Steering racks what to fit?.

[tonybtonyb]

Hi guys I will be replacing my steering soon,was wondering what should I go for or should I just fit an e30 one.

[falkor]

1995 e36 M3.
Will come with better seals, and a 3.0 lock to lock turning radius.

other e36 3 series will give you a 3.2 radius. which is close enough, and the updated tie rod seals.
i've installed 2 separate 1995 M3 racks with great results.
takes a small amount of effort and elbow grease, but well worth it.

[magpie]

i fitted an e36 3.2 turn lock to lock rack that cost me £20 .

it's not a straight bolt on job as you need to modify the steering linkage and p/s pipes .
DanThe on here sells everything you need to do the conversion for around £220 but you need to buy the rack separately .

[suchy]

E46 '067' rack with all the mod stuff from DanThe....

[Duke137]

1995 e36 M3.
Will come with better seals, and a 3.0 lock to lock turning radius.

other e36 3 series will give you a 3.2 radius. which is close enough, and the updated tie rod seals.
i've installed 2 separate 1995 M3 racks with great results.
takes a small amount of effort and elbow grease, but well worth it.

Can you explain what is better about the seals/tie rod seals as I am interested?

[DanThe]

The M3 rack is a standard E36 rack, just with restricted lock

[b12rlw]

E46 '067' rack with all the mod stuff from DanThe....

+1

Cracking feel for scooting about, less manic when sideways and has that go-kart feel when feeding out the opposite lock!!!

[jamlid]

Weighing up the cost of upgrading the rack.. I guess you're looking at about £300 all in if you're doing the work yourself.

[harry_p]

The M3 rack is a standard E36 rack, just with restricted lock

And if its a 3.0 m3 rack it might be one of the hideous variable ratio ones

Do NOT fit an e36 m3 rack. People will charge you more money for them, and the actual ratio is identical to a bog standard e36 one. It has less turns lock to lock because it has less lock, not because its any quicker.

If you want an e36 rack, get one from a car with the lowest mileage and smallest engine you can, a low mileage 316i compact rack would be ideal as it will have been put under a lot less strain than one from a car with wider tyres and heavier engine.

However, unless you happen to have an e36 rack spare, don't bother, just go for an e46 rack. They fit exactly the same as the e36 racks but will usually be several years newer, an are quicker ratio than any e36 rack.

The one to go for is the e46 067 rack which is quickest of all the normal racks available. ( certain z3 racks are quicker still, but harder to get hold of and are usually expensive. )