E36 328i Sport Suspension and LSD Queries
Discussion
Afternoon! Im having a few issues working out exactly what I should get hold of for my 3. Any help would be greatly appreciated . I have the Avus suspension package which i believe consists solely of eccentric rear mounts on the front wishbones, and Bilstein B8 shocks? And also the 17" staggered BBS' with 225/245 rubber front/rear.
After 90k the suspensions lost its edge and I'm looking to renew it. Ive got front control arms, eccentric bushes, droplinks, arb bushes, track rods and ends, rear top mounts and a few of the smaller rear bushes which Ive read are weaker, all in Meyle HD/Meyle or Lemforder. I also have Powerflex RTABs. After fitting these on the weekend Ive also got 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's in the staggered fitment/profile to go on.
What I need to work out next, is which way to go with the dampers, springs and also any uprated ARB's and an LSD.
Which LSD is best in my case for almost 100% road use? Ive done the track sessions before and as awesome as it is being in my third year at Uni money and time is tight. After I leave I might do the odd day but Im looking for far more of a daily driver with a sharp edge should I go for a blat.
As well as this, I spent thousands modifying my last car, with multiple engines and all sorts, with the E36 Im hoping to keep it as OEM as possible with aftermarket parts fitted only where truly required. B8 shocks bought aftermarket are just over £500. Id like to retain some form of ride quality whilst improving the turn in, feedback and road holding, and previously Ive ran Eibach springs to achieve this and they were excellent. Comfort day to day but kept up when pushing on.
Ive noticed a set for the E36's which lowers 30mm front and 15mm rear, and seem to be the same progressive spring system as those I had before; paired with fresh B8's are these a good option? I dont want to spend as much as the cars worth on a coilover kit but at the same time I find it hard to believe the cheap kits are any good. The hottuning ones for example Ive fitted to other cars and the quality was crap on a hatchback, certainly not what Id see as acceptable on an E36.
Also are the lower braces, and especially upper given their prices, worth the money? And whats the best route with ARBs?
Cheers for any advice, Ive played trial and error on parts before at great cost, would love to get it right first time this time round! I've seen theres a fair bit of E36 knowledge on here and Im hoping I can absorb a bit of it!
After 90k the suspensions lost its edge and I'm looking to renew it. Ive got front control arms, eccentric bushes, droplinks, arb bushes, track rods and ends, rear top mounts and a few of the smaller rear bushes which Ive read are weaker, all in Meyle HD/Meyle or Lemforder. I also have Powerflex RTABs. After fitting these on the weekend Ive also got 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's in the staggered fitment/profile to go on.
What I need to work out next, is which way to go with the dampers, springs and also any uprated ARB's and an LSD.
Which LSD is best in my case for almost 100% road use? Ive done the track sessions before and as awesome as it is being in my third year at Uni money and time is tight. After I leave I might do the odd day but Im looking for far more of a daily driver with a sharp edge should I go for a blat.
As well as this, I spent thousands modifying my last car, with multiple engines and all sorts, with the E36 Im hoping to keep it as OEM as possible with aftermarket parts fitted only where truly required. B8 shocks bought aftermarket are just over £500. Id like to retain some form of ride quality whilst improving the turn in, feedback and road holding, and previously Ive ran Eibach springs to achieve this and they were excellent. Comfort day to day but kept up when pushing on.
Ive noticed a set for the E36's which lowers 30mm front and 15mm rear, and seem to be the same progressive spring system as those I had before; paired with fresh B8's are these a good option? I dont want to spend as much as the cars worth on a coilover kit but at the same time I find it hard to believe the cheap kits are any good. The hottuning ones for example Ive fitted to other cars and the quality was crap on a hatchback, certainly not what Id see as acceptable on an E36.
Also are the lower braces, and especially upper given their prices, worth the money? And whats the best route with ARBs?
Cheers for any advice, Ive played trial and error on parts before at great cost, would love to get it right first time this time round! I've seen theres a fair bit of E36 knowledge on here and Im hoping I can absorb a bit of it!
Edited by J4mmin on Wednesday 25th January 14:46
When mine was mu daily driver I had Koni adjustables with Eibach Proline springs. I felt they rode really nicely (vs a 75k mile AVUS pack kit anyway!). Eibach ARB kit was a nice addition to this but I didn't feel it was night and day.
LSD wise the two simplest options are an OEM 328i Sport LSD from an early model or a 3L M3 diff. The latter is easier to find apparently but is a shorter ratio so you'll gain some acceleration at the expense of cruising rpm. I loved my M3 diff.
LSD wise the two simplest options are an OEM 328i Sport LSD from an early model or a 3L M3 diff. The latter is easier to find apparently but is a shorter ratio so you'll gain some acceleration at the expense of cruising rpm. I loved my M3 diff.
Mine is an M-tech saloon but I refreshed it originally to Sport spec - as you say, eccentric bushes, Bilstein B8 monos, and the BBS 17s with perhaps a 2.93:1 ( manual box ) or 3.07:1 ( auto box )328i LSD depending on year/spec. E36 M3( non-EVO )/E36 325i LSD is a 3.15:1 so will give you slightly better acceleration than standard ratio as Matt says above. I ran it like that for a bit but I felt it was still too soft for me personally.
Did the X-brace ( quite noticeable ) and adjustable Eibachs which do control the roll better. You can slightly adjust the behaviour of the car by playing with the setting on the ARBs. You can also change front top mounts to adjust camber/give more caster depending on your preferences and if you're replacing the rear top mounts might as well get the stiffer cabriolet ones and some Z3 plates as well.
A Z3 ( non M ) rack will be quicker than standard but now everyone has cottoned on and put the price up, on a 'post E46 Compact launch' E46 rack still removes a half turn or so - a Compact rack is best to play safe if you're not sure of the Model year of the E46
Did the X-brace ( quite noticeable ) and adjustable Eibachs which do control the roll better. You can slightly adjust the behaviour of the car by playing with the setting on the ARBs. You can also change front top mounts to adjust camber/give more caster depending on your preferences and if you're replacing the rear top mounts might as well get the stiffer cabriolet ones and some Z3 plates as well.
A Z3 ( non M ) rack will be quicker than standard but now everyone has cottoned on and put the price up, on a 'post E46 Compact launch' E46 rack still removes a half turn or so - a Compact rack is best to play safe if you're not sure of the Model year of the E46
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