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

[mr2peak]

anyone tried a new 330 e46 rack?

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.

[StereoInstaller1]

How the hell could he drive from Cali to Washington? Wouldn't his car sink in the Indian Ocean?

smacked that motherfucker out the damn park, din'tcha?

[LivingLegend06]

Thanks so much for posting cliffs on that.

I WANT a progressive rack. I WANT nice, easy parking.

Sell me yours (as long as ZERO leakage) and you can buy a Z3 rack.

Hell, drive up and we will do the swap in my garage!

How the hell could he drive from Cali to Washington? Wouldn't his car sink in the Indian Ocean?

[StereoInstaller1]

So the regular z3 rack would be the best. Sucks for me cuz I JUST had my '95 M3 rack installed after I discovered this info. FML!!!!!

/thread

Thanks so much for posting cliffs on that.

I WANT a progressive rack. I WANT nice, easy parking.

Sell me yours (as long as ZERO leakage) and you can buy a Z3 rack.

Hell, drive up and we will do the swap in my garage!

[Spaz]

anyone tried a new 330 e46 rack?

[xphiledan]

How is your post different from anyone else's regarding which steering rack is the best? You are quoting three bfc threads that have the same poster quoting his ratio numbers without any data to back them up. The majority of the other posters in those threads say that the z3 rack was not that much of an upgrade over the 95 m3 rack based on experience with both in their car. Unless you have first hand knowledge of all three rack types on an E30, you are just contributing to the mis-information available on this topic.

e30pq has both z3 and 95 m3 racks. his assessment concurs with the OP's claim.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?p=1704087

[Gnarles]

How is your post different from anyone else's regarding which steering rack is the best? You are quoting three bfc threads that have the same poster quoting his ratio numbers without any data to back them up. The majority of the other posters in those threads say that the z3 rack was not that much of an upgrade over the 95 m3 rack based on experience with both in their car. Unless you have first hand knowledge of all three rack types on an E30, you are just contributing to the mis-information available on this topic.

[Spaz]

I'm curious to weight a e46 rack vs. the z3....

Does anyone have hard numbers for an e46 rack?

[daniel]

wow, thanks so much for posting this. This whole time i thought the 95 m3 rack was the best, and that the z3 rack would make your turning circle larger because you couldn't turn the wheel as far.

i guess once i get another e30 i'll be looking for a z3 rack then.

[dnova89]

Okay, I did not read the entire thread, but in fact I barely read any of it, but all I'm going to say is what wh33lhop's cliffs are correct. Here are some measurements that my friend who races an M coupe took from some race car drivers that took the measurements themeselves:

Z3 non-M racks are all the same.
- LINEAR ratio (same rack travel per input turn across the entire rack length)
- 53.5 mm of linear rack travel per 1 360 degree rotation input.
- 144.5 mm of total rack travel (translates to 2.7 turns L2L)
- installed 13.9:1 ratio

Z3 M racks and '96+ E36 M3 racks are the same.
- PROGRESSIVE ratio (rack is slower on-center, quicker towards L&R rack locks)
- 45.5 mm of linear rack travel on-center per 1 360 degree rotation input.
- 145.6 mm of total rack travel(translates to 3.2 turns L2L)
- installed 15.6:1 mean ratio
- Same p/n rack as E36 non-M, but locks were modified to shorten gear travel from 154.7 to 145.6mm

'95 M3 racks are the slowest and shortest of all US-spec E36 racks, until 200 deg of rotation from on-center.
- PROGRESSIVE ratio
- 39.0 mm of linear rack travel on-center per 1 360 degree rotation input.
- 117mm of total rack travel (translates to 3.0 turns L2L)
- installed 17.6:1 mean ratio

And btw, regular z3 rack > z3M rack = regular e36 rack

So the regular z3 rack would be the best. Sucks for me cuz I JUST had my '95 M3 rack installed after I discovered this info. FML!!!!!

/thread

[xphiledan]

Excellent thread. This deserves a sticky - to dispel the false information floating around out there. I went with a non-M Z3 rack swap after doing extensive research and talking to e30pq that owns 2 E30's - one with a '95 M3 and the other with a non-M Z3, and he confirms the on-center linear feel of the Z3.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=1704087&postcount=10

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=1704594&postcount=17

I must say that the Z3 swap is one of my favorite mods to the car. Steering feel is excellent. It has a nice heavy weight (what you would associate with BMWs). Effort at parking lot speeds is on the high side - and I would even say a bit tiring, but once the car gets up to speeds, it feels just right.

If anyone in NJ wants to meet up and go for a test drive, shoot me a PM.

[evil_twin]

awesome information... I need to find out what rack I have now lol.

[SA E30]

I think the E46 M3 rack is just as good as the Z3 rack. That is what I have in our race car.

[Brian D]

Very good information, thanks for posting it. That first Bf.C thread is especially useful, thanks for the link as I almost never go there.

Without changing the subject too far, I think this also goes a long ways towards explaining why people have such differing opinions on deleting the power steering pump. With a stock slow E30 rack, you still have enough mechanical advantage that the steering isn't going to feel too heavy. Right now I'm running a E36 non M rack without the pump, and it's pretty easy off center but it's too heavy (IMO) when you go over 90 degrees input at the wheel. This makes sense now that I see that the rack is progressive. I'd hate to feel what a manual Z3 rack would feel like! I do like the steering feedback I get in turns now though, the power assisted steering feels very isolated in comparison.

I need to take a couple of pumps to a power steering guru in SoCal, I'd be very interested in a Z3 rack with a lower flow pump.

Oh, and I agree this should be stickied, subscribed for further updates.

[Ian Bowers]

Wh33lhop explained this to me the other night when I sent him a PM trying to get this stuff straight. This definitely deserves a sticky, as there is so much misconception, bullshit, and "I read it from there, but the other guy read it from here, who heard it from his buddy, who heard it from his buddy's GF's sister's cousin's dog's best friend."

Thanks again for the help!