E36 M3 EVO upgrades

[AM-BM]

CRACKIE said:

Progress report on work carried out so far. All results are relative to original factory spec. with 73K mile suspension and 30K mile bushes.
1. Eibach Pro Kit springs. Result ~ Lowered the car further than the expected 25mm front and 15mm rear. Car feels much tighter & less "floaty" even using original old shocks. 7/10

2. Eibach anti roll bars ( front set to hard & rear set to soft ). Result ~ Big big stability improvement particulary with fast direction changes, roundabouts. 8/10

3. OMP front strut brace. Result ~ hard to identify the contribution of strut brace alone because it was fitted at same time as ARBs. Edit ~ Removed and then replaced the brace to to check it's effect. Very little difference and then only noticeable when driving like you stole it. 2/10. Do X-brace first.

4. Braided clutch hose ( from Bexley ). Result ~ Big improvement with much lighter action and higher biting point. 8/10

5. Goodridge braided brake lines, DOT 5.1 fluid & Black Diamond pads. Result Hoses ~ Firmer pedal with improved feel. Pads ~ Quick to warm up, powerful, a bit noisy, low brake dust. Braided lines 6/10 Pads 6/10

6. Simota induction Kit, Supersprint Cat back & Remap at Evolve. Work carried out on 21st April. Result ~ 299BHP pre mods, 307 after induction Kit, 309 after induction and exhaust, 319 after induction, exhaust and map. All positive from a driving point of view:- part throttle response, mid range torque, top end power all much improved. Over 4K revs the car feels very quick, equal to E46 if not quicker. Only downside is slightly increased fuel consumption, maybe 1 mpg but I'm putting that down to me using the extra power every time the engine's up to temp 9/10

7. Eccentric Front bushes. Better response about the straight ahead and much better turn in 8/10. Rear trailling arm bushes. Back end better over broken surfaces, doesn't "sidestep" as much. 7/10

8. Bilstein B6 dampers. Too soft for track work but I think ideal for driving I do on the shocking roads in and around Huntingdon Increased the ride height by 10~15mm relative to original 73K mile shocks. 8/10.

9. Lower X brace. Much sharper turn in ~ steering now feels 15K miles old now not 73K. 7/10

10. Geometry setup. Icing on the cake. 8/10

Still to do........
11. Rogue rear top shock mounts. Brand new standard spec mounts couldn't cope with the extra loads, from the uprated suspension, after only 10 miles of "enthusiastic" driving in the Yorkshire Dales !!!!
12. Check & set up the valve clearances.
13. Steering rack from Z3 or E46 Compact. No hurry now geometry sorted.
14. Front seats that grip better than Vadars and don't weigh 33Kg each !!
15. Lightweight flywheel & clutch.

Maybe........
16. Lightweight 18" alloys. ( vanity really )

Edited by CRACKIE on Friday 24th October 10:13

CRACKIE, have you got some rough prices on these bits you did. Looking to do similar to my'n.
Did you use Bexleys for all this?

[Cactussed]

Maybe its just me, but the best mod I have done by far is fitting some HID bulbs.
I can now see where the hell I'm going....

[CRACKIE]

AM-BM said:

CRACKIE said:

Progress report on work carried out so far. All results are relative to original factory spec. with 73K mile suspension and 30K mile bushes.
1. Eibach Pro Kit springs. Result ~ Lowered the car further than the expected 25mm front and 15mm rear. Car feels much tighter & less "floaty" even using original old shocks. 7/10

2. Eibach anti roll bars ( front set to hard & rear set to soft ). Result ~ Big big stability improvement particulary with fast direction changes, roundabouts. 8/10

3. OMP front strut brace. Result ~ hard to identify the contribution of strut brace alone because it was fitted at same time as ARBs. Edit ~ Removed and then replaced the brace to to check it's effect. Very little difference and then only noticeable when driving like you stole it. 2/10. Do X-brace first.

