E30 skidplates

[AndrewBird]

What is the skid made out of? 1/8 steel I would asume. Or thicker? Josh, if you wanted, we could probably make one. I could cut it at school with the CNC plasma cutter and then we could just bend it by hand at home with a torch.

Andrew

[rwh11385]

DAMN! Avus, I think we may not be able to work out as planned.

They list 4 different versions:

51 71 1 929 451 - non-M up to 9/87
51 71 1 971 001 - non-M from 9/87
51 71 1 961 905 - M3
51 71 1 943 101 - iX

From Davelength.net

You have the BMP which threw me for a while. You have the early body style? I forgot that until I was thinking about it earlier today.......
Yeah, checked your member's ride......87. Damn

It won't fit my car, so I can't buy it. Neither will it work with Erick's (rwdrift)......so I guess let Ryan Stewart have it. PM him.

[Erick]

Did he confirm the p/n tho?

NRD, make one for me then :)

[Avus_325is]

Anybody have pics of the various skid plates? I'm not seeing a number, so i'm not sure which it is since I haven't even tryed to mount it yet.

[Erick]

84-87:

88-92:

[Jon325i]

Skidplates aren't a good idea? I've got an oil pan with two holes patched with JB Weld (from hitting a rock)....I think skidplates are worth considering. Now my car is dumped....the front sits over 2" lower from stock. I've measured the clearance from the ground to the engine subframe.....roughly 3.1" is all I have. Compress the suspension under load and what little clearance I have shrinks. Based on my experiences, I favor them.

I think a skidplate is a good idea for anyone with a lowered car. I'm not particularly keen on the factory's idea of a skidplate.....a rock could still make its way up in between those slats and punch a whole in the oil pan (or at least dent it). I think having a bonafide plate....something that is solid and flat all the way across like you see on rally cars.....would be much more effective.

Jon

[ApexForLife22]

I have shattered mine like glass.
Then I raised the car

Skidplates, to each their own

[e9nine]

...something that is solid and flat all the way across like you see on rally cars.....would be much more effective.

Jon

Yeah but imagine taking that beetch off everytime you have to change oil or do some susp stuff. Not to mention I *think* it could affect cooling properties....

[mikeedler]

the bmw original skid plate is HUGE and it will make the front of your car even lower. It sits at least a inch and a half lower that the subframe. The skid plate should fit all e30s the same, its just a different number because of the plastic lower valance. And to all of you that think tucking tires is gay--- u r idiots! just take a look at any DTM or real racing E30. they all tuck rim. if your not tucking at least tire then your E30 looks like crap. if you want a 4x4 then buy a truck or a IX. tucking rim or tire has many reasons beyond just looks, sorry, i forgot there are plenty that dont know how to drive their cars though and they think balloon tires and stock suspensions are cool!

[Jon325i]

...something that is solid and flat all the way across like you see on rally cars.....would be much more effective.

Jon

Yeah but imagine taking that beetch off everytime you have to change oil or do some susp stuff. Not to mention I *think* it could affect cooling properties....

Good point....I had throught about how that could be addressed. One way would be to have a cut out in the area of the drain plug....something large enough to get a wrench in there for removal/draining/installing procedures. The most important role for having a skid plate is to protect the bottom of the oil pan. With the drain plug located up on the side of the pan (near the bottom), I think having a cut out for access could be workable and still have good protection from hard road debris (such as rocks).

As for cooling issues, I don't think you have much to worry about. There is an oil cooler already installed in the lower front radiator area. Plus the factory normally has that plastic shield thing which blocks off some air flow (in addition to other stuff) so having a steel plate of some kind shouldn't have an adverse effect on the oil temps.

As for road clearance issues, the factory skid plate does hang down from the front subframe, further reducing what precious ground clearance you may already have on a lowered car. If you could fabricate something that closely conformed to the shape of the oil pan area and tied in at the sub frame, the amount of space needed should be within a inch. And if you used something like 1/8" thick metal plate, that would be quite a substantial shield.

Just my thoughts.

Jon

[Bryson]

the bmw original skid plate is HUGE and it will make the front of your car even lower. It sits at least a inch and a half lower that the subframe. The skid plate should fit all e30s the same, its just a different number because of the plastic lower valance. And to all of you that think tucking tires is gay--- u r idiots! just take a look at any DTM or real racing E30. they all tuck rim. if your not tucking at least tire then your E30 looks like crap. if you want a 4x4 then buy a truck or a IX. tucking rim or tire has many reasons beyond just looks, sorry, i forgot there are plenty that dont know how to drive their cars though and they think balloon tires and stock suspensions are cool!

heh, if you tuck tire in front your control arms are completely inverted you tard. that's great for handling :roll: DTM has custom struts, not comparable to a run of the mill e30
edit: that being said, my front is too low

[nando]

german tuning seems to be all about looks and not performance. rubber band stretched tires, 1" ground clearance.. that just doesn't work in the USA. I'll take 225/50-15s any day over 205/45-16s on 10" wide rims.

btw, my ix tucks in the rear, just a smidge ;)

[Rob]

the bmw original skid plate is HUGE and it will make the front of your car even lower. It sits at least a inch and a half lower that the subframe. The skid plate should fit all e30s the same, its just a different number because of the plastic lower valance. And to all of you that think tucking tires is gay--- u r idiots! just take a look at any DTM or real racing E30. they all tuck rim. if your not tucking at least tire then your E30 looks like crap. if you want a 4x4 then buy a truck or a IX. tucking rim or tire has many reasons beyond just looks, sorry, i forgot there are plenty that dont know how to drive their cars though and they think balloon tires and stock suspensions are cool!

You're a retard.

[mikeedler]

sorry I hurt your feelings rob, just because you got your first real car? a 318 ha ha ha.
As far as DTM goes, yes they do have different mount points, but there is alot of other racing out there, that they lowere the car for more than a look thing. lowering also helps braking, topspeed, and if you lower your vehicle correctly it works just fine. I drive 140MPH everyday to work and if I was in one of your bubble tire 4x4 look BMWs I would have died long ago. Europe is alot about looks in tuning, but I am an american with a V8 dragracing background, and small profile tires with wide rims have a purpose. what is the last competitive racecar you have seen with 14" bottle caps? and ballon tires on a weak soft suspension? keep building weak slow cars, so the rest of us have someone to pass!

[rs4pro3]

The shop I used to strip e30's at had a rally prepped E30 325i car. To protect the pan he just took a piece of sheet steel and bent it and just bolt it right on to the underside of the car. There Drive beat the shit out of the car every race and they ended up putting metal plate under the whole chassis of the car to save the gas tank, tranny, and oil pan.