bmwe21.net forums

Hello Everyone

My name is Sylvain, I'm 21 and I'm from France ! I'm new to this forum, I recently acquired a 315 e21, opalgrün metallic, this is my very first e21, but not my first BMW ! In fact, I already own 2 bmw 325i e30, a coupe Hartge alpinweiss and a sedan hartge malachitgrün, Both of them are fantastic but needless to say that the e21 is a totally different world ! This cute little 315 will certainly be driven everyday with as much love as I can give to it ! I do care a lot about my cars and their maintenance ..

After this little introduction, let me speak about that car !

I've already gave it the main maintenance for it to take the road again, ( All filters, oil change, tires etc.. ) But here comes the Suspensions !!

Of course, I would like the e21 to be a little bit lower, It will soon have 4 BBS mahle 14" fully refurbished, and I would like a very clean look overall, I'm not talking about some "stance-work 1 inch clearance "look, which may be beautiful, but must be a pain to drive everyday, if it's even possible ?

In fact I would just like it to be just a bit lower, to reduce the " roll " of the car and give it a pleaseant look and drive ability ..

My e30 coupe is using Bilstein B8 which are fantastic, But I won't need it on a 75HP daily car who doesn't drive faster than the speed limit, I don't need 1500€ suspension kit either, And of course, I'm not very enthusiast about cut spring !

I've read I don't remember where ( here maybe ? ), That rear Golf mk2 coilover may fit perfectly on the e21's rear, can someone confirm this ? and what would be the solution for the front, I've seen someone with golf mk2 front coilover also, on his e21, How hard must it be to fit them ? I do have a little bit of equipment that I know how to use thanks to the complete restoration of my rusted e30 ( Mig welder etc.. ) Do you think it is doable ?

Thanks very much for reading, sorry for the long text !

Also I would like to say that, If i've made some terrible English mistake, Please tell me ! I still have a lot to learn !

Have a nice day everyone !

Hi Sylvain, welcome here and thanks for the nice introduction. And even though this website is mostly about E21's we do value a good E30 as well!

I'm no expert in VW coilover applications (some other enthusiasts will help you out there) but there are other options as well. Dedicated coilover sets like from Gaz can be found both new and used, and a good spring and damper combination may be a good and affordable option that will be just fine for your car. I love Bilstein dampers too and the E21 B6 examples aren't too expensive, I believe I even saw some on sale at sharp prices in France! Some decent lowering springs like from H&R or Apex will lower the car by about 30-40mm.

For now, thanks for your instroduction, enjoy this place and don't hesitate posting pics of your E21, and your E30's!

The best things are discovered by accident.

Having owned a bunch of Volkswagen I can tell you the rear suspension is very very similar.

However, for your requirements I would consider just buying a 60mm lowering kit.

Thanks for your welcome and for both of your answers !

Bilstein B6 can be found for 80€ (65£, 100$ ) pcs approximately, Brand new of course, You are right Jeroen that's a reasonable option I may choose ! But I don't know about GAZ, do you have a website please ?

But I don't know why I'm always looking for the weirdest way you know, Maybe to find a miracle cure to lower an e21 for cheap

By the way as I was comparing suspension between one of my old 318i e30 ( for spare parts ) I've seen that front shock ( not the strut ) are really similar, except that the e30 one is a little bit shorter, But it's exactly the same diameter, the same thread etc .. Only on some e30, other ones such as the 325i has 51mm strut, just as the 323i e21 Am I wrong ?

I know, that doesn't lead to anything but it might be !

And also, What is the common lowering on the E21, I don't want it to touch the ground nor to forget speedbump which are everywhere !

-60mm isn't too much ?

Thanks for your time ! I will make a new topic and show you the little e21 a bit later today .

I have gaz - not really an option because your looking at 1000 euro minimum

the only cheap option is to make your own, but by the time you buy decent shocks, may as well paid a couple of hundred extra for springs, 60mm is a good lower not too harsh and will be ideal for normal duty.

e21 323i had bigger struts - the smaller engine had thinner. on the thinner size some people use mk1 golf shocks, on the thicker type some people put e30 shocks in - you can use weld on universal coilover sleeves, but you have to make sure this is done properly.


we have this discussion on this forum all the time. have an evening of searching you should be able to find every answer

Kind of on topic, Nas do you know the minimum compressed length and maximum extended length of the Rear Gaz damper for the E21.
from the bolt hole to the top of spring platform.

Thanks for the informations ! I'm going to make my own for sure, Maybe even adapt the complet coilover set from golf mk2, if everything is done properly and safely, There souldn't be any problems ..

Thanks