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#1. Re: [E36M3] Suzy's Big Adventure - from Rich Gay
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 14:42:26 -0600 From: "Rich Gay" <rich_gay@linbeck.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Suzy's Big Adventure on 12/27/00 2:32 PM, Sue Kraft at skraft1@new.rr.com wrote: > This will be my first big assignment for the audio publication I am > writing for........wish me luck! (The name of the magazine is The > Absolute Sound for those of you that are into high end audio) I'm impressed. That has got to be at the high end of the high end audio mags. They review interconnect cables that cost more than my car. - Rich
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#2. Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement - from Jason Sarich
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 13:05:09 -0800 From: "Jason Sarich" <sarich_m3@prontomail.com> Subject: Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement >things to check/and or/replace because they might be >damaged/worn out: >- brake pad wear sensors. they usually last 2-3 sets of >pads before they crumble. >- calipers. (especially the rubber boots) they usually >last one track season. >- grease on the caliper guide pins. replace at least >every 2-3 pad changes. >- brake fluid. replace every 3-4 track events. >things to think about upgrading: >- brake lines. stainless steel braided lines help alot. >- brake fluid. high temp brake fluid is an almost must. >even if the dealer will flush it for free, i'd bring them >good fluid and have them put that in, as opposed to >letting them put regular fluid in there. Few questions: 1. How do Stainless Steel Braided lines help? What difference do they make? 2. Where do I find new rubber boots for the caliper? I have read that it is probably a good Idea to take the caliper apart, regrease it, replace the boot, check the piston, and replace a spring? Is that necessary? I have taken it to 1 AutoX, and 2 Driving Schools in the last year. Thanks, Jason ________________________________________ Get your email at http://www.prontomail.com
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#3. Re: [E36M3] Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement - from Rich Gay
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 15:38:42 -0600 From: "Rich Gay" <rich_gay@linbeck.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement on 12/27/00 3:12 PM, Jason Sarich at sarich_m3@prontomail.com wrote: > 1. How do Stainless Steel Braided lines help? What > difference do they make? No real difference in a street car. If you take your car to the track, you may notice some improvement in the brake pedal modulation (slightly less squishy), as well as reduced fade effect after several laps when everything gets hot. > 2. Where do I find new rubber boots for the caliper? > > I have read that it is probably a good Idea to take the > caliper apart, regrease it, replace the boot, check the > piston, and replace a spring? I don't know about any spring, but rebuilding the calipers may be a good idea after the car has seen maybe a dozen or more track weekends. > Is that necessary? I have taken it to 1 AutoX, and 2 > Driving Schools in the last year. How much prior to that? If that is all, then the calipers probably are ok. Inspect them to be sure -- remove the caliper like you're changing pads, this lets you get a good view of the piston boot. If the boot doesn't have any cracks, rips, or isn't pulled out of the caliper, it is probably fine. - Rich
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#4. Re: [E36M3] Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 13:56:38 -0800 From: Jim Bassett <jimbassett@home.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement At 03:12 PM 12/27/00 -0600, Jason Sarich wrote: >Few questions: > >1. How do Stainless Steel Braided lines help? What >difference do they make? They're less flexible than the stock rubber ones, and thus will flex/give less under extreme braking. Generally this is the last upgrade, and for a car that sees more than just a couple of drivers schools a year. >2. Where do I find new rubber boots for the caliper? The dealer or other BMW parts suppliers - they're part of the caliper rebuild kit. >I have read that it is probably a good Idea to take the >caliper apart, regrease it, replace the boot, check the >piston, and replace a spring? > >Is that necessary? I have taken it to 1 AutoX, and 2 >Driving Schools in the last year. For you level of activity, probably not (keep in mind, that was advise from Sean - he has a "way" with M3s <BFG>). I've only had mine front calipers rebuilt once in 2 years (40-some-odd track events), primarly because the rubber boot had pulled out of the caliper. Just keep an eye on everything, and if the boot starts looking torn, cracked, or pulls out of the caliper, then it'll be time to rebuild. Hope that helps, Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4
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#5. Debating Suspension Options - from Greg Cernosek
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 16:26:02 -0600 From: "Greg Cernosek" <gcernosek@inetx.net> Subject: Debating Suspension Options Group, I am in the process of deciding what to do about the suspension on my 98 M3/4. First, the reason for the change: I think my stock struts/shocks are about done. The car seems to rebound and compress at different rates (at each corner of the car). When in steady state high-g corners, small bumps un-settle the car much more than it used to. This un-settling seems to be due to the different rate of rebound at different corners of the car. Also, when the suspension goes through its squat/un-squat while accelerating and lifting to shift, the car doesn't seem to do this in an even manner. It seems similar to the way the car behaved when the rear trailing arm bushings were cracked last year, but not as extreme. I have had the car up on a lift and check the rear trailing arm bushings (they have been replaced once already) and they seemed fine (to me and the Master Tech). I haven't yet checked the rear shock mounts, but plan to before