The E46 325ti Appreciation Thread
Discussion
mwggriffiths said:
The E46 M3 mounts should fit, but I'm not sure for certain! I've dealth with Trelleborg, who are Corteco's sister company, before through work but I've never fitted any of their parts to my car so I can't vouch for the quality. I've had a look and Lemforder parts (# 10453 02) are available on eBay for £44 each, delivered.
It seems they are a common upgrade, so fitment should be fine. Forum lore says that Corteco are an OEM for M3 mounts, so quality should be more or less same as Lemforder I think.mwggriffiths said:
So has anyone fitted the BMW Performance Shifter? Has anyone got any photos of the original 325Ti part? Has anyone replaced their 325Ti part with a Z3 1.9 part? Any info would be useful at this point!
I fitted the short shift kit out of the E60 545i, including the shifter, bush, washers and circlips. It was a straightforward swap, about £60 from BMW. I have noticed a bit of play in the shifter now though, so I'm wondering if the bush is the issue, as you've highlighted.ethomas said:
There are a lot of gotchas with BMW gearsticks. I first ordered the part everyone uses to make a short shift in an M3, which is from an E60 545. This ended up moving the gearshift forward and to the right, enough that it wouldn't comfortably reach 5th any more. It seems that there are a lot of different ways that shifters can align. If you were happy with the position of the stick with a Z3 shifter, then go for one of those, but probably stock is your best bet.
HugoFastmann said:
I fitted the short shift kit out of the E60 545i, including the shifter, bush, washers and circlips. It was a straightforward swap, about £60 from BMW. I have noticed a bit of play in the shifter now though, so I'm wondering if the bush is the issue, as you've highlighted.
Excellent thanks for the tips! Hugo was yours the 5 Speed Getrag box? I think I'll order a 545i part from BMW and compare it to the Z3 1.9 part.All BMW shifters have some play in them due to the softness of the rubber bushes in the system. I wonder if the play becomes more noticeable because the overall throw of the gear shift is reduced, so the percentage of that throw that is play increases?
mwggriffiths said:
Excellent thanks for the tips! Hugo was yours the 5 Speed Getrag box? I think I'll order a 545i part from BMW and compare it to the Z3 1.9 part.
All BMW shifters have some play in them due to the softness of the rubber bushes in the system. I wonder if the play becomes more noticeable because the overall throw of the gear shift is reduced, so the percentage of that throw that is play increases?
Mine's the 5 speed indeed. I'm assuming the 6-speed is the ZF? All BMW shifters have some play in them due to the softness of the rubber bushes in the system. I wonder if the play becomes more noticeable because the overall throw of the gear shift is reduced, so the percentage of that throw that is play increases?
The Samsona shifter is £300 well spent and will transform your cog swapping. (It will fit any BMW box)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8QxRgcJQY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8QxRgcJQY
e21Mark said:
The Samsona shifter is £300 well spent and will transform your cog swapping. (It will fit any BMW box)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8QxRgcJQY
That does look lovely. Where is it available for £300? MS Motorsport sell them for £489.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8QxRgcJQY
ethomas said:
e21Mark said:
The Samsona shifter is £300 well spent and will transform your cog swapping. (It will fit any BMW box)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8QxRgcJQY
That does look lovely. Where is it available for £300? MS Motorsport sell them for £489.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8QxRgcJQY
[/URL]Quick PSA while I remember. If you are going to get a four wheel alignment done soon, ask them to put the M3 CSL alignment on for you (you may need to knock the pins out of your top mounts first). It transforms the car, makes it much more nimble at the expense of a touch of motorway drivability.
helix402 said:
Do you know the CSL specs?
It is available here: http://www.m3csl.de/docs/Wheel_Alignment_CSL.pdfFor most of the automatic alignment systems, they just look up a registration or car model on the computer. Ask them to look up the M3 CSL instead and you should be all set.
ethomas said:
Quick PSA while I remember. If you are going to get a four wheel alignment done soon, ask them to put the M3 CSL alignment on for you (you may need to knock the pins out of your top mounts first). It transforms the car, makes it much more nimble at the expense of a touch of motorway drivability.
Tramlines more then? My car developed a strange clunk noise from the front(ish) of my car when it goes over bumps. It only happens when I have the clutch down (I noticed it rolling down the crappy road towards my garage). There is no noise when the engine is connected to the wheels.
All the suspension bits are new, so it shouldn't be anything there. I wonder if it could be gearbox or engine mounts, and the tension in the drivetrain when it is in gear is holding it together otherwise.
There is also a clunk that happens if I lift the clutch slightly when the brakes are engaged (this has been around for longer), but I put that down to a generally worn drivetrain.
Any other ideas?
All the suspension bits are new, so it shouldn't be anything there. I wonder if it could be gearbox or engine mounts, and the tension in the drivetrain when it is in gear is holding it together otherwise.
There is also a clunk that happens if I lift the clutch slightly when the brakes are engaged (this has been around for longer), but I put that down to a generally worn drivetrain.
Any other ideas?
ethomas said:
I have had an offer accepted on a new car, so my 325ti will be for sale soon. Please let me know if you might be interested.
The new car is cheaper and newer than my 325ti, with more doors and fewer seats. More power and also NA. Answers on a postcard
Rx8?The new car is cheaper and newer than my 325ti, with more doors and fewer seats. More power and also NA. Answers on a postcard
If I hadn't already thrown so much money at my compact I would be very interested in yours but can't make the numbers work
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