Offroad E30

[AZRRC]

the race springs are now for sale, $230 shipped, more info on sale thread

[AZRRC]

I was eating at school yesterday and I'm pretty sure the Panda Express gods have spoken

So now I need to save up some cash so I can move this project along

[AZRRC]

Had a couple people interested in the race springs already, will only sell them as a set front and rear, less than 10k miles
I will post up here when I'm ready to let them go, wanna make sure I like the big setup first

[bimmer630]

Wanna sell those rear h/r race springs?

[timofeylbelarus]

this looks like its going to be alot of fun, ive been thinking about doing this too

[AZRRC]

Here was the last/current/never ending project

[Cletonius]

Subscribed. Can't wait to see the final product

[AZRRC]

Edit: that reminded me the stock spring in my photo is a vert spring

[e30polak]

E30 convertible springs are also taller then the coupe springs, and softer spring rate then an e36 spring.

Good luck with the project, should be fun!

[AZRRC]

The next thing I need to figure out is how much I need to extend the tie rods, and If i need to make a custom one or use a combination of factory ones to achieve the right length.

[AZRRC]

Idk what the spring rate is, anyone know?

[irish44j]

know what the rate is on the e36 springs? They definitely have thicker coils than the e30 springs...

[AZRRC]

Here is another pic of the rear springs e36 vs. e30 (vert)edit vs. e30 h&r race

[AZRRC]

Thanks for the input, I'm going to keep it as just a fun mess around vehicle. The rally cross scene isn't to big here in Phoenix (that I know of).
I really like the rally cars that I've seen here but just trying something different, if I could build caswells Baja car I would :)

I put the e36 rear springs in today, def a substantial lift over stock height. Seems to cycle well without drooping the axles to far. Will probably put limit straps in the rear. Here is a quick pic once it was back on the ground

Also found a LSD rear end at the Yard today that I will install soon.

[irish44j]

interesting....

e30s have been rallying for almost 30 years, so it's not exactly uncharted territory. There is an entire rally series in Europe called the 318is cup (good season vids on youtube, btw), and e30s play in rallies all over the place (both European rallycross, stage rally, and various other types). Caswell's job was impressive, but he's not the first e30 to run that type of rally. He's just the first one to do it as an "independent" without major sponsors or a lot of specialized rally equipment. As for the car, the stock suspension layout is more than sufficient for any kind of rally/rallycross you might want to do, though I'll be interested in seeing how the e46 LCAs turn out. You'll need to decide what you want to do though. If your goal is to "off road" more Jeep-style, you'll need a substantially different suspension than if you plan to run high-speed offroad rally. Rallycars tend to be pretty stiff, and extremely un-fun at low speed on really rough terrain. On the other hand, an "off-road" suspension setup will not be fun at all doing high-speed fire road runs (IMO). For just tooling around on gravel roads and some light off-roading, stock BMW springs + Bilstein HDs + significant weight-reduction is the inexpensive route.

That said, there are several e30s here (mine included, but definitely others) that would have little trouble doing what that Porsche above is doing. The porsche has an advantage on steep climbs due to the rear-engine setup providing more weight to the drive wheels, but that's about it. An e30 has less front overhang (and rear, if you cut out the spare tire well) than the Porsche and would probably be a superior "off-roader" for things like in the video.

I'd also note that if you plan to do stuff like that to get a roll cage built. It won't be cheap, but fucking around like that Porsche can result pretty easily in a rollover. We've seen some close calls in rallycross here and there on surfaces that are far more flat, trust me.

As to tires....if your goal is more rally-type action, get competition rally/gravel tires rather than A/T tires. Rally tires have MUCH stiffer sidewalls if you are looking for higher-speed stuff. If you just want to creep around off-road like a Jeep in 2WD, then the A/Ts should be fine. That said, most comp rally tires will die quickly if driven on tarmac, so it also comes down to whether you're going to switch wheels on/off road.

GL though, will be watching to see how this turns out and to see if anything you do would be a useful idea for my own dirt-beater.

One thing I would suggest: Put your stock suspension back on and go run a rallycross or two. That will give you a better idea of what direction you want to go with the suspension and other changes.