rally struts, need more travel!!

[rallysmurf]

o i am prepping a e30 for rally and am looking for
more travel. from what i have read hd have more
travel than sport if i stick to e30 stuff.
another option is doing a e36. to they have
more stroke?

does anyone know the strut stroke on them?

thanks alex

[JazzM]

The bilstein HD shock has the same valving as the sport but more travel.

T.

[Fair!]

For hard core rally/off road use you need to use a specialized heavier duty inverted monotube with extended strut shaft lengths. You will not find what you need "on the shelf" or for "cheap". We've built what AST calls their "JUMBO" shaft inverted doubles and triples for rally cars... You won't like the price, though. ;) 60mm diameter shafts. That's "big like a pickle".


Most non-inverted struts us a 22mm shaft, as shown above (E36 AST4100 front strut). A typical E36 rear shock shaft is shown here for comparison - a strut takes a LOT more suspension loading than a shock, so its always bigger.


AST4300 with remotes for E30 M3 front. Remote reservoirs increase the fluid capacity substantially and they also allow for 3 way valving adjustments and additional piston stroke inside the strut body. Remotes are a must for rally use.


EVO IX inverted AST4102 struts. Note the upper shaft diameter is substantially larger (45mm in this case) which is really only a benefit for rally use. Some folks go inverted for "less unsprung weight" but its a heavier overall strut so its pretty much a wash for performance... but the larger diameters DO help reliability with the huge impact loads that rally cars see. Most racecars don't get airborne or crash into trees, but Rally cars do!