E30 Zone

ok guys so im looking to track my e30 318is
im looking to find out the:
best lsd to suit my m42 engine?
what tuning options are avaliable to this engine?
the car is lowered 40mm rear and 50mm front
what would i need to run a z3 rack?

cheers guys

depends what tire sizes you're going with, but 3.91 will be a better option on track, maybe 3.73, you can change the gearbox for the later e36 type and that will allow you to run 3.15 diffs etc

you can go mental with tuning the m42, charge it, simple stuff, just depends which direction you feel you want to go it, what characterisics you want.

consider possibly the e46 330ci clubsport iirc, but the z3 may well be enough with the iS, not sure what you need though..

I want to really sort out the handling side of the car first, so interesting to hear what people advice to do?

dje30 wrote:I want to really sort out the handling side of the car first, so interesting to hear what people advice to do?

Renew any bushes that look worn, fit eccentric TCA bushes, fit dampers that can cope with the suspension drop, replace rear top mounts with E46 ones.

depends what the goal is, whether you should aim for a completely adjustable track oriented setup, or whether you just want to upgrade the oem with much better dampers / springs and ARB's

I'd like as much as possible to be adjustable so I can get it spot on for me

then you're best starting from the ground up, rather than finding you have to replace or find that things you buy now, will be unsuitable in the future.. Adjustable beam, possible coilover setup etc.

every option has been done to death, it's all on here

Any links to the adjustable rear beam? Or links to any company's selling adjustable parts for e30s? Lower arms ect

If you have a look in the track day section I'm in the last stages of my 318iS race car build, might gve you some ideas and useful info

What is your budget, how far do you want to go? When I very first had my car at college I blew £1200 on it and looking back now it was all wasted and spent in the wrong areas.

As mentioned about look to replace the bushes, arb drop links and if your budget streatches the wishbones and steering arms. Upraded preferably adjustable dampers and more beefy top mounts for the rear (E46 cabrio ones as suggested above are good) as stiffer dampers will rape standard top mounts.

Keep the standard airbox, maybe fit a K&N panel filter so you can clean it and kep it fresh but avoid all cone filter systems as they just lose you power.

As for LSD, the diff in the car is a 4.1. 4.1 LSD's are hard to come buy and often expensive but ou might get lucky. The next closest and most available LSD is a 3.91 which will take some low end acceleration in returnfor more top speed. There is a 4.25 LSD for sale in the for sale section at the momet which I'm temptd by myelf which would make it accelerate like a stabbed rat, but reduce top speed.

A good seat and harness will help you feel more comfortable in the car and enable you to controll it better than if being thrown around in a crap one. Something people often overlook.

Food for tought

Well thanks for that buddy
The car a jamex shocks on it so next I believe is poly bushes, top mounts
I have cobra clubmans a 4 points to go in aswell