car aggressively shaking over 50mph

[deca]

Just looked at a car today (E30 325E), it ran and drove fairly smooth however once I took it above 55ish mph the steering wheel would start to really shake. The car I looked at had horrible dry rotted tires, could that be whats causing the shaking? Or could it be something more severe?

[Maddog]

Check your ball joints.

[Sonny]

Everything need to be replaced suspension wise

[locar]

You just bought it? If so, you're definitely going to have to do both front & rear suspension refresh. These things are >30 years old now. Rubber doesn't last so long

[Jaxx_]

Start with FCABs if it smoothes out around 70mph+

[deca]

You just bought it? If so, you're definitely going to have to do both front & rear suspension refresh. These things are >30 years old now. Rubber doesn't last so long

Yup! Just bought it, at 324k+ miles this car is overdue for many things - but suspension is at the top of my list. Do you recommend just getting a kit on ebay?

[deca]

Start with FCABs if it smoothes out around 70mph+

Managed to find a secluded spot where I can do 80+ today without too many worries, car rattled a lot less today in general...but there was definitely a noticeable rattle from 55/60 all the way to 85.

[deca]

Everything need to be replaced suspension wise

that's the plan!

[deca]

Check your ball joints.

I think they're the culprit. Planning on replacing the control arms in their entirety.

[roguetoaster]

Horribly worn tires can also suffer internal delamination which can easily cause a horrible bouncing/oscillating effect.

Do not buy an ebay kit. Look at a good supplier such as FCP Euro, buy Lemforder if you can, do not buy Uro. Just get quality components, and don't try to save money on anything that takes more than 5 minutes to replace as it's not worth your time.

[eternal24k]

horribly worn tires can also suffer internal delamination which can easily cause a horrible bouncing/oscillating effect.

Do not buy an ebay kit. Look at a good supplier such as fcp euro, buy lemforder if you can, do not buy uro. Just get quality components, and don't try to save money on anything that takes more than 5 minutes to replace as it's not worth your time.

+1

[tomstin]

From some personal experience, with a 30+ year old car, every rubber bushing and hose will need to be replaces sooner than later. But as mentioned above, don't go cheap on parts. There are several good suppliers with kits available or you can do it system by system. Without good tires, the rest will under perform. Without good suspension components, the tires will wear out quickly. So they sort of go hand in hand.

My recommendation to people is get the best tires you can afford. Quality suspension components will last longer and fit better. Then you need it to stop.

Also, don't overlook the fuel system. Again, rubber parts that need to be inspected / replaced. You don't want to burn down all your hard work.

First purchase, Bentley manual. I hope you are willing to tackle much of this yourself as paying someone will drain you wallet quickly.

These cars are relatively easy to work on and VERY fun to drive!

Welcome to the family!

[15Michaeljoseph]

Welcome to the addiction!

I'm going to also recommend FCP Euro as well as eEuroparts.com for basically everything you'll need for your e30, including fluids.

Both vendors have lifetime warranties on EVERYTHING they sell, and some of the best pricing on the web with shipping.

For your front end, FCP sells a comprehensive control arm kit that saves you some money, while including parts made by Lemförder, the company who makes most genuine BMW suspension bushings. I used this on my car, and I always recommend it to everyone.

In the rear end, I haven't seen any all-inclusive stock rubber kits, but piecing your own kit together from brands like Lemförder, Corteco, and Febi is a good idea. These are very good options for bushings.

Also, I noticed someone above mention the notoriously cheaply priced "Uro" parts brand. My take on that company: the brand is fine, as long as the part is not something that will result in a dangerous/ deadly situation if the part goes bad. I've used their rubber seals, oil feed hoses, and some other small 'non-saftey' related parts, and the quality has actually been very good, especially for the price. However, I'm still not sure I'm comfortable using their suspension bushings, for example.



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[RCBFL]

While I agree with everything that has been said, did the car sit for awhile and therefore have flat spotted tires?

[jbontke]

Just looked at a car today (E30 325E), it ran and drove fairly smooth however once I took it above 55ish mph the steering wheel would start to really shake. The car I looked at had horrible dry rotted tires, could that be whats causing the shaking? Or could it be something more severe?

Start with the easy stuff: tires. Just swap the front and rear tires. See of the vibration moves. I have seen good looking tires start to separate internally and cause a vibration like you describe.