M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Suspension => Topic started by: Tgoode318 on June 11, 2009, 10:13:09 PM
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ok guys thanks for all the help in advance. ok so im working with a 1994 (E36) 318ic convertible. I have 225/45/17 wheels and 17" m rims, for suspension i just upgraded to original bilstein shocks with H&R sport springs. the other night me and two friends installed it and then took the car out for a test drive only to find to my horror that it rubs like crazy when going over big bumps or turning sharply! also my turning radius seems like it went way down. I did not get my car aligned after either could that help? also i read that rolling the fender could help with the back tires, is that a good idea on the 318i or no? and would getting lower profile tires help at all?? and finally do you guys have any other suggestions on how to stop the rub? i really want to fix this problem with as little money as possible and still keep the rims and suspension since i already paid so much :X also the next day after installing i took out the plastic wheel well lining to try and help with the problem, and it does seem to have helped the turning radius some what but it still rubs like crazyy!! plz help guys i just want that bmw ride back but with a little more aggressiveness :mad:
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With a 17" rim you must have dropped it pretty low, do you know what (mm) in front and rear were dropped, a lot a guy's usually will go with 60 & 40 mostly with 16"s and may still have some type of rubbing.
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thats the thing it isnt that low compared to some of the springs it should be -1.5" front / -1.0" rear in inches
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What kind of offset do the M3 wheels have, 40mm? The alignment is hopefully way off, and the M3 isn't much different than your car.
First, I'd go get it aligned and talk to the tech. You need to do that anyway, and he might have a good suggestion. Might be that your toe is way out of whack, maybe some camber would help, hard to say. It might be that you'll need M3 control arms & offset bushings to get the most out of your wheels. They're slightly different than your current arms.
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ok i just found out the springs i got were for the 318i not the 318iC could this be my problem?? Im thinking the convertible is heavier so it dropped it slightly more then it should have?? ps i haven't taken it into a mechanic yet for alignment because i cant even drive the car with out the tires getting eatin up and i dont want to get it aligned yet if im going to have to put all new control arms and bushings!!
I do have an idea on how to fix the back cheaply though using these http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=33531094754 (http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=33531094754) 15mm spring pads.. would this give me enough clearance in the back ??? please help as this is my only mode of transportation and college is starting back up soon :(
also here is the thread with pics of my drop. i have never seen other 318s so low what the heck is wrongg~!! http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8550
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bump!
plz help guys i really need to get my car back on the road :(
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I hate to say this man, but If I was in your shoes, I would go with a lower profile of tires or raise it some. The cheapest way you could raise it would be to go to autozone, pepboys etc.. purchase the rubber spacers for the coils.
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+1 there, the sidewall should be like a 35/40 series TOPS, esp with that 225 going on :)
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To me, the rubbing sounds very excessive given your set up. This isn't the best example, but my old 318ti had 17x8 wheels shod with 215/45/17s, H&R Race Springs and Bilstein sports. It never rubbed. It's also not the best comparison because the tires were a bit more narrow and the aspect ratio was also different. And the ti's rear suspension is completely different. But it just seems odd that you would have such excessive rubbing issues with 225/45/17s. That size shouldn't be too far off the mark for an e36 with your suspension set-up.
What kind of Bilsteins did you use? Have you checked the part numbers for the springs and the shocks to make sure you weren't accidentally sent an incorrect set? Is it rubbing both front and rear? Was anything you purchased a used part?
A temporary measure may be to reinstall the stock springs until you can properly diagnose the problem.
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Ok guys thanks for all the help so far! The offset of the rims is 35. Update on the car i got it aligned which helped a tiny bit and i got the two front fenders rolled for 160 bucks (kinda expsensive) Which helped alot but im still getting a little rubing when i go around a turn fast or have 2 or more people in the car :mad: so what are my other options of taking care of this nasty rub! and i do mean nasty rub before i got the fenders rolled me and a buddy were taking a turn out my drive way going 10 mph and the fender lip just sat on the tire and skined it and bent my fender a little :mad: Im thinking of going with the 225.35.17 tire would that take the rest of the rub out?? and some one mentioned the offset m3 control arms, will that offset raise the body a little? or some how help me? this suspension is turning into a nightmare ! sorry for the long post and i appreciate the continued help and support
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do 215's up front and keep it wide in the back :)
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+35 is a correct offset for a 17x8.5" wheel. What are your wheel dimensions?
I'd do 225/35's up front... and 225/40's out back.
LOL wish I could actually see your fender gap and tire gaps... makes this difficult.
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The front shouldn't be rubbing like that, so i think a pic is in order
The rear will be rubbing on the bumper inner liner so just trim it on the corner.
For reference, I ran 35 offset 18's with 225 35 all round lowered with no rubbing.
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I think perhaps you must be registered with this site to see the graphics youre talking about--I dont see them. Am I hallucinating?