H&R Sport vs Super Sport Springs on the G80 M3 and G82 M4: Which Drop Should You Buy?

The G80 M3 and G82 M4 leave the factory with a lot of air in the front wheel arches. Even on the Competition models the nose sits visibly higher than the tail, and the first thing most owners want to fix is that stance. H&R makes two fixed lowering springs for these cars, the Sport and the Super Sport, both run on the stock Adaptive M dampers, both cost the same from us, and the whole decision comes down to how far you want to drop and whether you want to drop the rear at all.

This guide compares the two on the numbers that matter: the real drop figures for each chassis and drivetrain, how each rides on the adaptive dampers, what happens to rake, camber and clearance, which part fits which car (the Super Sport is a sedan only part, which surprises people), and what owners who have lived with each one say. We are an authorized H&R dealer and sell both, so we have no reason to steer you to one over the other.

Drop figures come from H&R's own application listings and product announcements. Owner experiences are paraphrased from G80 Bimmerpost and BMWBLOG's feature cars, with the forum named and no usernames.

H&R springs for the G80 M3 and G82 M4

Made in Germany, progressive rate, limited lifetime warranty, and they keep the factory Adaptive M dampers. We are an authorized H&R dealer. In stock springs ship fast.

G80 M3 RWD · 1.2 in front, 0.4 in rearH&R Sport Springs, 28616-1$509.15View springs →G80 M3 RWD · 1.4 in front, 1.0 in rearH&R Super Sport Springs, 50496-77$509.15View springs →G82 M4 RWD · 1.2 in front, 1.2 in rearH&R Sport Springs, 28616-2$509.15View springs →G80 M3 xDrive · 1.4 in front, 0.6 in rearH&R Super Sport Springs, 50498-77$509.15View springs →

Shop H&R Springs for the G80 and G82

The Short Answer

• You want the car level and a touch lower, with the closest thing to stock ride: Sport springs. On the G80 sedan they drop the front 1.2 inches and the rear 0.4, which mostly erases the factory nose up stance.
• You want the arches filled all round and a lower, more planted look: Super Sport springs. On the rear drive G80 they drop 1.4 front and 1.0 rear.
• You have a G82 M4 coupe: the Sport spring is the choice, rated at about 1.2 inches front and rear, because H&R does not list a Super Sport for the coupe.
• You have an xDrive: both springs exist for the G80 xDrive, with the Super Sport dropping less in the rear (about 0.6) than on the rear drive car.
• You want to set the height yourself: skip both and look at H&R's VTF adjustable springs or a KW HAS kit.

The Numbers, Chassis by Chassis

H&R rates every spring by approximate front and rear drop, and on these cars the figures differ by body style and drivetrain, so check your car against the table rather than against a photo of someone else's. All figures are H&R's and are approximate; actual drop varies a little with options and how the car has settled.

H&R's own suggested retail for the Sport spring is $599 a set, so the $509.15 we charge is a real discount, not a sale price that was never the real price. Each set includes four springs and two new bump stops or bushings, and nothing else is needed for the install.

Three things in that table decide most purchases. The Sport spring on the sedan is a leveling spring as much as a lowering spring: 1.2 inches off the front and under half an inch off the back takes the nose up stance out of the G80 without touching the rear much. The Super Sport drops the rear a full inch on the rear drive sedan, which is what gives the car the closed arch look in BMWBLOG's feature cars. And the G82 coupe gets a different Sport spring with an even drop front and rear, because the coupe's rear sits differently to the sedan's.

Sport: Level the Car, Keep the Ride

The Sport spring is H&R's best selling product across every BMW it fits, and on the G80 it does a specific job. The factory car carries about an inch more gap over the front tire than the rear, so a spring that drops the front three times as far as the rear brings the two ends into line. Park a Sport spring car next to a stock one and the difference is obvious from the front three quarter view and almost invisible from directly behind.

Ride is where the Sport spring earns its reputation. The rear spring is close to the factory rate and height, so the back of the car behaves almost exactly as it did, and the front spring is progressive: soft at the start of its travel for small bumps, firmer as it compresses under load. The adaptive dampers keep doing what they did before, with Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus still noticeably different. On G80 Bimmerpost one owner with Sport springs said the look was great but that he found the ride quality a step down and was thinking about a front only spring instead, so "close to stock" is not "stock," and if you are sensitive to ride this is the one to buy. Our H&R vs Eibach guide covers the front only option he was weighing.

Pick the Sport spring if you daily the car on rough roads, if you want the stance fixed without announcing it, or if you plan to run wider wheels or spacers later and want clearance in hand.

Super Sport: Lower All Round

H&R describes the Super Sport as the Sport spring with more drop, and that is the right way to think about it. Same progressive design, same 54SiCr6 spring steel, same shot peening and powder coat, same German production and same limited lifetime warranty, but 1.4 inches off the front and a full inch off the rear on the rear drive sedan. The result is the look most people picture when they say "lowered G80": arches closed at both ends, the car visibly hunkered without being slammed.

