My new toy - E36 323 Ci Cabby
Discussion
Woohoo! Long overdue, I've finally got my suspension and brakes fitted. Unfortunately, didn't get time to do the de-cat or CDV delete as we had to pack the work into one hectic day, but me and PHer and general legend Eddh managed to fit the suspension, braided hoses, discs and pads, to bleed the brakes and swap the brake fluid to shiny new stuff, and to swap the oil and filters.
Old suspension disposed of - she's only marginally more soggy with this set-up...
New struts in place
Sexy new EBC Redstuff pads, which gratifyingly you can see through the calipers when the wheels are on.
I don't have a picture of the finished article yet, but suffice to say the improvement in stance is phenomenal. The rear has actually raised a bit, confirming that the rear springs had sagged. One of the locators for the rear springs had shifted over, too, so the spring itself was out of position - we've corrected this, and the "clong" which the car used to make when you let the handbrake off on a slope has now evaporated.
In addition, the handling and braking have been transformed. The car now corners much more smoothly and without the "lurching" that it had before as the body sank onto its shocks (although there is still a bit of roll - I haven't touched stuff like ARB bushes yet). In terms of stopping, it's like night and day - progressive pedal feel with seriously effective braking power. Interestingly, the old pads were close to brand new, and the discs were in such good condition that we actually left the rears in place rather than replacing them - so I have no real idea why braking performance was so bad before. Nevertheless, I have now been able to ascertain (for the first time!) that my ABS is working as it should be!
Negatives? Well, there's a squeak/grind coming from the N/S/R suspension unit over bumps. The top mount bolts are done up nice and tight, so I can't really work out what's causing this - any suggestions? The brakes, too, squeal like a b
h - I'm hoping this wears off once the pads have bedded in a bit. Finally, my dear friend Eddh decided it would be amusing to stick one of the 4 inch "SPAX" stickers (bundled with the suspension kit) onto my N/S/R window, and I can't get the bugger off again - I think they use Araldite on the damn things! Sugar soap and water tomorrow evening may do the trick... Otherwise I'm going to be driving round looking like a complete muppet!
Old suspension disposed of - she's only marginally more soggy with this set-up...
New struts in place
Sexy new EBC Redstuff pads, which gratifyingly you can see through the calipers when the wheels are on.
I don't have a picture of the finished article yet, but suffice to say the improvement in stance is phenomenal. The rear has actually raised a bit, confirming that the rear springs had sagged. One of the locators for the rear springs had shifted over, too, so the spring itself was out of position - we've corrected this, and the "clong" which the car used to make when you let the handbrake off on a slope has now evaporated.
In addition, the handling and braking have been transformed. The car now corners much more smoothly and without the "lurching" that it had before as the body sank onto its shocks (although there is still a bit of roll - I haven't touched stuff like ARB bushes yet). In terms of stopping, it's like night and day - progressive pedal feel with seriously effective braking power. Interestingly, the old pads were close to brand new, and the discs were in such good condition that we actually left the rears in place rather than replacing them - so I have no real idea why braking performance was so bad before. Nevertheless, I have now been able to ascertain (for the first time!) that my ABS is working as it should be!
Negatives? Well, there's a squeak/grind coming from the N/S/R suspension unit over bumps. The top mount bolts are done up nice and tight, so I can't really work out what's causing this - any suggestions? The brakes, too, squeal like a b
h - I'm hoping this wears off once the pads have bedded in a bit. Finally, my dear friend Eddh decided it would be amusing to stick one of the 4 inch "SPAX" stickers (bundled with the suspension kit) onto my N/S/R window, and I can't get the bugger off again - I think they use Araldite on the damn things! Sugar soap and water tomorrow evening may do the trick... Otherwise I'm going to be driving round looking like a complete muppet!Cheers Mr Dave. Is there an uprated ARB your mate would recommend? And which bushes has he replaced? I'm a bit scared of making it too "crashy", as it already rattles a bit (that's pillarless cabbies for you!) so I want it to be laterally taught but still with a bit of vertical give, if you see what I mean.
Here's a before/after comparison. Please excuse how horrendously muddy it is - it'll get a full clean and polish up this week, I promise (myself).
Before
After
Note the much improved gap on the front arches. The rears are about the same, maybe a tiny bit higher, which is what I wanted. The car has much more of an aggressive, nose-down stance now, which translates to much better driving feel.
Also note the ridiculous sticker. Thanks Eddh, and no, it won't come off. Grrr...
Here's a before/after comparison. Please excuse how horrendously muddy it is - it'll get a full clean and polish up this week, I promise (myself).
Before
After
Note the much improved gap on the front arches. The rears are about the same, maybe a tiny bit higher, which is what I wanted. The car has much more of an aggressive, nose-down stance now, which translates to much better driving feel.
Also note the ridiculous sticker. Thanks Eddh, and no, it won't come off. Grrr...
Edited by mig25_foxbat2003 on Thursday 9th February 14:17
Short update... sticker off, but squeak remains and may be getting worse. Heading back to the barn in the new year for investigation and a few other little tweaks - strut brace, CDV delete and possibly a de-cat depending on if I get a bonus in January!
I've switched to petrol for the time being, just to see if it makes much of a difference (and partly because I was fed up with having to fill up every 200 miles on gas!) I have to say that it's definitely keener to rev on petrol, and feels smoother at idle too, but there's not that much in it.
I did an economy run on the way back from work last night. 120 miles of mostly motorway but including 40 miles of A roads, I got the following...
I'm ecstatic with that figure... although I fear it may be a massive lie. I only normally average an indicated 29.1mpg (which equates to a true 27ish) so I'm obviously being a bit too heavy footed with it. Next week I'll do the same run on gas, driving in the same manner, and see what the difference is.
I've switched to petrol for the time being, just to see if it makes much of a difference (and partly because I was fed up with having to fill up every 200 miles on gas!) I have to say that it's definitely keener to rev on petrol, and feels smoother at idle too, but there's not that much in it.
I did an economy run on the way back from work last night. 120 miles of mostly motorway but including 40 miles of A roads, I got the following...
I'm ecstatic with that figure... although I fear it may be a massive lie. I only normally average an indicated 29.1mpg (which equates to a true 27ish) so I'm obviously being a bit too heavy footed with it. Next week I'll do the same run on gas, driving in the same manner, and see what the difference is.
A couple of pictures of the Cab after a quick clean. She's just ticked over 130k miles, and feels good for it!
One minor job I have completed since the last update was to work out what the hideous squeak was coming from the N/S/R strut. Turns out I'd fitted one of the top bushes upside-down so there was metal on metal contact over every bump... idiot.
With one problem down, I now face two more small issues. One is that the front top mounts are not coping too well with the lowering and consequent camber change - I'm going to need some inverse M3 Evo ones I think. And the rear screen is now getting beyond a joke
so that's going to have to be replaced as my next expense...
One minor job I have completed since the last update was to work out what the hideous squeak was coming from the N/S/R strut. Turns out I'd fitted one of the top bushes upside-down so there was metal on metal contact over every bump... idiot.
With one problem down, I now face two more small issues. One is that the front top mounts are not coping too well with the lowering and consequent camber change - I'm going to need some inverse M3 Evo ones I think. And the rear screen is now getting beyond a joke
so that's going to have to be replaced as my next expense...Edited by mig25_foxbat2003 on Thursday 9th February 14:16
Edited by mig25_foxbat2003 on Thursday 9th February 14:16
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