Do e36 318iS have Mtech Suspension as standard?

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320Touring
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 12:28 pm

My M reg 318iS coupe is making the dreaded "Dead damper" noises from the front end.

Is the e36 like the e30 iS and has Mtech suspension fitted?

Or will any old 4pot damper setup do?

Thanks

Neil
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 1:05 pm

Come on Neil, you of all people should know this is not an E36 forum ! :)




ECP Bistein B4 ftw £60 ish each :(
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 1:24 pm

pacerpete wrote:Come on Neil, you of all people should know this is not an E36 forum ! :)




ECP Bistein B4 ftw £60 ish each :(
Heh, at least mine is

a- In the right section
b- not crippled by an auto
c- not an m43

:D

Cheers for the info re the B4 from ECP- i'll have a gander there.

Thanks
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 1:28 pm

They only appear to be listing Rear Bilsteins? :eek:
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 1:46 pm

320Touring wrote:
pacerpete wrote:Come on Neil, you of all people should know this is not an E36 forum ! :)




ECP Bistein B4 ftw £60 ish each :(
Heh, at least mine is

a- In the right section
b- not crippled by an auto
c- not an m43

:D

Cheers for the info re the B4 from ECP- i'll have a gander there.

Thanks

The above may be true BUT unlike your scabby Scottish turd mine has zero rust, perfect front shocks and owes me £170 inc a years ticket ! :D
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 1:53 pm

Rust is lighter than Titanium, remember Pete.. and "only 2 tubs of P40" does not zero rust make!

back On topic though-ECP only showing Rears on the Website? 8O
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 2:03 pm

There is no P40 in my 318i , unlike the shadow 1 I am 'recommissioning' at the moment ! :eek:

I have just spoke to my tame ECP paedo , and yes, no stock of B4s at the moment , just Sachs @£65+vat each :( Sounds like time for some 'partworns' :)
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 6:28 pm

A1bmw said there is no reason why an 'is' should have mtech suspension
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 6:39 pm

hi i,m no expert touring but i would say no not any 4 pot set up will do i think you need the bigger diameter inserts for the front shocks as i do on my 318 tourer mate there is an easy way to tell and thats to have a lokk at the strut and the cap that screws down and olds the insert in place on the smaller strutt the thread is on the inside of the strutt and on the sport the thread is on the outside of the strutt.
hope this makes sense lol
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 6:54 pm

TheHeap wrote:A1bmw said there is no reason why an 'is' should have mtech suspension
Well A1BMW don't know what they are talking about!

ALL UK E36 coupes (apart from M3's and 328i Sports) have M technic suspension.

Even 316i coupes.
http://www.bmrperformance.co.uk

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Post Tue May 10, 2011 6:55 pm

threelander wrote:hi i,m no expert touring but i would say no not any 4 pot set up will do i think you need the bigger diameter inserts for the front shocks as i do on my 318 tourer mate there is an easy way to tell and thats to have a lokk at the strut and the cap that screws down and olds the insert in place on the smaller strutt the thread is on the inside of the strutt and on the sport the thread is on the outside of the strutt.
hope this makes sense lol
The OP asked about E36 front shocks, not E30 front struts and inserts.
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 6:59 pm

yessorry but he also asked if any 4 pot dampers would do the answer is no
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 8:46 pm

bss325i wrote:
TheHeap wrote:A1bmw said there is no reason why an 'is' should have mtech suspension
Well A1BMW don't know what they are talking about!

ALL UK E36 coupes (apart from M3's and 328i Sports) have M technic suspension.

Even 316i coupes.
Cheers Barry.
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 9:01 pm

bss325i wrote:
TheHeap wrote:A1bmw said there is no reason why an 'is' should have mtech suspension
Well A1BMW don't know what they are talking about!

ALL UK E36 coupes (apart from M3's and 328i Sports) have M technic suspension.

Even 316i coupes.
what suspension did the E36 M3s and E36 328i Sports have?
I thought M3s have M-Technic suspension?
what shocks manufacturer did the M3s/328i Sports have?
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 9:12 pm

threelander wrote:yessorry but he also asked if any 4 pot dampers would do the answer is no
actually the answer is yes because e36 dont have inserts shocks they are the complete leg :)
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 9:26 pm

pony wrote:
bss325i wrote:
TheHeap wrote:A1bmw said there is no reason why an 'is' should have mtech suspension
Well A1BMW don't know what they are talking about!

ALL UK E36 coupes (apart from M3's and 328i Sports) have M technic suspension.

Even 316i coupes.
what suspension did the E36 M3s and E36 328i Sports have?
I thought M3s have M-Technic suspension?
what shocks manufacturer did the M3s/328i Sports have?
328i Sports have Avus pack suspension with Yellow B6 Bilsteins and offset wish bone bushes.