It is also a firmer spring, which is what makes a lower ride height work on factory dampers without running out of travel. On the road that shows up as a little more edge over expansion joints and a flatter car in fast corners. The adaptive dampers still work and still change character by mode, and H&R tunes the Super Sport to run on them. On G80 Bimmerpost an owner running Super Sports on a Competition xDrive daily reported being very happy with both the stance and the ride quality, which is the common verdict; the owners who find it too much are usually the ones who wanted the Sport spring's ride and bought the lower spring for the look.

BMWBLOG has featured two G80s on the Super Sport, both paired with H&R TRAK+ spacers, and both articles make the same point: the drop closes the wheel gap, the spacers push the wheels out to the new fender line, and the two together give the car the finished look that neither does alone. If you are planning spacers, size them after the springs settle, and read our H&R wheel bolt guide before you order them.

Pick the Super Sport if the look is the point, if you want the rear down as well as the front, and if you have accepted that the ride will be a little firmer than factory.

xDrive Is Different, and So Is the Coupe

Two fitment points catch people out, and both are in H&R's own listings.

xDrive cars get their own springs. The all wheel drive G80 and G82 carry a front differential and driveshafts, sit on different factory springs and have a different weight split, so H&R makes the Sport in two versions for each body (28616-1 and 28616-3 for the sedan, 28616-2 and 28616-4 for the coupe) and the Super Sport in two versions for the sedan (50496-77 and 50498-77). The rear drive springs do not fit an xDrive and vice versa. Notice that the xDrive Super Sport is rated at about 0.6 inch in the rear against 1.0 on the rear drive car; the all wheel drive sedan sits a little lower in the back to start with and H&R has not tried to drop it further.

The G82 coupe has no Super Sport. H&R's application listing for the M4 Coupe shows two springs: the Sport (28616-2) at about 1.2 inches front and rear, and the VTF adjustable spring. If you want a G82 lower than the Sport spring takes it, the VTF is H&R's answer, or a KW HAS kit, which our KW HAS guide covers. It is also worth noting that the coupe's Sport spring drops the rear three times as far as the sedan's does, so a G82 on Sport springs ends up closer to a G80 on Super Sports than the names suggest.

What Changes Besides the Height

• Alignment. A four wheel alignment after install is mandatory on either spring. Lowering adds negative camber and changes toe at both ends, and toe is what wears tires. The factory adjustment will bring toe back; how much camber it can pull back depends on the drop, and on a Super Sport car expect to run more negative camber than stock unless you add camber plates or adjustable arms. A little extra front camber is no bad thing on an M car driven hard.
• Electronics. There is nothing to code. The springs change no electronics, the adaptive dampers keep all three modes, and no cancellation module is involved.
• Clearance. Neither spring rubs on factory wheels and tires in the owner reports we have read. Spacers and wider wheels are where rub starts, which is why the BMWBLOG cars used modest 13 to 15 millimeter spacers rather than a wide wheel package. Steep driveways and parking stops are a Super Sport consideration, not a Sport one.
• Settling. New springs settle a few millimeters in the first few hundred miles. Align after that, not the day of the install.
• Dampers. Both springs are designed around the factory adaptive dampers and their stock travel. H&R's dealers have recommended Bilstein sport dampers alongside Sport springs for years on older BMWs, but on a G8x with Adaptive M that advice does not apply; the factory electronic dampers are the intended partner.

What Owners Actually Say

Sport or Super Sport, G80 Bimmerpost. In the thread that asks exactly this question, the owner who answered most directly runs Super Sports on a 2023 Competition xDrive and is very happy with both stance and ride quality. Another member leaning toward Super Sports had ruled out an adjustable spring kit because it looked too low in the rear in install photos, which is the whole reason fixed springs with a known drop still sell: you know what you are getting.

• The look is great, the ride less so, G80 Bimmerpost: an owner on Sport springs said he was happy with the appearance but found the ride quality not all it could be and was considering a front only spring instead. His experience is the useful warning that even the milder spring is a change you will feel on a car that already rides firmly.
• A more premium rear, G80 Bimmerpost: another member preferred a competitor's kit for ride comfort because of its helper spring in the rear. Fair comment; H&R's answer to that buyer is the VTF spring, not the Sport or Super Sport.
• Finished with spacers, BMWBLOG: a Dravit Grey G80 and a Rosso Corsa G80 were both lowered on Super Sports and fitted with TRAK+ spacers, and both write ups land on the same conclusion: the springs fix the arch gap, the spacers fix the wheel position, and the car finally sits the way the bodywork suggests it should.
• Alignment questions, G80 Bimmerpost: prospective buyers asking whether they need to worry about alignment after a spring swap were told yes, every time. Expect it as part of the cost.

