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Experience with H&R 35/10mm springs?

10K views 24 replies 8 participants last post by  Sierra-Papa 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been looking at options for a mild drop with comfy yet sporty tuning, and came across the H&R 35/10 mm springs... but they don't seem to be popular here and can only be bought in Germany. I know it says it's for 518i and 520i, but does anybody have experience with them on an M5? It's going on a car without SLS/EDC. Was thinking of Vogtlands since they're cheaper, but I prefer more suspension travel and not having to worry about scrapping the front bumper.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Oof, the more I dig around the more I'm confused, it looks like there's a bunch of different E34 H&R 35/10mm springs. And there's discrepancies in how much they drop. Granted the drop will be bigger on a V8/M5, but it still doesn't line up.

29672-2 mentioned above fits 518i and 520i, so not a good idea for the M5 due to weight difference.
50413 is what we get here, which drops by 1.3" and 1" F/R. Fits V8s and big sixes. P/N doesn't exist outside of U.S.
29672-1 drops by 35/10mm F/R according to sites abroad, 35/20 according to Japanese sites, but according to sites here it's 1.3"/.75" (or 33/19mm), same as 50413 for the 525i, so they're maybe the same?
29899 drops by 35/10mm F/R. Fits V8 530i and 540i (I presume the best match for an M5 for the price)
60672-1 drops by 35/10mm F/R, fits the inline sixes. Not sold in the U.S.
29579-1 drops by 30/10mm F/R, specifically for the M5, and priced with a premium accordingly. Not sold in U.S., but seems different from the rest.

If those abroad can especially comment what H&R springs they used it'd be much appreciated. People say they have H&R sport springs but could be talking about different ones by the looks of it, and from digging around the drop/stance does look different from some of the Euro/German cars with the springs on.
 
#3 ·
i had "H&R Sports" (from tire rack, not sure of part number) on my 91 US m5 with SLS delete. The front was pretty low. After it settled, i'd say more than 35mm, and bottomed out a lot. May not be the same springs you're looking at, but i was never thrilled with them, paired with Bilstein sports.
 
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#4 ·
I can't speak to the other part numbers, but I've got the 50413s on my SLS delete M5, paired with Bilstein HDs. You've seen my thread I'm sure--I wish the front was a dozen mm or so lower, but the rear is perfect. Not crashy, only bottom out occasionally over really bad areas, etc. Still a bit too much body roll for me, but that's what coil-overs are for (which will also fix the front fender gap).
 
#6 · (Edited)
Doing some more headscratching, I think I've sort of figured it out?

There are two H&R Springs for the U.S. market:
50413 - 1.3"/.75" for the 535i but drops more if you've got a heavier car like an M5
29579 - 1.3"/.3", but for cars with SLS. Known as 29579-1 abroad.

For the rest of the world there's these:
29579-1 - Same as 29579 in the U.S., for SLS cars.
29672-1 - 35mm/20mm (1.3"/.75"), the same as 50413 in the U.S.
29672-2 35/10mm for 518i/520i
29899 - 35mm/10mm for V8s, probably the best option for SLS-delete M5s since a 540i weighs roughly the same
60672-1 - 35mm/10mm... still don't understand how these are different from the 29672-1, but they're not TUV approved, so avoiding anyway.

Can any European M5 owners with the 29899 springs talk about how they liked the springs? I'm planning on pairing with Koni's--Bilstein Sports handled better but were too crashy for my tastes (guessing it's the high-speed damping).
 
#17 ·
Hello, I am new to M5board and wanted confirmation re the part numbers:
29579 and 29579-1

Are these definitely both for SLS equipped cars? I’ve seen a few vendors list them as ‘ohne levelling’ or without levelling - too many to be a coincidence?
Eg H&R Lowering Springs 29579-1 for BMW 5er E34 M5 Lim+SedanTouring/SW

Appreciate any input people can provide!

I only need the rear springs from 29579(-1) as I want to use them on my 91 525i saloon which was factory optioned with SLS and something I want to retain (new rear struts arriving from Nagengast)

Can anyone confirm for sure both 29579-1 fits SLS equipped cars?

Doing some more headscratching, I think I've sort of figured it out?

There are two H&R Springs for the U.S. market:
50413 - 1.3"/.75" for the 535i but drops more if you've got a heavier car like an M5
29579 - 1.3"/.3", but for cars with SLS. Known as 29579-1 abroad.

For the rest of the world there's these:
29579-1 - Same as 29579 in the U.S., for SLS cars.
29672-1 - 35mm/20mm (1.3"/.75"), the same as 50413 in the U.S.
29672-2 35/10mm for 518i/520i
29899 - 35mm/10mm for V8s, probably the best option for SLS-delete M5s since a 540i weighs roughly the same
60672-1 - 35mm/10mm... still don't understand how these are different from the 29672-1, but they're not TUV approved, so avoiding anyway.

Can any European M5 owners with the 29899 springs talk about how they liked the springs? I'm planning on pairing with Koni's--Bilstein Sports handled better but were too crashy for my tastes (guessing it's the high-speed damping).
 