4. Braided clutch hose ( from Bexley ). Result ~ Big improvement with much lighter action and higher biting point. 8/10

5. Goodridge braided brake lines, DOT 5.1 fluid & Black Diamond pads. Result Hoses ~ Firmer pedal with improved feel. Pads ~ Quick to warm up, powerful, a bit noisy, low brake dust. Braided lines 6/10 Pads 6/10

6. Simota induction Kit, Supersprint Cat back & Remap at Evolve. Work carried out on 21st April. Result ~ 299BHP pre mods, 307 after induction Kit, 309 after induction and exhaust, 319 after induction, exhaust and map. All positive from a driving point of view:- part throttle response, mid range torque, top end power all much improved. Over 4K revs the car feels very quick, equal to E46 if not quicker. Only downside is slightly increased fuel consumption, maybe 1 mpg but I'm putting that down to me using the extra power every time the engine's up to temp 9/10

7. Eccentric Front bushes. Better response about the straight ahead and much better turn in 8/10. Rear trailling arm bushes. Back end better over broken surfaces, doesn't "sidestep" as much. 7/10

8. Bilstein B6 dampers. Too soft for track work but I think ideal for driving I do on the shocking roads in and around Huntingdon Increased the ride height by 10~15mm relative to original 73K mile shocks. 8/10.

9. Lower X brace. Much sharper turn in ~ steering now feels 15K miles old now not 73K. 7/10

10. Geometry setup. Icing on the cake. 8/10

11. Rogue Engineering rear top shock mounts. IMHO A must do mod if you have a car with original spec mounts. The Rogue mounts tie down the "vague" rear end over humps and bumps. Much better at putting power down out of slow corners and junctions too. Brand new standard spec mounts couldn't cope with the extra loads from uprated suspension after only 10 miles of "enthusiastic" driving in the Yorkshire Dales !!!! 9/10.

Still to do........
12. Check & set up the valve clearances.
13. Steering rack from Z3 or E46 Compact. No hurry now geometry sorted.
14. Front seats that grip better than Vadars and don't weigh 33Kg each !!
15. Lightweight flywheel & clutch.

Maybe........
16. Lightweight 18" alloys. ( vanity really )


CRACKIE, have you got some rough prices on these bits you did. Looking to do similar to my'n.
Did you use Bexleys for all this?

Hi AM-BM, Will post part costs / sources + fitting labour prices later today if poss. Got to find receipts first

Edited by CRACKIE on Wednesday 21st January 13:58

[CRACKIE]

Suppliers in brackets ~ most prices from mid 2008 when work was done.
1. Eibach Pro Kit E2059-140 springs. ( Bexley ) £191.00
2. Eibach anti roll bars E2033-320. ( Bexley ) £269.00
3. OMP front strut brace MA/1742. ( E-Bay ) £106.00
4. Braided clutch hose ( Bexley ). £56.00
5. Goodridge braided brake lines ( E-Bay ) £68.00
+ Black Diamond pads. ( C3BMW ) £103.00
6. Simota induction Kit, Supersprint Cat back & Remap ( Evolve / EVO-S ). £1218. fitted. ( £1098 for parts + £120 fitting from memory )
7. Eccentric Front bushes. ( Bensten Motors ) £23.00
8. Bilstein B6 dampers. ( CA Automotive ) £490.00
9. Lower X brace. ( CA Automotive ) £95.00
10. Geometry setup. ( Bensten Motors ) £125.00
11. Rogue rear top shock mounts. ( Evolve / EVO-S ) £95.00

Cost of parts £ 2662 and cost for fitting was £515 so total = £3177. I was very lucky with labour rate for fitting @ only £20/hour !!!

Edited by CRACKIE on Friday 13th March 10:23

[AM-BM]

Cactussed said:

Maybe its just me, but the best mod I have done by far is fitting some HID bulbs.
I can now see where the hell I'm going....

Did you have a full xennon upgrade or just the bulbs?

[AM-BM]

CRACKIE said:

Suppliers in brackets ~ most prices from mid last year when work was done.
1. Eibach Pro Kit E2059-140 springs. ( Bexley ) £191.00
2. Eibach anti roll bars E2033-320. ( Bexley ) £269.00
3. OMP front strut brace MA/1742. ( E-Bay ) £106.00
4. Braided clutch hose ( Bexley ). £56.00
5. Goodridge braided brake lines ( E-Bay ) £68.00
+ Black Diamond pads. ( 3BMW ) £103.00
6. Simota induction Kit, Supersprint Cat back & Remap ( Evolve / EVO-S ). £1218. fitted. ( £1098 for parts + £120 fitting from memory )
7. Eccentric Front bushes. ( Bensten Motors ) £23.00
8. Bilstein B6 dampers. ( CA Automotive ) £490.00
9. Lower X brace. ( CA Automotive ) £95.00
10. Geometry setup. ( Bensten Motors ) £125.00
11. Rogue rear top shock mounts. ( Evolve / EVO-S ) £95.00

Cost of parts £ 2662 and cost for fitting was £515 = £3177. Please note labour rate for fitting was only £20/hour !!!

Cheers Crackie.