M3's have M suspension which is different spring and damper rates, offset wishone bushes on 3ltr M3's and offset wishbones on Evo's.

M3 and M technics suspension use Sachs shock absorbers.
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 9:38 pm

I had a customer with a e36 318is what needed a pair of rear springs .eurocarparts told him they were the same as the 318i .i fitted them after telling him they are different and it sat like hilux ,eurocarparts said they needed beding in............................. :roll:
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 9:39 pm

bss325i wrote:
pony wrote:
bss325i wrote: Well A1BMW don't know what they are talking about!

ALL UK E36 coupes (apart from M3's and 328i Sports) have M technic suspension.

Even 316i coupes.
what suspension did the E36 M3s and E36 328i Sports have?
I thought M3s have M-Technic suspension?
what shocks manufacturer did the M3s/328i Sports have?
328i Sports have Avus pack suspension with Yellow B6 Bilsteins and offset wish bone bushes.

M3's have M suspension which is different spring and damper rates, offset wishone bushes on 3ltr M3's and offset wishbones on Evo's.

M3 and M technics suspension use Sachs shock absorbers.
is the 328i Sport suspension stiffer than all the M-Technics and have a lower ride height?

is the E36 M3 suspension/ride height alots stiffer/lower than 328i Sport?

Its a little strange because i always thought M-Technic was just another name for BMW M so therefore, i thought M-Technic suspension was just the same as M suspension?

PS
what suspension do E46 3 Series Coupes have? 323/328/325/330?
what suspension does E46 M3 have?
what shocks manufacturer does E46 M3 use?

Thanks.
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 10:09 pm

pony wrote:is the 328i Sport suspension stiffer than all the M-Technics and have a lower ride height?
Same height, stiffer shocks.
pony wrote:is the E36 M3 suspension/ride height alots stiffer/lower than 328i Sport?
M3 suspension is lower than M technic, stiffer? Hard to without comparing them back to back. I have owned E36's with both though.
pony wrote:Its a little strange because i always thought M-Technic was just another name for BMW M so therefore, i thought M-Technic suspension was just the same as M suspension?
M is for Motorsport ie M3, M5 etc etc

M is also for M technic.

Suspension is specific to model on M power cars but M technic suspension is available on lesser models.
pony wrote:PS
what suspension do E46 3 Series Coupes have? 323/328/325/330?
what suspension does E46 M3 have?
what shocks manufacturer does E46 M3 use?

Thanks.
All UK E46 models have standard suspension, M sport and club sport models have sports suspension with lower springs, stiffer shocks and different front wishbones

M3's have M specific suspension with different wishbones and wishbone bushes.

All E46's including Alpinas and M3's use Sachs shock absorbers.
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Post Tue May 10, 2011 11:10 pm

it's hard to compare m3 suspension with other models as it's not just about different damper and spring rates, you have to take into account the different geometry from different lower arms and bushes, different arb pickup location which alters their effectiveness, different car weights, and different unsprung weights.

no point sticking m3 dampers on without all the other matching bits to make it work properly.
cheers,

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Post Tue May 10, 2011 11:19 pm

harry_p wrote:it's hard to compare m3 suspension with other models as it's not just about different damper and spring rates, you have to take into account the different geometry from different lower arms and bushes, different arb pickup location which alters their effectiveness, different car weights, and different unsprung weights.

no point sticking m3 dampers on without all the other matching bits to make it work properly.
+1!

Geometry is also a key element often over looked when upgrading suspension.

Also, stiffer shocks and springs do not always mean better handling especially on a road car.
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Post Wed May 11, 2011 12:41 am

Yep bushes/springs/shocks have to work in harmony together to achieve the desired handling/performance/grip.

bss325i wrote: Geometry is also a key element often over looked when upgrading suspension.

Also, stiffer shocks and springs do not always mean better handling especially on a road car.
Is that due to all the pot holes and badly surfaced roads in England giving a very crashy ride / poor traction on these surfaces?

Unless you got smooth racetrack/german roads/billard table style roads which are perfectly smooth.
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Post Wed May 11, 2011 6:12 pm

It there any visual way to identify mtech shocsk from non?

like the e30 having 45 or 51mm dampers?
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Post Wed May 11, 2011 6:36 pm

320Touring wrote:It there any visual way to identify mtech shocsk from non?

like the e30 having 45 or 51mm dampers?
Part number on the shock, put in realoem.
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Post Wed May 11, 2011 7:54 pm

^^ surely that will only work if you have standard shockers?
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Post Wed May 11, 2011 8:18 pm

TheHeap wrote:^^ surely that will only work if you have standard shockers?
Of course!

He asked how to identify M tech from non M tech.

If they have a BMW part number then you can use realoem to check.
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