newbie. Suspension, bushes question

[felstmiester]

I have built and owned a e30 325i track day car for around a year now. i brought the car already stripped and with g max shocks and springs already fitted.

Since buying the car i have done a considerable amount of work to it in the way of roll cage, seats, removing unwanted loom, cut outs, tank and swirl pots, new rear arches, a freshen up on the paint work and different wheels, 15's of cause.

only problem is, i found this forum .

Now i've kinda really got the bug and wanna do a lot more. now although the car performs quiet well on the track, i know as well as you lot that the g max shocks are a budget set up, and along with the standard bushes it def aint no top handling track car.

here's my hang up! Do i junk the g max shocks and fork out for a more up to the job set up?? Baring in mind i am on a reasonably tight budget. Or just keep them and just renew all the bushes with polly one's, fit a front and rear strut brace and enjoy noticing the improvements??

Also, is lower the better as mine is not that low.

I would really appreciate some advice fellas.
Thanks in advance. Dave.

[E30BeemerLad]

freshen up the bushes and maybe hunt down some uprated anti-roll bars, front strut brace a good idea though

Gmax stuff probably ain't the best for what you are doing

[felstmiester]

Shame i cant find some cheap coil overs.

[Flozman]

no point with coilovers, just do the bushes and dont forget the rear axel mounts. Stops all that excess play.

The car shouldnt be rock hard, otherwise lose all that good weight shifting that gets gravity to the wheels on the corners.

[Theo]

no point with coilovers, just do the bushes and dont forget the rear axel mounts. Stops all that excess play.

The car shouldnt be rock hard, otherwise lose all that good weight shifting that gets gravity to the wheels on the corners.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the above.

[handpaper]

Budget coilovers HERE,
not so budget HERE,
bought in HERE

It's been dicussed elsewhere, but the one huge advantage of coilovers is the ability to choose your spring rates and, if necessary, change them, all at reasonable prices and minimal hassle.
No drop kit of any kind using standard sized springs will be firm enough for proper track use. Uwe is running 680 lb/in fronts, mine and northloop's are 650.

[oldroydsr4]

The budget coilver kit, where you convert your struts is the was forward.

[felstmiester]

Thanks for the feedback fellas. Looks like i've got a bit more to pay out than i thought.

So im gonna do all the bushes and look for a decent budget set of coil overs.

I source a lot of my parts from euro car parts, i find them reasonably priced. Is there anywhere else you fellas would recommend?

[Theo]

Don't buy the bushes from Euro car prats, order them from zimmerbimmer1 who has his own section on this forum 'genuine bmw parts'. He works in a BMW parts dealership and gives agood discount to zoners.

You might consider polyurethene bushes as an alternative to rubber, they are alot stiffer than rubber and do not wear out. They do transmit more vibration and noise but this isn't really an issue in a track car.

The DIY coilovers that James and Uwe made are nice bits of kit. I've been in James' car and the suspension was vastly better than my setup which has Hartge Bilstein shocks and H&R springs. The problem with the DIY kits is that you have to match the very stiff springs with a very stiff shock absorber, and there aren't many options as far as I can see.

I'm going to invest in a set of Gaz coilovers I think, they are relativly inexpensive (£800 ish) compared to other coilovers, and you get a proper rear coilover as opposed to an adjustable spring perch which sits in the original rear spring platform. Perhaps Gaz would be interested in running a group buy, though in reality it's probably better to buy them from a specialist that would be able to corner weight your car and sell you a setup perfectly tailored to your car. Prism motorsport in West Sussex offer this service and sell Gaz coilovers...

[felstmiester]

I will def go for the polly bush kit. Just puzzled as to what to get?? Do i get the whole lot, i e spend over £250 alone on the polly bushes or is there just bare essentials for these??

[JimmyC]

Perhaps Gaz would be interested in running a group buy

Already on it ;)

[UweM3]

Budget coilovers HERE,
not so budget HERE,
bought in HERE

It's been dicussed elsewhere, but the one huge advantage of coilovers is the ability to choose your spring rates and, if necessary, change them, all at reasonable prices and minimal hassle.
No drop kit of any kind using standard sized springs will be firm enough for proper track use. Uwe is running 680 lb/in fronts, mine and northloop's are 650.

Oi! why is my conversion "not so budget"??
If you buy Faulknersprings I have spent less than you

there is another option BTW. GAZ is also selling strut INSERTS. Haven't figured out if they are adjustable.

If you have already bilstein shocks you can send them to Bilstein to get the valving changed to Grp N (but this is really NOT good for the road)

BTW I have set of Faulkner 400lbs springs if anybody want to make some coilovers. will let them go for the price off ONE new spring.

[Theo]

Perhaps Gaz would be interested in running a group buy

Already on it ;)

Please let me know what happens with that Jimmy.

[felstmiester]

I'll be interested in the group buy as well.

I've just been doing the car today, had to put new engine mounts on. found out the gearbox mount was knackered so gotta renew those and fitted a sort shift kit (crap!!!). Just in the middle of fitting a tank and swirl pots in the boot, but gotta get hold of a low pressure pump before i can finish. Spoke to deamon tweeks on the phone today and they seem by far the cheapest for a full powerflex bush kit so i'm gonna go with ordering them tomorrow, then prob next week i'll order a arb kit from them to.

Thanks again for the input fellas, much appreciated. Dave.

[handpaper]

You did a tidier job, Uwe, with better tools and parts that didn't need bodging to fit
AFAIK, Gaz front inserts are adjustable; Rally Design have sold them as such for quite some time.
I like my shocks adjustable, I can match the damping to different spring rates if necessary and I can make the E40 a bit less painful

felstmiester - for both pumps in a swirl pot system the OE pump is suitable.

[northloop]

freshen up the bushes and maybe hunt down some uprated anti-roll bars, front strut brace a good idea though

Gmax stuff probably ain't the best for what you are doing

Why do you need uprated ARB's? I haven't bothered on mine and it's fine. Infact I was told not to change them and so far i've been happy I didnt.

[handpaper]

freshen up the bushes and maybe hunt down some uprated anti-roll bars, front strut brace a good idea though

Gmax stuff probably ain't the best for what you are doing

Why do you need uprated ARB's? I haven't bothered on mine and it's fine. Infact I was told not to change them and so far i've been happy I didnt.

Quite right Gary, stiff ARBs shouldn't be combined with stiff springs (except maybe for drifting). ARBs improve control in softly sprung cars (ie anything standard!) but will also reduce overall grip by unloading the inside wheel.

Thanks for the endorsement Theo! With regard to your comment, shocks aren't really a problem, any decent adjustables should be adequate. I'm using a pair of Konis wound up to 1 1/2 turns out of 2 1/2 . This seems about right; more and the front chatters under braking for Metzgesfeld 2.
Remember, the ideal spring/damping rates are as soft as possible for best compliance. We only run firm suspension to absorb bumps during hard braking and cornering without running out of travel.