Discussion
So just a bit of a summer update...
I mentioned in a previous update I had plans to create slightly 'softer' spring rates for my Ohlins Road and Track kit. Well, I finally got them made by SpringCoil based in Sheffield.
The original Ohlins springs are shown in Yellow, the softer springs are in black.
The approximate spring rates on the softer variant are:
Front: 300lb/in (Ohlins: 400lb/in)
Rear: 500lb/in (Ohlins: 628lb/in)
Welcome everyone, to MGR!
Based in Barnsley (South Yorkshire) MGR is a UK based Ohlins partner headed by Russ Walton along with his brother Darren Walton. They supply and service race winning suspension to all levels of motorsport including the Ginneta and the Mclaren GT3 series.
In the professional racing scene, MGR is well known and has a glowing reputation.
Having arranged the appointment a few weeks ago, I met up with Russ, Darren and their apprentice Jay (a racing driver from South Africa) to have my Ohlins R/T reinstalled with the softer springs.
Russ kindly allowed me to share some pictures with you of the workshop.... so let's take a tour!
^^ Every so often, Ohlins requires all partners to be certified on select product, new and old. MGR is certified for a variety of Ohlins products on both bikes and cars. Russ and his crew head out to Sweden every year to certify and stay current.
^^ The parts bin. Every single component required to build a fresh Ohlins damper is in here. All parts are organised into set locations. It's quite mind blowing to see just how many individual parts go into the damper assembly.
^^ The Ohlins TTX damper. This kind of damper is built for racing teams, eg. Ginetta Cup cars. I held one of them in my hands, I could not believe how light they were!
The TTX is built rather differently to a conventional damper in that the valving (shims) are located in the extrusion at the lower end (near the reservoir). Why? ... well one reason is quicker access to the shims so that valving can be adjusted without having to tear down the entire damper assembly.
Russ shows an example of how quickly he can get to the shims...
^^ The shock dyno - Much like a regular vehicle dyno this equipment reveals the true characteristics of a shock through its compression/rebound cycle. The data is outputted to a graph on a laptop.
^^ My original Ohlins R/T set, after a quick wipe down they still look great!
^^ First screen shows the graph output from the shock dyno as seen earlier. The second screen is bespoke software by Ohlins. This software allows Russ to input a whole range of parameters (eg. Shim sizes). It then generates a simulated characteristic graph representing the rebound/compression cycles at various shaft speeds. Russ can then build/revalve a damper using the data from the software. The damper can then be tested on the shock dyno to confirm it meets the requirements.
^^ Russ rebuilding a TTX damper for a customer.
^^ MGR Support Bus - It's often at race events to provide support for race customers. Revalving and servicing can both be carried out inside.
I owe a special thanks to the team at MGR. They could not have made me feel anymore welcome. They are true gents and go the extra mile to make sure everything is done properly. Should you decide to have your Ohlins kit installed/setup by them be sure to ask Russ about the Barnsley Chilldog - a local delicacy, its epic :roflmao:
http://www.mickgardnerracing.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mick-Gardner-Racing...
The Ohlins are back on, but not everything went according to plan as expected. Due to the soft springs and their length the car sits lower than I wanted. It looks great, but personally from my suspension testing I much prefer a higher ride height... I feel most vehicle suspensions in general work better this way.
The solution is to 'stretch' the softer springs by around 1"inch ... this will raise the height but still allow me to keep the softer rate. The engineers at Springcoil will help with this as they suggested it beforehand.
Russ very kindly booked me in for the spring swap (stretched) and alignment check. Due to their booking schedule that won't happen until October.
As for impressions, it's far too early to say but in general it appears to ride more plusher than the stock springs, so good progress is being made here.
I hope you enjoyed the MGR tour as I did - thanks for reading
Ohlins - Custom Springs
I mentioned in a previous update I had plans to create slightly 'softer' spring rates for my Ohlins Road and Track kit. Well, I finally got them made by SpringCoil based in Sheffield.
The original Ohlins springs are shown in Yellow, the softer springs are in black.
