Best websites for E36 suspension parts?

[Lomac]

Got a friend looking to do a complete suspension overhaul on his E36 328is (springs, shocks, and all new metal w/bushings on the four corners and we're looking for some recommended websites to check out what's available. I'm aware of bimmerworld, but that's about it when it comes to my knowledge of BMW parts sites lol. Of course there's sites like Rockauto and Pelicanparts, but we're looking for something that's dedicated to BMW and would likely have higher quality parts.

Any suggestions?

Also, because the rear suspension is separate, I'm assuming if he goes the coilover route, all that's necessary is to split the springs from the shock and install it that way? I've never done coilovers on a rear end setup like this.

[multicartual]

I'm about to order a bunch of parts from here:

BMW DIFFERENTIAL BUSHINGS SUPPORTS & BRACKETS

Tell your buddy to get the VAC differential support bracket while he's at it, my stock 5.0 has bent the shit out of the front bolt and now I have to drive it like a granny haha

[xjc11]

here are some off the top my head

getbmwparts.com
bmaparts
autohausaz
thebmwpartstore.com
ecstuning
turnermotorsports
fcpeuro

[hud 91gt]

Originally Posted by Lomac

Got a friend looking to do a complete suspension overhaul on his E36 328is (springs, shocks, and all new metal w/bushings on the four corners and we're looking for some recommended websites to check out what's available. I'm aware of bimmerworld, but that's about it when it comes to my knowledge of BMW parts sites lol. Of course there's sites like Rockauto and Pelicanparts, but we're looking for something that's dedicated to BMW and would likely have higher quality parts.

Any suggestions?

Also, because the rear suspension is separate, I'm assuming if he goes the coilover route, all that's necessary is to split the springs from the shock and install it that way? I've never done coilovers on a rear end setup like this.

The shock and adjustable spring are separate pieces on the rear.

[Mr.C]

oembimmerparts.com
autohausaz.com

[Shark Tank]

Originally Posted by Lomac

Got a friend looking to do a complete suspension overhaul on his E36 328is (springs, shocks, and all new metal w/bushings on the four corners and we're looking for some recommended websites to check out what's available. I'm aware of bimmerworld, but that's about it when it comes to my knowledge of BMW parts sites lol. Of course there's sites like Rockauto and Pelicanparts, but we're looking for something that's dedicated to BMW and would likely have higher quality parts.

Any suggestions?

Also, because the rear suspension is separate, I'm assuming if he goes the coilover route, all that's necessary is to split the springs from the shock and install it that way? I've never done coilovers on a rear end setup like this.

I think Westopher is the resident Revscene in house E36 guru. Guy knows his Beamers like I know my Porsches.

[trollguy]

Originally Posted by Shark Tank

I think Westopher is the resident Revscene in house E36 guru. Guy knows his Beamers like I know my Porsches.

This is likely your best post, ever.

[TOPEC]

these guys seems to carry some quality brands/parts and they seem to focus mostly on suspensions too

HP Autowerks

[Xplode328IS]

Hey guys - thanks for the suggestions.
It's for my car so I figured I'd chime in.

I bought the car a couple years back (97 328is) and the previous owner had lowered the car. It seems the rear springs might be starting to sag a little, as the driver side rear tire started rubbing a little when I'd hit big sags in the road, and then last weekend when I put new rubber on (245/40/17 - stock is 235) its gotten quite a bit worse, and so needs to be addressed. The pass side rubs too, but not quite as much.

I'm not really sure what springs were used, but I'd like to either get back to close to a stock height, or possibly (if there is a good option) adjustable. The car is a grocery getter, but its not a daily driver. I do enjoy getting it up to speed and cornering, but I don't do track days. At least I haven't yet.

So the suspension overhaul is motivated by the desire to tighten up the handling (starting to wander left/right a bit) before I get an alignment done, and also address the rear tires rubbing.

I've been googling and looking at different options, but I'm a bit overwhelmed at this point so any suggestions (preferably backed with experiences) is welcome.

I do have one questions straight out of the gate though. Since the car uses a seperated spring/shock setup in the rear, how do the coilover kits control ride height? the collar/spring/strut is straightforward, but I don't understand how the rears can be adjusted...


I should mention that I'm not looking for the cheapest options necessarily - quality/value is important. I'd rather have a solid part I can trust for a long time, versus saving $100.

[westopher]

ECS has put together a full suspension refresh kit which is pretty thorough as far as the bushings go.

BMW E36 328is M52 2.8L Suspension Refresh Kits - 33521092362KT2 - Front And Rear Suspension Refresh Kit - ES#2222307
I like my FK coils. They are not the best, but for the price they can't be beat, the higher end FK use koni shocks, and the shocks are the important guts of the coilovers. You can easily order custom spring rates if you decide to do more with the car.
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-328...vers/ES248304/
Then cheaper (what I have right now) FKs are based on Konis valving (set in the middle) and design but non adjustable for dampening
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-328...vers/ES248305/
Any other questions ask away. I'm looking at upgrading to a much more adjustable setup in the future so I've been doing lots of research coilover wise for these cars, but there aren't a lot of options that are cheap and good, although, that can be said about any car. What kind of budget are you looking at? Its a big pill to swallow, but we are talking about making a great handling car feel better than new for years to come, so its worth it if you really like the car.

[tofu1413]

"I put me on some Bilsteins and H&R race springs.... and my car handles like the shiet."


