e36 coilovers

[brandonj1]

if i bought a kit will they bolt directly on a e30 with out a 5lug swap?

[greg1333]

Quick answer NO...the e36 strut attachs to the spindle by means of two bolted flanges. were as the strut and spindle on the e30 are one piece.

[brandonj1]

but they would if i did a five lug swap?

[greg1333]

Not if you did an e30 five lug swap(ie e30m3)...you would have to convert over to e36 spindles too. additionally the are a little taller than e30 struts, but not so much that it can't be accounted for.

[brandonj1]

ok thanks if i was going to do a 5 lug it would be all e36 just becuase of the availablity and cost. i was looking at racelands coilovers and they are 244 for the e36 and i have heard very good things for the vw croud. so id think theyd have the same quality for the bmer cars, no?

[greg1333]

Not fimiliar with the brand, when i did mine i used Ground Control.

[greg1333]

just to reinforce it...e36 struts are taller than e30, don't forget to address that during your swap.

[bimmer630]

What kinda struts have you guys used when installing ground control or other brand coil over kits? I just got a deal on a set of New billy sports for an early E36 (with the swaybar tabs) and was expecting to be able to mount up these coil overs I had gotten off of some stock struts. well the billy strut has a larger diameter tube at the top that tapers down. I dont see how the threaded sleeve can be installed on this strut.
????

[bimmer630]

Heres what i came up with to solve my whacky strut tube dillema. These split collars were pretty cheap and they will provide the "shelf" needed to rest the threaded GC coilover sleeve on. the welds left over from the original perches will hold the sleeves up.
plenty of loctite on the threads and maybe even a few welds to hold the two halves together will keep everything safe

[bimmer630]

The Ground control parts arived today. They boxed the wrong sleeves but I got on the phone with them and they're shipping the correct ones out asap.
I put the adjusters on the struts without the threaded sleeves to show whats gonna happen. I thought bright green would look cool too

[Fidhle007]

Raceland is complete shit. Same as Ebay Generic but with a "Raceland" nameplate and a few extra bucks for prestige.

[mcr_driver]

are those GC coilovers from an e30 kit? I have a e36m front and a z3 rear and trying to find the most cost effective solution for coils thanks

sorry for the thread revival just got this car and trying to get things sorted out

[Aptyp]

just to reinforce it...e36 struts are taller than e30, don't forget to address that during your swap.

Just to reinforce it:

YOU ARE WRONG

e30 insert is 17" long, while e36 incased insert is only 16". If you consider the way both mount, e36 strut still sits lower than the e30 one for a little extra shock travel.

[Hellabad]

are those GC coilovers from an e30 kit? I have a e36m front and a z3 rear and trying to find the most cost effective solution for coils thanks

sorry for the thread revival just got this car and trying to get things sorted out

I would propose that you just call Ground Control, and ask them to sell you a Front e36M kit, and a rear Z3 kit, and ask if they could juggle the price to be the same as a regular e30 which is $399. This would certainly be better than calling all over trying to get used parts, and imho better than Taiwan parts. You can even ask for me if you want. (Jay)

[Fidhle007]

I would propose that you just call Ground Control, and ask them to sell you a Front e36M kit, and a rear Z3 kit, and ask if they could juggle the price to be the same as a regular e30 which is $399. This would certainly be better than calling all over trying to get used parts, and imho better than Taiwan parts. You can even ask for me if you want. (Jay)

What he said. :-)