General E30 Upgrades
This is a work-in-progress and I have linked to other peoples Zone wiki's for more information on different parts. More information on each section can be found hiding in www.E30Zone.net... Nay.
Servicing! A good service will always help your car. Its a great place to start as it will give you a better feel for the condition of your car! Have a look at these, and try do as much of this as you can. Learning to do a lot of this yourself will be a addition to your knowledge-bank as E30's can start costing the earth if you keep letting garages take your money! http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/BMW_Dealership_Maintenance_-_Inspection_1 http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/BMW_Dealership_Maintenance_-_Inspection_2
Suspension and Bushes. This will revitalise your whole suspension and handling. This can be a cheap fix to an expensive fix. If you have a car your willing to properly invest in, then do all of this at once, and keep the good parts left over as spares! http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/E30_Bush_Renovation
Many people also like lowering their car or putting stiffer suspension on to improve the handling, but that is a choice depending on the driver and what he/she wants.
Get everything in your car working as it is from factory. As above really. Get all central locking, electrics, lights, sunroof etc working properly and try refurb the components and check for wear and possible problems. Retro-fit what you would like (Map-Light mirror, heated seats, air-con, cruise-control, etc)
51mm Struts and Rear Disk brakes. All 325i's, cabbies and tourings came with 51mm struts and rear disk brakes. These can make for a good upgrade for harder suspension on the 320i and four pots (although, springs will be harder to find!). The rear disks are always an advantage over drum brakes.
Headlights. Most people aren't too fused, but the E30 headlights aren't very good. Especially your dip beam. A lot of people swear by HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights. These are those crisp white, or bluey tinted lights you find on newer cars (and cop cars!) which always blind you!!! They are quite easy to retrofit and most people can accomplish this by following instructions within an morning or afternoon (a few hours) although people who are handy with spanners can do a single side in under 30 mins. This can only be done for your dip beams as HIDs take a few seconds to warm up and don't like consistent on/off flicking! http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/HID_Headlight_Conversion
Also, some people like to swap the full beams to 100w bulbs. This makes your full beams very strong too. This requires doubling up the wires to the full beams so they dont burn out!
Steering Rack These are considered as massive upgrades. Many Zoners consider the steering rack as one of the major flaws with the E30. With roughly 4 turns lock-to-lock this makes the steering very slow. You can use a number of racks to upgrade this. The cheapest, which is still a major benefit to the handling, is the E36 rack. With roughly 3.2 turns lock-to-lock this makes the steering significantly faster and improves the overall feel of the handling. E46 racks can be used, as well as Z3's and I'm sure others can fit too. The Z3 1.9L rack, with 2.7-2.8 turns lock-to-lock is by far the fastest, but some people believe it to be too much. Z3 racks are also much harder to find and usually a lot more expensive. If you stumble accross one (the 1.9L one specifically) consider snapping it up.
This is quite a simple task, but may be out the hands for most home mechanics, although not hard, requires lifting the car up at the front (makes life soo much easier) and some fiddling! Also needs the wheels aligned afterwards or some serious shuddering will happen.
This also requires spacers to mount the rack and some other simple parts. A fitting kit can be found on the zone, for a price, if you dont wish to fanny around sorting out the parts you need. http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/Steering_Rack_Conversions
Steering linkage renewal and Short Shifts Again, personal preference. Most people consider the throw to be a bit long in the E30s. I believe this isn't car specific, but double check before. I know this works on 325i's.
You can rejuvenate your steering linkage by collecting a few parts, which will seriously tighten up your linkage and give your gearbox a newer feeling. By changing just the selecter rod (the actual gear-stick) you can significantly reduce the throw of the gear lever, making changes faster and shaper. This usually makes the gear change require a bit more effort and the harder you drive the better it feels. Everyone who attempts this loves the result. A Z3 1.9L gear lever (or Z4 as well, for a very, very short throw) are the things to use. So all genuine parts again can be used. For a linkage renewal, expect to pay around £40. For a Z3 conversion (all new parts) you have to get the lever as well, expect to pay around £70. £70 well spent! http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/Z3_short_shifter_conversion
A Remap or chip. A remap is quite expensive. If your planning to do upgrades to the engine or have your engine rebuilt or even just want the minor benefits, a remap is worth it. If you have a stock engine, consider a mild chip. Remaps and chips can improve performance and increase eccomony as well as throttle response and drivability. Some people swear by them.
LSD Limited Slip Differential. This is something that is not needed, nor will many people notice it. E30s came with an Open differential as standard, meaning that when you go around a corner all the power will be going to the rear outside wheel (which is going faster) than the rear inside wheel. With an LSD, power will be going to both wheels. More information regarding differentials can be found anywhere with a quick zone search or even google! An LSD is recommended for people who like going a tad faster (i.e round a track) or going sideways.
Other little touches!
Spare Keys! Smaller Steering wheels (370mm or smaller, most have 380mm)
