e36 323i sport suspension help
Discussion
Hello,
As above I have a 1998 e36 323i Sport Touring. It is a sport from the factory with the M-tech suspension. However, I have very little history for it so not sure what is on it now. The car is in need of both new springs and dampers which leaves me with a few questions.
Firstly, how do I check if my car is still fitted with the correct sports suspension? Springs and dampers. I am sure I have read somewhere about yellow dampers, but mine are definitely black.
The second part is what to do to replace them. Technically only one front shock and one rear spring need replacing, but I definitely want to change in atleast front/rear pairs but think I will take the opportunity to refresh the whole lot.
So if I replace with OEM parts how do I make sure I am buying the sport suspension and can anyone recommend a good place for this? Or is there an aftermarket alternative that is a good option.
I have done some reading around and think I may have part numbers for the M Sport shocks, but not sure about the springs as I believe the sport is lower and can't find sizes or parts numbers. I have also read about the Eibach pro springs being a good compromise, but what dampers would people recommend using with these?
I am also pretty sure since I have had the car the suspension has not been at its best, so don't really have an experience of a good standard sport set up.
I am just looking for a bit of general help here. Budget is not set but I don't want to be splashing out on anything to expensive as it will only be used on the road, but want to buy something I am going to be happy with. I enjoy a 'spirited' drive regularly but also do alot of long journeys in the car as well, so don't want to lose too much comfort.
I hope all that makes sense and sorry about the long post. Any thoughts on what to do would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
As above I have a 1998 e36 323i Sport Touring. It is a sport from the factory with the M-tech suspension. However, I have very little history for it so not sure what is on it now. The car is in need of both new springs and dampers which leaves me with a few questions.
Firstly, how do I check if my car is still fitted with the correct sports suspension? Springs and dampers. I am sure I have read somewhere about yellow dampers, but mine are definitely black.
The second part is what to do to replace them. Technically only one front shock and one rear spring need replacing, but I definitely want to change in atleast front/rear pairs but think I will take the opportunity to refresh the whole lot.
So if I replace with OEM parts how do I make sure I am buying the sport suspension and can anyone recommend a good place for this? Or is there an aftermarket alternative that is a good option.
I have done some reading around and think I may have part numbers for the M Sport shocks, but not sure about the springs as I believe the sport is lower and can't find sizes or parts numbers. I have also read about the Eibach pro springs being a good compromise, but what dampers would people recommend using with these?
I am also pretty sure since I have had the car the suspension has not been at its best, so don't really have an experience of a good standard sport set up.
I am just looking for a bit of general help here. Budget is not set but I don't want to be splashing out on anything to expensive as it will only be used on the road, but want to buy something I am going to be happy with. I enjoy a 'spirited' drive regularly but also do alot of long journeys in the car as well, so don't want to lose too much comfort.
I hope all that makes sense and sorry about the long post. Any thoughts on what to do would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
I'm fairly sure that a standard Sport with the Avus pack (yellow Bilsteins, lower springs) can only be found in coupe guise. Anything else is just a 3 with the M-Tec kit, or a car that has been modified by a previous owner.
Standard coupes have M-Tec suspension which is slightly lower than standard saloons and tourings. I'm guessing your car has been fitted with the M-Tec suspension as an upgrade from standard. If that's the case, then replacements will either be Bilstein B4 or Boge/Sachs, with fronts costing around £100 each and the rears about £40 each. Yellow Bilstein B8 dampers are around £150 each for the fronts and £110 for the rears.
Eibach's pro kit does seem to come highly recommended by a lot of owners and they are supposed to work well with the B4 and B8 dampers. I can't tell you which is the better match though.
So all in you could be spending around £700 just for dampers and springs which was something I considered, but I ended up getting Eibach coilovers for a bit less. Yes they are firm but I wouldn't say they're unbearable and the handling more than makes up for it. I took it to Switzerland and did 2k miles over 5 days and it was fine.
A daily commuter would be better on oem stuff though I guess, especially if comfort is important.
Standard coupes have M-Tec suspension which is slightly lower than standard saloons and tourings. I'm guessing your car has been fitted with the M-Tec suspension as an upgrade from standard. If that's the case, then replacements will either be Bilstein B4 or Boge/Sachs, with fronts costing around £100 each and the rears about £40 each. Yellow Bilstein B8 dampers are around £150 each for the fronts and £110 for the rears.
Eibach's pro kit does seem to come highly recommended by a lot of owners and they are supposed to work well with the B4 and B8 dampers. I can't tell you which is the better match though.
