bmw e46 handling!

[morrie69]

recently bought an e46 330d se, have since had it re-mapped and eagle f1's fitted all round. since i bought it theirs been nothin but snow and ice so haven't been able go for a good drive on a b road!as it's my first rw drive car ive been very careful, but what can i expect handling wise with the car? in the summer on windey road? will it give other cars a run for their money on the bends? or is it a bit tail happy??
any comments or feedback would be appreciated cheers!

[LordGrover]

Mine's leggy and I suspect the geo and shocks are not at their best but it's decidedly sloppy. Steering in particular is a little slow to get going. Much prefer the Griff if I want to have fun.

[paoloh]

IMO, the Se needs to be lowered.

[morrie69]

i thought the se suspension was pretty stiff? it feels it on the bumpy roads i drive

[paoloh]

morrie69 said:

i thought the se suspension was pretty stiff? it feels it on the bumpy roads i drive

Err, No.

[Matt UK]

paoloh said:

morrie69 said:

i thought the se suspension was pretty stiff? it feels it on the bumpy roads i drive

Err, No.

Agreed.

I had an e46 320i se. Nice car and comfy enough. The chassis is well balanced, but push beyond 7/10ths in an se and the car will let you know that it's not really enjoying itself. And you'll not enjoy it either as things start to get a bit floaty and you start to feel a lot of weight swaying around.

[morrie69]

would it be easy to lower an se? would you need to get whole new suspension?

[paoloh]

morrie69 said:

would it be easy to lower an se? would you need to get whole new suspension?

Springs will cost you about £80 and £60 fitting.

You can get complete coil overs on ebay ( I have used these ) for about £160 and again about £60 fitting.
The coil overs are completely adjustable.

[ZeroSum]

New bushsings all round with limiters in the rear will make a nice difference. It all depends on your budget.

[morrie69]

well i kinda wish ide held out for a sport now, i love the car but i just don't have enough confidence in the corners with it. maybe the suspension idea is the way forward for better cornering!

[David111]

Bet for little money you can sort the suspension out. Most newer models are bought as 'msport' which is hard as rock!!

[pandrews68]

I cant fault the M sport handling (in good weather !!!) sticks to the road like glue....

[obscene]

morrie69 said:

well i kinda wish ide held out for a sport now, i love the car but i just don't have enough confidence in the corners with it. maybe the suspension idea is the way forward for better cornering!

I have a 330 se, handles just fine. I love it. That said, it would look ALOT better lowered

[Mave]

Have you givem it a good slide around in the snow yet? Worth taking advantage of it, especially if you can find a deserted car park. Strat with the traction on to get a feel for it, then turn it off and away you go

[8Tech]

You could almost certainly tighten things up with some poly front lower arm bushes and trailing arm bushes. There will always be a compromise between comfort and handling and the SE is more leaning towards comfort. You can lower and stiffen it with some QUALITY lowering springs from the likes of Eibach rather than the cheap offerings. Dampers will also improve handling but you will really start to notice some hardness in the suspension. I would recommend a full kit from one of the more respected suppliers, ie Spax, Koni, Eibach, as they are matched components.