The approximate spring rates on the softer variant are:
Front: 300lb/in (Ohlins: 400lb/in)
Rear: 500lb/in (Ohlins: 628lb/in)
Mick Gardner Racing - Ohlins Distributor and Service Centre
Welcome everyone, to MGR!
Based in Barnsley (South Yorkshire) MGR is a UK based Ohlins partner headed by Russ Walton along with his brother Darren Walton. They supply and service race winning suspension to all levels of motorsport including the Ginneta and the Mclaren GT3 series.
In the professional racing scene, MGR is well known and has a glowing reputation.
Having arranged the appointment a few weeks ago, I met up with Russ, Darren and their apprentice Jay (a racing driver from South Africa) to have my Ohlins R/T reinstalled with the softer springs.
Russ kindly allowed me to share some pictures with you of the workshop.... so let's take a tour!
^^ Every so often, Ohlins requires all partners to be certified on select product, new and old. MGR is certified for a variety of Ohlins products on both bikes and cars. Russ and his crew head out to Sweden every year to certify and stay current.
^^ The parts bin. Every single component required to build a fresh Ohlins damper is in here. All parts are organised into set locations. It's quite mind blowing to see just how many individual parts go into the damper assembly.
^^ The Ohlins TTX damper. This kind of damper is built for racing teams, eg. Ginetta Cup cars. I held one of them in my hands, I could not believe how light they were!
The TTX is built rather differently to a conventional damper in that the valving (shims) are located in the extrusion at the lower end (near the reservoir). Why? ... well one reason is quicker access to the shims so that valving can be adjusted without having to tear down the entire damper assembly.
Russ shows an example of how quickly he can get to the shims...
^^ The shock dyno - Much like a regular vehicle dyno this equipment reveals the true characteristics of a shock through its compression/rebound cycle. The data is outputted to a graph on a laptop.
^^ My original Ohlins R/T set, after a quick wipe down they still look great!
^^ First screen shows the graph output from the shock dyno as seen earlier. The second screen is bespoke software by Ohlins. This software allows Russ to input a whole range of parameters (eg. Shim sizes). It then generates a simulated characteristic graph representing the rebound/compression cycles at various shaft speeds. Russ can then build/revalve a damper using the data from the software. The damper can then be tested on the shock dyno to confirm it meets the requirements.
^^ Russ rebuilding a TTX damper for a customer.
^^ MGR Support Bus - It's often at race events to provide support for race customers. Revalving and servicing can both be carried out inside.
Special Thanks
I owe a special thanks to the team at MGR. They could not have made me feel anymore welcome. They are true gents and go the extra mile to make sure everything is done properly. Should you decide to have your Ohlins kit installed/setup by them be sure to ask Russ about the Barnsley Chilldog - a local delicacy, its epic :roflmao:
http://www.mickgardnerracing.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mick-Gardner-Racing...
Ohlins are back on, but...
The Ohlins are back on, but not everything went according to plan as expected. Due to the soft springs and their length the car sits lower than I wanted. It looks great, but personally from my suspension testing I much prefer a higher ride height... I feel most vehicle suspensions in general work better this way.
The solution is to 'stretch' the softer springs by around 1"inch ... this will raise the height but still allow me to keep the softer rate. The engineers at Springcoil will help with this as they suggested it beforehand.
Russ very kindly booked me in for the spring swap (stretched) and alignment check. Due to their booking schedule that won't happen until October.
As for impressions, it's far too early to say but in general it appears to ride more plusher than the stock springs, so good progress is being made here.
I hope you enjoyed the MGR tour as I did - thanks for reading
joesnow said:
Wow, again.
The Nur said:
I see what you mean about it being a little bit low.
Does look good though
Does look good though
JonoG81 said:
Stunning, all of your hard work, time & money has definitely paid off for you!
Beedub said:
what a car, very nicely upgraded too.....
Thanks guys! kerryt5r said:
Looking very nice! What wheels are they (apologies if you already mentioned above, but I didn't see any reference)? They look nice on the car. Presume they are 19"?
