Modifying e36 m3 Struts

[robmespeedy]

You sir are saving a lot of money. but for us regular guys that dont have access to machinery like that. i dunno

would you be able to make the threaded spacer and sell them on here?

[asubimmer]

You sir are saving a lot of money. but for us regular guys that dont have access to machinery like that. i dunno

would you be able to make the threaded spacer and sell them on here?

the spacer doesn't need to be threaded. It goes under the shock insert

[robmespeedy]

the spacer doesn't need to be threaded. It goes under the shock insert

i guess im talking about that threaded piece up top.

[Aptyp]

threaded piece up top is from e30 strut housing. Here's what happens:

It's king of hard to square cut both strut housing and e36 strut housing. I use pipe cutter to cut as much as I can to give enough room and have both pipes ~square. And I use lathe to cut threads to size. Next time I make a set, I could get "exact" measurements of the pipes themselves. For me to put these out would probably run $200 per set, while it only cost $65 per hour at the machine shop. I would love to put these up for sale for everyone to get a set, but at $200 per set before getting iX inserts and shipping, it would no longer be a great deal, and probably cost just as much as buying e36 Koni's.

So, I encourage you to find a cheap local machine shop that charger per hour. Ask me all of the questions, I am willing to answer all questions and help everyone out here, I just can't justify spending time and money at the machine shop and feel like I'm ripping you guys off.

[Hellabad]

So here is my plan. The 8611 inserts start at the 300/in# and go up to 900/in#. The are 280-300 an insert, and they have a warranty.

Just a heads up that the warranty on the Koni race struts (8610 and 8611) is WAY different than the regular Koni street warranty.

On the street struts and shocks, they are warrantied against being "defective". The issue is what is the interpretation of "defective". On the street parts, Koni of North America gives a lot of leeway. If it leaks after 70,000 miles, they really consider that defective and you get a new one. But think about it. If a strut was REALLY defective, as in "Johannes assembled it when he was hungover in The Netherlands in 1996", wouldn't it have started leaking a long time ago?

This is where Koni is being generous in regards to "what is defective". Bilstein and a few other companies show the same graciousness BTW.

On the RACE STRUTS and shocks, "defective" is much more tightly defined. Johannes really does have to have screwed up for you to get a new strut.

If a 8610 or 8611 leaks when you pull it out of the box, you will probably get a new one. But if you drive on it for a hundred miles, or race on it, you don't get a new strut. Honestly, it makes sense. If you make it through the first race without the strut leaking, then there is a good chance that Johannes did a good job, and it is not defective by the traditional definition.

By the way, to avoid confusion, there is no longer any such thing as an 1198-SPGC Koni. I changed the number so people would realize there was almost nothing in common with the 1198 Corrado strut. The new part number, which has the Koni STREET warranty, is 8641-1547-SPGC.


Jay from Ground Control

[Aptyp]

yeah, it's only that this thread has nothing to do with Koni. If I were to use Koni inserts, there are a few alternatives in height that all fit e36 strut housing. They range from 16" (stock-size insert) all the way to 13". Using Koni makes this project a lot easier and would require no welding and no machine shop.

I am a Bilstein-guy, because they're best quality and best warranty for the money. I am an hour from their rebuilding facility, so it makes a whole lot of sense to always use Bilsteins.

[robmespeedy]

Hey What are the bilstein part numbers? i've searched for E30 ix bilstein's but only seem to be able to find HD strut inserts and not the sports.

[White325is]

I dont think there is a sport shock for the IX. Could be wrong tho.

I did the same shit for my buddys 5 lug swap.
I just never saved the pics.

[Aptyp]

Hey What are the bilstein part numbers? i've searched for E30 ix bilstein's but only seem to be able to find HD strut inserts and not the sports.

there are no sport shocks for iX, only HDs. BUT HDs for IX are inverted like sports for all other cars. They're the thick ones. P36-0201 and P36-0251 are part numbers. Ones are for iX, the others are for Camaro, but both are exact same dimensions. Camaro ones are shorter and valved for heavier car, so I recommend them, but you'll need e30 gland nuts for bilsteins.

[325is90]

do you have to use IX bilsteins? I have normal bilstein sports and some blown e36 boge struts

[Aptyp]

the whole point of using IX inserts is because they are shorter

[325is90]

But will the sports work? are the IX and the sports the same diameter? i have IE springs so its not very low up front

[Aptyp]

NO, YOU CAN NOT...

You have to use strut inserts that are shorter than 16"... stock e30 ones are 17".

[Hellabad]

yeah, it's only that this thread has nothing to do with Koni.

I was responding to this post (below) regarding specific part numbers, and I clarified the warranties for Koni Race, Koni street and Bilstein street.

I think it was a helpful post.

Jay

You should read before you post. Sorry.

The 8610 / 8611 is a SA and DA insert. They use gland nuts rather then the bolt in the bottom.

To get a proper drop for 17's you need a real shortened assembly. GC makes a nice unit. The 8611's fit the description perfectly. However, they are 45.5MM while the housings are 51. Gordan from Koni says that the gland nut on the top locates the strut. The DA's are top and bottom adjustable. So you need to drill a 1/2" hole in the bottom for the adjuster.

GC's struts are a modified Corrado strut, they shortern the stroke and supposedly revalve them. However they are only SA.

[Aptyp]

Sorry, Jay. Didn't mean to sound antsy or anything. It's just using Konis makes this entire thread very much useless. If someone goes out to spend $400 on Koni inserts, then it's really a simple install by GC instructions. No need for r3v.


I wish there was a catalog of lengths and thicknesses for other Koni and Bilstein inserts. Could have a much nicer list.