Help Choosing a Clutch for S54 + ZF 320Z Swap

[butters]

US E36 M3, Euro E36 M3, Z3M S52, and Z3M S54 all use the exact same clutch, flywheel, pressure plate. Look it up in realoem if you don't believe me.

I don't believe you. I looked it up on realoem, and the flywheels with PN 21212229011/21212229010 are listed as applicable to only these cars: S54 Z3, euro S50 Z3, and euro S50 E36.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=21212229011

Obviously your setup is working for you, but it seems BMW used a unique flywheel for the ZF with S54orS50B32 combo.

Edit: additionally, the realoem compatibility search for clutch kit 21212228289 does not indicate that it works with the E46 cars, only E36 M and Z3 M, which most would agree comes down to the difference in the input shaft of the E46 trans.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=21212228289

[R3VM3UP]

Okay, great info there. I didn't realize that the E36 flywheel would work fine with the S54 starter. I also was not aware that the S54 Z3 uses the same flywheel, clutch and pressure plate. I just double checked on RealOEM and sure enough it's true. Sounds like the E36 clutch is sufficient for the S54 after all, so I'll look around and see what setup I can piece together for the best deal.

Does anyone know if there is an inexpensive single mass flywheel available that would work with either an E36 or E46 M3 pressure plate and the S54 starter? I'd love an excuse to run a lighter flywheel with the E34 M5 clutch but if it ends up being more economical I will stick with either the E36 or E46 dual mass stock flywheel for now.

[Bimmerman325i]

I am running S54 + ZF310, with all E36 parts. JB Racing flywheel, stock e36 disk and pressure plate. S54 starter works with all E36 and E46 M3 flywheels.

US E36 M3, Euro E36 M3, Z3M S52, and Z3M S54 all use the exact same clutch, flywheel, pressure plate. Look it up in realoem if you don't believe me.

My S54 is at ~330whp and the stock E36 clutch handles it just fine.

You can probably use an E46 M3 flywheel but I'd use the E36 clutch/pressure plate if it bolts up, since the E46 pressure plate is much more complicated. I have no idea on the weights, but have both a stock E36 and E46 flywheel I can weigh later this week if it's truly relevant.

Guys doing the Getrag 6 speed swap into E36s can reuse the E36 flywheel/PP parts and just use an E46 M3 clutch disk (am in process of this one).

[R3VM3UP]

Thanks for the input guys.

IIRC the E46 M3 flywheel works fine with the ZF 320z but I can't seem to find where I read that. Plenty of E46 M3 guys swap to the ZF 320 for track use and I think they keep the same starter and flywheel, I'll have to fact check myself on that. The benefit for me of using the E46 M3 flywheel is that I can get one cheap and I don't have to buy a different starter and I think this may be the best (read cheapest) way to get this part of the project moving along. However if an E36 S52 flywheel is required then that is not a huge deal, I can just get an E36 starter and put it on the S54 since they bolt up the same. I'm not looking to spend $800 on a Z3M flywheel when I can get a good used E46 M3 flywheel for <$100, and a used Z3M flywheel is going to be hard to come by.

I guess my ideal scenario would be to find a factory single mass steel flywheel for the S54 that could be had cheaply to use with the e34 M5 clutch. I'm trying to avoid expensive aftermarket aluminum flywheels and clutches.

*Edit: Just received word from a guy on M3F that has done the s54 320z combo in an E46. The E46 M3 flywheel and pressure plate can be used with an E36 M3 clutch and throwout bearing. I'm not 100% sure if the E36 M3 pressure plate would work with the E46 M3 flywheel. The bolt pattern might be different, I'll update that if I figure it out. The E46 M3 flywheel and PP can also be used with an E34 M5 clutch.

I think I'll probably go with the E46 M3 stock flywheel and PP with the E34 M5 clutch. The M5 clutch can handle the power from the S54 better and this is one of the cheapest options at around $200. The bonus of using the sprung hub M5 clutch is that I can upgrade to a single mass flywheel at any time.

[butters]

You could also match the starter to the flywheel ;) Still bolts up the same way!

This is true. In my case I needed a new flywheel anyway, but if you have a good E36 flywheel you could install an E36 starter into the S54.

[dude8383]

I can't recall my sources, but to my knowledge the E46 and E36 parts won't work in this scenario. The E36 M3 flywheel won't work with the S54 starter, and the E46 M3 flywheel won't work with the ZF320, I think.

I went with the clutch and flywheel from the Z3 S54 model, because that car had the ZF320 and I wanted to keep the stock feel. For what it's worth, it should be a lighter flywheel than what comes in the US E36 M3.

You could also match the starter to the flywheel ;) Still bolts up the same way!

[butters]

I can't recall my sources, but to my knowledge the E46 and E36 parts won't work in this scenario. The E36 M3 flywheel won't work with the S54 starter, and the E46 M3 flywheel won't work with the ZF320, I think.

I went with the clutch and flywheel from the Z3 S54 model, because that car had the ZF320 and I wanted to keep the stock feel. For what it's worth, it should be a lighter flywheel than what comes in the US E36 M3.

[R3VM3UP]

I picked up an S54 a while back and I'm in the process of accumulating parts for a swap. In fact, I'm still hunting for the right chassis to put it in, but that is another topic in itself.

I decided on the ZF 320Z for the trans since they are abundant and I can source one locally for dirt cheap, plus they are reliable, smooth shifting, etc. Basically all the reasons why everyone loves the ZF. I'm trying to figure out what is the best clutch setup for me though.

The S54 I bought did not come with a clutch, flywheel or pressure plate, so everything is open ended. I've done my homework and I know that various combos will work work well. I'm just looking for some opinions on which would be best. I'm trying to keep things affordable by using stock BMW/OEM parts so I'm not really looking for a fancy lightweight flywheel, however I'm open to ideas. I own an E46 M3 as well and I think it would be nice to shed a bit of weight from the stock flywheel while keeping chatter to a minimum, so if there is a way to do that using other OEM parts that would be awesome. The car will be a weekend/backroads/track car but I'd like to maintain reasonable drivability for the nice days that I want to drive it to work in the summer. Here are some of the combos I've been considering.

1. E46 M3 dual mass FW, E36 S52 clutch and pressure plate
Pros: One of the cheapest options, great drivability
Cons: Heavy FW. Would be nice to lose a bit of weight
Questions: Is this combo possible or does the E46 M3 flywheel require an E46 M3 pressure plate

2. E36 M3 S52 dual mass flywheel, E36 S52 clutch and pressure plate
Pros: Same as above
Cons: Still dual mass FW
Questions: Is the E36 M3 flywheel any lighter than the E46 M3 flywheel?

3. E34 M5 Clutch Disk w/ E36 M3 FW and E36 M3 Pressure plate
Pros: From what I have read the sprung hub makes the clutch more friendly with lighter flywheels.
Cons: Setup will likely cost a bit more since it would need to be pieced together.

4. E34 M5 Clutch disk w/ single mass steel flywheel
Pros: Possibly the lightest flywheel using OEM parts
Cons: Possible chatter.
Questions: What is the consensus on this setup. Does the sprung hub clutch actually make a single mass flywheel tolerable with the S54? Which single mass flywheels and pressure plates would work with this combo?

Any input on the topic would be appreciated. Thanks!