Hi, they are APEX ARC-8, imported from the US. They are actually 18s, although you can get 19s arc8 now. They are lightweight and reasonably priced - Indigo GT is a good source for them.b16a2_VTi said:
Awesome build, more updates please.
Thanks, sure thing...A few more pics with the Ohlins setup:
I recently sold my Ohlins RT kit. I'd had my fun with them and decided to put the funds towards other projects for the car (eg. deep detail).
So now I'm trialing a new setup, OEM sachs dampers, eibach lowering springs and GC Street plates. The GC plates give back at least 1" damper travel on the front normally lost with the eibachs. The camber plates also contain a urethane bushing for comfort.
Here is the hardware and install pics:
Review in progress
These dampers were never going to 'excite'. These are very much 'functional' and low cost. The ride height looks lower than I anticipated with the Eibachs.
I'm glad I opted for the GC street plates to regain some damper travel and reduce wear/tear from lowering springs and aid comfort.
I'll report my findings in a few weeks, already I can feel areas where direct replacement shocks like the Bilsteins exceed but this setup is softer on our harsh roads - very nice!
Thanks for reading
richierich37 said:
Great build thread and what a superb example your car is!
TotalControl said:
Agreed. I've really enjoyed reading this thread.
Thanks All, glad you are enjoying the updates - Last job of the year was to get the alignment done, update below:End of year update
To close off 2015, the M3 had its geo setup. Recall I am now running OEM Sachs + Eibach Springs + GC Plates. I've had this setup for some time now and I am very happy with it for my needs.
I took this opportunity to replace the steering arms (tie/track rod ends).
The geo shop is the same I've used in the past, Center Gravity: http://www.centregravity.co.uk/
As usual, the CG had a lot of interesting cars on display...
On the way home I got stuck in traffic and it became dark so no final pics. I'll take a few shots very soon.
Suspension Thoughts
A few points worth mentioning on suspension choices for anyone considering buying an E46 M3 for daily driving. These fresh OEM Sachs paired with Eibach lowering springs offer the best ride I've experienced yet for daily driving. Note the word 'fresh' ... new dampers. There's a lot of conflicting information around this setup such as it being harsh. I'm left scratching my head because in truth it's anything but.
Yes it has more body roll, yes the car does take a tad longer to settle over bumps, but the resulting ride quality is comfortable. It's made the daily driving a more pleasant experience. The Sachs damper isn't the greatest of course, a Bilstein B6 puts it to shame. Over a rough road with successive bumps you can feel the sachs struggling to keep up, but the ride is still 'soft'. To be fair the B6 is a MONOTUBE design compared to the Sachs TWINTUBE construction. Unlike the B6, the Sachs does not have this 'always on' or 'busy' feeling resulting in a better ride for the daily driver.
Other TWINTUBE dampers include the Bilstein B4 and Koni Yellows. These are likely better built and last longer - they were out of stock at the time so I went for the sachs. On that note, the biggest downfall with the Sachs is the Durability, it's poor. Their performance seems to decline from as little as 30k... worth remembering they are cheap. I do wonder if this is the root cause of why some can't get along with the Eibachs... worn dampers. No doubt the same performance loss will happen on my set of Sachs, right now they are in their prime - life is good!
Can it be fun? Absolutely, on back roads the car has a playful nature. The softer ride means bumps and undulations are soaked up yet I'm still able to feel/sense the road giving me the feedback I desire. You'll get used to the body roll, as you approach a bend you'll find yourself anticipating it beforehand. The stiffer Eibachs help control the rate of the roll a bit. I'm aware some folk hate any form of bodyroll, I do find it gives a more 'natural' sensation. I have no issues with grip, the PSS are helping a lot here.
