Paint or not, lower or not?

[ClintonM3]

Are these mods worth my money? Please respond with your opinion. BTW, thanks for voting before, on my wheels, the winner - SSR GT3 in silver.

Side moldings.
Pro-paint
1. Unique
2. May look cleaner, newer

Against-paint
1. May look worse
2. May look rice
3. May chip
4. Less a few hundred bucks, could have spent else where.


Lower with Coilover. (Seems like the only choice for cabrio)
Pro-lowering
1. Looks cool
2. Handles better
3. Last longer (than stock sping and shocks)

Against- lowering
1. Cost ( at least a grand)
2. Existing stock ride height
3. Won't be able to use coilover's potential, cause I don't track my car often.

[DINANFIVE]

id say paint, then stonegaurd the painted areas, and lowering springs if you just want it to be lowered.
i would do something along those lines if i were in you shoes

[BMW_DINAN]

it looks great now

i wouldnt change a thing

[Incredible-Vick]

It looks good now, but the main thing you should do is lower it

[///M3Driver]

Lower it. I'd get springs though.....I've had both (Eibach on a Bimmer, and Skunk2 coilovers on a Honda) and the springs had a nicer ride to them.

[matthew-m]

It depends. I originally would have said lower it, but now the ride absolutely sucks after 15,000 miles! Stock parts last much longer. If you don't mind replacing components so soon go ahead and lower it. IMO the side moldings are something you sould try to see before it is done. Try modifying the photo in Paintshop or something to give you a better idea of the finished look. Good luck!

[BMW_DINAN]

Originally posted by matthew-m
It depends. I originally would have said lower it, but now the ride absolutely sucks after 15,000 miles! Stock parts last much longer. If you don't mind replacing components so soon go ahead and lower it. IMO the side moldings are something you sould try to see before it is done. Try modifying the photo in Paintshop or something to give you a better idea of the finished look. Good luck!

whats wrong with your suspension?

[CMT]

While I have come to the unfortunate crossroads of also painting my moldings, it is only because I am sick of dressing them up every three days. I honestly think that body-colored moldings looks sissy/effeminate on Estoril, which is a color that needs the black perimeter strip to break it up. I considered painting them black, which would yield the stock look, but then I go right back to the matter of "why bother painting them at all if you aren't changing anything."

But I cannot stand it when my moldings start looking like ass after the end of the three day run. I have had enough, and if it drives me to do something I would rather not do, then so be it.

As for suspension, my vote is for coilovers. You can adjust the ride height to be close to stock, and the ride on my H&Rs is amazingly factory, and quite surprisingly supple over bumps and rough pavement, while still making the car razor sharp in a corner. It is true that a spring/shock combo is less expensive, but I wanted a matched spring/shock combo on my car that you can only get with a coilover setup. My ride after 30,000+ miles has not deteriorated one bit, and I have the car on its lowest setting in front and almost all the way down in back.

This is its ride height while driving:



In my .sig, I had yet to drop it down all the way when the picture was taken:

[Suneal]

I also have mixed feelings about painted moldings; they look pretty good, but Estoril looks good without them also. If you want to spend the money on them, do it.
And get the coilovers

[matthew-m]

Originally posted by BMW_DINAN
whats wrong with your suspension?

Well I have a lowered car in an agricultural area, so the ride is very rough on uneven pavement and I feel every bump and pothole on every type of surface. It wasn't like this for the first 10k miles, but with another 15k miles the ride has deteriated greatly. I went with Eibach springs and dampers, thinking I would get the possible advantage of a matched spring/shock like a coilover, but that hasn't happened since I replaced the shock mounts.
Oh well, I do get to drive some of the best back roads in California, and they are all within 60 miles of home!

[Potter]

The moldings i could go either way on, they both look good, depends what you wanna go for more, the STOCK look or the nice plain look!
HOWEVER, with the suspension, COILOVERS are a MUST, just cause its such a good thing to be able to control your ride height, and depending on which coilovers you get (H&R OR BILSTEIN) they will last you as long as you need them!!

[Yuriy]

Lower it But not too much. Just about a half a Inch. no more cause then it wont look to good when racing. Dont paint leave it how it is