E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...
Discussion
Love this thread since I see no clean E36 328i's around now. There seems to be one on AT, and it's £5,000! 
Love the work that has gone into the car, but would the arches be the best way? I would assume then can't be reversed once they're done...
Also thank you for not putting a set of Style 72's on the car. The 81's look great!
Love the work that has gone into the car, but would the arches be the best way? I would assume then can't be reversed once they're done...Also thank you for not putting a set of Style 72's on the car. The 81's look great!
JakeT said:
Love this thread since I see no clean E36 328i's around now. There seems to be one on AT, and it's £5,000! Love the work that has gone into the car, but would the arches be the best way? I would assume then can't be reversed once they're done...
Also thank you for not putting a set of Style 72's on the car. The 81's look great!
Oh, this one's far from clean- but, crucially, not barried or drifted. I started upgrading with the sole intention of creating a sort-of 328iS+. Love the work that has gone into the car, but would the arches be the best way? I would assume then can't be reversed once they're done...Also thank you for not putting a set of Style 72's on the car. The 81's look great!
The £5,000 guy is an absolute dreamer, I've spoken to him and he's apparently turned an offer of £3,500 down for his 140,000 mile 328i SE Touring. *raises eyebrow*
The arches are a one-way trip, unless I fancy welding standard arches back on. Put simply, those gorgeous Pininfarina BBSs I've put up on the previous page are ET12- which is a whopping 30mm increase on the offset from standard. So I definitely need the arches mucking about with to fit them in properly- and I've royally buggered the ones I have now. May as well give the lairy wide arches a shot, I think they look awesome.
72s... now you mention it, I can think of loads of E36s with them on.
81s are, thus far, an apparently unique choice- probably because most people who go E39 fitment go for something dishy. It's quite a bit of work to make an E36 accept E39 fitment wheels... *sigh*carpetsoiler said:
Oh, this one's far from clean- but, crucially, not barried or drifted. I started upgrading with the sole intention of creating a sort-of 328iS+.
The £5,000 guy is an absolute dreamer, I've spoken to him and he's apparently turned an offer of £3,500 down for his 140,000 mile 328i SE Touring. *raises eyebrow*
The arches are a one-way trip, unless I fancy welding standard arches back on. Put simply, those gorgeous Pininfarina BBSs I've put up on the previous page are ET12- which is a whopping 30mm increase on the offset from standard. So I definitely need the arches mucking about with to fit them in properly- and I've royally buggered the ones I have now. May as well give the lairy wide arches a shot, I think they look awesome.
72s... now you mention it, I can think of loads of E36s with them on. 81s are, thus far, an apparently unique choice- probably because most people who go E39 fitment go for something dishy. It's quite a bit of work to make an E36 accept E39 fitment wheels... *sigh*
The E36 is really at the bottom of the market now, but it's tough finding a nice model that's been looked after. Soon they'll be in E30 territory though. That deep dish does look great though, and the weld on arches are better than the nasty rolled jobs.The £5,000 guy is an absolute dreamer, I've spoken to him and he's apparently turned an offer of £3,500 down for his 140,000 mile 328i SE Touring. *raises eyebrow*
The arches are a one-way trip, unless I fancy welding standard arches back on. Put simply, those gorgeous Pininfarina BBSs I've put up on the previous page are ET12- which is a whopping 30mm increase on the offset from standard. So I definitely need the arches mucking about with to fit them in properly- and I've royally buggered the ones I have now. May as well give the lairy wide arches a shot, I think they look awesome.
72s... now you mention it, I can think of loads of E36s with them on.
81s are, thus far, an apparently unique choice- probably because most people who go E39 fitment go for something dishy. It's quite a bit of work to make an E36 accept E39 fitment wheels... *sigh*The E46 should be the only car that had Style 72's. My dad's E46 330i touring had them and looked amazing. 18's are too big for an E36, but drifting, yo.
JakeT said:
Love this thread since I see no clean E36 328i's around now. There seems to be one on AT, and it's £5,000! Love the work that has gone into the car, but would the arches be the best way? I would assume then can't be reversed once they're done...
Also thank you for not putting a set of Style 72's on the car. The 81's look great!
I may be persuaded to sell mine. Its a 1999 328iA touring with sport package from factory. Love the work that has gone into the car, but would the arches be the best way? I would assume then can't be reversed once they're done...Also thank you for not putting a set of Style 72's on the car. The 81's look great!
