Reverse rake - tell me I'm wrong

[DanielJames]

I made a post today on another forum about this, but want the PH opinion...

Tell me, does this car have reverse rake?



It's ever so slight, but it has it I'm sure.

(checked broken springs, they're fine, I'll have to get some spring pads from BMW to raise the rear slightly)

P.S and yes I am being incredibly 'anal', but I want it to sit right.

[KTF]

Isn't it hard to tell when the picture is at an angle to start with?

[Bear Phils]

No, the arch on the rear is a different shape to the front so it has a greater gap at the front, giving the impression of reverse rake without actually having it.

[hondafanatic]

DanielJames said:

P.S and yes I am being incredibly 'anal', but I want it to sit right.

Plenty of lube...or so I'm told.

[DanielJames]

hondafanatic said:

DanielJames said:

P.S and yes I am being incredibly 'anal', but I want it to sit right.

Plenty of lube...or so I'm told.

[DanielJames]

Bear Phils said:

No, the arch on the rear is a different shape to the front so it has a greater gap at the front, giving the impression of reverse rake without actually having it.

Hmmm good spot. I still can't help but think it would look better with the rear slightly higher.

Don't want it to look broken

[rsox87]

KTF said:

Isn't it hard to tell when the picture is at an angle to start with?

^this.

You're not running "reverse rake", but your rear wheelarch does cover more of the top of the rear wheel than the front wheelarch covers the top of the front wheel. Look up any picture of a standard E36 coupe and you'll find that they all sit like that.

A 15mm drop at the front might help get the look you're after (a friend has a yellow M3 Evo that he did exactly that to), but 1) mind the splitter and 2) do it properly!

[TheEnd]

Measure the distances from the middle of the rear wheel to the top of the arch on each side and see what you get.

[DanielJames]

rsox87 said:

^this.

You're not running "reverse rake", but your rear wheelarch does cover more of the top of the rear wheel than the front wheelarch covers the top of the front wheel. Look up any picture of a standard E36 coupe and you'll find that they all sit like that.

A 15mm drop at the front might help get the look you're after (a friend has a yellow M3 Evo that he did exactly that to), but 1) mind the splitter and 2) do it properly!

I think it would be easier to raise the rear than to lower the front? I don't have coilovers or anything fitted! (And not sure that I would like to have either - although the thought does cross my mind occassionally I want to keep this a nice clean original sport)

Looking at some library pictures I can see what you mean/



Finding pictures of stock E36's is bloody hard.

[Balmoral]

No, this is reverse rake.

[RobM77]

Bear Phils said:

No, the arch on the rear is a different shape to the front so it has a greater gap at the front, giving the impression of reverse rake without actually having it.

This. It's just a styling feature of the E36. I admit it looks a bit odd, but I don't think you can infer any rake negative or positive by just looking at a car subjectively.

[martin mrt]

It looks fine to me, and seeing that silver M3 just backs it up

I think if you lowered it at the front it would look odd.

[itz_baseline]

Open the bonnet and stick a couple of bags of sand on where it won't do any damage to drop the front a little. If you prefer it with a lower font end then you know what you do.
Ps, post pics on here when you do it so we can see what it looks like.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Balmoral said:

No, this is reverse rake.

Exactly.