Small project - E30 M3 springs refurbished

[jeffnhiscars]

With the Allen hole stripped I've still been able to torque the damper nut by locking a vice grip over a rag at the very top of the rod....high enough so if it does get chewed it won't reach the seal. You only need 17lbs

[majdomo]

Small project - E30 M3 springs refurbished

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[majdomo]

Small project - E30 M3 springs refurbished

Looks great! That ride height looks perfect. Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier or I would've chimed in with some info/measurements.

Did you see my post with measurements for H&R OE sports on my 318is?

Did you end up using the 14.5mm E46 rear spring pads? That'll give you another half inch of ride height in the rear.

Thanks Mike! I did see that thread, stayed with the stock rear spring pads for now as I wanted to see how it looked first. Seems fine for now but may change my mind later, it looks a little bit droopy drawers in the back.

I also ended up going with 50s instead of 55s. The look is a little bit odd...but I really wanted to kill as much roll as possible. I may swap them out, but I just drove my local twisty backroad and the handling is awesome, way more confidence inspiring than before!


Ezekiel 25:17

[mike.bmw]

Looks great! That ride height looks perfect. Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier or I would've chimed in with some info/measurements.

Did you see my post with measurements for H&R OE sports on my 318is?

Did you end up using the 14.5mm E46 rear spring pads? That'll give you another half inch of ride height in the rear.

[majdomo]

All done, now on Euroweaves and Direzzas:



Ezekiel 25:17

[majdomo]

With OE Sports installed, front:

Rear:


Rides just awesome on these now, body roll is noticeably reduced as are road imperfections. The car feels way smoother than it did before.


Ezekiel 25:17

[majdomo]

My stock height on the 325 iS is the same as your 318 iS

I think even the small drop makes a difference though...looks good.

Pic from tonight, installed the rear H&R OE Sports. Comparing E30 M3 to OE Sport to 318is stock:



Ezekiel 25:17

[finnmole]

My stock height on the 325 iS is the same as your 318 iS
I think even the small drop makes a difference though...looks good.

[majdomo]

Just for fun and future reference, here are the before and after pics of the ride height. Showing about 0.5” drop from stock all around.

Stock, front:


Stock, rear:


M3, front:


M3, rear:


From a bit of a distance, riding stock 14” weaves. Please forgive the dirty E30 shots, she needs a f’n bath:


Excited to see what it’ll look like when I get the Euroweaves and OE Sports on there!


Ezekiel 25:17

[majdomo]

Ahhh, back to the good ol' days of trial and error.

Ha! I have a good number of parts otw. So many tracking numbers!


Ezekiel 25:17

[IRON-E]

Ahhh, back to the good ol' days of trial and error.

[finnmole]

Right, probably a lot of factors like the weight of the M3 at the front/rear compared to the 325 iS...I'm hoping the strut towers are usable. The rears would be easy to try for size. Perhaps someone has done this to their 325 iS

Found this...from an owners manual apparently

325i - kerb weight: 1209kg, distribution: F 52.4% / R 47.6% (Battery moved to trunk)

318iS - kerb weight: 1132kg, distribution: F 53.3% / R 46.7%

320iS - kerb weight: 1218kg, distribution: F 52.1% / R 47.9%

M3 - kerb weight: 1237kg, distribution: F 52.2% / 47.8%

[majdomo]

My car is a 318is, so lighter than the 325is (and maybe a little lighter than an M3?).


Ezekiel 25:17

[finnmole]

Curious as to how this works out.
I just received some used M3 springs for my 88 325 iS. Hoping for a bit of a drop and thinking of getting Bilstein B 6's to match.
Anyone done this kind of swap?

[majdomo]

something simple turns into a big fuck up. sheesh
we've all been there.

convertible front sway and m3 rear helps massively btw.

Thanks. Sucks for sure. Blew a big ass chunk out of the weekend. Learned a ton...about how it can go sideways.

14.5mm rear sway is on the way, along with new rubber from Turner. Same order as the new f'n tie rod, springs, and some other odds and ends. From my reading the 318is has a 20mm front from stock so will stick with that and adjust accordingly. May go bigger on sways but will make that call later.

So is the allen key insert fubar'd, or the actual OD threads on the strut insert?

If it's the allen key, borrow an impact and they come off pretty cleanly.

Don't sweat replacing one insert after 10k miles, I generally replace them as needed, not necessarily in pairs unless I am following a regimen (easier to know "ok, both were replaced xxx miles or races ago")

Allen key insert is definitely fubar, which I could have lived with for the time being if I would have been able to get the nut to torque down. However, once I got the nut down to the bottom, it just kind of spun and felt very...not engaging. Leading me to think either the nut or the threads or both are hosed too. Or, third possibility, did I actually end up off the threads at the bottom?? No idea if that's even possible.

Fortunately I have an impact that can take it off. And since I'm not concerned about preserving this insert I don't have any concerns about getting some big ol' channel locks on the insert to hold it in place.

Good to know it's not a big deal to keep the good strut insert. That definitely helps.