e36 vs e30 handling?

[320ise]

325i's do the e30's have the edge on a track or are the e36's better for the job?

[harry_p]

e36 has more grip, e30 has more feel and a more exciting rear end.

i dare say an e36 would be quicker round a track, but an e30 would be more fun (given similar straight line performance)

the e36 has a much nicer engine, and you can get nice rust free ones dirt cheap. an e36 may not have the looks or charm of the e30, but on value for money theyre hard to beat.

the e36 does have a more complex rear suspension setup (fronts very similar) with more links and bushes than the e30 setup, so when bushes do start to need replacing there's more room for slop, and more expense changing them all.

i'd love an e36 to turn into a full on, on the floor, mid 90s supertourer inspired trackday toy

[darkchild]

The E36 wins hands down. No contest.

[oldroydsr4]

Agreed ,the superior rear supension of the e36 helps the mechanical grip no end.

IMO they really are a big step forward to the e30, however i find the e30 far more fun.

[e36boy]

E30's are more fun as already said above but I had 2 E36's before I had an E30 and they feel alot more stable overall.

[zimmer-320i]

if they both had m50b25 engines id say the e30 as its lower and more responsice, been in a e36 and its wallowy, yes the power is smooth but it is 24v

[darkchild]

been in a e36 and its wallowy

Yes, E30 suspension is light years in front of an E36's Z-axle set-up.

[Simon13]

yes but the steering is so vague and when they let go on the limit they give very little warning. Thats why the E30 is still so popular for trackwork. They give bags of feedback in everyway when on track/road. You know exactly what all 4 wheels are doing all the time. When the limit is being reached you and feel it before it lets go. They are a bit more of a handful sideways than an e36 but nothing like the e21 was! But getting an E36 out of shape takes more effort and you need to be going alot quicker than an E30 to do so.

The e36 has a much better rear end, with much higher drip levels due to the Z axle, which is alot "safer" in the wet.

It's harder imo to extract all you can from an e36 than an e30 mainly because of the lack of feedback

But the E36 will be quicker round a track once mastered rather than an E30

[320ise]

great info torn over cars at the min!

[fingerman]

My E30 (with 325 lump in) is going tomorrow in place of an E36 325 so it will be an interesting experience

To be honest I'm not really looking forward to it as the E30 has been great fun on the wet slippy roads this week

[320ise]

i do know that the 24v engines are awesome! m20's pull for fun but the smoothness of the m50 rocks!

[hongkongfuey]

i had an e36 325i non vanos, i sold it to get an e30.

loved the engine but not the car, way to go e30 with m50

[e30bmlover]

surely this comparison is an e30 running an m50?? you can hardly compare a 12v b25 against a 24v m50, well unless the m20 has a2.7 fitted. i would have an e30 over an e36 any day of the week... my ideal e30 would be an s50 converted or failing that the m50b28 with the b25 inlet...

[Bob_S]

an e36 isnt as exciting, and is more numb. The issue is the e36 has more grip and thus you can drive it faster than an e30 around bends no matter how quick you think your going in an e30 you will be passed by more modern cars in corners

[mt1104]

so is there any way of retrofitting the 4 linked rear axle to a e30?

[320ise]

thats a very good question! allthough mite take the "fun e30" out of the e30, but the e30`s looks will allways win! stunning cars.

[zaust]

E36 is boreing, It handel's like it is on rail's. Just point and go. An e30 is just pure fun, and if you know how to react to it, It's just a better more involved drive. If you beat an e36 in an e30 you will smile for a week. If you beat an e30 in a e36, you wil forget within a minute.

[zimmer-320i]

well said

[fingerman]

Having driven my E36 for the past few days I have to say the feeling isn't as good as the E30

The E30 feels lighter and more connected to the road, E36 does feel more numb but the M50 is so much smoother and delivers to power much quicker

Now I have an E36 I seem to see more E30's on the road

I'll be back

[fuzzy]

E36 is boreing, It handel's like it is on rail's. Just point and go. An e30 is just pure fun, and if you know how to react to it, It's just a better more involved drive. If you beat an e36 in an e30 you will smile for a week. If you beat an e30 in a e36, you wil forget within a minute.

doesnt that say more about the e36 than the e30? beating an e30 in an e36 is no great thing and a everyday forgetable occurance?