JakeT said:
The E36 is really at the bottom of the market now, but it's tough finding a nice model that's been looked after. Soon they'll be in E30 territory though. That deep dish does look great though, and the weld on arches are better than the nasty rolled jobs.
The E46 should be the only car that had Style 72's. My dad's E46 330i touring had them and looked amazing. 18's are too big for an E36, but drifting, yo.
I got relatively lucky with mine- bought from someone who had it looked after at a specialist. So far, the only bodge I've found on the car has been the PAS pipe- apart from that, all good.The E46 should be the only car that had Style 72's. My dad's E46 330i touring had them and looked amazing. 18's are too big for an E36, but drifting, yo.
I'm really looking forward to the arches- they're a bit different, and I think they'll look really good. Plus it eliminates a lot of potential rust issues.
17s are the ideal size for the E36- anything bigger and you ruin the ride and handling. I'm personally a huge fan of the Style 30s that came on the 323i Touring Sports, but I like 17s too much!
Blitz- how much you after? If it was a manual it'd be horrendously desirable.
carpetsoiler said:
I got relatively lucky with mine- bought from someone who had it looked after at a specialist. So far, the only bodge I've found on the car has been the PAS pipe- apart from that, all good.
I'm really looking forward to the arches- they're a bit different, and I think they'll look really good. Plus it eliminates a lot of potential rust issues.
17s are the ideal size for the E36- anything bigger and you ruin the ride and handling. I'm personally a huge fan of the Style 30s that came on the 323i Touring Sports, but I like 17s too much!
Blitz- how much you after? If it was a manual it'd be horrendously desirable.
My dad had an E36 318i from new and had a set of 30's on it. Lovely car, in Boston Green with Grey cloth. I'm really looking forward to the arches- they're a bit different, and I think they'll look really good. Plus it eliminates a lot of potential rust issues.
17s are the ideal size for the E36- anything bigger and you ruin the ride and handling. I'm personally a huge fan of the Style 30s that came on the 323i Touring Sports, but I like 17s too much!
Blitz- how much you after? If it was a manual it'd be horrendously desirable.
But great job with everything. Also I see you're in southampton as am I. Where do you take the car for bits to be done that you can't/won't do yourself?
JakeT said:
My dad had an E36 318i from new and had a set of 30's on it. Lovely car, in Boston Green with Grey cloth.
But great job with everything. Also I see you're in southampton as am I. Where do you take the car for bits to be done that you can't/won't do yourself?
Boston Green is one of the best colours on an E36, by miles!But great job with everything. Also I see you're in southampton as am I. Where do you take the car for bits to be done that you can't/won't do yourself?
I actually do all the work myself... but if I need garage space, I go to my tame mechanic- Abs Auto Repairs on Endle Street (near the Itchen Bridge). Great prices and turnaround.
carpetsoiler said:
Boston Green is one of the best colours on an E36, by miles!
I actually do all the work myself... but if I need garage space, I go to my tame mechanic- Abs Auto Repairs on Endle Street (near the Itchen Bridge). Great prices and turnaround.
Wow they just happen to be a ten minute walk away from me!I actually do all the work myself... but if I need garage space, I go to my tame mechanic- Abs Auto Repairs on Endle Street (near the Itchen Bridge). Great prices and turnaround.
carpetsoiler said:
Sam- are they the '30s I sold you?
Heh, no, they're a set it came on - nowhere near as clean as the wonderfully prepped ones you sent me!I actually have twelve Style 30s, four Style 27s which are in good nick but won't fit over upgraded brakes (trying to get rid of these, if anyone fancies some winter wheels), plus the set of Style 45s on the E46
How do you find the ride and lateral grip on (presumably) 225/45R17 versus 225/50R16?
McSam said:
eh, no, they're a set it came on - nowhere near as clean as the wonderfully prepped ones you sent me!
I actually have twelve Style 30s, four Style 27s which are in good nick but won't fit over upgraded brakes (trying to get rid of these, if anyone fancies some winter wheels), plus the set of Style 45s on the E46
How do you find the ride and lateral grip on (presumably) 225/45R17 versus 225/50R16?
What can I say, I look after my people. I actually have twelve Style 30s, four Style 27s which are in good nick but won't fit over upgraded brakes (trying to get rid of these, if anyone fancies some winter wheels), plus the set of Style 45s on the E46
How do you find the ride and lateral grip on (presumably) 225/45R17 versus 225/50R16?
You're worse than me mate. Although that being said, I've massively cut down on wheels- Rondells are sold, purple BBS are sold, Hartges are sold... I'm left over with some BBS RTs (Style 19) that I've only got for refurb purposes, my Style 81s (the E39 ones on at the moment) and the Pininfarinas.
