Benz and Bimmer's simply made lower out of the factory ?

Is it just my imagination or are benz and bmw's in general just easier to drop and ride low simply because of the fact that many of them are made low.

I've noticed a lot of C, E and S class benz, bmw 3 series , 5 and 7 series series that can effortlessly and comfortably drive about 1 to 2 inches of tsuraichi (1 to 2 inch distance from fender to wheel lip) . It seems like they don't have to do much to achieve the nice, close to wheel lip look, they simply put on some aftermarket wheels and maybe lower it about 1 to 2 inches.

but with japanese cars like my infiniti's and toyota, we have to lower it a good 4 inches just to get in within 2 inches of tsuraichi.

I remember a few years back when a friend threw on some big lipped 19" hartge's on his 5 series. His 5 was the sport package with slightly lower suspension out of the factory, a simple swap of the wheels and he was already in they money.

is this just my imagination or are german cars just made a bit lower? I know many  german models have sport packages that come with lower suspension.

It's been that way for a while now..but mostly with BMW.

I always noticed this with BMW's too, but lately more MBZ have a decent stance right out of the box.

ya it kinda sucks how we have to go through all the trouble, and there you have joe blow with standard "off the shelf" wheels + standard lowering techniques  sitting really low 1" away from the fenders.

It's nice for the benz owner but kinda sucks for us.

well just looking for wheels on my 528i and I am lucky or in the money .. just gotta get wheels .. 

since its a sport package ... 

ALOT easier than my Gs + bags

what year 528 did u go with ?

it's kinda sad, here we are having to deal with custom suspension parts, tires rubbing the joints, etc.  And there u have the 2005bmw 528/ C class owner, 1 inch away from wheel lip to fender, slammed with nice (although off the shelf) wheels driving away like it was nothing.....one shot deal, bam, done. 



[quote=pxrlex;125977]well just looking for wheels on my 528i and I am lucky or in the money .. just gotta get wheels .. 

since its a sport package ... 

ALOT easier than my Gs + bags[/quote]

Could it possibly be because of the fact that German roads are the shit and they don't need high cars to clear random objects in the roads or worry about potholes as much as we do?

[QUOTE=UrbanTacticz;126014]Could it possibly be because of the fact that German roads are the shit and they don't need high cars to clear random objects in the roads or worry about potholes as much as we do?[/QUOTE]

Yes, but it seems that US spec German cars are lower too.

Do you guys also realize that after you lower it, BMW & Benz ground clearance is higher even though the gap between wheels & fender is the same with Japanese cars?

Ill take reliability and comfort over better stock stance and zing anyday.

I notice this too.  Especially with BMW.  It seems like older gens tuck the rear wheel with just some lowering springs!

[quote=Brandicus;126030]Ill take reliability and comfort over better stock stance and zing anyday.[/quote]
 
i agree...those japanese are great engineers...BMW's are well built and methodically though out but the Benz is a different story...Audi's are built inside out...
 
Whether it's 1" from being low or 3"...still need coilovers or bags...

[QUOTE=kreasims;126029]Do you guys also realize that after you lower it, BMW & Benz ground clearance is higher even though the gap between wheels & fender is the same with Japanese cars?[/QUOTE]

especially the new 5. a 2 inch drop will tuck but the car is still kinda high off the ground. also, i noticed the 550 with the factory 18's is a lot lower than the m5 with 19

At first when i noticed this i was the same as all you guys... "Damn they can get good fitment with minimal drop"
 
Then i thought about it and realised... Sure the fender gap looks good for them, but the car DOESNT LOOK LOW! So in the end it doesnt have the same "Damn that bitch is low" look which vip cars should have.
 
Now i look at them and say "sucks to be you! You cant have the LOOOOOW look, without tucking rim!" I like the fact my car will sit an inch off the ground without tucking rim. But then, i am into the LOW look, not just the fender fitment...

Like someone else noted, they still need coilovers or bags to get low by our standards and suspension parts are just as expensive on those cars.

[quote=widebody_Q;126424]Like someone else noted, they still need coilovers or bags to get low by our standards and suspension parts are just as expensive on those cars.[/quote]
Thats the good news so far. Their suspension parts are much more expensive...

i noticed this as well a couple years ago on the 3 series. after looking at a lot of them and the sport model bnze's, i've come to the conclusion that the fenders are somehow designed lower than ours. suspension travel is the same, overall height from teh ground is the same, but somehow they design the fenders to come down to almost the tire.