e36 5-lug sway bar options

[Quailane]

Actually, all of the e36s that I've ever bothered to check have had tube-mounted links.

Only cars produced up to about 2/'92 and M3's came from the factory with strut mounted swaybars. All others bolt to the control arm.

oops. i kind of fixed that post. anyway, i used to have the suspension techniques sway bar set (22/19), and there was a huge difference from the (i am guessing) 19/12 setup i had on my 325e.

the prices arent really a big deal since they are sort of all the same, I am just worried about possible adverse effects by going with the largest sway kit made for the e30.

i have read that the thicker the sway bars, the harder it is to sense the tires breaking loose when cornering, so it is more abrupt. i don't really remember straightline ride quality deteriorating with the upgraded sway bars on my old car, but they weren't as thick as 25/22.

anyone have any thoughts on this? i use my car as a DD, i drive it every day. i have never autocrossed or tracked it, but plan on it in the future. would sway bars be more worth more money than say, strut braces?

thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. it always feels good to find a good answer to those questions floating around in my head.

You can overdo sway bars. If the stock M roadster suspension is anything like the stock M3 suspension, it is relatively soft compared to aftermarket solutions, so I don't think getting the beefiest sway bars you can is the best idea. With a front 25mm bar, we are talking easily over twice the stiffness as you felt with a 22mm bar mounted to the control arms.

[daniel]

You can overdo sway bars. If the stock M roadster suspension is anything like the stock M3 suspension, it is relatively soft compared to aftermarket solutions, so I don't think getting the beefiest sway bars you can is the best idea. With a front 25mm bar, we are talking easily over twice the stiffness as you felt with a 22mm bar mounted to the control arms.

Twice the stiffness in corners, or just in general?

the suspension isn't a stock M Roadster suspension, its an aftermarket H&R coilover kit (with specially matched bilsteins) made for the Z3M Roadster/Coupe. I have actually driven an M Roadster, and this suspension is definitely much firmer than the stock suspension.

should i look up the spring rates for this kit? would that help in finding a balanced set of sway bars? i tried to search for it in various websites but couldn't find anything. the model number is "29512-1". i found something that said 370F/400R. don't know if that is right though.

[Quailane]

Twice the stiffness in corners, or just in general?

the suspension isn't a stock M Roadster suspension, its an aftermarket H&R coilover kit (with specially matched bilsteins) made for the Z3M Roadster/Coupe. I have actually driven an M Roadster, and this suspension is definitely much firmer than the stock suspension.

should i look up the spring rates for this kit? would that help in finding a balanced set of sway bars? i tried to search for it in various websites but couldn't find anything. the model number is "29512-1". i found something that said 370F/400R. don't know if that is right though.

Oh, when you said you put on the suspension of an M roadster, I thought you meant a stock one. That is a big difference. By over twice the stiffness, I mean it would be like having a bar that is twice as resistant to twisting. It would be like if you put a 26mm front bar on your e in place of that 22mm bar. Another thing is that you also can't compare between E36 and E30 sizes because the lever arm of the swaybar is a different length, so seeing what can run on an M roadster doesn't do much good. I think I've seen up to 30mm on the E36. On rough roads a really stiff bar can be a problem because it resists the suspension's absorption of bumps. Your suspension should be able to use it though, and looking at that bar, it is very adjustable and hollow (slightly less stiff than a solid bar) so it sounds good for your car.

[daniel]

thanks x10000 for your help.

i had strut bars on my old e30 but i felt much more of a difference once i installed the upgraded sway bars.

with fatty sway bars on the car, is it even worth it to add strut bars?