Having driven from blown suspension to full blown KW set ups.... Best street suspension combo IMO would really be the bilstein / H&R combo. Don't really need the adjustment on a street car. Being a 328is, the fun could be enhanced with a shorter final drive rear end with a factory limited slip.

The coils themselves should have an adjustment perch for ride height and the struts should have dampening adjustment on it as well on the coil over kits.

[westopher]

Originally Posted by Shark Tank

I think Westopher is the resident Revscene in house E36 guru. Guy knows his Beamers like I know my Porsches.

I can't tell if this is a compliment or an insult.

[Lomac]

Oo, one thing I didn't mention you could do was to simply adjust your negative camber.



Okay, may not.


+1 on the Koni's with adjustable dampening, though. When I was running my Koni/Eibach setup in the Honda, I actually played around with the dampening a lot. Didn't think I would ever touch it, but it was nice to have a bit of leeway with it depending on whether I was on a four hour drive into the Interior or had decided to tackle the backroads in Fort Langley at 1am.

That said, I don't know if it's worth the extra $400 for something I think you'll adjust to one setting and then leave alone.

[The_AK]

Dude - you should check your rear subframe mounting points asap if you're experiencing sags over bumps as it might be torn.

[hud 91gt]

Originally Posted by Xplode328IS

I do have one questions straight out of the gate though. Since the car uses a seperated spring/shock setup in the rear, how do the coilover kits control ride height? the collar/spring/strut is straightforward, but I don't understand how the rears can be adjusted...


I should mention that I'm not looking for the cheapest options necessarily - quality/value is important. I'd rather have a solid part I can trust for a long time, versus saving $100.

They are adjusted just like any other adjustable setup, only the strut is not inside the coilover sleeve. The adjustable perch is screwed up or down and this lowers or raises the ride height. The separate strut controls dampening and rebound as it always does.... It's just beside the spring. Struts or shocks do not control height.

[325isMSPORT]

Bilstein shocks and h&r race springs , powerflex bushings

[multicartual]

Get the diff reinforcement bracket!!!

[Xplode328IS]

What is this bracket you mention for reinforcing the diff?

[lowside67]

There are three separate reinforcements/chassis upgrades that are possible for a non-M E36.

The first is for the subframe mounts which have a nasty habit of tearing out of the unibody causing complete anarchy underneath. Now, it's worth saying this fix is cheap for parts and a complete PITA for labour as it requires basically taking the entire rear underbody off the car, scraping undercoating off, welding in reinforcements, respraying undercoating, and then reassembly. However, this is the only real fix for the subframe. With that said... I wouldn't go out and rush to do this, especially on a daily driven car on stock suspension. It's a bit of a crapshoot, but my E36 made it to 175,000 MILES and spent the last 20,000 of those on 285 Hoosiers with stiff springs and punishing autocross and track duty with not so much as a crack. So definitely inspect it, and regularly, but if you don't see any signs of premature wear, I'd skip it.

The next reinforcement is the differential ear as sometimes E36s tend to crack the mounting point off the differential. This one I would definitely skip on a street car - again, mine did not have this done and was likely subject to a lot further punishment than yours would be.

The final is the rear trailing arm bushing. This one I DID tear out and it felt a lot like a torn subframe mount, but this was after considerable punishment for many years. From what I have read on the track forum at Bimmerforums (which is a great resource BTW), this is not uncommon with track cars and many people install either a spherical bearing or a trailing arm bushing limiter, both which have their pluses and minuses. For a stock car, I'd replace one (if I ever tore it) with another stock and I highly doubt you'd have another problem for the life of the car.

With respect to suspension, you have literally a million options ranging from some fresh OEM shocks on stock springs all the way to $5000 a corner triple adjustable Penske or Moton races. For a stock car that you want height adjustability, I'm a fan of the KW V1 coil over as it's a reasonable cost and a nice street package. For a performance option, I am a HUGE AST fanboy as the upgrade from TC Kline doubles to my ASTs was absolutely night and day and made my car a lot quicker. If you truly want stock height, I think the recommendation of some Bilstein HDs and either stock springs or maybe a mild performance spring is a good option.

Personally, if it were a stock car, I'd be doing stock bushings, but good job for replacing them - they'll make the car feel miles better, especially if it's a bit tired and higher mileage. Powerflex makes good bushings but they definitely add to NVH for the car, I'd skip them for daily driving detail.

You really should swap the front strut mounts which will give you a bit more negative camber for front. The car should always have a square (same size front and rear) wheel and tire setup and around 2-2.5 degrees front camber will make it a nice, neutral daily driver that handles like it should without misbehaving on the highway, etc.

Good luck and have fun, my 97 328IS was the best car I have ever owned.

-Mark

[Xplode328IS]

Originally Posted by The_AK

Dude - you should check your rear subframe mounting points asap if you're experiencing sags over bumps as it might be torn.

I will look into the underside this afternoon and make sure nothing is torn. Although I suspect there's nothing wrong under there since I put new shocks on 6 months ago and didn't notice any issues then. Plus the car is just sitting really low (but balanced left/right) on the rubber...

Thank you lowside for that detailed write up as well.

I have been looking at possibly just getting a new set of springs - ECS and BavAuto seem to have some good products/prices. The problem I have now, is that I don't want to go back to stock height exactly - I want to be a bit lower. But I'm not sure how low the car is from stock now... so If I get a 30mm drop from new springs, how different will that be from now? Anyone know what stock wheel gap was for my car?