-------------------- 1 --------------------
#1. Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings - from Jim Bassett
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 10:21:41 -0700 (PDT) From: "Jim Bassett" <jim@jimbassett.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings On Tue, June 21, 2005 10:06 am, Chester Wong said: > So...any > recommendations for rear ride height (from center to fender)? Have the car corner-weighted? That usually determines and sets ride heights, at least in what little I've been involved in setting up the race car. My 2 cents, Jim Bassett
-------------------- 2 --------------------
#2. Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings - from Chester Wong
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 10:34:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings True, but I'm gonna wait until we get a set of corner weight scales rather than pay someone and just lose out on the money. Was just hoping someone already did that and at 13.25" in the front, that person also happened to have __.__" in the back :) CHester --- Jim Bassett <jim@jimbassett.com> wrote: > On Tue, June 21, 2005 10:06 am, Chester Wong said: > > So...any > > recommendations for rear ride height (from center to fender)? > > Have the car corner-weighted? That usually determines and sets ride > heights, at least in what little I've been involved in setting up the race > car.
-------------------- 3 --------------------
#3. Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings - from Carlos.F.Lopez@jci.com
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:40:40 -0400 From: Carlos.F.Lopez@jci.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings >O, btw, the lowest I would want to go in the front is 13.25" since there's >about 1.5" - 2.0" of travel before it hits the bumpstop and I will also use >the M3 on the streets during the summer. So I need to set the rear >appropriately for 13.25" in the front :) Rough estimate is that you should set the rear about 3/4 inch lower than the front to maintain the stock rake the car comes with. Look at the Bentley, they give you the measurements for ride height, what I did is just see what the difference is front to rear, this was with a borrowed car I used at Mid-Ohio so I could care less about corner weights and I wasn't about to spend that much time fiddling with it but as Jim suggested if you really care you should get the car corner weighted. Of course when an instructor or whomever rides with you there go your corner weights! :-) -Carlos.
-------------------- 4 --------------------
#4. Re: Ride heights and alignment settings - from Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:45:56 -0400 From: <Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net> Subject: Re: Ride heights and alignment settings Hi Chester, Good luck with the new setup at the track! On my car I don't get a clunk, and didn't find any play in the steering column joints. My best descriptions is that it takes much less effort to turn left than it does to turn right. One idea was that the valves inside the rack are not working properly. I have taken my struts apart, replaced the strut bearings, the lower control arms and the sway bar end links. While all of them had some wear, none of them changed the symptom. The wheel bearings seem fine, and were replaced once under my ownership. Regards, Stan Shaw Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net Phone: (413) 599-0399 Fax: (413) 599-0421 Excell.Net Owner/Operator http://www.Excell.Net/ 928 Owners Club President http://www.928OC.org/ 928Racing.net Team Member http://www.928Racing.net/ "Liberty once lost is lost forever." - John Adams
-------------------- 5 --------------------
#5. Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings - from Chester Wong
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 10:48:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings --- Carlos.F.Lopez@jci.com wrote: > Rough estimate is that you should set the rear about 3/4 inch lower than > the front to maintain the stock rake the car comes with. Great! That's exactly what I needed. I can't for sure, but I think I remember 12.5" in the back according to the tape measure, but I'll check again. Luckily it's very easy in the back. > Look at the Bentley, they give you the measurements for ride height, what I > did is just see what the difference is front to rear, this was with a > borrowed car I used at Mid-Ohio so I could care less about corner weights > and I wasn't about to spend that much time fiddling with it but as Jim > suggested if you really care you should get the car corner weighted. Of > course when an instructor or whomever rides with you there go your corner > weights! :-) Yup! Esp if your instructor ends up being one of those big bubbas. I really wanted to get the Elise on the track. Fixing the M3 was the last thing on my to do list, but here I am. And now that I screwed up and forgot to apply for another school in Aug, I think I'll only be doing two track events...which makes the point of corner weighting the M3 really so not a priority :) Then again, maybe I should just slam the car. YEAH! Thanks, Chester
-------------------- 6 --------------------
#6. NGK Plugs - from Mel Silva
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:40:01 -0500 (GMT-05:00) From: Mel Silva <melsilva@mindspring.com> Subject: NGK Plugs Hi guys, I checked the archives, but the only information I found was from this time last year. Has anyone found a place they like to purchase NGK plugs for our cars? Thanks, Mel