Rides beautifully. What I've found is that the biggest differences are the tyre you run (no s
t Sherlock), and how square it is. The squarer the tyre, the happier the E36 is. It made those Rondells bloody difficult, as they were 225s on an 8.5J (245 recommended) setup. They weren't as good as tyres that are square on. When she was on the purple BBSs, she felt incredible- 225/45/17 and square on, as they were 7.5J. She feels great at the moment too with 235/45/17 and 8Js (could maybe use a slightly smaller profile, but they do the job well). Don't bother going above 17", the E36 doesn't work well with it- just makes it handle st and makes it uncomfortable.So far, most comical tyre award goes to... Infinity INF05. Or the Accelera Alphas you've got on some of those Style 30s I sent you.
get a slippy diff, then go have some fun on them.Best dry grip... Bridgestone Potenza RE050A.
Best wet grip... Uniroyal Rainsport 2.
carpetsoiler said:
On top of that, I have new coilovers coming, just received some lovely carbon interior bits, ordering some arches from Hard Motorsport (cheers Hamster!)
You are more than welcome, but I doubt you will be thanking me when you are fitting them. With the exception of the cage, which I am now fitting. The arches are defiantly the hardest part of my track toy so far. Glad to see you enjoyed the Nurburgring trip. It is awesome fun isn't it.
Thanks for the update OP, car is looking good. 
Nurburgring trip looked epic, that '02 cabrio = 
McSam- look! Another Montreal Blue saloon 328i! Common as muck...)Is mine meant to be that colour?!
squints
looks out window
checks build sheet
Bugger. That looks way too vivid to be Montreal?! Better get the polish and wax out! Though to be fair, I've never seen mine look that shiny!
I thought it was an unwritten rule of E36 ownership to have a set of Style 30s in the garage. Mine are used for winters (otherwise 17 inch Alpina softlines).
Good luck with the rest of the project OP, keep up the good work.
Nurburgring trip looked epic, that '02 cabrio = McSam said:
carpetsoiler said:
McSam- look! Another Montreal Blue saloon 328i! Common as muck...
)squints
looks out window
checks build sheet
Bugger. That looks way too vivid to be Montreal?!
Better get the polish and wax out! Though to be fair, I've never seen mine look that shiny! carpetsoiler said:
The £5,000 guy is an absolute dreamer, I've spoken to him and he's apparently turned an offer of £3,500 down for his 140,000 mile 328i SE Touring. *raises eyebrow*
Is that the green one on AZEVs? If so, there was a thread about it on E36Coupe.com in which I tried to clarify what he meant by describing it as an (M) Sport.carpetsoiler said:
Boston Green is one of the best colours on an E36, by miles!
I had a saloon in Boston Green.. It looked decent when very clean and properly polished but otherwise I must admit I never grew to love that colour. McSam said:
Did someone say Style 30s?
I thought it was an unwritten rule of E36 ownership to have a set of Style 30s in the garage. Mine are used for winters (otherwise 17 inch Alpina softlines).Good luck with the rest of the project OP, keep up the good work.
Hamster69 said:
You are more than welcome, but I doubt you will be thanking me when you are fitting them. With the exception of the cage, which I am now fitting. The arches are defiantly the hardest part of my track toy so far.
Glad to see you enjoyed the Nurburgring trip. It is awesome fun isn't it.
I'm psyching myself up for it. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Adam at Hard Motorsport has been nothing but helpful so far, so I can definitely see these arches in Claudia's future. Plus they look sGlad to see you enjoyed the Nurburgring trip. It is awesome fun isn't it.
t-hot. The 'Ring trip I did really enjoy once more- Claudia is so well suited to that track. Also made it into the 2014 'Ring crash compilation video! Albeit as one of the people who came winging round a corner to find a newly scraped GT86 limping towards Wipperman.
George- yep, I took the piss out of him quite badly on that E36Coupé thread. Absolute dreamer. I note the price has dropped to £3850- still around £2500 too much for an SE Touring in a fairly crappy colour on standard Style 30s (the Azevs, which look horrible in my opinion, are now an 'optional extra'). But there's no telling some people.
Interestingly enough, my breaker 328i Touring I had for a while was a dead ringer for your current Touring.
carpetsoiler said:
George- yep, I took the piss out of him quite badly on that E36Coupé thread. Absolute dreamer. I note the price has dropped to £3850- still around £2500 too much for an SE Touring in a fairly crappy colour on standard Style 30s (the Azevs, which look horrible in my opinion, are now an 'optional extra'). But there's no telling some people.
