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Does anybody have any info on this or links to detailed discussions on the differences between the two models rear suspension differences? I know the basics like the e30 uses just a trailing arm while the e36 has upper and lower control arms in addition to a different trailing arm.

What I’m looking for is what makes the e36 design inherently superior. Is it something as simple as a better camber/toe curve? Any links to diagrams of the respective curves for each chassis?

Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks,

Jim

I did some more searching and found this bit if anybody's interested: e30/e36 rear suspension info

Jim

If you're really thinking about an E-30 auto-x and track car, I need to introduce you to a friend of mine who instructs for our HPDEs- Rich Anderson. He used to have a gutted '85 318i track car with a mildly modified 2.5L I6 from a later E-30. Though I never got to ride in it, I've been told by several that it was a beast. He had that car down to about 1900 lbs.

His engineering response to dealing with some of the E-30 semi-trailing arm's inherent problems was to raise two of rear suspsension's subframe mounting points. Quite literally, they poked through the floor where the rear seats once were. Needless to say, a modification like this boots you straight in to prepared or modified from an SCCA point of view. Still, he did a ton of research on the rear suspension design of E-30s and might be a good resource.

_________________
Tom Freeman
'98 M3/4/5 | '93 Spec3 325i | '12 TSX sport wagon | '03 Tahoe
Team Silver Bullets '91 240SX

I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel or anything. I'll live with the original attachment points if I go down that road...

Rich didn't happen to sell his car to a guy named Sam Shultz, did he? Sam showed up at the Triad event at Danville this past year in what had to be the most gutted e30 (or any car, for that matter) I have ever seen. This thing had no dash, no interior to speak of, no rear anything including the trunk panels, wires hanging all over the place, a lexan windshield and some very tired looking dry-rotted Hoosier slicks as tires. I don't think it had any other windows to speak of and was the most ghetto contraption I have ever seen in person. Like something you would see on beaters.com. The guy claimed the car weighed in way under 2000lbs (even with the 6-cylinder in there) and I definitely believed him.

Anyway, I was talking to the guy before the event started and he claimed the car was untouchable at VIR among other places. The way the guy sounded, he was the next Michael Schumacher or something and couldn't wait to see what the car did at an auto-x event. Needless to say, the guy was ultra-slow and looked much like the proverbial monkey on a football on the course. He wound up dead last in PAX (which I can almost excuse given his EM pax) and with one of the slowest raw times of the day. He was a nice enough guy but I think he was in just a bit over his head-- or the orange cones scared him. And they can be mighty scary! I never did get a chance to speak to him after the event as, strangely enough, he high-tailed it out of there after his last run.

It was an interesting car and I really wanted to find out more about it. I keep hoping to run into the guy again to ask him some more questions about it. I didn't look closely enough to notice if the rear suspension intruded into the passenger compartment. Anybody seen this guy on track?

Jim
- who would be quite happy with a "regular" e30...

I'm sure someone around here can get you the number for Terry Baker. He's a great guy and I bet he would be more than happy to talk your ear off about the conversion (he's done it, and the car is quick).

Terry makes decent money working on BMW's, so I suspect for the right amount of money, you could be the new owner of his car.

Scott

Which conversion are you talking about? Moving the rear suspension mounting points or something else? Was Terry the guy that did the work on Sam's (which turns out to be Rich's old) car? Maybe I missed something...

Terry is running a 318 in street mod with some sort of 6 cylinder conversion. I think the car was 9th at nationals this year.

Not sure which engine it is.

Scott

At Petersburg last year Terry's car had an E36 M3 motor. IIRC it weighed about 2350lb (I was standing around at the scales when it was weighed.)

--Kevin H.

_________________
2003 WRX (again!)

That's pretty amazing. I finally got the chance to weigh an '85 318i loaded with all the options plus 15" rims (14" were stock), a factory body kit and a rear spoiler. It came in right at 2380lbs which is only 20lbs more than what BMW officially listed them at. Not bad at all for a sedan with four seats. My Miata weighed frighteningly close to that at the beginning of the season for comparison sake.

Considering the e36 M3 motor weighs at least 40lbs more than the car's original M10 not counting the heavier tranny and diff, Terry must have done an awesome job with the rest of the car. That sounds like a pretty potent car for SM.

Jim