[CG_Maintenance]

E36 is boreing, It handel's like it is on rail's. Just point and go. An e30 is just pure fun, and if you know how to react to it, It's just a better more involved drive. If you beat an e36 in an e30 you will smile for a week. If you beat an e30 in a e36, you wil forget within a minute.

Thats why my misses drives an e36.
Plus its an all round safer car for the kids.
I can still have some good fun in it but rather an e30 for the fun stuff.
The e36 is just the kids taxi really

[Gwynleym10]

I agree with a lot that has been said, I currently have a e36 318is coupe, and I have previously had a number of e30 318is's all with m42 engines so I think I can compare them quite closely..

e30 feels quicker, you can feel what the rear end is doing a lot more, so easy to let it slip!
Steering is too slow in e30's which is a shame.
I think e30's interior are a bit better built..

E36 drives like it is on rails, it is very fast through snowdonia... It being a coupe the whole thing feels a lot lower down (and wider) but you can't feel what the back end is doing and it is fecking difficult to let it slip!

I haven't really gone for a drive in the e36 just for fun - used to do it a fair amount in the e30... (Might be a change in me though)

[low325icab]

E36 is boreing, It handel's like it is on rail's. Just point and go. An e30 is just pure fun, and if you know how to react to it, It's just a better more involved drive. If you beat an e36 in an e30 you will smile for a week. If you beat an e30 in a e36, you wil forget within a minute.

drive an e36 m3 evo round a track and then tell me its boring! lol.
if you can drive, belive me there not boring.

[Jhonno]

Ive had a 328i and the handling/limits are better than an e30, it just feels more numb than an e30 as has been said.

However drive one for a while and you get used to it, and they are great to drive, just different to an e30. Later ones are very well built, even the early ones are too bad, my sister has one on 160k and it doesnt rattle, fall apart etc

[Andyboy]

E36 is boreing, It handel's like it is on rail's. Just point and go. An e30 is just pure fun, and if you know how to react to it, It's just a better more involved drive. If you beat an e36 in an e30 you will smile for a week. If you beat an e30 in a e36, you wil forget within a minute.

How many track days have you done in an E36 out of interest?

I've done Croft twice and the Ring once in a 320i. It was very far from boring. Very well balanced, loads of grip, stable under braking, lovely steering. The faster you go, the better they are. As Davenotouring will confirm, even a standard 316i on steels without the rear anti roll bar is fast around the ring.

An £800 325i moredoor with some better springs and dampers will keep up with a similarly modded 200 bhp E30 M3.

[Barx325i]

The e36 is a much more precise tool. It'll lap faster, and it's lower longer & wider..

The e30 is much more rewarding, fun and easier to drive on the limit. Horses for courses. You can't lose with either really.. Depends if you're after lap times or happy times

Off the track. Hammering down country roads like gwyndaf in an e36 is all kinds of wrong - whereas the trusty e30 takes it in its stride - I say happy times.

[78dude]

I have droven both cars, the E36 and E30 and like many ppl say, you get more feeling with an E30 but thats true, the E36 is a bit more soft and works fine as a children taxi, but frankly speaking the E36 is a better car, it will be faster around the Ring or other circut because its much more modern....
But so far, the best car I have driven with road feeling is the Alfa Romeo 75 who is much better then the E30 because it dont bite.

[Gibson]

i have an e36 m3 and there is no where near as much feeling as my old e30 320i se on Koni's, but as an everyday car its a road weapon, comfy to drive and safe but with enough go to both put a smile on your face and piss all over any plastic fantastic chav crap that fancies a go...