[AM-BM]

Just getting my (suspension) mods prioritised now.

Is it Goodridge for the brake lines only or
Can anyone recommend this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STAINLESS-STEEL-BRAIDED-CLUT...

Edited by AM-BM on Monday 9th March 11:44

[dan101smith]

From memory, some braided clutch hoses come with the wrong fittings - can't remember the exact detail though, sorry.

If you're not sure on that one, easy and cheap enough to get it from BMSport.com - that's where I got mine.

[teabagger]

AM-BM said:

Just getting my (suspension) mods prioritised now.

Is it Goodridge for the brake lines only or
Can anyone recommend this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STAINLESS-STEEL-BRAIDED-CLUT...

Edited by AM-BM on Monday 9th March 11:44

These definitely fit. I bought from this supplier. good service.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-M3-E36-6-Line-Goodridge-...

[dan101smith]

You can get them from GSF for that sort of price.

AM-BM - you know your link earlier was for a clutch hose, not brake lines?

[AM-BM]

dan101smith said:

You can get them from GSF for that sort of price.

AM-BM - you know your link earlier was for a clutch hose, not brake lines?

Yes, was wondering if people used Goodridge for clutch hose or not?

[CRACKIE]

AM-BM said:

dan101smith said:

You can get them from GSF for that sort of price.

AM-BM - you know your link earlier was for a clutch hose, not brake lines?

Yes, was wondering if people used Goodridge for clutch hose or not?

Not sure who Bexley use to manufacture their Clutch hoses but quality was great; could be a Goodridge item anyway. Relatively easy to fit too.

[rampz]

i recently bought the clutch hose from bexley, it is a goodridge hose. will post a pic up later

[unzippy]

Mine from Bexleys;

[dan101smith]

unzippy said:

Mine from Bexleys;

Must be a cheap copy - the logo's on upside down.

[AM-BM]

Cheers, looks like thats the one then!

Anyone have any opinions on this suspension kit?
Probably not after coilovers as I drive it every day and still need it relatively supple.
Otherwise thining of Eibach springs and Koni sport shocks (same shocks as in link). Don't want to spend loads as it's not a track car.

http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/ca...

[mat205125]

CRACKIE said:

10. Geometry setup. ( Bensten Motors ) £125.00

What settings did they aim to get the car to?

Was this a simple laser alignment to adjust the tracking, etc, or a proper motorsport corner weight adjustment?

[CRACKIE]

mat205125 said:

CRACKIE said:

10. Geometry setup. ( Bensten Motors ) £125.00

What settings did they aim to get the car to?

Was this a simple laser alignment to adjust the tracking, etc, or a proper motorsport corner weight adjustment?

Hello Mat ~ Sorry to say I didn't ask Bensten what they did ~ I asked them to set the car up to get best turn in/least understeer possible whilst keeping tyre wear sensible. Front end is great and 8k miles on front tyre wear is low and even over full tread width. I'm sure it wasn't corner weighted but I'll speak with them and find out the camber and toe in used and post ASAP.

[mat205125]

Thanks Crackie. I'd be interested to know how extreme they went with from toe/camber/castor to give improved turn in, yet maintain accepable tyre life

[JamesK]

CRACKIE said:

Suppliers in brackets ~ most prices from mid last year when work was done.
1. Eibach Pro Kit E2059-140 springs. ( Bexley ) £191.00
2. Eibach anti roll bars E2033-320. ( Bexley ) £269.00
3. OMP front strut brace MA/1742. ( E-Bay ) £106.00
4. Braided clutch hose ( Bexley ). £56.00
5. Goodridge braided brake lines ( E-Bay ) £68.00
+ Black Diamond pads. ( C3BMW ) £103.00
6. Simota induction Kit, Supersprint Cat back & Remap ( Evolve / EVO-S ). £1218. fitted. ( £1098 for parts + £120 fitting from memory )
7. Eccentric Front bushes. ( Bensten Motors ) £23.00
8. Bilstein B6 dampers. ( CA Automotive ) £490.00
9. Lower X brace. ( CA Automotive ) £95.00
10. Geometry setup. ( Bensten Motors ) £125.00
11. Rogue rear top shock mounts. ( Evolve / EVO-S ) £95.00

Cost of parts £ 2662 and cost for fitting was £515 so total = £3177. I was very lucky with labour rate for fitting @ only £20/hour !!!

Edited by CRACKIE on Wednesday 21st January 13:51

Brilliant project and post crackie - I am replying to both congratulate you, and to bookmark this for when I pluck up the courage to take on a similar project!