Messages

1

Suspension / rack and pinion

« on: August 12, 2008, 10:59:41 PM »

hey guys the 318is have a model specific rack or will the 325 rack work?  let me know so i can order one and finally fix my steering.

Your best bet is to get a rack from an e36 car to get a significantly quicker ratio. Otherwise I think all the e30 racks are the same.

2

Site and club discussion / RSS Feeds

« on: June 04, 2008, 10:19:35 PM »

I agree, RSS is extremely useful. I visit sites that have it much more often than sites that don't. It's also a great way to get the content of a site out and available on the web in a standard format that can be easily incorporated and shared by other sites.

3

Suspension / Is the Z3 rack really any better?

« on: April 17, 2008, 12:05:44 AM »

I think the debate is between a normal 3.2 turn E36 rack vs the Z3 tack. I just took the 3.2 turn rack out for its first spin tonight and I love it. The manual steering is a bit heavier than the stock 4 turn rack with manual steering but nothing I can't manage. It finally feels like a normal car. But I found that at 1.5 turns to either side it rubs the inner fender.

Yes ... that is what I meant. I was comparing the Z3 rack to all other e36 racks, not the stock E30 rack. I should have been more clear

4

Suspension / Is the Z3 rack really any better?

« on: April 16, 2008, 09:18:37 PM »

Yes ... no doubt its better than the stock 4.0. I'm definitely doing the swap, but I'm leaning towards just getting an e36 rack since they are easier to find and are cheaper and it seems like there isn't a whole lot of difference between the way the Z3/95M3 racks and the regular E36 racks feel on the road.

Yes.

My turning radius is no different (can still make a U on a 1.5 lane road).  2.7 turn ratio versus 4...you feel the difference, trust me.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I'm still waiting on your install pics!

The turning radius isn't really that much worse. I went with the normal e36 rack, which is actually more like 3.1 turns (not the the difference matters or is noticeable) and I love it. The difference is great, but it isn't so fast that I have to pay undue attention to it. The normal e36 racks also command a much lower price. That was the main factor for me. I got mine for $100 shipped. It leaks a bit, but sonce I'm not running power steering, it doesn't really matter.

5

Suspension / Is the Z3 rack really any better?

« on: April 15, 2008, 11:29:28 PM »

Common opinion states that the Z3 rack is the best because it has the least turns from stop to stop. But I've also read that all the e36 racks have essentially the same turning ratio, just some have tighter bump stops. I also read on this thread that the Z3 rack actually increases your turning radius because its shorter due to fitment issues on the Z3 chassis.

So is there any real, significant benefit to be had by going with the Z3 rack (added: over the e36 rack)?

6

Get Togethers / Anyone going to the Mitty @ Road Atlanta? (May 2-4 2008)

« on: April 10, 2008, 09:37:09 PM »

I wish. Did you see the GRM DASC 318is while you were there?

Sure did. It was nice .. I took some pics. Talked to the GRM guys about it a little too. I went to the auction (which was a flap since almost nothing sold), and it got bid up to about $7500 and they even said that $7700 would take it home and no one else bid on it. I seriously considered bidding on it, but I decided that my wife would kill me if I brought another 318 home.

Pics:

DASC 318is




M42Club member Chokinghazard



Other pics:

7

Get Togethers / E30FESTOHIO 08!! Columbus, Ohio May

« on: April 05, 2008, 12:24:12 PM »

I'll try to make it up from Athens. Sounds like fun .

8

Get Togethers / Anyone going to the Mitty @ Road Atlanta? (May 2-4 2008)

« on: April 05, 2008, 12:21:23 PM »

I went last year and had a great time. Ran into Chokinghazard. Would be cool to meet up with some of you if you plan to go.

9

Suspension / Bilstein upgrade question?

« on: April 05, 2008, 12:01:41 PM »

Did you ever figure this out? I think you were sent the wrong springs because 50424-55 is the model # for OE Sports on an E36, so it makes sense that they wouldn't fit.

Also ... does anyone know what the exact difference is between the 50404 (HR Sport for 318is) and the 50404-55 (OE Sport for 325)? Since the model # is the same save for the -55 at the end of the OE Sports, I'm wondering if the two models have the same spring rate and the -55 is just a little taller. I wish HR provided spring rates for all their models ... lame.  

I like the way Eurospec's car looks, so I decided to pick up some HR OE springs and Bilstein HDs.  

The HDs fit just fine, but it looks like I need a new strut housing in order to mount the springs.  The top fits fine, but the bottom of the spring is too wide to fit in the stut housing.  

Is there a way around this problem, or am I stuck either picking up M3 strut housings or attempting to return the springs?

And yes, the model number I bought was 50404.55

edit:  Now the plot thickens....   The box says part number 50404.55.  The springs inside the box say 50424.55.

10

Site and club discussion / Yay, I finally got one...

« on: January 08, 2008, 06:44:54 PM »

If the flywheel in the E36 is as heavy as the one in the E30, you could gain a lot of performance by swapping it with something lighter for pretty cheap. Besides that, getting a good chip is probably the cheapest upgrade.

11

Electrical / Why is the negative post on my batt connected to a red cable?

« on: December 30, 2007, 01:19:28 PM »

Everything seems to work fine. Luckily the charger has an overload state where it shuts itself off, so it was probably only on for a few seconds. I'd hate to imagine what would have happened otherwise.

My negative cable is definitely red. Looking closely it does have a "-" indicator, but all I saw was red (no pun intended). I've never seen the colors reversed like that. Seems a bit unsafe. I thought black and red were the universal - and +. If mine were black and black I would have at least taken a closer look, but having them reversed like that is a recipe for an accident. Weird.

FWIW  at this point, that 'red' cable is really the German version of brown, which they use for ground. Unless yours is bright red...

It is certainly possible that you may have done some damage - how long was it hooked up? Have you tried it to see if it still works?

You are wearing goggles or some sort of eye protection while you do this, right?

12

Electrical / Why is the negative post on my batt connected to a red cable?

« on: December 30, 2007, 12:45:46 PM »

Damn, I had the battery charger hooked up the wrong way (I just went by the colors). I wonder if that did any damage?

13

Electrical / Why is the negative post on my batt connected to a red cable?

« on: December 30, 2007, 12:30:21 PM »

So I was hooking up a trickle charger to my battery, and I noticed that the cable connected to the negative post is red (and its connected to the chassis). And the positive cable is black. Aren't these reversed ... or am I confused?

14

How-To's / Machine m20 flywheel?

« on: December 23, 2007, 04:54:54 PM »

I don't have a picture right off (there's one posted on the forum here somewhere that compares the two flywheels) but the basic idea is just to shave off the lip on the engine side of the flywheel. It should be shaved down so that it's just thick enough for the gear ring. From there you can shave down the interior to cut some weight.

15

General Topics / what temp do you run at?

« on: November 29, 2007, 07:35:35 AM »

Your thermostat is probably stuck open. Mine did this too when I first got it until I replaced the thermostat.

It's probably a good idea to replace yours as well, otherwise your engine isn't running at the temperature it was designed for. This can result in anything from not getting warm air from your heater to inefficient burning of the fuel mixture (and carbon deposits in your engine).

Is it bad if my needle reads a lil past the 1/4 mark most of the time? When I get into heavy traffic it usually hits the middle.