[raddoc]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

I have an imbalance between the nuts on left and right. That seems to be fairly common.

Grab the jack handle with your greasy paws and pump the rider back up!

[Maynard]

Originally Posted by Matthewricha

Agreed... although I don't think height difference is spring tolerances as people have swapped springs side to side and ended up with the same result. Could be worn rubber spring perches or more likely the metal chassis where the spring cup mets the chassis is slightly lower on the NSR. I also think worn of saggy Subframe bushes can cause differences.

I'm 99% sure the springs are installed correctly. The height difference was there even with the original springs. I'm reasonably happy with the height difference. What I'm not happy with is the handling on the NSR which seems to have worsened with the fitment of the M Performance springs. I believe the Antiroll bar is preloaded as standard to allow for LHD (that's what the common belief is) so that when a person sits in the car the preloading disappears(?) ..and that lowering further causes the suspension geometry to change.. I could be wrong.

This sure looks like a half inch difference, and some kind of difference betwen spring perches:

[Matthewricha]

Originally Posted by Maynard

This sure looks like a half inch difference, and some kind of difference betwen spring perches:

Hi, no, that's me putting in a BMW 6mm spring pad (33536769473) on the OSR (lower side) to try and raise it. I also have am 11mm shim (powerflex PFR5-427) which I haven’t fitted.

6mm




PFR5-427:


Both:


Powerflex seem to acknowledge the issue by stating the following:
"PFR5-427 is designed to adjust known ride height issues found on right-hand vehicles by increasing the thickness of the original part to 11.4mm or can be used on each side to increase overall ride height"

[msej449]

Are the photos' taken with you in the car? Or is the car empty? I just wondered if there was a difference: it may be better with the driver inside, or worse obvs. If there isn't a difference (or not much) with a driver inside then you might not be worried and might be changing the suspension unnecessarily. Or if it's worse with a driver inside, then you may need to do something more radical.....

[aerobod]

BMW have a ride height tolerance measurement for a ballasted car, from memory (difficult to look up now NewTIS is offline) it is about 5mm difference side to side and doesn't vary for LHD or RHD cars. Again from memory, ballast is 75kg in the driver seat, 75kg in the passenger seat and 40kg in the boot.

There shouldn't be a RHD or LHD difference due to the ballast requirements for alignment being in both front seats, not just the driver's seat. There is something not straight or adjusted incorrectly somewhere that is preventing the car from not being within the ride height tolerance.

Has a full alignment and ride height measurement been done to confirm which measurements are within the BMW spec and which are not?

[KennyFSU]

I just had brand new tires installed and an alignment, there are still minor differences in tire-to-fender gap.

No big deal, has never affected ride quality or tires.

[XutvJet]

I'm getting the sense that there are some seriously OCD people on these forums.

My 2016 M235 with stock springs in the front and Dinan springs in the rear with lift spacers has a difference almost a 1/4" gap difference on the front axle and right at a 1/4" on the rear axle. My wife's brand new 2020 4runner with stock everything and no weight in it is nearly even in the front and nearly a 3/8" gap difference on the rear axle (it has a coil spring rear axle). My son's 2015 Outback 3.6R has a difference of 1/4" on the front and rear axles.

If you've got aftermarket springs or coilovers, the difference could be more severe, especially with coilovers. I've dialed in a number of coilovers over the years have learned this. LOTS of aftermarket coilovers (and springs) can experience pretty significant setting in the first 30 days and that settling can be HIGHLY variable, spring to spring.

[aerobod]

Here are all the specs and definitions on how to measure the alignment and ride height with the correct ballast. If any one measurement is out, it is a likely pointer to the source of the problem, but all should be in spec if there isn't anything bent, worn or out of adjustment:

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by aerobod

The other thing to ensure before doing any suspension measurements, although I am probably stating the obvious, is to do it on a known flat and level surface. I use a long straight edge and a spirit level to put tape marks on my garage floor where the wheels will rest and place shims in one or two of the wheel positions to give me a true level surface within 1mm or so.

Not having done so when wondering why my left rear was 3/4" lower than the right rear, and prompted by your comment, I took the trouble to discover the un-flatness of my garage floor using a 6-foot spirit level. With shims in place to bring the sides level, the height difference was halved; it appears that 3/8" is closer to the actual difference.

Nevertheless, when I step into my garage and approach from the rear I'm still looking at a car that's 3/4" lower in the left. It's enough that for me it's a "What's wrong with the car?" look. Sooner rather than later, I'll do what's necessary to make the look go away.

FWIW, this situation arose sometime last year; I first noticed it at the track last October, seeing something that I hadn't seen before.

[TheSniper]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

I have an imbalance between the nuts on left and right. That seems to be fairly common.

LOL

[kianf22]

Any updates to this?