Gearpuller

Installed a set of DRM Bilsteins and a new set of MPSS tires. I measured the ride height before I did any work or installing the tires and found the car is now 1/2 inch higher on all four corners (after a 10 mile test drive). I would figure I would gain a 1/4 inch of height just due to the tires (wore the old set down to the wear bars).

I am wondering if any one else has run into this. If it is normal I will just lower it a little and recheck the alignment has I had planned on lowering a little anyway.

AzDave47

Not the DRM's, but when I installed the Bilstein Sports, my ride height dropped 1/4" with the same tires on the car.

meanjoe

I'm curious to find out how a non load bearing shock absorber can change something like ride height? I can for sure see that happening with a coil over but regular shocks don't bear any load, they just control the spring.

MTPZ06

I'm guessing its all in the tire...did you stick with stock 275/325 sizes or did you go up to 285/345? Also, it can take a bit of time for the car to settle back in after being in the air.


I agree...but funny enough, a few weeks of driving after my DRM install years back, my car sat exactly 1/8" lower. I measure my car at the jacking points for ground clearance BTW...not the fender wells. My personal hypothesis is just that improved progressive dampening of the DRM's allowed more suspension travel/articulation that the very stiff OE shocks...and the springs actually settled in some. Over time, the springs will settle over the life of the car...so my theory is certainly plausible, buts its only a theory.

C5 Hardtop

What tires did you have with your baseline measurement and what was the tread depth?

Gearpuller

Stayed with the stock size. Agree with driving more to see if it sittles down. Has I got done with the test drive (last Friday ) the rain as began and has not stopped yet, don't mind driving it in the rain just don't see the need at this point.

Dirty Howie

My previous Z06 was obviously lower, more than 1/4 inch with install of DRM. This surprised me but I was happy with the look. When I questioned this (about 5-6 years ago) many other members noticed the same thing and I believe Randy acknowledged it too.


DH

0Randy@DRM

Here are my thoughts on this. I have heard it lowers, raises, or stays the same. 1/2 inch sounds like a tire issue or not enough time to settle down. I would give it a couple days before lowering it to your desired ride height.

Randy

Nowanker

Can't speak specifically to the DRM 'steins, but in the BMW world it's typical for Bilstiens to raise the car ~1/4". Very repeatable, and used them instead of Konis to fine tune ride height for customers wanting sport springs but not QUITE that low.
'High pressure gas shocks'

Gearpuller

After putting on 250 miles I rechecked the height and found the front had settled down 1/4 inch and the rear 1/4-3/8 inch.

The ride is so much better, some due to the tires but mostly the shocks. Doesn't hit the road bumps has hard and the rebound seams more controlled. I do not track this car (road race or drag) but may try some auto cross later this year.

My feelings about the MPSS's death wobble tires that were on it had the sidewalls going away cause the tires wore to evenly across the tread to be any kind of belt separation. But that just speculation on my part.

AzDave47

As far as I know, M has not disclosed what the specific problem was that caused the death wobble in some of the PSS tires.

Z2Z

PSS death wobble?

I just had new PSS' put on my car and now it seems to have an almost rhythmic on/off shake in the steering. Is this what people mean? The car has been aligned 3 times to try and correct this issue.

Also, I just installed DRMs last weekend. I was hoping they would help with the above issue. I did not do any measuring but my car is definitely sitting higher than it was. I no longer scrape on the speed bump when entering my community.

AzDave47

I never experienced it, so you may want to use search.

I have had a couple of times with several brands of tires where I'd get what you describe as a rythemic vibration. It was ultimately corrected by wheel balance, not alignment. Even some shops that I use regularly had to rebalance before that vibration went away.

The death wobble is more associated with high speed (over 100 mph) and created quite a bit of instability. I've been to 196 MPH on my PSS and not experienced that feeling. M has usually been good about replacing the tires. There has not been a new case reported here and I was thinking it was a construction problem with a batch of Z06 PSS from a couple years ago.

jb78L-82

I do have the DRM Bilsteins on my Z06 but did not notice a difference in ride height but I can tell you for certain from personal experience that any high pressure gas shock/strut can change the ride easily if the pressures are not exactly the same between the replacement shock and new shock. As you know the Bilstein shocks, DRM or not, come tied down due to the extreme high pressure they are under. I did notice that the pressure on the OEM shocks was NOT as great as the DRM bilsteins which can easily change the ride height by a 1/4-1/2 inch.

I have experienced this phenomenon numerous times over the years, most recently with my Chrysler 300 when I replaced the OEM sach shocks/struts with Bilsteins and on my daughters grand prix replacing OEM struts with Police/Taxi struts...very common....Same thing on my 78 C3 corvette with Bilstein Sports in the rear...raised by 1/2 inch

Les

The death wobble makes the car feel like it's rapidly transferring weight from one side to another in the rear. If you picture somebody rapidly jumping from one foot to another repeatedly, it feels alot like that. Scary as hell at high speed.