[satz]

I'm planning to lower my non M sport so that its ride height is similar to an MSport E90 LCI.

questions:
1. is the front and rear track the same on Msport and nonM?

2. I believe the suspension is around 15mm lower all around on Msport

3. Can I run 10mm spacer on front, and 12mm on rear just to get it close to flush or will it rub? My wheels are 313 (with 37 front and 39 rear offset)

4. Were the stock Msport wheels (LCI) the 193?

5. Could someone with an Australian unmodified non- Msport sedan please measure the ride height (from wheel centre to fender above)

cheers

[Ken Oath]

BMW E90 LCI ride height

[Trev88]

I've got an e90 LCI m sports came with non 193 wheels but the double ones which are 17" m sport wheels I believe.

[mfractal]

Originally Posted by satz

I'm planning to lower my non M sport so that its ride height is similar to an MSport E90 LCI.

questions:
1. is the front and rear track the same on Msport and nonM?

2. I believe the suspension is around 15mm lower all around on Msport

3. Can I run 10mm spacer on front, and 12mm on rear just to get it close to flush or will it rub? My wheels are 313 (with 37 front and 39 rear offset)

4. Were the stock Msport wheels (LCI) the 193?

5. Could someone with an Australian unmodified Msport sedan please measure the ride height (from wheel centre to fender above)

cheers

Mine is a e90 lci with MSport. It did come with 193s from factory. I am running 255 35 18 tires on the back with 10mm spacer and on rare occasions it rubs ever so slightly, so I'd say that's your limit.
10mm spacers on the fronts too and no rubbing at all with 235 40 18 tires.

I'll measure ride height once I am back home in about a week.

[satz]

many thanks for the info!

@kenOath: do you know what they mean by 'low slung suspension' vs the sports suspension?

cheers

[Ken Oath]

Originally Posted by satz

many thanks for the info!

@kenOath: do you know what they mean by 'low slung suspension' vs the sports suspension?

cheers

S704A - M Sport (Low slung) suspension
SZP5A - Performance Sport suspension (discontinued)
SA815 - Rough road package

SZP5A was discontinued shortly after production began.

Sportfahrwerk = Sport suspension

[satz]

thanks Ken (sorry for late reply)

Wonder why BMW takes its measurements from the lower flange of the wheel rather than from the centre of wheel.

cheers

[Ken Oath]

Originally Posted by satz

thanks Ken (sorry for late reply)

Wonder why BMW takes its measurements from the lower flange of the wheel rather than from the centre of wheel.

cheers

That measurement eliminates any tyre wear or inflation problem. It would be possible to measure from the centre hub if some sort of large caliper was used but when using a tape measure the concave of the rim does not allow an accurate reading.

[satz]

Ken, where the spec sheet says "bottom middle of rim flange", do you think BMW means to measure from the very lowest visible part of the actual wheel rim?

I'd like re-measure my ride height tonight and see how it compares to the spec for non-M-sport.

I'm trying to estimate how much actual lowering I might get from a lowering kit, taking into account any sagging that might have occurred in the last 7 years.

I previously measured from wheel centre to fender and got about 360mm front and 370mm rear.
cheers

[Ken Oath]

Measure the ride height as indicated. Then from the ride height document select the rim size and the suspension this will provide the factory value.

[satz]

thanks Ken
will measure just from the edge of rim where it meets the tyre. Every mm counts

incidentally, did your car's measurements meet those on the E92 spec sheet?

cheers

[Ken Oath]

Originally Posted by satz

...incidentally, did your car's measurements meet those on the E92 spec sheet?

Both front and rear are within 5mm of the specification. Tolerance is +/- 10mm.
The left side is normally slightly higher than the right side (design).

[satz]

I redid the measurements following your advice above.

my measurements came out (with 3/4 tank fuel):

front right 620
front left 625

rear right 620
rear left 630

the fronts seem close to spec (19 inch wheels). But the rears are about 15 and 25mm higher than the spec!

[Ken Oath]

The vehicle was delivered with 18" rims.

[satz]

Hi Ken,
You're right, but the outer diameter of the 19s is exactly the same as the original 18s...

ahh...but now I visualise it using your diagram above, and I can see that the distance from centre to the bottom of rim will be larger on the 19s..

but.. does that mean my car rear actually increased ride height with the 19s?



cheers

[Ken Oath]

For some reason the rear is higher than the specifications. Could be the springs were replaced or some alteration has occurred. It would have been a noticeable change when it happened as the 50/50 corner balance has been affected.

[satz]

I wonder if the specs are at full tank, and/or full passenger loading?

[Ken Oath]

Attached.

[satz]

many thanks Ken. That's quite a heavy load required. Hopefully that would bring my car rear height down 10-15mm, closer to spec.

Presumably front doesn't get too affected as it's like a fulcrum for a lever I think.

[satz]

Hi ken, I squeezed in 4 not large people into the car (I know it's not exactly what was required by the measurement spec....). Anyway the measurements were now about 610 at front and 610 at rear. So a noticeable drop.

Now I wonder when I read about expected 'drop' from lowering springs being 30mm at front, whether that will be 30 mm from the unladen height?

[Ken Oath]

The ride height expected drop in most circumstances will be when the vehicle is unladen.

Kinematic alignment systems will calculate the ride height and alignment parameters when the vehicle is unladen if a suspension specialist carried out the work.

[DTM_]

Originally Posted by Ken Oath

Both front and rear are within 5mm of the specification. Tolerance is +/- 10mm.
The left side is normally slightly higher than the right side (design).

Hi Ken - just wondering, as my car must be very similar to yours and has the +10MM FL higher than the FR ride height, what you mean by ... (design)? And why.
The other corner ride heights are almost equal.
Cheers, DTM.