Upgrading to m3 drop links worth it?

[mulletman]

Where does the sway bar attach on the newer M3's? E36, E46?

[Herr Faust Schinken]

Where does the sway bar attach on the newer M3's? E36, E46?

i just looked on realoem and on the e46 m3 it looks like they mount on the strut

[acolella76]

E36, E46, E92 M3 all mount the sway bar to the strut

Interesting... What's the reasoning behind people thinking the strut housing is better than the control arm to attach to? Just because bmw did it on the m3 and bmw knows best? Why would they do it on the m3 but not all e30s if there was no disadvantage to attaching to the strut housings? So many questions...

I was wondering that too... I just assumed the strut is best because BMW did it on the M. We don't know why they did it that way though :| Porsche did away with mounting the bar to the strut after the 996 I think, so I guess they must've been on board with the 'control arm > strut housing' idea.

Who knows. I'm not trying to change anyone's life here, you can mount your sway bar where you like lol I'm just repeating something interesting I heard at work.

[bastianshaw]

Interesting... What's the reasoning behind people thinking the strut housing is better than the control arm to attach to? Just because bmw did it on the m3 and bmw knows best? Why would they do it on the m3 but not all e30s if there was no disadvantage to attaching to the strut housings? So many questions...

No one knows

[ak-]

Steering became less lazy when mounted to the strut.
A bit of added effort too. Maybe that's why? Idk.

New cars have too many gizmo's that make it unnoticed in feel, and just performs.

[VinniE30]

Bump
Someone on here must know the reason why it's better mounted to the strut.(if it actually is, which it looks like if just speculation.)

[acolella76]

To get leverage from a different angle. Im sure it just boils down to driver preference... hell I dont doubt that bmw put it there because of the DTM drivers preference. If it is absolutely essential that you know I will talk to my boss again tomorrow :)

[kronus]

Bump
Someone on here must know the reason why it's better mounted to the strut.(if it actually is, which it looks like if just speculation.)

The strut tubes are farther out fom the car's center line than the control arm mounting points. As a result, the control arm moves through more angle during suspension compression (because the control arm rotates on an axis between the CAB and the inner ball joint), and since the sway bar is a spring, it provides more return force when it is deflected further away from its rest position.

The final result is the same sway bar provides more force to counter the leaning effects of a turn under similar G's.

[VinniE30]

To get leverage from a different angle. Im sure it just boils down to driver preference... hell I dont doubt that bmw put it there because of the DTM drivers preference. If it is absolutely essential that you know I will talk to my boss again tomorrow :)

Thanks.:) And i'm sure many other people besides me want to know. Who's your boss?

[VinniE30]

The strut tubes are farther out fom the car's center line than the control arm mounting points. As a result, the control arm moves through more angle during suspension compression (because the control arm rotates on an axis between the CAB and the inner ball joint), and since the sway bar is a spring, it provides more return force when it is deflected further away from its rest position.

The final result is the same sway bar provides more force to counter the leaning effects of a turn under similar G's.

Makes sense. Good explanation.
I'm probably gonna go with the m3 links since I already got the tabs for them welded to my strut housings.

[kronus]

well i actually fucked it up. It doesn't move through more angle, it moves through more distance at the end than the middle when the angle is the same. more distance = more deflection of the sway bar.

[Lof8]

The strut tubes are farther out fom the car's center line than the control arm mounting points. .

Wouldn't that give the car's rolling momentum more leverage against the sway bar, making the sway bar less effective?

more distance = more deflection of the sway bar.

aahh, that seems to make more sense.

[M-technik-3]

I upgraded my plain jane E36's to droplinks just for mechanical advantage. You get advantage of a bigger bar but with less weight and less mass of a design.

Did this for our lemon it was a 318is e36 ran a stock bar and the links. We handled nice and flat and very predictable.

[acolella76]

Thanks.:) And i'm sure many other people besides me want to know. Who's your boss?

The 'J' in JRZ. Didn't remember to ask him today though :p

Thanks for the info Kronus!

[Northern]

I feel that another reason for the non-M cars to get control arm links is for cost, and replacement interval. I could see the drop links wearing faster from the additional movement.