E30 Zone

Got a pair of 51mm struts. Currently have 45mm struts on the car. Can I move the wheel bearings over from the 45mm to the 51mm struts? I read somewhere they should always be replaced with new ones but there is nothing wrong with mine.

If you can get them off the strut intact and without damaging them then yes - however if they have been on for a while the likelihood is that they will be damaged when you try to remove them.

New wheel bearings aren't that expensive so just budget for a new set.

capri_rob: Thanks.

How long are wheel bearings expected to last? Is it silly to change them preventively? Thinking of staying with my original 45 mm struts to save the money I might have to spend on new bearings.

Why do you want to change the struts ? Is it just so you've got 51mm ones or are the dampers knackered ?

The best quality bearings from ECP are about £50 a side but GSF do cheaper ones which are apparently OK.

I need to renew my entire suspension which might be as old as the car. When I was researching this last year it seemed that the good options were only available for 51mm struts (bilstien b8). Also it seemed like a clever upgrade so I found a pair of mintish 51mm struts.

I've now decided for bilstien b4 + eibach and they are of course available for 45mm. The wheel bearings are fine so I'm leaning towards using my original struts and selling the 51mm on.

However, those bearing are probably original (1987 car with <110k KM/68K miles). If there was any way of knowing if they are reaching the end of their lives I would consider changing them preventively and in that case I would use my 51mm struts.

If you're imporving everything by fitting Bilstein & Eibach stuff I'd run with the 51mm struts and replace the bearings anyway - you won't have to do it again in a hurry !