Interestingly enough, my breaker 328i Touring I had for a while was a dead ringer for your current Touring.
Yes, I think he was claiming it was a rare 328 (M) Sport Touring until I pointed out that proper E36 Sports only came in 328 Coupe and 323i Touring form and although his touring was a nice spec, it was nothing special. Anyway, I thought he'd already turned down 3.5k for it Interestingly enough, my breaker 328i Touring I had for a while was a dead ringer for your current Touring.
I must be getting old, I'm almost looking forward to going back to the winter tyres on Style 30s as the drop from 17 to 16 really improves the ride/comfort!
No more Cadbury's purple?! I've still got those photos you sent me on my phone, I think most are in this thread too. I thought they looked fabulous, in a "I could never ever do that" kind of way
Thanks for all your findings about wheels/tyres. Since I have so many bloody 16s (and don't plan to go bigger than 300mm E46 brakes), I'm not likely to step up to 17s but I did hear that ride and handling signoff was done using 17s so I'm keen to see how they compare, particularly in a car similarly stiff to mine. You say the ride's fine, and George says it's worse
Interesting what you say about squareness of fit. That should make the 225/50R16 on that I have all round on 7Js work reasonably well, and for Kumho KU31s they do feel pretty decent. One thing that's really surprised me is how easy the car is on tyres, if you've seen the videos over in my thread you'll know I'm really not easy on them, yet the KU31s it came with are still usable!
I'm at Bedford tomorrow for open pit lane on the GT circuit (sharing the car with my other half!), so if it's dry I'll bolt the Acceleras on the back and we can cheerfully nuke those. 6mm to dispose of in one day, sounds like fun!
My next plan looks something like this:
Very highly rated and it's impossible to argue with £60 a corner, it's just a shame they're not available in 225/50. Will have to use 205/55.
Thanks for all your findings about wheels/tyres. Since I have so many bloody 16s (and don't plan to go bigger than 300mm E46 brakes), I'm not likely to step up to 17s but I did hear that ride and handling signoff was done using 17s so I'm keen to see how they compare, particularly in a car similarly stiff to mine. You say the ride's fine, and George says it's worse
Interesting what you say about squareness of fit. That should make the 225/50R16 on that I have all round on 7Js work reasonably well, and for Kumho KU31s they do feel pretty decent. One thing that's really surprised me is how easy the car is on tyres, if you've seen the videos over in my thread you'll know I'm really not easy on them, yet the KU31s it came with are still usable!
I'm at Bedford tomorrow for open pit lane on the GT circuit (sharing the car with my other half!), so if it's dry I'll bolt the Acceleras on the back and we can cheerfully nuke those. 6mm to dispose of in one day, sounds like fun!
My next plan looks something like this:
Very highly rated and it's impossible to argue with £60 a corner, it's just a shame they're not available in 225/50. Will have to use 205/55.
McSam said:
Thanks for all your findings about wheels/tyres. Since I have so many bloody 16s (and don't plan to go bigger than 300mm E46 brakes), I'm not likely to step up to 17s but I did hear that ride and handling signoff was done using 17s so I'm keen to see how they compare, particularly in a car similarly stiff to mine. You say the ride's fine, and George says it's worse
Interesting what you say about squareness of fit. That should make the 225/50R16 on that I have all round on 7Js work reasonably well, and for Kumho KU31s they do feel pretty decent. One thing that's really surprised me is how easy the car is on tyres, if you've seen the videos over in my thread you'll know I'm really not easy on them, yet the KU31s it came with are still usable!
The ride on 17s is acceptable (and I don't doubt better than most modern BMWs), it's simply better on 16s with a rather notable difference post swap. The other thing I find on 17s is the increased tendency to tramline. Again, not hugely so, but notable when compared to the 16s. All said and done though, I'm a tart so I'll keep my 17s. Interesting what you say about squareness of fit. That should make the 225/50R16 on that I have all round on 7Js work reasonably well, and for Kumho KU31s they do feel pretty decent. One thing that's really surprised me is how easy the car is on tyres, if you've seen the videos over in my thread you'll know I'm really not easy on them, yet the KU31s it came with are still usable!
FWIW, I had Kumho KU31s on my E30. I found them to be very decent tyres in all conditions, including snow! Very good value indeed, though my understanding is that they are discontinued and to be replaced with KU39s.
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