Z4 non powered steering rack fits e30

[Brian7]

Got the rack in today and it feels great! 3 turns lock to lock is killer and barely turning the wheel to change lanes is real nice. Definitely feels like manual steering though haha. From a stop, making a left or right turn is do-able with 1 hand and not terrible. Dead stop isn't too good but not as bad as a hydraulic rack with the lines capped off and not having a steering shaft bushing, you can feel EVERYTHING. My tires are a little worn and I can feel the out of balance shaking the wheel. Still need an alignment, just eyeballed it for now but it drives straight and the wheel is straight so The splines coming out of the steering column do not have a relief for a bolt to go through so I slipped the shaft on and put a smaller bolt through for now. Steering shaft is super short but I didn't have to weld it, jammed the bearings in there, its real tight and won't come apart without hammering on it. I felt comfortable leaving it like that. Welding felt a little too permanent! Nice mod though, I imagine I'll get sick of having no PS so an E46 rack may be on order ;D

[jwal]

Jegs and Summit both have tons of u-joints and adapters for standard splines. I am going to work on a setup for airbag cars once I get my e30 into my garage.

[Q8y_drifter]

Thanks for the input folks. That's what I like about R3V! All details are well documented

Anyone know where I can source a 3/4"-48 X 3/4" DD u-joint? Flaming River has em for about $60 and I'm looking for something cheaper if possible.

I currently have a Z3 rack on my LS1 E30 which blew the top seal on the main shaft for some reason. Rebuilt with a new seal and guess what? major fluid leak from that top seal again. I think the main shaft is fucked. So I picked up a Z3 rack for $65 and figured I'd replace the shaft.

I also picked up an 04-07 Z4 rack while I was there for about $150. I figured if the Z3 rack doesn't work out I go full manual rack.

[Brian7]

I'm installing mine tomorrow then getting an alignment shortly after (I hope!). I drive my car everyday and I'll report back how it drives since it seems a lot of people are curious :up:

[E30SPDFRK]

Someone needs to measure the total throw and mm per revolution so we can compare it to the rest of the swappable racks.

per. turn------BMW Part #
- E30--------------36.5 mm--------32 13 1 092 335
- E30 M3-----------38 mm---------32 13 2 225 556
- E36 M3 '95--------41 mm--------32 13 2 227 191 *NEW 08.15.11 Pink
- E36---------------45.5 mm-------32 13 1 096 280
- E36 M3 96+-------45.5 mm------32 13 1 096 280
- E36 Z3 M---------45.5 mm-------32 13 1 096 280
- E46 (9/99-4/01)--46 mm---------32 13 6 753 438 *NEW 08.15.11 Pink
- E46 (4/01-9/01)--50 mm---------32 13 6 755 065
- E85 Z4 M---------51 mm---------32 13 7 836 844
- E36 Z3 non-M-----53.5 mm-------32 13 1 095 575

I got a Z4 non-M rack in recently so I decided to measure it up. I got 52mm/revolution, linear, and 150mm total throw. Both measurements were done with a ruler so there is a small margin of error, but the rack is basically the same as a Z3 non-M rack without the power assist.

Also, I'm not sure if this matters but the rack is extremely easy to spin by hand while its sitting on the floor. All other power assisted racks I've measured needed pliers on a joint to spin them lock to lock.

[Brian7]

Having driven my car without power steering, how does this compare? Someone earlier in the thread said its REALLY easy to steer compared to a non PS E36 rack. Which for me sounds do-able for a daily driver :D

[BraveUlysses]

Any pics you can post would be very helpful, I would like to swap from my Z3 1.9 to this rack on my airbag car.

[Bearmw]

Let us know how it feels after the alignment.

[89325iturbo]

Took the car for a little drive. It feels good when driving, even though I'm getting some shimmey from the lack of alignment. Expectedly it was firm when your barely moving. I.E. Backing up or going into a parking spot. Pretty much that under 3-5mph rule you'll need two hands to turn. But at road speed felt pretty nice.
I'm also only on stock wide tires 195/65's.

[cali_e30]

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. I've been dying to do this.

[89325iturbo]

I need to get an alignment to get a real feel. I needed an alignment before I even switch the rack. I'll probably take it for a quick spin over the weekend anyway just to see.

[Brian7]

3

DRIVE IT!! I haven't had a chance to get mine in yet but I'm curious how it feels around town.

[jph]

I have located a rack that is semi-local and will be picking that up as soon as possible. Once I have the rack I can throw it in the bay and see how much space is available and what options are available for airbag cars.

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Awesome. I just picked up an airbag car and already had a Z4 rack that I was planning to use in my non-airbag sedan but never got around to installing. Interested to hear about your findings with the airbag steering column. Thanks for taking the plunge :)

[jwal]

I have located a rack that is semi-local and will be picking that up as soon as possible. Once I have the rack I can throw it in the bay and see how much space is available and what options are available for airbag cars.

[jwal]

I have done some research and using the Z4 steering shaft is not an ideal choice for airbag cars, as this would result in 3 u-joints being present in the steering system. This would add unnecessary and undesirable degrees of freedom to the system.