H&R Sport Springs + Dinan Bumpstops
Got the H&R springs as a gift from my wife but I didn’t have the opportunity to install them until the last week of April. I wanted to wait and see if they would “settle” after a few days-weeks of driving, though I have not noticed any change in terms of ride height. All in all, it’s been a good two months since getting them on and so far I’ve been pleased with the results.
To keep it short, the handling has improved a little bit… nothing mind blowing when it comes to dynamics, but every bit of driving when it comes to turning/stopping feels better and a tiny bit sharper. This IS an SUV so you can’t outrun weight and physics but I’ll take it. I’m sure if you want the best in terms of handling, get KW V3s, but for my use case, these springs will fit me just fine.
If anything, what surprised me the most was how much the ride has improved. I felt the OEM suspension wasn’t uncomfortable, but can get unsettling at specific times. Something with the OEM adaptive shocks that don’t match that well with the OEM spring rate. In comfort mode, the chassis can get bouncy at times (especially in dips) and in Sport and Sport+, the car would crash over bumps more often than not. With the H&R springs, I can feel that the springs/suspension is firmer, yet the ride has become more controllable. Dips don’t toss my kids in the back and bumps are easily more managed with less of that crashing “the strut has exploded” type feeling. Definitely more livable and useable on the street than the OEM setup which is crazy to me, and I always found that the OEM springs were already comfortable enough.
Maybe the Dinan bump stops contributed to the ride as well? I dunno. The bump stops were basically insurance for me. I probably didn’t *need* to use them, but having that extra bit of travel in the strut and not having to ride the OEM bump stops on lowered springs was peace of mind for me and an absolute no brainer. On my older cars, I’ve driven on lowered springs without changing the bump stops and had less than favorable results. Lessen learned and I’m glad these are available for the F97/F98 platform.
I’ve done a poor job showing the differences in terms of ride height, but the changes can easily be seen in person. Both the wife in the passenger seat and my kid in the back say they both feel like they’re sitting lower in the car and noticed the change immediately.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