I do anything major. They have never been replaced, but I don't have the characteristic clunk of bad mounts. Another reason I think it may be the shocks/struts is because of the way it behaves under hard braking. When braking very hard, the car becomes very sensitive to steering input. I used to be able to entice the car to rotate in a very controlled manner by trail braking. Now, sometimes the car gets very agitated when I trial brake causing me to reduce the steering input to prevent the back end from coming around. My theory here is that the worn struts/shocks combined with my aggressive alignment is causing the car to try to oversteer under hard braking. I know you are thinking "well, of course the car is going to oversteer if you trail brake." I am aware of trailing throttle oversteer, but it used to be very controllable and downright fun. Now, it is a little scary. Second, the current setup: Stock shocks/struts with 50k miles Eibach Sway Bars X-Brace Strut Barbarian Swapped Strut Hats -2.5( Camber Front -1.8( Camber Rear 1/16" toe-in front and rear (each side) I don't remember caster readings off the top of my head. All of these settings are consistent before and after the symptoms appeared My preferences and thoughts: I am quite happy with the stock M3 suspension and am seriously considering replacing the struts with new factory struts. I know the popular E36M3 list suspension mod is the Bilstein/H&R setup. I have tried M3s with this setup. I think it is stiffer than I want. Actually, I think it is stiffer than optimal for most conditions. I like adjustability. My intended use: Mostly street driven but willing to make some sacrifice (see alignment settings) for good track and autocross performance. Plan on doing 8-12 track days in the next year (more if I can) and a few autocrosses (to get a temporary fix). Setups being considered: 1. Ground Control Advanced Design Struts/Shocks (non-coil over setup) with the stock springs and swapped hats (their camber plates are designed for coil-overs) 2. Koni Double Adjustables with stock springs/hats 3. Option 1 or 2 with a different spring, but don't want un-necessary harshness and bad every-day street ride 4. Ground Control Advanced Design Struts/Shocks with Ground Control coil-over setup (not sure on spring rates) 5. Some other coil-over setup Do any of you have any comments or suggestions? I am planning on having this discussion with Jay at Ground Control (waiting for a call back) and with someone at TC Kline (haven't called yet), but thought I would run it by this/these groups too. Thanks in advance, Greg Cernosek Dallas, TX 98 M3/4 with some cool stuff
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#6. Re: [E36M3] Debating Suspension Options - from Mark Radelow
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 22:44:34 -0000 From: "Mark Radelow" <radelow@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Debating Suspension Options Weird. I rode in a 1997 M3 with about 30 track events on the stock suspension and it was still is decent shape. Oh well, maybe you drive your car REALLY hard. Mark 95 ///M3 91 GTi 16v 88 Chevy Fullsize From: "Greg Cernosek" <gcernosek@inetx.net> Reply-To: "Greg Cernosek" <gcernosek@inetx.net> To: E36M3 <e36m3@bmwmpower.com> Subject: [E36M3] Debating Suspension Options Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 16:32:55 -0600 Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 16:26:02 -0600 From: "Greg Cernosek" <gcernosek@inetx.net> Subject: Debating Suspension Options Group, I am in the process of deciding what to do about the suspension on my 98 M3/4. First, the reason for the change: I think my stock struts/shocks are about done. The car seems to rebound and compress at different rates (at each corner of the car). When in steady state high-g corners, small bumps un-settle the car much more than it used to. This un-settling seems to be due to the different rate of rebound at different corners of the car. Also, when the suspension goes through its squat/un-squat while accelerating and lifting to shift, the car doesn't seem to do this in an even manner. It seems similar to the way the car behaved when the rear trailing arm bushings were cracked last year, but not as extreme. I have had the car up on a lift and check the rear trailing arm bushings (they have been replaced once already) and they seemed fine (to me and the Master Tech). I haven't yet checked the rear shock mounts, but plan to before I do anything major. They have never been replaced, but I don't have the characteristic clunk of bad mounts. Another reason I think it may be the shocks/struts is because of the way it behaves under hard braking. When braking very hard, the car becomes very sensitive to steering input. I used to be able to entice the car to rotate in a very controlled manner by trail braking. Now, sometimes the car gets very agitated when I trial brake causing me to reduce the steering input to prevent the back end from coming around. My theory here is that the worn struts/shocks combined with my aggressive alignment is causing the car to try to oversteer under hard braking. I know you are thinking "well, of course the car is going to oversteer if you trail brake." I am aware of trailing throttle oversteer, but it used to be very controllable and downright fun. Now, it is a little scary. Second, the current setup: Stock shocks/struts with 50k miles Eibach Sway Bars X-Brace Strut Barbarian Swapped Strut Hats -2.5( Camber Front -1.8( Camber Rear 1/16" toe-in front and rear (each side) I don't remember caster readings off the top of my head. All of these settings are consistent before and after the symptoms appeared My preferences and thoughts: I am quite happy with the stock M3 suspension and am seriously considering replacing the struts with new factory struts. I know the popular E36M3 list suspension mod is the Bilstein/H&R setup. I have tried M3s with this setup. I think it is stiffer than I want. Actually, I think it is stiffer than optimal for most conditions. I like adjustability. My intended use: Mostly street driven but willing to make some sacrifice (see alignment settings) for good track and autocross