[g80fantom]

Hey everyone,
I’m looking for some advice and real-world experiences with suspension setups on my BMW G80 M3.
I’m currently debating between going with lowering springs or just committing to full coilovers. My main concern with springs is long-term reliability—specifically whether running them on the stock shocks will cause premature wear or failure down the road.
For those of you who’ve gone either route:

• If you’re on springs: how have your stock shocks held up over time? Any regrets?
• If you went coilovers: was it worth the extra cost in terms of ride quality, adjustability, and performance?
• How big of a difference did you notice in daily driving vs spirited driving?

I’m not building a track car (at least not yet), but I do want improved handling and a more aggressive stance without sacrificing too much comfort.
Would really appreciate hearing your setups, mileage on them, and any lessons learned.
Thanks in advance 👊

[WhiteF30M6Spd]

Originally Posted by g80fantom

Hey everyone,
I’m looking for some advice and real-world experiences with suspension setups on my BMW G80 M3.
I’m currently debating between going with lowering springs or just committing to full coilovers. My main concern with springs is long-term reliability—specifically whether running them on the stock shocks will cause premature wear or failure down the road.
For those of you who’ve gone either route:

• If you’re on springs: how have your stock shocks held up over time? Any regrets?
• If you went coilovers: was it worth the extra cost in terms of ride quality, adjustability, and performance?
• How big of a difference did you notice in daily driving vs spirited driving?

I’m not building a track car (at least not yet), but I do want improved handling and a more aggressive stance without sacrificing too much comfort.
Would really appreciate hearing your setups, mileage on them, and any lessons learned.
Thanks in advance 👊

Lowering springs are stiffer by necessity, therefore they will increase the total number of cycles the shocks will experience. They will always increase the wear on the oem shocks. The severity in increase depends on your road conditions and how often you drive.

Coilovers are better suited for both lowering and performance while maintaining a degree of comfort. This is because coilovers have adjustable spring perches and you do not lose suspension travel as much as if you just did lowering springs. Also off the shelf coilovers are stiffer and so are able to have stiffer springs, because they are so stiff they can reduce the total cycle rate (this is essentially the harshness you feel). Depending on what coilover you go with will dictate how long they last (always check mfg suggested service intervals). Making them potentially not last as long as OEM, to potentially equal or greater than OEM.

[specced]

They definitely do wear the shocks faster, this varies depending on how low the springs themselves go etc.

Yes coilovers are better in every way, but to do coilovers right it’s significantly more expensive. Good coilovers + edc delete+ camber plates, and likely other miscellaneous arms. I’d imagine you’re somewhere in the 5k ballpark on the low end.

Springs are very cheap, and a nice aesthetic choice for low cost. Or can hold you over until you decide to get coilovers.

[lexcruiser]

Originally Posted by specced

They definitely do wear the shocks faster, this varies depending on how low the springs themselves go etc.

Yes coilovers are better in every way, but to do coilovers right it’s significantly more expensive. Good coilovers + edc delete+ camber plates, and likely other miscellaneous arms. I’d imagine you’re somewhere in the 5k ballpark on the low end.

Springs are very cheap, and a nice aesthetic choice for low cost. Or can hold you over until you decide to get coilovers.

What would you estimate the effect of something 'mild' like the Eibach front only springs @ ~20mm drop? Would the wear on the stock shocks still be fairly close to the stock springs?

[christianb5s4]

There have been a few seemingly isolated instances of stock shocks failing, whether that was directly due to lowering springs or HAS kits is not conclusive. In my view, it's not anywhere near common enough to warrant concern.