steering and suspension Lowered suspension

[Davepelletier1]

Hey guys! I'm searching for a lowered suspension on my bmw 2002 76 i want an adjustable one and i want to know which one is the best i should buy for the car ?!

[jmr_1602]

The search function is your friend. This subject is probably one of the most asked questions on the FAQ.

Do you want to lower your car for looks or for performance? If you want adjustable coilovers then Ireland Engineering and Ground Control are the way to go for the front. I would not recommend a coilovers setup for the rear unless you've seriously reinforced the shock towers. Good news is you can get the adjustable spring perches from ground control instead.

I know Catuned is also developing a coilover system, but haven't heard much about it. Maybe give them a call for specifics.

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Edited August 21, 2015 by jmr_1602

[TobyB]

Oh, no, that's a bad idea....

 

jack it up, and roll on some 22's!

 

(and look at the >>shudder<< 'stance' thread)

 

((I can't believe I recommended that gawdawful thread))

 

t

[M3M3]

LOL!

[Slavs]

"All my friends are Lowriders"

[A.j. DeLeon]

CAtuned!

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[mikethevilla]

Oh, no, that's a bad idea....

 

jack it up, and roll on some 22's!

 

(and look at the >>shudder<< 'stance' thread)

 

((I can't believe I recommended that gawdawful thread))

 

t

Yeah! Death to those who want better handling and a more modern look!

[M3M3]

Yeah! Death to those who want a different look!

Fixed that for ya. ;-)

Stance not equal to better handling. ...different motivations.

[steve k.]

The best way to lower your car is described in 

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/169196-fully-built-scca-fsp-26-kgb-racing-machine/

 

It will look and handle great. Problem is that the car will not leave too many driveways. Header collector is just a few inches of the ground 

 

0806151506a by steve, on Flickr

 

But, seriously, you might want to give a few more details on what you actually trying to achieve. People have done many things to their cars to get looks and/or performance out of their suspension.

 

Before you start buying parts, consider what you think your final result should be.

• Are you only trying to lower the car?
• Are you trying to resolve some handling problem?
• What is your budget?
• You mentioned adjustable. What do you want to be able to adjust? Ride hight, caster, camber, toe, compression, rebound, spring rate?

I spent 10 years building the "best" suspension for my car. Most of it was trying to find the best solution to a new handling problem that would develop for either making more power, changing aerodynamics, or going to different size or compound of the tires

 

There is really no such thing is "best" suspension. This just a best know solution to a specific problem. 

 

On your '76, you might still have a pair of spacer rings between struts and front fenders. Remove those and you will lower the front of the car by about  1/2 inch.

 

As a starting point for suspension changes look at http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/2002-suspension-steering.html

High quality products with lots of option. 

 

steve k.

[larryt]

The search function is your friend. This subject is probably one of the most asked questions on the FAQ.

Do you want to lower your car for looks or for performance? If you want adjustable coilovers then Ireland Engineering and Ground Control are the way to go for the front. I would not recommend a coilovers setup for the rear unless you've seriously reinforced the shock towers. Good news is you can get the adjustable spring perches from ground control instead.

I know Catuned is also developing a coilover system, but haven't heard much about it. Maybe give them a call for specifics.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

why do you say this?? ive recently been driving around on my coilovers and worrying about my shock towers?!?! i think that eventually i will just smash through them :S

[steve k.]

why do you say this?? ive recently been driving around on my coilovers and worrying about my shock towers?!?! i think that eventually i will just smash through them :S

 

The shock towers in a stock 2002 are not load bearing. They just hold the shock absorbers in place.  Adding coilovers in the rear puts all the weight of the car on the towers. They were not designed for that and thus will need reinforcements.  

 

steve k.

[larryt]

The shock towers in a stock 2002 are not load bearing. They just hold the shock absorbers in place.  Adding coilovers in the rear puts all the weight of the car on the towers. They were not designed for that and thus will need reinforcements.  

 

steve k.

 

how do you recommend i reinforce them?

 

i think i probably should do this!!!

[steve k.]

sorry, not a body guy. Most of the time people who use rear coilovers have a roll cage tied in to the shock towers.

This is what Ireland Engineering says about it 

 

Important: As this arrangement puts added stress on the shock towers, you should carefully inspect your car before ordering. We strongly recommend using some form of added chassis reinforcement (ie; rollcage tied into shock towers).

 

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/2002-suspension-steering/02rearco.html

 

steve k.

[TobyB]

The problem's just at the mounting point itself- the metal's quite thin to be loaded in shear.

Some very large, stout washers on either side of the mount to distribute the load

would probably be sufficient.  Ideally you'd weld them to the body,

but I'm not sure that's even absolutely necessary.  

I'd do it that way, tho.

 

t

Edited August 24, 2015 by TobyB

[bimmercraze]

Im doing the CAtuned coilover conversion right now, very high quality parts. But I also rebuilt my front end with steering, bushing and swaybars. The rear shock towers HAVE to be reinforced, it'll make the ride a lot more stiff, if that what your looking for. If not then I wouldnt do coilovers