em. The ride is what I thought the car should have, and the height is where I want it. I have no problems with speed bumps or dips. The picture doesn't show much about the wheel well clearance because of shadow, but you can tell by the body's height above the ground how the car sits on the suspension.

[gre8tw8LL]

Thx for the Eibach feedback. Is it possible to take a closer pix of the wheel well gap w/o the shadow. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, if I may ask, how much and where did u pick up your springs?

Thanks.

[MWPos]

Originally Posted by SnowBall007

Thx for the Eibach feedback. Is it possible to take a closer pix of the wheel well gap w/o the shadow. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, if I may ask, how much and where did u pick up your springs?

Thanks.

No inconvenience at all! Here’s a link to a thread in which Eibachs are installed and the wheel well gap was measured with a tape:

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=751384

I posted a few comments in this linked thread. To quickly answer your questions here, I bought the springs from AutoAnything.com. They were running a special which included a small discount and free shipping. My price, delivered to my home, was about $250 for the set of four.
A few notes about the installation:
1-The front and rear springs are not the same even though they look like they are. Make sure your installer knows this.
2-The rear upper attachment point is easily accessed by removing the rear shelf speaker grills and speakers...the installer will not need to remove the rear seat.
3-Plan for an initial rough alignment and then a professional alignment a few hundred miles later.
4-The wheels will look like they are tilting inward, vertically, after the springs are installed. When you get the professional alignment, this can be fixed.

I bought my car, used, and had never had a BMW before. But I knew after driving it for a few weeks that the ride was too soft and imprecise. These springs have made the car feel the way I thought it was supposed to.
If you have any interest in continuing to work on improving the car's ride, I have read in another forum that members have been very happy with upgrading the front and rear sway bars to the thicker M5 (I think) versions. Here's the thread for that:

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=717144

Regards,
MWPos

[gre8tw8LL]

Thanks MWPos for the details of the Eibach spring installation. I'm still 50/50 between ACS as I was able to find a dealer to provide me a reasonable price. Is it me or does it appear your front springs sits higher than the rear?

As for the m5 front and 650i/550GT rear sway bars, the front bar is sitting in my garage waiting to be installed and the rear bar, I'm still waiting for more feedback before pulling the trigger.

Keep me updated on future mod's on you plan on adding.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by MWPos

No inconvenience at all! Here’s a link to a thread in which Eibachs are installed and the wheel well gap was measured with a tape:

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=751384

I posted a few comments in this linked thread. To quickly answer your questions here, I bought the springs from AutoAnything.com. They were running a special which included a small discount and free shipping. My price, delivered to my home, was about $250 for the set of four.
A few notes about the installation:
1-The front and rear springs are not the same even though they look like they are. Make sure your installer knows this.
2-The rear upper attachment point is easily accessed by removing the rear shelf speaker grills and speakers...the installer will not need to remove the rear seat.
3-Plan for an initial rough alignment and then a professional alignment a few hundred miles later.
4-The wheels will look like they are tilting inward, vertically, after the springs are installed. When you get the professional alignment, this can be fixed.

I bought my car, used, and had never had a BMW before. But I knew after driving it for a few weeks that the ride was too soft and imprecise. These springs have made the car feel the way I thought it was supposed to.
If you have any interest in continuing to work on improving the car's ride, I have read in another forum that members have been very happy with upgrading the front and rear sway bars to the thicker M5 (I think) versions. Here's the thread for that:

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=717144

Regards,
MWPos

[MWPos]

SnowBall007,
My measurements show that my rear end lowered 0.25" more than my front end, and with the already tighter rear wheel well the apparent difference between pre and post install is greater than the 0.25" would indicate if viewed alone. Because my car's stance in relation to the ground is still slightly nose-low, I am happy with the overall look, and I am still also very happy about the feel. If there were an easy way to regain 0.25”-0.5” ride height on the rear, I’d try it! Have you done a pre-spring measurement on your car to set a baseline?
Regards,
MWPos

[gre8tw8LL]

I have not done a prespring measurement. I figure with all the feedback and chatter of everyone's experience of the drop in ACS, H&R, and Eibach springs, I can pretty much determine the outcome of the stance. One of my main concerns is when lowering the car, will the alignment shop able to align the car back to OEM specs? Back in the day when I was caught up in the import scene, I had slammed my car a good 1.5" with eibach sportline springs and was never able to get the alignment back to balance even with a camber kit. I ran thru tires at least once ever 1.5yrs which got costly. So learning from my mistakes and trying not to drop it too much. Also I have EDC which I still want to utilize.

[MWPos]

My car is aligned within specs, with no camber kit needed. I even had the alignment done to make the wheels as perfectly vertical as possible within specs to get the longest tread life on the tires.