Don't get me wrong, this setup isn't perfect, but it's the best one yet for a daily driver on our roads. You get a bit of everything:
+ Cheap (compromise on durability, expect them to fade after 30k)
+ Handling improvement (stiffer springs help)
+ Ride quality (softer on uk roads)
+ Aesthetics (a subtle drop)
There are other components worth mentioning. The GC Street plates give back around 20mm of damper travel without affecting the ride height. Running stock 18 tyre sizes, thicker sidewalls. And finally low weight wheels which help the suspension settle quicker (less load to manage).
Thanks
Happy new year all!
Thought I'd share one of the 'car gifts' I got for Christmas - I suspect some of you will already know about what it is...
Black Art Graphics
BAG combines Engineering and Art in a way that can only be described as spectacular.
I commissioned BGA to produce a technical orthographic drawing of my M3.
All designs are produced in house and customised for each customer.
http://www.blackartgraphics.com/
The Process
Draft PDFs of the blueprints are sent to the customer before final production begins.
During this time, the customer can liaise with BGA to correct any details on the drawing.
Once the draft is finalised, the blueprint is sent to production.
From here the drawing will be laser etched onto a anodised aluminium plaque.
Customization
Any type of customization is possible, for example the blueprint can incorporate a CSL bootlid, custom wheels, custom text etc.
For my drawing, I chose a snapshot of my M3 when it had 18" OEM wheels and the Ohlins RT Suspension (a very memorable setup to me).
Technical Details
Plaque Dimension: 3mm thick A3 size (420x297mm) - [option to upgrade to A2]
Plaque Construction: Laser cut with rounded corners from 5251 series aluminium sheet, then deburred and brushed.
Plaque Color: Anodised in Matte Black on all sides.
Thanks to BGA
I'd like to extend a thanks to Dan Kozakewycz and his team at BGA.
I love the final result! They are extremely busy, yet were able to answer all of my questions.
I had drafts incoming after 10pm... now that's dedicated!
I'm usually patient, but with this project I couldn't wait to get my hands on the final product.
If you are interested in having one made for your car, just get in touch with them through their website: http://www.blackartgraphics.com/
Thought I'd share one of the 'car gifts' I got for Christmas - I suspect some of you will already know about what it is...
Black Art Graphics
BAG combines Engineering and Art in a way that can only be described as spectacular.
I commissioned BGA to produce a technical orthographic drawing of my M3.
All designs are produced in house and customised for each customer.
http://www.blackartgraphics.com/
The Process
Draft PDFs of the blueprints are sent to the customer before final production begins.
During this time, the customer can liaise with BGA to correct any details on the drawing.
Once the draft is finalised, the blueprint is sent to production.
From here the drawing will be laser etched onto a anodised aluminium plaque.
Customization
Any type of customization is possible, for example the blueprint can incorporate a CSL bootlid, custom wheels, custom text etc.
For my drawing, I chose a snapshot of my M3 when it had 18" OEM wheels and the Ohlins RT Suspension (a very memorable setup to me).
Technical Details
Plaque Dimension: 3mm thick A3 size (420x297mm) - [option to upgrade to A2]
Plaque Construction: Laser cut with rounded corners from 5251 series aluminium sheet, then deburred and brushed.
Plaque Color: Anodised in Matte Black on all sides.
Thanks to BGA
I'd like to extend a thanks to Dan Kozakewycz and his team at BGA.
I love the final result! They are extremely busy, yet were able to answer all of my questions.
I had drafts incoming after 10pm... now that's dedicated!
I'm usually patient, but with this project I couldn't wait to get my hands on the final product.
If you are interested in having one made for your car, just get in touch with them through their website: http://www.blackartgraphics.com/
shalmaneser said:
This has been a very interesting post to follow.
I'm trying for something similar with my e36 M3 - comfortable but a bit more sporting than the standard setup.
Having been told by a track day instructor my dampers were pretty tired (120k+!) I knew I had to upgrade, but couldn't decide to go for the Bilstein B12 setup, or stick with new sachs dampers and springs...
In the end I got a great deal on H&R springs and B6 dampers so have gone with that, but I know what you mean about the busy feeling you get with the B6 dampers... I might try the Eibach Springs back to back with the H&Rs, just to see if they can take the edge off. It's a real case of trial and error, and personal preferance.