So all in you could be spending around £700 just for dampers and springs which was something I considered, but I ended up getting Eibach coilovers for a bit less. Yes they are firm but I wouldn't say they're unbearable and the handling more than makes up for it. I took it to Switzerland and did 2k miles over 5 days and it was fine.
A daily commuter would be better on oem stuff though I guess, especially if comfort is important.
I put b4's and eibach pros on my wife's e36 323i. As long as you don't spend most of your time driving over speed humps it's a really good compromise for the road.
The b4s feel better damped than oe equipment sport suspension and the eibach's give a firmer, but more sophisticated ride because of their progressive rate.
The eibach's eliminate the oe spec nose high stance and improve the turn in feel of the car. I have just taken the springs off the car though, because after 20,000 miles they had settled enough that the car was forever catching on the giant pillow speed bumps that we have in central London. If we didn't live in town they would have stayed on.
The b4s feel better damped than oe equipment sport suspension and the eibach's give a firmer, but more sophisticated ride because of their progressive rate.
The eibach's eliminate the oe spec nose high stance and improve the turn in feel of the car. I have just taken the springs off the car though, because after 20,000 miles they had settled enough that the car was forever catching on the giant pillow speed bumps that we have in central London. If we didn't live in town they would have stayed on.
I was debating what to do with the (Avus (i.e. factory fitted yellow Bilstein)) suspension on my 328i Sport because most of it had seen better days and one of the rear shock absorbers was lightly misted with oil. In the end, the rear offside shocker dumped its oil all over the drive about two days before the MOT (which it understandably failed).
Because I still wasn't sure what to do about the suspension as a whole, I replaced both of the rears with "Boge Turbo" (i.e. MTEC "equivalent") shockers from GSF as a cheap stop gap until I have decided what to do.
But they are surprisingly good! How long they last remains to be seen, but in the interim I'm certainly in no rush to change them.
In the end, for the time being I have invested the money in Powerflex bushes all round which has made a *HUGE* difference - the bushes certainly seemed to be a weaker link on my car than the dampers.
Because I still wasn't sure what to do about the suspension as a whole, I replaced both of the rears with "Boge Turbo" (i.e. MTEC "equivalent") shockers from GSF as a cheap stop gap until I have decided what to do.
But they are surprisingly good! How long they last remains to be seen, but in the interim I'm certainly in no rush to change them.
In the end, for the time being I have invested the money in Powerflex bushes all round which has made a *HUGE* difference - the bushes certainly seemed to be a weaker link on my car than the dampers.
Brilliant, thanks for all the great help so far.
If I was to go with the standard sport (yellow) set up, does anyone know how much it would cost and also a good place to get it? Or is it something you have to go directly to BMW for?
The Bilstein and Eibach sets sound good and definitely considering these, though I do want to limit the spending somewhat so would most probably go for the B4s. Or would people say the price difference is worth it? Also the Eibach springs, where would these leave the car sitting height wise in comparison to the standard sport set up?
I need the car sorted for MOT deadline as well (failed due to damper already), so need to decide pretty swiftly and get them ordered and delivered to fit over next weekend.
bababa - do you have a link for the 'boge turbo' shocks you mention? I have had a look on GSF but don't seem to be able to see them. Powerflex bushes are in the pipe line when funds allow, will just have to stick with the ARB ones for now.
If I was to go with the standard sport (yellow) set up, does anyone know how much it would cost and also a good place to get it? Or is it something you have to go directly to BMW for?
The Bilstein and Eibach sets sound good and definitely considering these, though I do want to limit the spending somewhat so would most probably go for the B4s. Or would people say the price difference is worth it? Also the Eibach springs, where would these leave the car sitting height wise in comparison to the standard sport set up?
I need the car sorted for MOT deadline as well (failed due to damper already), so need to decide pretty swiftly and get them ordered and delivered to fit over next weekend.
bababa - do you have a link for the 'boge turbo' shocks you mention? I have had a look on GSF but don't seem to be able to see them. Powerflex bushes are in the pipe line when funds allow, will just have to stick with the ARB ones for now.
ferrisbueller said:
On that note, I think Bilstein come with lifetime warranty?
In the US, yes, lifetime for the original purchaser, except when fitted as OE by vehicle manufacturer or for racing, but not in the UK or rest of Europe. We get a standard 12 months, may be longer on PSS coilover kits but certainly not on you standard B4/6/8 etc.Sticklebrick said:
bababa - do you have a link for the 'boge turbo' shocks you mention?
