E36 Coupe. Koni suspension kit?

[jom 96]

I'm currently running a Sachs suspension kit on my E36 Coupe (50 front, 30 rear) and it needs replacing (worn strut). I'd like to raise the front a little to avoid grounding on speedbumps etc, and also so that I can fit a crossbrace.

The current handling is terrific, and I want to keep it that way, but maybe a bit softer on the back for ride comfort.

I'm slowly working through all the suspension packages, and the choice has narrowed to H + R springs (40/40) and B8 Bilsteins, or a Koni suspension kit which includes Koni springs (also 40/40, and with adjustable front rebound on the dampers).

I'm looking at Bilstein B8s because of the lower springs - they have a shorter shaft. Are there problems with B6s with this setup? (B8s not in stock in NZ at the moment!)

The prices are about the same - with the Koni kit sourced from the UK a little cheaper......(and that includes horrendous shipping)

Use is road and occasional track days.

Any experience with either setup (or better?) out there?

Cheers

Jo

[3series 0]

checkout www.shox.com - they do a reasonably good deal and can ship to NZ.

[Grant 4]

checkout www.shox.com - they do a reasonably good deal and can ship to NZ.

I contacted them, but they were not overly easy to deal with.

I have since bought two lots of suspension from Turner Motorsport (in the USA), they were great to deal with (email responses within an hour each time), and were considerably cheaper (even allowing for shipping and GST) than buying through our local supplier. Also the package arrived in only a few days each time.

I know that others on here have dealt with Turners as well, and also had good experiences.

Cheers

Grant

[Yuen 16]

Grant, in terms of warranty - would you have to ship the shocks back to the US if there are issues?

[Grant 4]

Grant, in terms of warranty - would you have to ship the shocks back to the US if there are issues?

Thats a jolly good question. I'm not sure to be honest. I suspect so, which would obviously be a downside of purchasing from overseas, should this need to happen. It also may depend on the brand, as they might have a worldwide warranty service??

Cheers

Grant

[Yuen 16]

Yeah, I was wondering if they'd do worldwide warranty but suppose the odds are they don't to discourage people importing them and selling here for no disadvantage. On the flip side... I suppose it's a good thing that you haven't needed to find out

[jom 96]

Price from Demon Tweeks for the full Koni Kit is GBP398 + GBP102 to ship. Approximately NZD1,265.

Jo

[jom 96]

Plus 12.5% GST on import is $1395 plus install and alignment - done properly that should come in at about $1,600:00

Which is more than I paid locally and I have full support from Stocks

I called Stocks and got a very indifferent response - $1508 +GST for the dampers only, no springs.

So for me Demon Tweeks is still $250 odd cheaper, and I get a set of springs too.....

[Yuen 16]

Jo, have you tried the US? Would think that you'd get a better deal there than the UK.

[318isCoupe 0]

Plus 12.5% GST on import is $1395 plus install and alignment - done properly that should come in at about $1,600:00

Which is more than I paid locally and I have full support from Stocks

$1800 installed here in Tauranga at the end of January, worth every penny. I'm definately a Koni fan now.

Just wondering 3pedals, what would you recommend for a fast street brakes setup? with a view for further suspension upgrades and occasional trackdays. Currently running factory 328 stoppers.

[Yuen 16]

Ron when you say Brembo rotors do you mean ones that are rated higher than OEM spec? As Brembo make rotors to OEM specs as well, I had a set on my car and was under the impression they were the exact same quality as OE.

[jom 96]

Jo, have you tried the US? Would think that you'd get a better deal there than the UK.

Tried Turners, but otherwise it's difficult to find sources for Koni in the US. Any Ideas?

[Yuen 16]

Yuen , fair comment - yes the higher spec'd ones and that applies to ATE as well because many of the OE rotors are ATE.

Primary reason is the non slotted rotors tend to glaze both rotors and pads easier when pushed

Thanks for clarifying - so higher spec = slotted. I was wondering if there was a better quality non-slotted/non-drilled rotor that looked the same as a normal one but was perhaps made with different materials.

Tried Turners, but otherwise it's difficult to find sources for Koni in the US. Any Ideas?

Will have a look around and let you know if I find anything

[318isCoupe 0]

ATE, Tarox or Brembo rotors with Mintex 1166 pads if you are serious about the track days otherwise just do the rotors and use stock pads , they are great.

Cheers for that,

Is there going to be much of a usable improvement (hard street driving/track day) to be had from upgrading the callipers to an aftermarket item also (big money, i know)

[kerrynzl 3]

Just wondering 3pedals, what would you recommend for a fast street brakes setup? with a view for further suspension upgrades and occasional trackdays. Currently running factory 328 stoppers.

Hey Jacob, If this is your daily driver? Leave your brakes Stock and get a spare set of pads for the Track [ I would reccomend "Carbon Mettalic 90" compound by "Performance friction" in the USA for track use ]

Unplug your ABS and you'll realize that the stock brakes can "lock up" a road tyre, so they are very capable

If you insist on modifying your brakes, try and get a set of M3 callipers and Discs [ same pad situation again ]

If you want to spend a couple of weeks learning your maths, then maybe you can look at aftermarket combo's which will end up being similar to stock M3's anyway[ but shiny and pretty ]

I have yet to meet a parts guy [ or Brake Guy ] that knows their Maths here!

they all use "applied research and development" [ translated: "let's try it and see" ]

[318isCoupe 0]

Hey Jacob, If this is your daily driver? Leave your brakes Stock and get a spare set of pads for the Track [ I would reccomend "Carbon Mettalic 90" compound by "Performance friction" in the USA for track use ]