Interesting to see that even after using the hold grail(Ohlins) you've reverted to Sachs/Eibach for daily driving!
I'm no expert on the E36 platform, but from various suspension discussions the Bilsteins and E36 have always been iffy. I remember reading the first generations of the B6 for the E36 were awful. Then a 2nd generation was released which was better, but not perfect. I'd probably go the eibach route first instead of H&R. Yes the Ohlins were a great dampers, but even out of the box I felt the spring rates were too much for my needs, plus I would have preferred a higher ride height. I reached a point where I felt the Ohlins had a lot of high end performance that I wasn't utilizing. If my goal is for a softer ride (daily) I might as well sell the Ohlins, go back to a fresh OEM-ish setup (sample it) and put the change towards other maintenance jobs. As it turns out, the Sachs and Eibachs are working well for my needs.I'm trying for something similar with my e36 M3 - comfortable but a bit more sporting than the standard setup.
Having been told by a track day instructor my dampers were pretty tired (120k+!) I knew I had to upgrade, but couldn't decide to go for the Bilstein B12 setup, or stick with new sachs dampers and springs...
In the end I got a great deal on H&R springs and B6 dampers so have gone with that, but I know what you mean about the busy feeling you get with the B6 dampers... I might try the Eibach Springs back to back with the H&Rs, just to see if they can take the edge off. It's a real case of trial and error, and personal preferance.
Interesting to see that even after using the hold grail(Ohlins) you've reverted to Sachs/Eibach for daily driving!
mwstewart said:
I find the CSL shocks and springs pretty much perfect for the road - you may want to try them at some point. They are a big upgrade over standard but still perfectly comfortable.
I recall the CSL suspension thread on M3F from last year in which you shared your experiences. I always wondered if the car would sit too low with the CSL springs since the CSL is lighter. Had another look at you setup pics and it looks really good... I would have expected your car to sit much lower (in a detrimental way, something I don't want, not for daily use).
Hmmm... now you got me thinking...
mohitos said:
Do you happen to have the part numbers and will they just fit straight on a standard M3?
You may find this thread useful:http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=48...
Part numbers are found towards the later end of the discussion
Rear Hub Carrier - Upper Bushings
Had these replaced recently. A recent inspection discovered they were on their way out. BMW wanted £80 for the pair... I managed to get the OEM Lemforder set for ..... £20 from Amazon!
Part Number
33326775551
I'll be back later with an update on the Sachs/Eibachs.
Last saturday was overcast, making it great for taking some pictures:
BMW Car Bookazines
No doubt some of you have obtained copies of special bookazines by BMW Car. For those who haven't, it's well worth acquiring one. I purchased the M3 and M5 editions. It's loaded with content and each generation has pages upon pages dedicated to it (hence bookazine). This is very much literature for the enthusiast.
Here are some glimpses, barely a fraction of the content:
You can purchase copies here:
http://www.unitymags.com/BMW-Car-Bookazines-s/1831...
A month ago I noticed my current Sachs setup becoming a little too soft. The car had 'wallowing' behaviour, most noticeably in the rear. This meant the body took longer to settle over bumps, an undesirable trait on fast road.
This is no surprise with Sachs, though I was expecting this behaviour later.
Bilstein B4
I've been keen on trying out the B4s for some time. As a recap, they are intended to replace the OE dampers, so have OEM valving. Bilstein products tend to be highly durable.
Rears only
So last month I replaced the rear sachs with a new pair of B4 rears. I only did the rear for two reasons. First, I didn't want to upset the geometry up front until I have a verdict on the B4. Secondly, I felt the rear required better management than the front.
Results
After install, the rear was noticeably firm. The the front and rear suspension felt very mismatched. I was surprised at the stiffness. B4's are twin tube unlike high gas pressure B6's, they should be softer.
However, after one week of driving the 'over-stiffness' vanished. The rears became very comfortable. They have just the right amount of firmness to stabilize the chassis, making the car feel 'tighter' but not uncomfortable.