Mistakes We See

• Buying the sedan Super Sport for a coupe. It is a G80 part. The G82 gets the Sport spring or the VTF.
• Ordering rear drive springs for an xDrive. The part numbers differ for a reason. Check the last digit against your drivetrain.
• Expecting the Sport spring to drop the rear. On the sedan it takes 0.4 inch off the back. If the rear arch gap is what bothers you, the Super Sport is the spring.
• Skipping the alignment. Toe change from a drop eats a set of rear tires fast on an M car.
• Ordering spacers before the springs settle. Measure the lowered car, not the stock one.
• Buying springs when you want adjustability. If you are going to argue with yourself about an extra quarter inch, buy the VTF or a HAS kit and stop arguing.

Who Should Skip Both

If you track the car seriously, fixed lowering springs on factory dampers are a stance upgrade, not a handling package, and the money is better spent on coilovers with matched damping; our coilovers vs springs guide and KW V3 vs DDC guide go through that choice. If you want to set the height to the millimeter, buy the VTF or a HAS kit. And if your G80 or G82 is a lease you will hand back, remember that the factory springs have to go back in.

If It Were Our Car

G80 sedan, daily driven, rough roads: Sport springs. Level the car, keep the ride, align it after it settles.

G80 sedan, the look matters, garage kept or decent roads: Super Sport springs, then 12 to 15 millimeter spacers once it has settled, measured on the car.

G80 xDrive: same logic, with the xDrive part numbers, and with the knowledge that the Super Sport leaves the rear a little higher than on the rear drive car.

G82 coupe: Sport springs, which already drop the rear as far as the sedan's Super Sport does. VTF if you want more.

We are an authorized dealer for H&R and every brand we carry, and in stock springs ship fast. Please read our refund policy before ordering and confirm your drivetrain and body style first, because installed springs cannot come back.

Shop H&R Sport and Super Sport Springs

The Bottom Line

Both H&R springs for the G80 and G82 run on the factory Adaptive M dampers, cost $509.15 a set and are built the same way; the difference is how far they drop and where. The Sport spring levels the G80 sedan with 1.2 inches off the front and 0.4 off the rear and stays closest to the factory ride. The Super Sport takes 1.4 and 1.0 on the rear drive sedan, or 1.4 and 0.6 on the xDrive, for the fully lowered look at the cost of a firmer ride. The G82 coupe gets only the Sport spring, which drops it 1.2 inches at both ends, and anyone who wants to choose the height should buy the VTF instead. Whichever you pick, match the part number to your drivetrain and book the alignment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do H&R Sport springs lower a G80 M3?

H&R rates the Sport spring (28616-1 for rear drive, 28616-3 for xDrive) at about 1.2 inches in front and 0.4 inch in the rear on the G80 M3 and M3 Competition. The uneven drop is deliberate: the G80 sits visibly higher in front from the factory, and the Sport spring levels the car more than it lowers it.

How much do H&R Super Sport springs lower a G80 M3?

About 1.4 inches in front and 1.0 inch in the rear on the rear drive M3 and M3 Competition (50496-77). The xDrive version (50498-77) is rated at about 1.4 inches in front and 0.6 inch in the rear, because the all wheel drive car carries more weight over the front axle and sits differently to begin with.

Do H&R springs work with the G80 and G82 Adaptive M suspension?

Yes. Both the Sport and Super Sport springs are designed to run on the factory adaptive dampers with no coding, no cancellation module and no change to the Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus damper modes. You keep the electronic damping and change only the spring.

Is there an H&R Super Sport spring for the G82 M4 coupe?

Not in H&R's catalog at the time we checked its application listing. The G82 M4 gets the Sport spring (28616-2 rear drive, 28616-4 xDrive), rated at about 1.2 inches front and rear, and the VTF adjustable spring for owners who want more. The Super Sport is a G80 sedan part.

Will H&R Sport or Super Sport springs rub on a G80 M3?

Not on factory wheels and tires at either drop in the owner reports we have read. Rubbing on these cars comes from spacers and wider wheels combined with a drop, so if you plan spacers, size them for the lowered ride height and expect to roll fenders before you expect to fit anything aggressive.

Do I need an alignment after installing H&R springs?

Yes, a four wheel alignment, and it is not optional. Lowering a G8x adds negative camber and changes toe at both ends. The alignment brings toe back into spec and sets camber where the factory adjustment allows; if you want to dial camber back to stock on a Super Sport drop, budget for camber plates or adjustable arms.

Which rides better, H&R Sport or Super Sport?

The Sport spring is the closer match to factory ride, because it changes the rear spring the least. The Super Sport is a firmer spring with a lower ride height, so there is less travel and a little more edge on broken pavement, though the progressive rate and the adaptive dampers keep it well short of harsh. Owners on Bimmerpost run the gamut: some find even the Sport spring a step down in comfort, others run Super Sports on an xDrive daily and call the ride excellent.

Should I buy H&R springs or a KW HAS kit or VTF springs for my G80?

Buy fixed springs if you know the look you want and the price matters. The Sport and Super Sport cost $509.15 a set. Buy H&R's VTF adjustable springs ($1,422 to $1,512) or a KW HAS kit if you want to set the height yourself or fine tune rake, since both keep the factory dampers and let you adjust ride height at each corner.