Both of my E30 325i cars have been a challenge to keep the steering wheel shimmy under control, but I never had the issue ever with my M10 powered 318i cars which had better weight distribution. Anyone else had challenges with shimmy? My first car was converted to a 19MM front sway bar and M3 solid and offset CABS (control arm bushings) and the problem seemed to go away, though I sold the car after a year of resolution. My current car has the 19MM sway and solid, centered CABS. One idea I am toying with is to run E36 control arms that have the rubber mounted outer ball joints - this is a daily driver and not a performance car.
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Id steer clear of the rubber isolated E36 arms.
I would check and make sure everything doesn't have play, Make sure your wheels are balanced and true, And lastly a worn shock can contribute to a shimmy. Worn Control Arm bushings that feel or look "OK" could be playing a trick.
Id pry on everything in all directions and see what you can find.
Old or Cheap tires that look true also maybe lying on the balancer and may cause your issue while road testing..
Weight balance isn't a factory for you. -
Great advice and I have covered all of those things over the last 22 years while I have been driving the 325i platform. The earlier 318i did not have the problem. Just wondered if anyone else finds the 6-cyl models challenging to eliminate front end shimmy.Comment
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Bad steering flex disc, rack not centered, mounting surfaces of wheels and hubs clean, or wheels bent? There is also a bushing/mount on the steering column that can wear, a bushing in the lower column, and the universal joint assembly itself.Comment
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Interesting. Must be random. In the last 20+ years, my daily drivers have been two 1984 318i cars, an 85 318i, two 89 325i's, an 89 325iX and a 1991 325iX. The two 1989 325i cars both had the nagging shimmy unlike the other cars. The first 325i car was corrected by the upgrades to the offset bushings and the 19MM sway. I do know that the racks did not hold up well on the 325i cars compared to the others. I just changed out my current 325i rack with a 1.9 Z3 rack. Hopefully I'm getting close. Maybe both my winter treads and the summers that I just put on are out of balance. Everything else is tight, though I could check steering column bushings.Comment
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Check your rear subframe bushings also. Sounds weird I know. To my surprise replacing the worn out bushings fixed it.Comment
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The car is due for rear subframe bushings and trailing arm bushings for sure - just need time to do them. Any advice on a good OE rear rubber bushing?Comment
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No recommendation. Just go OE like Lemforder.Comment
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Nine Inch NailsComment
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You don't need all that. I replaced my bushes in my old 87ic with offsets, eibach pro kit, euro weaves, and a whole lotta other crap, and while it was cool and looked dope, my new bone stock 89ic handles better. True stock, as long as it's not worn out, is where it's at. Keep the value of your car!Comment
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