Nonsense Thread

[ForcedFirebird]

I took my car on the highway and hit an on off ramp at ~60, which was fairly bumpy and the car was very stable.

This is not a good indication of bump steer. Your suspension isn't traveling much on an off ramp, and without physically measuring it, it's a guess at best. Try hitting a gator back curb with your inside tire almost completely unloaded at 100mph and report back :p


Granted 90% or more of the population will not notice bump steer, specially on the street.

[LowR3V'in]

Whats the "best" rack to upgrade to?

[MrBurgundy]

This is not a good indication of bump steer. Your suspension isn't traveling much on an off ramp, and without physically measuring it, it's a guess at best. Try hitting a gator back curb with your inside tire almost completely unloaded at 100mph and report back :p


Granted 90% or more of the population will not notice bump steer, specially on the street.

haha jeez

well, it's good to know that it's nothing to really worry about on a street driven car!

Thanks for the insight!

[Max S]

Whats the "best" rack to upgrade to?

I believe that largely depends on personal preference.
The "tighter" a rack is the fewer turns it needs from lock to lock, making it a bit more agile (on, say, a country road).
But: I assume a very "tight" rack will also make the car a little more nervous at high speeds.

Max

[E30 Wagen]

Whats the "best" rack to upgrade to?

at least DD

[wworm]

at least DD

at least.

[LowR3V'in]

i enjoy the e30 rack because it's very light even with no p.s.
my nissan is far heavier and it needs p.s. i'm starting to realize a newer rack will be just as heavy.

[MrBurgundy]

People really like the 330i rack (e46)

[wworm]

^I have one of those waiting to install in my next e30. Looking forward to see how it compares to the e36m3 rack I had on my previous car

[TeXJ]

what makes the 330i rack better?

[MrBurgundy]

what makes the 330i rack better?

good read on 330i racks and the differences between them and other racks

From what I understand it has a lot to do with the torsion spring and the amount of fluid passing through the pinon. Despite the same ratio, the internals of the rack is what creates the "feel"

[wworm]

better than what?
its a wee bit quicker than an e36 rack, and isnt as quick as a z3 rack. Im not sure about whether or not its progressive or linear. My understanding is that the z3 rack is linear and the e36 rack is progressive, meaning more dead play on center. From my experience the z3 rack loads right up off center and the e36 rack takes a fair bit to load up. According to internet bmw steering rack mythology, the e46 gold tag rack (iirc the purple rack is the same ratio, just different sized fluid passages yielding a different weight of feel) sits right in the middle of the two.

[MrBurgundy]

The only linear racks come off z3s and z4s IIRC, correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, a 95 e36 m3 rack and 330i rack are 3 turns to lock, but they have different feels due the torsion spring and holes in the barrel of the pinion and also, the way the rack progresses in how quick it is

I wouldn't describe a progressive rack w/ dead play in the center, it's just not as quick in the center. ALSO, for example, the 95 m3 rack is progressive and its slower than the standard e36 rack. So, the 95 m3 rack is not as good as the regular e36 rack despite it having more turns to lock.

[MrBurgundy]

information regarding z3/e36/e36m racks

[TheWipprSnappr]

Came for the nonsense, stayed for the insight.