I bought spings. Like a dummy, I impulse bought Tanabe springs before doing research. They're supposed to drop 1" Rear/1.5" Front with a nice spring rate to match luxury sedan quality (sounds nice). So the more I started reading different forum reviews, the more complaints popped up about not lowering the front enough or lowering the rear too much. Basically more complaints about an uneven drop. I didn't want to deal with the headaches. Not to say they wouldn't work well, but I just felt like going a different route.
Before I go further...yes, I did think of coilovers (had them on my G35 coupe), but didn't think for my daily driving & the cost value it would be worth it. I'm not looking for huge globs of handling improvements or an aggressive drop, just enough to get me around corners and a decent looking drop while I"m doing it.
So during all this research, good reviews kept popping up from Eibach springs. Owners of M35/M45's were very pleased for the most part. Doesn't seem M35x owners felt the same (different suspension?). As we all know, there are some huge tire/fender gaps on the M. I was looking for a spring to provide a drop to accomodate the front more than the back. Here's what I found for M35 non-sport:
Tanabe NF210 springs:Years: 2005-2007 Spring Rate F/R: 6.4 / 8.7 Drop F/R: 1.5 / 1.0 Part#: TNF118MSRP: $290.00 Website: http://www.tanabe-usa.com/spri...?id=2
Espelir ESA072 springs:Years: 2006-2007Spring Rate: N/ADrop F/R: 1.2/1.2Part#: ESA072MSRP: $300Website: http://group5motorsport.com/es....aspx
Tein S Tech:Years: 2006-2007Spring Rate: 7.6/10Drop F/R: 1.8/1.1Part#: SKP60-AUB00MSRP: $350http://www.tein.com/products/s....html
Tein H Tech:Years: 2006-2007Spring Rate: 7.6/9.2Drop F/R: 1.2/ .5Part#: SKP60-BUB00MSRP: $390Website: http://www.tein.com/products/h....html
Eibach Pro-Kit:Years: 2006-2007Spring Rate: N/ADrop F/R: 1.6/ 1.0Part#: 6376.140MSRP: $300Website: http://eibach.com/cgi-bin/html...23864
Trying to do spring research was difficult because all the different websites/forums & threads. Can the moderators think of making this a sticky for ease of future researchers? Didn't see something like this yet, but could be helpful to M owners. And maybe other's can post their reviews on their springs.
So I ended up with Eibach.
Install: went to a local shop and they installed for $200 flat (could have been cheaper, but they got me in the same day and out within 2 hours-on a time crunch). Also think because I brought in the springs instead of buying thru them.
Measurements: Took measurements before and after drop. Still waiting for springs to settle in, but initial measurements are avg 1.6 (Front)/1.0 (Rear). Just like the box says
About 1 finger gap all around now. Before it was about 4 in front and 2 or 3 in back. Measured 2 ways: from ground to fender edge. And top of rim to fender edge. All around and both ways came up with same results (see pics).Camber: The rear camber don't look too bad, but can definitely tell the front has negative numbers. Haven't done an alignment yet, but I'll pop up results later. If the car/drop were to stay just like it is, no problem. I'm hoping the camber doesn't get worse as they settle in. I'm rolling on stock 18" wheels for now, so maybe that's another reason camber stands out. Planning on 20x8.5 (front) and 20x10 (rear) so I hope they fit with this drop. Is there a camber kit for M35?
Handling: As you guessed, the handling definitely feels better. Not much body roll like before. I've driven around some of the lousiest roads/freeways in Los Angeles and doesn't feel rough at all. I wish I knew the spring rates, but overall the handling/suspension feels better than before. I was expecting a very harsh ride, but it doesn't feel too far from stock ride. Haven't bottomed out/scaped (knock on wood), and no noticable difference going over speedbumps (says wifey).
My bottom line: Great springs, great looking drop, okay camber, and good handling. No regrets on buying/installing...hell they were only $220
Wheels are next...
Modified by Yfiddy at 4:34 PM 10/3/2008
