fitting e36 m3 struts and brakes to e30

[gasgasrob]

Hello there,

I have the opportunity of buying a set of complete e36 struts, calipers and discs. I have an 88 320i e30 and want to do the swap over.

What exactly would I need in order for the geometry to line up etc? or at least so it handled safely and didnt wear out tires all the time!

thanks very much in advance!
Rob

[gasgasrob]

oh and the e36 m3 is around an N reg so 94-95

[Grrrmachine]

Basically, what you need to do is chuck those bits in the bin and buy E36 M3 equivalents:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... 36_Options

[Motorhole]

Basically, what you need to do is chuck those bits in the bin and buy E36 M3 equivalents:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... 36_Options

M3 Evo '96 onwards

The list is good, I've done the swap. Don't forget you'll also need E36 Compact/Z3 rears arms & hubs too. If I were to say the swap wasn't a major ballache I'd be lying.

[gasgasrob]

what would happen if I was to simply bolt on the e36 m3 struts, calipers and discs? I've heard somewhere the caster would be right out?

Im trying to do all this fairly cheaply lol

thanks

[pacerpete]

Why ?

[Grrrmachine]

"brakes" and "cheap" is never a good idea.

[harry_p]

what would happen if I was to simply bolt on the e36 m3 struts, calipers and discs? I've heard somewhere the caster would be right out?

Im trying to do all this fairly cheaply lol

thanks

The front wheel will sit at the back of the arch.

You need ( longer ) evo arms AND offset bushes to get the wheel centred.

[Motorhole]

The reduced castor from using the regular E36 M3 parts would mean your tyres may rub the arches when turning and your car will handle like a drunkard on roller skates.

Not to mention looking goofy. I mean - I've seen pictures of it done before and it looks really awful. If you're doing it to fit nice 5-stud wheels, then the looks are going to be grossly offset by the gap in front of the wheel.

[gasgasrob]

Well I want to do it for improved braking, looks and at the price I can pick up the parts for its surely a no brainer. I could find wheels that suit quite easily I just needed to know how to get the caster right and have the wheel sitting nicely in the arch.

thanks guys for your help I've never had as much as a good response on any forum.

[Grrrmachine]

If you want improved braking, then a 5-lug setup is a very complex way of getting to it. If you're doing it for wheels, it's a hell of a lot cheaper just to get the wheels you want in 4-stud.

Unfortunately, doing the 5-lug setup on an E30 requires expensive and increasingly rare components - there's no cheap way to do it without ruining your suspension geometry and burning through tyres. Instead, contact WMS and look at the brake kits they have on offer.

[Motorhole]

Grrrmachine is right because even the braking on its own won”˜t be right, the E36 M3 calipers are single 60mm pistons. This”˜ll throw the bias out (your rears will effectively be doing nothing and you”˜ll go through discs and pads very quickly as they”˜ll just corrode) and your pedal travel will increase significantly without also fitting a larger master cylinder.

You could perhaps find a way to use E36 calipers on the E30 hubs with some custom made brackets and find a brake disc to suit - but there are better, more popular options than this (e.g. Mazda RX7 calipers), if it”˜s even possible at all.

My experience from the swap is (using the correct parts as listed) - yes, I”˜ve ended up with a car that handles very well, with really good brakes - plus being able to get off the shelf E36 coilovers is a bonus. But sourcing the right parts is expensive, time consuming and fitting is a ballache - especially if you use an aftermarket pedal box with bias bar to get the brake bias right! Total investment was about £1100 front & rear with new discs/pads, including pedal box etc. I”˜m glad I”˜ve done it, but I”˜m not sure I would do it again if I started out with a fresh E30.