Unplug your ABS and you'll realize that the stock brakes can "lock up" a road tyre, so they are very capable

If you insist on modifying your brakes, try and get a set of M3 callipers and Discs [ same pad situation again ]

If you want to spend a couple of weeks learning your maths, then maybe you can look at aftermarket combo's which will end up being similar to stock M3's anyway[ but shiny and pretty ]

I have yet to meet a parts guy [ or Brake Guy ] that knows their Maths here!

they all use "applied research and development" [ translated: "let's try it and see" ]

Cheers Kerry,

Its my "weekend" driver at the moment. The M3 brakes swap sounds like the one, I'm not fussed about pretty shiny aftermarket drilled rotors and bright red callipers (although I wouldn't exactly say no to a nice set of wilwoods) as long as they do the job, and I'd rather stick with as many BMW parts as possible

You need to do the master cylinder as well to make this work properly, plus ideally you should chuck in the whole suspension leg with the correct caliper mounting / hub hardware on it- probably a bit bigger ask than required for occasional track days.

Would this be for the swap to M3 gear? If I was swapping to M3 bits I'd want to do a full swap including the master cylinder and not just bolt on a set of M3 callipers and rotors.

[kerrynzl 3]

Cheers Kerry,

Would this be for the swap to M3 gear? If I was swapping to M3 bits I'd want to do a full swap including the master cylinder and not just bolt on a set of M3 callipers and rotors.

3 pedals is correct,

the M3 needs a M/C bore increase to 25.4mm [1inch] from 23.81mm because of the increase in piston area of the M3 calipers [ this will also lower rear caliper pressure ]

E36 M3's have a 323mm front disc up from 286mm stock E36's

The set up I am considering is a complete brake conversion [ front & rear ] from a E46 330 which is 325mm discs and a 54mm piston caliper [ same as E36 ]

the E46 330 uses a 23.81mm M/C which is identical to the E36 M/C bore

this swap is so simple that Americans are capable of doing it

[318isCoupe 0]

3 pedals is correct,

the M3 needs a M/C bore increase to 25.4mm [1inch] from 23.81mm because of the increase in piston area of the M3 calipers [ this will also lower rear caliper pressure ]

E36 M3's have a 323mm front disc up from 286mm stock E36's

The set up I am considering is a complete brake conversion [ front & rear ] from a E46 330 which is 325mm discs and a 54mm piston caliper [ same as E36 ]

the E46 330 uses a 23.81mm M/C which is identical to the E36 M/C bore

this swap is so simple that Americans are capable of doing it

Cheers for that Kerry,

The E46 swap sounds pretty decent, I'll read up on it.

[steve R 0]

3 pedals is correct,

the M3 needs a M/C bore increase to 25.4mm [1inch] from 23.81mm because of the increase in piston area of the M3 calipers [ this will also lower rear caliper pressure ]

E36 M3's have a 323mm front disc up from 286mm stock E36's

The set up I am considering is a complete brake conversion [ front & rear ] from a E46 330 which is 325mm discs and a 54mm piston caliper [ same as E36 ]

the E46 330 uses a 23.81mm M/C which is identical to the E36 M/C bore

this swap is so simple that Americans are capable of doing it

from what i have seen on american forums, the front brakes fit fine, but the back dont work very well with the handbrake?

[CamB 48]

Do they actually need a brake SIZE upgrade? Even for the track (ie will pads and fluid do)?

Bigger discs and calipers aren't really an upgrade if you don't need them - they just increase unsprung weight. A slightly extreme example (given weight of car etc) is my mate's Peugeot 205. We squeezed 307 brakes in there - they are as big as you can fit inside a 15" wheel - a 282mm disc - and it really affected the feel of the steering and the handling to a lesser extent. It looked good though...

Changing back to smaller disc (with a light alloy caliper, from a 106 Rallye, not the 205 iron caliper) showed no reduction in stopping power on the road and felt and handled heaps better.

[kerrynzl 3]

Totally agree, this obsession with size is crap - quality is what counts. The stock rotors are good - and are an excellent match for the power , weight and balance of the vehicle , upgraded surfaces -i.e grooved/ slotted improve resistance to glazing and contamination.

Also consider the rear rotors , given the weight distribution and balance of an E36 these do have a fair part to play unlike in front heavy front wheel drives.

Unless you do a huge power upgrade you dont need to do a huge brake upgrade

My Original quote to Jacob [ leave them alone ] For occasional track use, throw in a set of "Carbon Metallic 90's",

take em out after the meeting & drive home.

For Hillclimbs & Bent-sprints leave them standard [ Race brakes need to be hot to work properly ]

In my Mk1 Cortina I had stock brakes with C/M 90's I could do a 16 lap race without fade.

My Sentra GT cup car had stock brakes with [ unknown ] Race Pads

Removing weight & better tyres will get better braking performance on the street.

Improve your driving skills! If you can "trail brake" at the limit of adhesion, or pulse brake [ poor man's ABS ] then your driving skills may need better brakes [ but not for the street ]

[my_e36 43]

The E46 swap sounds pretty decent, I'll read up on it.

Found this link...

http://www.emotors.ca/Articles/77.aspx

Talking about 330Ci/M3 brake swap for E36. Hope this helps.

[lidistick 70]

http://www.lewistanner.com/wiki/index.php/..._are_like_Legos

Everything you wanted to know about E36 and brake swaps

I've investigated the 330i brake swap before and the increase in unsprung weight was quite a bit. I cannot remember how much but it was significant. Cool for looks but I believe you'll understeer like a whale with all that weight in front!

[pjay 8]

Rear discs are in fact larger than fronts

Why?? thats weird