[Demlotcrew]

Hmm, i honestly dont think the E36 does handle better, the chassis has about 60% more flex, the rear suspension is much much heavier, the rear end has way too many bushes and it doesnt turn in as well as an E30 and thats just off the top of my head. The Z axle will only be better that the semi trailing arm on a e30 above 60mph and we all know that the e30 rear end can be fixed of its flaws so to say that the E36 is on rails and the e30 is more fun is just anecdotal.

And im also not so sure if a 325i would keep up with a E30 M3 round the ring as the current factory E30 M3 time for the ring inc the Gp is 8m20s there is no way a E36 325i could do this time even on after market dampers/springs. There was a feature of a E30 M3 and the latest BTCC 320si on piston heads not that long ago, and what came of that was that the old E30 M3 with a 2,0l engine was actually quicker per lap than the current BTCC car which is years and years ahead of the E36 (work that one out E30Zone experts)

[alan1272]

There was a feature of a E30 M3 and the latest BTCC 320si on piston heads not that long ago, and what came of that was that the old E30 M3 with a 2,0l engine was actually quicker per lap than the current BTCC car which is years and years ahead of the E36 (work that one out E30Zone experts)

you mean this one? http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=18369

second-to-last paragraph:
With decent tyres Priaulx guesses the E90 could take at least 10 seconds a lap out of the E30, maybe more, which is a lot considering a minute lap around Pembrey is fast. Before he leaves Priaulx sums it perfectly: ”˜It wouldn’t be quick enough to get anywhere near the back of the WTCC grid today.’

[Demlotcrew]

There was a feature of a E30 M3 and the latest BTCC 320si on piston heads not that long ago, and what came of that was that the old E30 M3 with a 2,0l engine was actually quicker per lap than the current BTCC car which is years and years ahead of the E36 (work that one out E30Zone experts)

you mean this one? http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=18369

second-to-last paragraph:
With decent tyres Priaulx guesses the E90 could take at least 10 seconds a lap out of the E30, maybe more, which is a lot considering a minute lap around Pembrey is fast. Before he leaves Priaulx sums it perfectly: ”˜It wouldn’t be quick enough to get anywhere near the back of the WTCC grid today.’

Yup thats the one,

The interesting thing is they tested the 2.5l DTM E30 M3 which has about 40bhp extra and if the DTM M3 is to spec its 150-200kgs lighter, and Andy goes on to say he cant feel the extra power? COME ON!

Ok so heres the Proof;

2008 BTCC Brands Lap times for the pole 320si 49.5s
1991 Brands Lap Times for E30 M3 2.0l "Tim Sugden lapped Brands Hatch in 49.11 secs to claim pole for the second round in a row"

And if you notice the Brands time above are for the 2.0l cars and its worth while to note that tire technology has come a long way since 1991.

Andrew

[Falkster]

Ive had a 328i and the handling/limits are better than an e30, it just feels more numb than an e30 as has been said.

However drive one for a while and you get used to it, and they are great to drive, just different to an e30. Later ones are very well built, even the early ones are too bad, my sister has one on 160k and it doesnt rattle, fall apart etc

What E30 are you comparing the 328 to mate?? Got to be a saggy 316.

[harry_p]

didn't graham hill bend get significantly reprofiled and slowed down in the mid 90s?
Saying that, there were still some e30 m3s motoring allong nicely against much more modern stuff in the britcar championship last time I went.

[Jhonno]

Ive had a 328i and the handling/limits are better than an e30, it just feels more numb than an e30 as has been said.

However drive one for a while and you get used to it, and they are great to drive, just different to an e30. Later ones are very well built, even the early ones are too bad, my sister has one on 160k and it doesnt rattle, fall apart etc

What E30 are you comparing the 328 to mate?? Got to be a saggy 316.

316i yes.. With M3 suspension..

Also a 325i Touring, with Slipper and 15" BBS

[Barx325i]

Also a 325i Touring, with Slipper

you want to put some better shoes on, to get the most out of a car