There are far fewer secondary movements.
B4 Fronts?
I have no plans right now to install B4's at the front as I am really happy with this setup. The softer sachs at the front work great on bad roads, the slightly taughter B4's in the rear catch up quickly to control the body... wonderful!
A setup like this is experimental. Daily drivers looking for new dampers with a bias towards comfort should consider Sachs and Bilstein B4.
A full set of B4's will give a nice blend of comfort and handling. Whereas Sachs is more biased to comfort... just remember a very soft mushy suspension can be 'uncomfortable' too.
Also, spotted this shiny piece at the garage a few weeks back, can you guess what BMW model it belongs to?
Thanks for reading
This is no surprise with Sachs, though I was expecting this behaviour later.
Bilstein B4
I've been keen on trying out the B4s for some time. As a recap, they are intended to replace the OE dampers, so have OEM valving. Bilstein products tend to be highly durable.
Rears only
So last month I replaced the rear sachs with a new pair of B4 rears. I only did the rear for two reasons. First, I didn't want to upset the geometry up front until I have a verdict on the B4. Secondly, I felt the rear required better management than the front.
Results
After install, the rear was noticeably firm. The the front and rear suspension felt very mismatched. I was surprised at the stiffness. B4's are twin tube unlike high gas pressure B6's, they should be softer.
However, after one week of driving the 'over-stiffness' vanished. The rears became very comfortable. They have just the right amount of firmness to stabilize the chassis, making the car feel 'tighter' but not uncomfortable.
There are far fewer secondary movements.
B4 Fronts?
I have no plans right now to install B4's at the front as I am really happy with this setup. The softer sachs at the front work great on bad roads, the slightly taughter B4's in the rear catch up quickly to control the body... wonderful!
A setup like this is experimental. Daily drivers looking for new dampers with a bias towards comfort should consider Sachs and Bilstein B4.
A full set of B4's will give a nice blend of comfort and handling. Whereas Sachs is more biased to comfort... just remember a very soft mushy suspension can be 'uncomfortable' too.
Also, spotted this shiny piece at the garage a few weeks back, can you guess what BMW model it belongs to?
Thanks for reading
All good things come to an end
A long overdue update...
Well, a few months back I sold my M3.
I'd had four great years of ownership, but there was a persistent itch to try something different.
I realised that I could keep the E46M forever and love each day of ownership. However, at the same time I feel I'd be missing out on other experiences.
I've had E46s for several years back to back including this M3. Far better I thought to look back later with the memories of owning a E46M than not having none at all.
Below are the last pictures I took before the new owner collected:
So what did I do next?
Bought another E46 of course!
Ok I should explain.
I hadn't made up my mind on the next performance car, I wanted time to go through options which meant I needed a "cheap" stop gap car.
Well why not an E46? ... since I know the platform well (parts, servicing knowledge etc) in hindsight something will probably go wrong at this price.
I found a high mile 2004 320d (160k) for £800 on AutoTrader, perfect for the job.
Upon collecting the car I receive a "coolant low" warning.... uh ohh
I topped it up and bought the car home nervously keeping my eye on the coolant gauge.
All it needed was a new thermostat seal and brake lines, other than that the car was happy.
I no longer have the 320d. While it may have been tired, I grew a bond with it - loved the torque for commuting, great diesels!
Next Chapter
A few months back I got a call from my local dealer - it was good news, the next motor had arrived
Soon I'll create a new thread with more M2 updates, pics and guides to share - the car is fantastic!
Thank you
A special note to all who have contributed to this thread with ideas, feedback, thank you. The positive comments encouraged me to continue sharing DIY write ups.
The platform maturity of the E46 M3 is at an all time high. You can find articles/DIY on almost anything, a great time to be an owner.
Be good to your 46Ms!
To fellow owners, do all you can to ensure your cars are highly maintained.
I say this because good clean cars are becoming harder to find.
Buyers are paying ever more attention to good maintenance.
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