E36 racks: let's settle it once and for all.

[Wishno87]

Would an E30 M3 rack be a worthwhile upgrade?

[John Beton]

Would an E30 M3 rack be a worthwhile upgrade?

I would like to know the same thing. Which one has the shorter ratio: an e30 m3 rack or a z3 1.9 rack?

[RGCintha29073]

From what i understand from EVERYTHING i have seen and read the z3 1.9 rack has the shortest ratio among them.

[jeffnhiscars]

IIRC the e30 M rack has the same ratio as the e30 non M rack. The only difference is that due to the wider stock tires, the stops are different...so its fewer turns lock to lock, but the exact same ratio.

[John Beton]

Exactly what i needed to know, thank you!

[benz-tech]

I have a steering rack from a basic E36 325i 4-dr sedan with an automatic. It is so flickable now. One of the few things that brings a smile to my face when pushing though the M42's lack of power.

[ClayW]

91 325i w/airbag

I have a 1991 325i with an airbag. The rack needs replacement, so I need some advice.

I like the idea of upgrading to the Z3 rack. Which year(s) do I need to look for and what hardware do I need to swap them? I come from the world of 1600s and 2002s, so I've never touched a rack and pinion.

Thanks in advance.

[evandael]

From what i understand from EVERYTHING i have seen and read the z3 1.9 rack has the shortest ratio among them.

just so everyone understands, the all z3 racks are the same, at least on those models included here:

http://realoem.com/bmw/partxref.do?part=32131095575%09

[franken325i]

great thread you guys sold me on the z3 rack. a guy at the local high school drives one hes going to be pissed one of these days when he tries to drive home. :twisted:

[Solarian]

I've been looking at the 330i ZHP rack, but after a bit of research the Z3 rack is still the quickest option. And much, much cheaper.

Three years later and the opposite is true for pricing, Z3 racks are at least twice as expensive as a ZHP rack. Has anyone looked into the ZHP rack more? It seems like a really attractive option now that prices have gone down so much (and gone up for the Z3 rack)

Edit: I decided to look around and found this:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1654735

Describes pretty well the differences between all the racks that the 330 got, and that the "good" one is the 712 part number one.

[Hayden78]

Does anyone know if a 01 z3 3.0l rack would fit?

[Todd Black 88]

Yes

[Hayden78]

Yes

And it would be a 2.7 l2l?
And thanks by the way man.

[Bimmerguy91]

Just throwing this out there for you guys. The quickest rack you can buy is a Z4M Coupe rack which is 12.5 to 1. You can also buy a E46 ZHP or Z4M Roadster rack which are 13.5 to 1. Then your next option is a 02+ E46 rack which is 15.4 to 1 Good luck finding a M Coupe rack though there were only 1815 made. So realistically getting a ZHP,Z4M roadster, or Z3 rack will be the best bet and just buy which ever is cheapest they are all essentially the same. Bang for the buck IMO is a 02+ E46 rack. Atleast if you're buying a reman. (Check Rack Doctor for good pricing) If you are buying used just go to pull-a-part and buy a regular e36 rack for $50 bucks.

[R3Z3N]

Just a heads up, stating the ratio IE 12.5:1 still does not give quite enough information, as it is dependent on the steering joint mount distance from hub pivot point, which may or may not change in each chassis. That number (12.5:1) means that in the car it came in, it takes 12.5º of steering wheel rotation to steer the wheels 1º. A better measurement is the milimeters/revolution of the input to rack ratio to measure the racks against each other.

Edit: I am guilty of this too.