I haven't re-registered on GSF since they made all the changes to their website so I don't have a link I'm afraid. However, it was simply listed as something like "OEM rear damper for Coupe with MTEC suspension" and when I enquired, they confirmed it was the "Boge Turbo".I think Boge simply use the "turbo" tagline to identify the dampers in their more "sport oriented" range.
Thank you for the help.
Would anyone recommend anywhere in particular for buying the Bilstein B4s? I have seen a few places (demon tweeks, balance motorsport, eparts etc.) but just wondering if anyone knows somewhere I am missing?
I think I have decided to go with the B4s and Eibach Pro-kit. I confirmed today that my car has the M Sport Package and the M Sports Suspension and that BMW would happily relieve me of £210 per corner for front and £120 for rear to replace them. They also gave me a print out of the correct springs for my car, but this only gives me a part number and no actual spring details.
The other question I have is - there are a number of versions of the Eibach springs. The recommended set for the Touring is 30mm drop and front and back. However, there is another kit I believe intended for the coupe with 30mm front and 15mm rear. I have been known to cary rather a lot in the boot on occasion and was wondering if I could get away with the lower drop set of springs?
I believe the only difference is 45kg rear loading, would this cause any major problems? Also does anyone know why the different kits have different drops depending on the car version - coupe, saloon etc?
Thanks.
Would anyone recommend anywhere in particular for buying the Bilstein B4s? I have seen a few places (demon tweeks, balance motorsport, eparts etc.) but just wondering if anyone knows somewhere I am missing?
I think I have decided to go with the B4s and Eibach Pro-kit. I confirmed today that my car has the M Sport Package and the M Sports Suspension and that BMW would happily relieve me of £210 per corner for front and £120 for rear to replace them. They also gave me a print out of the correct springs for my car, but this only gives me a part number and no actual spring details.
The other question I have is - there are a number of versions of the Eibach springs. The recommended set for the Touring is 30mm drop and front and back. However, there is another kit I believe intended for the coupe with 30mm front and 15mm rear. I have been known to cary rather a lot in the boot on occasion and was wondering if I could get away with the lower drop set of springs?
I believe the only difference is 45kg rear loading, would this cause any major problems? Also does anyone know why the different kits have different drops depending on the car version - coupe, saloon etc?
Thanks.
Edited by Sticklebrick on Monday 19th September 21:03
Sorry to clarify, I meant the Eibach Pro-Kit. There seems to be a number of different versions of it all for the 6 cylinder e36. One for saloon, touring, coupe etc. However, they seems to have different height drops. I think all 30mm front but some 15 and some 30 rear.
Does anyone know why the difference in height?
Does anyone know why the difference in height?
http://performance-suspension.eibach.de/cms/eibach...
Eibach kit is 30/30 (Part number E2050-140). Axle weight on that seems adequate. More drop than that would ideally go with the shorter stroke damper, I think, which is the B8.
Also, try bmminiparts.com
http://www.bmminiparts.com/DiagramView.aspx?Diagra...
Eibach kit is 30/30 (Part number E2050-140). Axle weight on that seems adequate. More drop than that would ideally go with the shorter stroke damper, I think, which is the B8.
Also, try bmminiparts.com
http://www.bmminiparts.com/DiagramView.aspx?Diagra...
Does anyone know what the height drop for the M Tech suspension is compared to standard?
Trying to figure out if I buy the Eibach Pro-Kit with a 30mm drop how much lower my car will be.
I know the Eibach drop of 30mm is quoted against the standard car ride height and I am pretty sure the M Tech is 15mm lower, which would mean my car would be 15mm lower than it is now?
Can anyone confirm this for me?
Thanks
Trying to figure out if I buy the Eibach Pro-Kit with a 30mm drop how much lower my car will be.
I know the Eibach drop of 30mm is quoted against the standard car ride height and I am pretty sure the M Tech is 15mm lower, which would mean my car would be 15mm lower than it is now?
Can anyone confirm this for me?
Thanks
I know coupes were all fitted with upgraded suspension and so the sport suspension wasn't much lower as standard.
I don't know sport suspension on Tourings, sorry. Try www.e36coupe.com , too.
These guys know their stuff
http://www.turnermotorsport.com
Maybe drop them a line?
I don't know sport suspension on Tourings, sorry. Try www.e36coupe.com , too.
These guys know their stuff
http://www.turnermotorsport.com
Maybe drop them a line?
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