Handling after swap

[Jason89i]

why is the s52 worse than the m50tu? I would have thought that if anything it would be lighter withe the cast exhaust manifolds.

taken from bimmerforums specs....

m20 = 258lbs
m50/tu = 299lbs
m52/tu = 308lbs
m52 alloy = 260lbs
s50 euro = 333lbs

im not sure what the weight specs are on the s52, but i can feel that the nose is heavier. running IE springs and sway bars. this was the first time on the track after building this car, so i will need to dial in the suspension a bit more. time to stiffen up the rear a little. cheers, jason

[Ferret]

What thickness are the sway bars?
Are they fixed or adjutable?

[Stu]

With the alum fly, ss manifolds, no a/c, i only picked up about 30 pounds over the M42. (counting clutch/flywheel weight)
With IE springs/Bilsteins/big front sway bar and an M3 rack, it's very nice on the track, especially with the hoosiers. Not a whole lot of difference on turn in, never had trouble staying with the SpecE30 cars in steady-state corners.

[BeirBrennerE30]

i have ground control coils with (400f/450r springs) and IE bars... great setup, very adjustable so i was able to get rid of all the bad aspects of the very small weight increase

[Ferret]

Update.
After running the car for some time, and checking the rear tires wear, it appears that the cars tail happieness may be caused (at least in part) by too much negative camber at the rear. The inside of the rear tires is much more worn than the middle and outside. The car now rides on Eibach lowered springs.

How about everybody elses's cars? Similar problems? Effective solutions?

Avner.

[2002maniac]

With the alum fly, ss manifolds, no a/c, i only picked up about 30 pounds over the M42. (counting clutch/flywheel weight)

I am now reconsidering my allegiance to the M42 club...

[Skafrog]

this is the most pointless thread on r3v. go to the track and look around. track e30's (not auto-x or spec e30, real race e30's) have terrible weight distros. 50/50 isnt all its cracked up to be. if you can feel 50 lbs, you should be good enough to drive around it, or know what the change to make it neutral again.

[Ferret]

Skafrog,
to me at least this thread isn't pointless at all.
I live in Israel and there aren't any tracks in the country. Thre are no series e30 modifiers to consult with here, certainly not somone with an m50 conversion. There are no parts available here, and there are diffeculties ordering big suspension parts because of shipping costs and taxes.
So diagnosing my setup problems by triel and error isn't a good option for me.
You don't have to answer my questions if you don't want to, but at least give me some credit before assuming I don't have a good reason for asking them.

Avner.

[Skafrog]

Skafrog,
to me at least this thread isn't pointless at all.
I live in Israel and there aren't any tracks in the country. Thre are no series e30 modifiers to consult with here, certainly not somone with an m50 conversion. There are no parts available here, and there are diffeculties ordering big suspension parts because of shipping costs and taxes.
So diagnosing my setup problems by triel and error isn't a good option for me.
You don't have to answer my questions if you don't want to, but at least give me some credit before assuming I don't have a good reason for asking them.

Avner.

Obviously you have access to the internet, so you have a wealth of information on your hands. Once upon a time, you might have a point. However, considering this topic has been hashed over many a time on r3v, and countless other times on other forums, just shows your laziness. Using the internet, you are able to research your setup woes, and research the weight distribution of certain cars. Hell, you might even take the initiative to e-mail race shops that have experience with it!!! gasp, what a novel idea.

[Ferret]

I don't want to go too far off topic, but I did search and as a matter of fact I'm planning (unless someone here will bring new information to my attention) on either ordering or fabricating an eccentric bolt based rear chamber adjustment.
Since this subforum is one of the few sources of good information available on m/s50 swapped cars I thought that there might be information here that is more relevant to me than the generic e30 stuff I found in planty.
There is a differance between optimising setup and correcting a handling problem caused by a engine swap. I want to know if it is the former, in which case I can probably handle it myself, or the latter, in that case I have no reason to reinvent the wheel.
As for the race shops, I prefer not to take up their time, knowing I don't intend to actually bring in my car any time soon, if you know what I mean 8-).

Avner.

[Jason89i]

........ it appears that the cars tail happieness may be caused (at least in part) by too much negative camber at the rear. The inside of the rear tires is much more worn than the middle and outside. .........

How about everybody elses's cars? Similar problems? Effective solutions?

Avner.

get some ireland eccentrics to correct TOE and camber. toe will effect handling / tire wear more than camber. they are not fun to install, but well worth the work. check the suspension subforum, there might be some good info there. cheers, jason

[Bennetts22@aol.com]

on stock susp i didnt really notice ant difference in driving from the m20 to the s52..
but it still sucks and cant wait till i get the 5 lug swap done this winter