#7 ·
i've just bought 29579 which from my research are for the 3.8 cars so EDC. I bought just the front pair. The rears lower by 10mm and the rear sits low enough imo.

I'm in a euro 6 speed car with stock EDC. I just wanted her a touch lower on the front and to maintain my EDC system. I'll get my thoughts up once i've fitted them
 
#9 ·
So I just put on the 29899 springs shipped from Germany, and I love them! A bit of a rake and I like the stance where the front and rear gap look similar. As others said it somehow feels smoother than stock, but is firm when it needs to be. Spent hours researching the best springs, and this is everything I wanted. The drop is definitely different from the drop I see on the 50413 springs.

The springs I took off were actually 29579, and were on an M5 that didn't have SLS! You can imagine what a problem that'd be for the rear). Weird thing was, the car was pretty slammed up front, where the front tires slightly tucked underneath the fender. I understand the rear sagging, but the front springs don't cut, so not sure why it's so low up front.



Interested to know how it works out, and whether the front sits low.
 
#8 ·
50413 is also specced for the V8 cars--and I found the drop to be less than the 535i/540i drop, which has nothing to do with the M5's weight but rather the fact that the M5 is lower from the factory, as 6stang9 pointed out. Avoid the Billie Sports for sure, they are crash-y on most chassis I've tried them on (apparently insufficient low-speed damping). The HD are fine ride-wise, but Koni is best IMHO.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I snapped a picture yesterday, was meaning to do a bigger post about the car (a recent acquisition, so my Alpine will be going up for sale) so will get a pic of soon. As Mottati said, the 50413's I've seen drop the M5 more in both the front and rear. There's more of a rake since the front's dropped a lot more, and it looks like the Vogtlands except with maybe .5" more clearance.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I guess I didn't take many profile photos of the set-up (probably because I wanted the front lower, ha), but here's an ugly one on the 50413s/Billy HD (SLS delete, obvi). At least the vantage point is low enough to gauge ride height. I was happy with the ride and handling.




Then this is "stock" with SLS delete (using 535i rear springs), totally different lighting but you can peep the large front fender gap (even with slightly oversized front tires):

 
#16 ·
It was very comfortable. HDs have the same spring rate as Sports, but a full-length shock body that won't bottom out as easily. I have never liked Sports on any '90s BMW chassis (bottom-out city), but the HD and Touring are fine.

Still prefer Konis, but I found a great deal on fresh used rear Billies and new fronts.

I'm coil-overed now and happier than ever, FWIW.
 
#23 ·
Interesting feedback from H&R Customer Support in Germany. They confirmed the 29579 and 29579-1 kits use the same spring, although 29579-1 have not been tested on SLS equipped cars for TUV compliance, hence they have to state they’re not compatible. Otherwise they are essentially the same spring, rating, length etc.
 
#25 · (Edited)
“Good morning,

29579 and 29579-1 are exactly the same springs!
In the USA they call them 29579 while over here at our headquarter, we always have a “-1” or similar attached”

[Regarding my ongoing query about fitting M5 rear SLS compliant springs to my SLS equipped 525i:]

“The E34 sedan without self levelling uses the shortest front springs out of the E34 range when it comes to free length but the longest for the rear, so all other springs – be it E34 Touring or M5 –springs which may lead to not enough pretension on the sedan rear axle, so the springs sit too loose in the spring seats.
Additionally, the E34 without self levelling uses the highest spring rate on the front but lowest spring rate on the rear compared to the others with 35 N/mm front and 30 N/mm rear (Touring with self-levelling: 33 + 35 N/mm and M5: 22 + 36 N/mm) – which are the measurements of our springs, not the original ones (29672-1 for the sedan, 29888-1 for the Touring and 29579-1 for the M5).
E34 sedan using linear springs while the Touring with self levelling and the M5 use progressive springs.

The test lengths/ lengths under load also vary (due to production secret I cannot give numbers, sorry). For the front springs the difference between the three sets is not too big when it comes to length under load and thus lowering amount (~ 10-15mm) but on the rear the difference is a lot bigger with the M5 rear springs being more than 30 mm shorter under load compared to the E34 sedan spring and about 25mm shorter than the E34 Touring self levelling rear spring.

All of this data only refers to our springs and only to the E34 sedan without self levelling as mentioned.
Due to no data on the sedan rear spring with self levelling it is hard to tell what the solution may be here to be honest.
With the Touring spring, the front will only lower by ~ 15-20 mm, no idea what will happen to the rear.
With the M5 spring, the front will possibly lower by ~ 30 -40 mm, no idea what will happen on the rear.

It´s not much help, I know, but nevertheless I hope it helps at least a bit”

[In relation to trying a non-M5 touring SLS spring on a saloon]:
“we never tested the “normal” E34 sedans with self levelling either, only the Touring with 29888-1.
Due to the different loads / weight differences and the rest of the technical data of the spring, this spring (29888-1) would raise the rear of the M5 by at least 25-30 mm, so no good idea”
 
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