[jeff4598]

I know, your tires heat up and PSI will rise but as a largely local and back road driver my tires stay within 1 or 2 lbs of cold. I got full Dinan suspension and liked it a lot BUT felt I did not get my money's worth based on overall feel and performance.

Noticed that the (otherwise spot-on) guy who did the work left cold PSI around 34-35. After a couple of months I got my lazy ass to do 38 front and 37.5 rear and Holy Crap it's a different car! Utterly pointable and coordinated, can fling it around without thinking- just goes where I look. Ride is MUCH better- this suprised me but before it was like bad roads were punishing the car but now the car glides over rough roads- much like the difference between bouncing a slightly flat and a freshly inflated basketball- it just feels right now. Perhaps the biggest difference is vastly more linear brake feel- again not expected but not subtle.
I understand the physics-ultimate traction is likely reduced and this is suboptimal if you are really going to do power slides but around town or back road driving is on an entirely new level. No doubt now the Dinan suspension was worth it- feels like a Cayman and equiped at this level THAT would be 20K more and lack a back seat.

[Project_F87]

dude.... like wtf lol

[epic]

Wat.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by jeff4598

I know, your tires heat up and PSI will rise but as a largely local and back road driver my tires stay within 1 or 2 lbs of cold. I got full Dinan suspension and liked it a lot BUT felt I did not get my money's worth based on overall feel and performance.

Noticed that the (otherwise spot-on) guy who did the work left cold PSI around 34-35. After a couple of months I got my lazy ass to do 38 front and 37.5 rear and Holy Crap it's a different car! Utterly pointable and coordinated, can fling it around without thinking- just goes where I look. Ride is MUCH better- this suprised me but before it was like bad roads were punishing the car but now the car glides over rough roads- much like the difference between bouncing a slightly flat and a freshly inflated basketball- it just feels right now. Perhaps the biggest difference is vastly more linear brake feel- again not expected but not subtle.
I understand the physics-ultimate traction is likely reduced and this is suboptimal if you are really going to do power slides but around town or back road driving is on an entirely new level. No doubt now the Dinan suspension was worth it- feels like a Cayman and equiped at this level THAT would be 20K more and lack a back seat.

Placebo

[2PUTT]

LOL!!

<NJ Translator>
a couple of months ago the temps in NJ were colder. now that its warming up, traction seems much better. the car is where its supposed to be.
</NJ Translator>

[aerokubectl]

Your ride quality went up with 37? No. Haha that's not how it works, unless you were super low.

Placebo at best

[MrOhnoez]

Did you also feel your car increase in performance following it's break in service?
Will it help turn in? Sure a bit.
But to change the whole ride of the car as substantially as you are claiming it did is just placebo.

[Davil]

I find that 34.8745 is the sweet spot.

[natmad]

Ok, the gentleman from New Jersey is excited about his M car.

This is good!

He states that his M car feels more “pointable” with a few pounds more air pressure.

I can believe this, especially with a stiffer aftermarket suspension.

I think most of us, at some point, have probably gotten carried away in the excitement of driving our sports cars.

Though we may not agree with all of his assessments, we can thank the gentleman from New Jersey for sharing his enthusiasm for his BMW M car.

[jeff4598]

As an audiophile I am quite aware of the placebo effect ( not to mention as a psychiatrist) and I respect that admonition. I can put forth one objective observation regarding the improved ride. Rough pavement that used to elicit noisy vibrations from the car's structure no long does so.

I think the issue is a compliance / resonance frequency mismatch between the softer tires and the firm suspension. I noticed a significant effect with the base suspension above 36 PSI and with the firmer suspension an even greater effect at 38 PSI.

Just trying to share so that others might benefit.

[cptobvious]

Originally Posted by jeff4598

As an audiophile I am quite aware of the placebo effect ( not to mention as a psychiatrist) and I respect that admonition. I can put forth one objective observation regarding the improved ride. Rough pavement that used to elicit noisy vibrations from the car's structure no long does so.

I think the issue is a compliance / resonance frequency mismatch between the softer tires and the firm suspension. I noticed a significant effect with the base suspension above 36 PSI and with the firmer suspension an even greater effect at 38 PSI.

Just trying to share so that others might benefit.

Seriously, you, sir, are a true gentleman. What a nice and measured way to respond. Reminds me that there are some actually nice people out there in Internet land.

[Tag]

The Dinan suspension is known to ride better than stock in most, but not all circumstances. Whenever a car is lowered there are several aspects of the ride that can drastically improve. The stock suspension sits higher in part due to longer springs, when the suspension compresses and rebounds it takes longer for it to settle down since the springs length has more travel in it. A lowered car with shorter springs will settle in less time and be more controlled and less bouncy in that aspect. Stopping is better too because the car doesn't rock back and forth as much to settle since it's not sitting as high. The same goes for body roll, car feels more planted and precise. Dialing in tire pressure is not uncommon to further tune the ride. I don't doubt the OP's experience.

[aerokubectl]

Originally Posted by Tag

The Dinan suspension is known to ride better than stock in most, but not all circumstances. Whenever a car is lowered there are several aspects of the ride that can drastically improve. The stock suspension sits higher in part due to longer springs, when the suspension compresses and rebounds it takes longer for it to settle down since the springs length has more travel in it. A lowered car with shorter springs will settle in less time and be more controlled and less bouncy in that aspect. Stopping is better too because the car doesn't rock back and forth as much to settle since it's not sitting as high. The same goes for body roll, car feels more planted and precise. Dialing in tire pressure is not uncommon to further tune the ride. I don't doubt the OP's experience.

