Greetings, new member here. I have a non-sport 2004 530i and am considering springs and shocks, and would appreciate any input on this decision. The car has just over 30K miles on it. My reasons for this are twofold: 1) I drove a 2007 550i sport/perf package and was amazed at how tight and responsive it was, and 2) I would like to have a more aggressive stance, fill the wheel-wells more, and have (something approaching) the responsiveness I felt in the 550i. But, I live in Minnesota, and the roads here are not the best around. I am a bit concerned that the ride will be harsh, but I am willing to live with that, unless others can chime in an dissuade me. Also, I am considering spacers on the rear hubs to help push out the rear wheels a bit/fill the wells. When I bought my 166s, I did not specify the M6-offset, which I suppose would have made this moot. Would the use of spacers harm the vehicle/ride in any way? Does anyone know the appropriate size spacers to do this (e.g., 20 mm)? Thanks.
It would be ideal if someone who actually had this setup for your car would pipe in, but you might consider Koni's FSD setup. http://www.koni-na.com/fsdeibach.cfm http://www.koni-na.com/cat_search.c..._id=115&submit.x=37&submit.y=11&submit=Search Here's a review from bimmerfest - different car - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135049&highlight=fsd He apparently stuck w/ stock springs; I would suggest discussing w/ Koni (or anyone who has the lowering springs w/ the FSD's) how harsh the ride quality may be compared to stock. Can't help ya with the spacers, have no idea what would work.
You want to make sure that you have at least 1/2" between tires and fender lips, because tires vary in sidewall profiles. You can get spacers that are the difference between your current offset and the offset you should have gotten (but make sure that you are comparing wheels of the same width, otherwise your calculations will be off.) Buy good quality spacers if you are going to run them. Make sure they are hubcentric and light.
Thanks for the suggestions and information. I am seriously considering the Frequency Selective Dampening (FSD)/Eibach kit from Koni. And the spacers from H&R at 12mm should push out the M5-offset 166s to a more beefy-looking M6-offset. Now, if I can only justify the money to my wife...