performance. Plan on doing 8-12 track days in the next year (more if I can) and a few autocrosses (to get a temporary fix). Setups being considered: 1. Ground Control Advanced Design Struts/Shocks (non-coil over setup) with the stock springs and swapped hats (their camber plates are designed for coil-overs) 2. Koni Double Adjustables with stock springs/hats 3. Option 1 or 2 with a different spring, but don't want un-necessary harshness and bad every-day street ride 4. Ground Control Advanced Design Struts/Shocks with Ground Control coil-over setup (not sure on spring rates) 5. Some other coil-over setup Do any of you have any comments or suggestions? I am planning on having this discussion with Jay at Ground Control (waiting for a call back) and with someone at TC Kline (haven't called yet), but thought I would run it by this/these groups too. Thanks in advance, Greg Cernosek Dallas, TX 98 M3/4 with some cool stuff ************************************************************* List Commands UNSUBSCRIBE - (in subject line) unsubscribes you from the mailing list. ************************************************************* _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#7. Re: [E36M3] Suzy's Big Adventure - from Sean Hester
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 14:52:45 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Suzy's Big Adventure > > This will be my first big assignment for the audio publication I am > > writing for........wish me luck! (The name of the magazine is The > > Absolute Sound for those of you that are into high end audio) > >I'm impressed. That has got to be at the high end of the high end audio >mags. They review interconnect cables that cost more than my car. speaking of that. i'd love for suzy to tell me how much better those $2,500 per foot cables really are. ;-) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#8. Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement - from Sean Hester
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 14:59:41 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Brake Rotor/Pad Replacement >1. How do Stainless Steel Braided lines help? What >difference do they make? when the fluid gets hot, it expands. and if it gets hot enough it boils, which can also get bubbles in it. regular rubber lines, will stretch and expand as the fluid does. this makes for less pressure in the system which makes for less braking power. stainless lines, are MUCH stronger and won't stretch and expand, so even if you're boling your fluid, you won't have the loss of pressure in the system. it'll even keep the bubble formation down, becuase, even though the fluid is hot and wants to bubble, if there's no way for it to expand, it'll have a harder time making bubbles. >2. Where do I find new rubber boots for the caliper? > >I have read that it is probably a good Idea to take the >caliper apart, regrease it, replace the boot, check the >piston, and replace a spring? > >Is that necessary? I have taken it to 1 AutoX, and 2 >Driving Schools in the last year. you get the boots as part of the "rebuild kit". that's what you're talking about in you explanation of taking it all apart, and putting it back together. i don't think you can get the boots as a seperate part. you only need to rebuild them if the boots are cracked, or torn, or melted. if everything looks fine, leave it alone. if the boots look like they've been in a fire, then ripped apart by a rabid dog (mine usually look like this after about half a season) it's time to rebuild the calipers. ;-) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#9. squealing brakes - from Kit Wetzler
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 15:33:08 -0800 From: Kit Wetzler <kitwetzler@mindspring.com> Subject: squealing brakes Aiya. I just put a set of Hawk HP Plus pads on my car. They squeal like there's no tomorrow. Now, I know this sounds like a newbie question, but I've been changing my own pads for 5 years. Since I do track events, I swap pads probably 10-15 times a year. I just put on new rotors and new pads. I know that I'm not supposed to bed new pads with new rotors, but I got lazy. Anyway, I've pulled the pads off, sanded them, scuffed the rotors, cleaned the pads and rotors, I've applied anti-squeal grease from Permatex (the blue stuff), and I've tried getting them nice and hot. Still no luck, they still squeal like banshees. Admittedly, they're better, but I still get funny looks. :( So. Does anyone have any more suggestions for stopping brake squeal? Also, anyone know where to get new pad shims? Or can someone suggest a different brand of anti-squeal goop? My Pagid street pads don't squeal, but don't stop nearly as well and dust a lot. :/ BTW, got the flywheel in. I get a little bit of noise when I go up through 2000 - 3000 rpm, and a really faint noise at idle. I think those are normal? I didn't replace the fork, and still get a normal engagement, in fact, it's higher than it was before. (probably because my stock clutch was starting to go... I put a new one in while the tranny was out) I did figure out that the clutch was the reason the silly UUC clutch stop didn't fit... with the new clutch, it fits fine. I replaced both the pilot bearing and the throwout bearing while I was in there, also. Now that the new clutch is in, I notice much more acceleration in first and second... 3rd, 4th, 5th all seem a bit torquier and the car generally responds better... Guess it's time for a set of sway bars, next. -kit 97 m3
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#10. Bike Racks? - from peter@guagenti.com
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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 15:39:48 US/Pacific From: peter@guagenti.com Subject: Bike Racks? I am looking for some sort of set-up to carry my Cannondale on my 4 door. Can anyone make any recommendations? I've looked at the Yakima and Thule kits, which are spendy but seem good. I'd prefer to avoid going with a tow hitch solution. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. -peterg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using HiSpeed Technologies Webmail. http://www.hispeed.com