You forgot all the cons of lowered suspensions.
- good luck clearing driveways.
- you've now put your suspension and car into the hands of aftermarket resellers that didn't bother going through all the rigor that BMW engineers went through to give you a perfect ride/handling experience
- good luck on NVH
- good luck with potholes
- good luck in snow
- good luck in deep rain
- good luck with tire clearance

I always get a good chuckle out of people who lower their car on some unproven aftermarket springs, and then assume their car now has better handling....meanwhile they didn't even consider the shocks...

[jeff4598]

Originally Posted by spetsnazos

You forgot all the cons of lowered suspensions.
- good luck clearing driveways.
- you've now put your suspension and car into the hands of aftermarket resellers that didn't bother going through all the rigor that BMW engineers went through to give you a perfect ride/handling experience
- good luck on NVH
- good luck with potholes
- good luck in snow
- good luck in deep rain
- good luck with tire clearance

I always get a good chuckle out of people who lower their car on some unproven aftermarket springs, and then assume their car now has better handling....meanwhile they didn't even consider the shocks...

My second full Dinan (e90) and with the exception of clearance ( slight scrapes of things I will never see when I'm not careful enough) I have had none of those issues. Installer counts- mine was apparently psyched and as the owner did it all himself including repeated tests and adjustments of suspension parameters. I feel I got what I paid for.

[Tag]

Originally Posted by spetsnazos

You forgot all the cons of lowered suspensions.
- good luck clearing driveways.
- you've now put your suspension and car into the hands of aftermarket resellers that didn't bother going through all the rigor that BMW engineers went through to give you a perfect ride/handling experience
- good luck on NVH
- good luck with potholes
- good luck in snow
- good luck in deep rain
- good luck with tire clearance

I always get a good chuckle out of people who lower their car on some unproven aftermarket springs, and then assume their car now has better handling....meanwhile they didn't even consider the shocks...

There are pros and cons to everything, that wasn't what was being discussed. Since you bring up a bunch of blanket statements and since I've run multiple cars that have been lowered let me take a crack at some of them.

- good luck clearing driveways.
Depends on how low you go. You can typically lower a car anywhere from .5" to .75" without having any real concerns so long as you're a careful driver. If you're absent minded or let others that you don't trust drive your car than you should not lower it.

- you've now put your suspension and car into the hands of aftermarket resellers that didn't bother going through all the rigor that BMW engineers went through to give you a perfect ride/handling experience
The stock suspension is far from perfect. Dinan unlike other companies actually does put a decent amount of R&D into their products. They even supply you with height and alignment specifications for their suppression setups.

- good luck on NVH
There are many factors to this. Just because you lower your car doesn't necessarily mean the ride gets worse. Do it wrong and your ride will suffer, do it correctly and you can improve the ride.

- good luck with potholes
You'd have to hit an insane pot hole to bottom out your car. Should be more worried about your wheels.

- good luck in snow
All depends on where you live and if you drive in winter. Case by case.

- good luck in deep rain
All depends on where you live. Case by case.

- good luck with tire clearance
You can lower a car and be able to lock your wheels from left to right, fully articulate your suspension and clear everything. Again, do it right and you'll have no issues.

[paradocs98]

Originally Posted by jeff4598

Installer counts- mine was apparently psyched and as the owner did it all himself including repeated tests and adjustments of suspension parameters. I feel I got what I paid for.

MotorWorks West? ACM?

[AlpsRider]

Lowering is great for the track. One of the negative results of lowering is when you are cornering hard and hit big bumps. Instead if the suspension absorbing the bumps and keeping traction, you could get the bounce and slip effect.

[Poochie]

Originally Posted by spetsnazos

You forgot all the cons of lowered suspensions.
- good luck clearing driveways.
- you've now put your suspension and car into the hands of aftermarket resellers that didn't bother going through all the rigor that BMW engineers went through to give you a perfect ride/handling experience
- good luck on NVH
- good luck with potholes
- good luck in snow
- good luck in deep rain
- good luck with tire clearance

I always get a good chuckle out of people who lower their car on some unproven aftermarket springs, and then assume their car now has better handling....meanwhile they didn't even consider the shocks...

This shit can be nerve-wrecking, every time your bodywork grinds on an incline or speed bump; I had to quit eating drive-tru tacos for the same reason.

Good advice; If he lower your vehicle, be prepared for the compromises it entails..

[jeff4598]

Originally Posted by paradocs98

MotorWorks West? ACM?

Elite Motors in Lodi. Sam is the man-OCD in the best way.You can tell he enjoys getting it right. Excellent sane advice in setting up a plan. Keeps comitments. Everybody should be like Sam.

[Tag]

Originally Posted by Poochie

This shit can be nerve-wrecking, every time your bodywork grinds on an incline or speed bump; I had to quit eating drive-tru tacos for the same reason.

Good advice; If he lower your vehicle, be prepared for the compromises it entails..

[MrOhnoez]

Originally Posted by Poochie

This shit can be nerve-wrecking, every time your bodywork grinds on an incline or speed bump; I had to quit eating drive-tru tacos for the same reason.

Good advice; If he lower your vehicle, be prepared for the compromises it entails..

I put a front lip on my Golf R just to protect the bodywork when I would go into Arbies.

Pretty funny story to tell.
I bought the front lip to protect it, then I thought it looked goofy without side skirts, then I bought a diffuser to bring it all together.
All to eat Arbies once or twice a month.

[jeff4598]

I find if I keep away from fast food drive throughs the car rides a bit higher.