-------------------- 7 --------------------
#7. Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings - from Jamie Howton
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:44:54 -0500 From: Jamie Howton <jhowton@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Ride heights and alignment settings > Also...suggestions for alignment settings would be welcome as well. I've been > so far out of the loop with hitting the track that I just forgot everything. My current settings are as follows: Front: -3 degrees camber, ~1/8" toe out Rear: -3 degrees camber, 0 toe. I don't know if these are optimal, I am still playing with them trying to figure out what I am doing. If anyone has any other suggestions, let me know. Regards -- Jamie Howton 2000 M5 1995 M3 Hampshire, IL
-------------------- 8 --------------------
#8. Re: [E36M3] NGK Plugs - from m.feldpusch@comcast.net
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 19:20:38 +0000 From: m.feldpusch@comcast.net Subject: Re: [E36M3] NGK Plugs check out clubplug.net ... they have great prices on the NGK iridiums Michael -------------- Original message -------------- > Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:40:01 -0500 (GMT-05:00) > From: Mel Silva > Subject: NGK Plugs > > Hi guys, > I checked the archives, but the only information I found was from this time last > year. Has anyone found a place they like to purchase NGK plugs for our cars? > > Thanks, > Mel > > > ************************************************* > Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: > > Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com > Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com > Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com > Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com > Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com > Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com > > DIGEST INFORMATION: > http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm > ************************************************* > >
-------------------- 9 --------------------
#9. Re: Ride heights and alignment settings - from Neil Maller
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 16:39:01 -0500 From: Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> Subject: Re: Ride heights and alignment settings on 6/21/05 12:26 PM, Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> wrote: > So...I definitely know I'm running 13.25" from center to fender in the front > but I forgot the rear setting. It's pretty easy to adjust the rear (just lift > the car and stick your hands in there to turn the collar. So...any > recommendations for rear ride height (from center to fender)? With a similar TCK/Koni DA C/O setup I'm running 13"F/12.5"R. This provides some amount of rake (nose lower than tail), although offhand I can't think of a decent method of quantifying that. This is a little higher overall than my old Koni SA/H&R Sport setup, but for some reason that sat lower than any similarly equipped M3 I'd ever come across, and was a constant source of minor scraping. Here's how I selected the new ride height: it's the lowest that doesn't scrape as I go up and over the ramp into my garage at home. Very scientific! Works well at the track though. So if you keep your present 13.25"F, try 12.75"R and see how you like it. I have no personal input on alignment. I tell my alignment guy to do his thing and he does it, whatever it is! Here's what TCK says though: Front street: -2 deg camber, 1/16" toe in Front track: -3.5 deg camber, 0 to 1/8" toe out Rear: -1.5 to -2 deg camber, 3/16" toe in. Neil Fort Wayne, IN 96 M3 - Bastard child 03 525iT - Sterling Grey Metallic 77 MGB - Original owner, need to sell 05 Mini - Cooper S with LSD!
-------------------- 10 --------------------
#10. Re: Ride heights and alignment settings - from Chester Wong
Top
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 14:58:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Ride heights and alignment settings --- Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> wrote: > So if you keep your present 13.25"F, try 12.75"R and see how you like it. NICE! I'm gonna go home and jack up the rear so I can be like Neil (well, rake-wise). That's gonna be HAWT! =) Actually, I might try a setting higher than the factory .75" difference would give me since I suspect the rear shocks are bottoming out on the bump stops. Does anyone know if the double adjustable shock body is shorter than the standard issues SA ones? I guess I can just haul it out of the box and hold it up to it. I haven't installed the double adjustable rears because: a) I would have to unmount the stealthboxes to peel back the interior carpets to remove my Z3 reinforcement plate b) I'd have to cut a hole in the carpets to get the adjustment knob in...I've been too lazy c) I want to use the Z3 reinforcement plate but in order to use it with the TCK RSM (necessary for the larger diameter rear shock shaft), I will need to weld in longer bolts to the Z3 plate. Well, I just got the TIG welder, but I have to learn how to use it...so... Lemme start by welding this propane tank we have in the backyard.... On a side note, the E46M3 RSMs that I took off to adjust the SA shocks were perfectly fine after...gosh....60+k miles! My only mod to using them this successfully is trimming the stock bump stop. Chester soon to be TIG welding guru