Best Ride

[bbnmcas]

I looking for a setup the will give me a nice ride, not hard or rough like a racing setup. I bought H&R springs with Monroe shocks and struts but I've heard Monroes are stiff. Then I was told the the H&R springs and Bilsteins are pretty rough too. Can someone with a car that has a smooth ride tell me what the truth is?

[J!m]

You did not say what you had before, and what you did not like about it, but my 2 cents...

I am going with the Bilstein sports, and factory springs (I am using an M3 front suspension, and M Roadster rear suspension).

Bilstein has a new "touring class" shock. WAY better than the factory shocks, but not as "racy" as the sport shocks (The sports aren't that bad at all really). Without knowing your taste, I guess I would lean toward these.

There are many different types of springs from every manufacturer. There is no general "so-and-so is stiff" or anything like that. The spring might be too stiff for you, but it may be too soft for someone else... How "stiff" a spring is depends on the corner weight of the car vs. the rate of the spring.

H&R's are great. German made. Nice. They have an O.E. sport line that is less than 1 inch of drop and only 15-20% stiffer than stock. I've never ridden on them, but I would expect them to be virtually identical to the factory "sport" springs which are 3/4 inch lower and also about 15-20% stiffer. If you want to be lower, but not stiff, BMP has a set of dropped spring hats which retain the stock spring, but drop the car 10mm (about 3/8 inch).

Maybe a set of new factory ti sport springs and the new Bilsteins are the hot ticket for you. I don't think Bilstein sports will be too stiff at all. They do a very good job of helping to control the body and keep the tires on the road. The springs you choose will have a greater impact on the "stiffness" of the ride.

Good luck. Suspension is not easy, and it's VERY personal. You may have to try stuff out until you get it perfect...

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"Speed's just a question of money. How fast you 'wanna go?"

[bbnmcas]

THANKS JIM!!! I'm having a difficult time locating those "dropped spring hats" on the BMP website. Any help to the link would be great!

[This message has been edited by bbnmcas (edited 01-27-2003).]

[J!m]

Maybe call them... 1-800-648-7278

The P/N for the ti would probably be 139017 and the price is $159.95 in the book I have.

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"Speed's just a question of money. How fast you 'wanna go?"