Well some good news on a few fronts this week. Although Vivid Racing has been leading me on for MONTHS now about when these wheels would come in, they finally had an update on Friday that sounds like more than BS.
- Usual answer: "3 more weeks" over and over and over again
- This answer: "Wheels will land late in the first week of May, then shipped to us in AZ, then to you in CA"
So that's nice. The CF front lip and sideskirt extensions I ordered a few weeks ago sound like they'll be getting here sooner than anticipated as well. The original estimate was delivery on May 7th, but it now looks like the next couple days. They had quite a great tracking itinerary with Fedex:
- Wu Ku District- Taiwan
- Ta Yuan District- Taiwan
- Anchorage- Alaska
- Memphis- Tennessee
- San Francisco- Caifornia
Not sure how it makes sense to go from Alaska to Tennessee, but you do you, Fedex!
So anyway yeah! I'm stoked that some of these big pieces will be here soon! Now to accomplish some smaller tasks in preparation. Decided to cut the valve cover plastics to fit the PR ignition coils and reinstall. Super straight forward, although I wish I'd cut it a tiny bit smaller length wise.
And then I decided to experiment with the rear springs, since the Eibachs sit a good amount higher in the rear than the front. For the first time since owning this car, actually decided to measure the fender heights. Keep in mind I'm running slightly taller than stock tires, so your results will vary.
Eibach all around:
- Driver Front- 26.25"
- Driver Rear- 26.5"
- Passenger Front- 26"
- Passenger Rear- 26.75"
This is measured in my driveway which probably isn't totally level and is comprised of many bricks, that surely have slight height variances between them. A picture of the ride height for reference:
Then I installed the H&R springs in the rear...
Eibach front, H&R rear
- Driver Front- 26"
- Driver Rear- 25.5"
- Passenger Front- 26"
- Passenger Rear- 25.75"
As can be seen from the measurements and in the pictures below, the H&Rs sit about an inch lower than the Eibachs in back, and about 0.5" lower compared to the Eibach's currently installed in front. I've got to admit, I'm really surprised what a huge visible difference 0.5" of ride height makes. It's very apparent!
I also took it for a quick drive to let the springs settle a bit, and it already feels noticeably stiffer in the rear. I think keeping the front soft will make it manageable though, but only time will tell. The plan now is to 3D print some 0.5" risers to raise the rear ride height equal to the front and see how I like it. At first blush though, I think this is going to be the optimal choice.
And of course, how do you not take a picture of the e30 while you're doing work on the z4?
