Vingoe 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2022 Hey people, new to the forum and bmw in general but have developed a new found love for them, I recently purchased a 97’ 328i and am wanting some suggestions on what adjustable suspension would be good as well as a good brand of poly bushings mainly for rear subframe but a complete bushing kit would be nice, and also something I can buy here in nz without it having to be ordered from overseas, with that being said I would also like some decent 17”wheels that can also be bought here and not have to be ordered, cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted February 28, 2022 Wheels-wise I would be looking for something used and OEM - fortunately the rampant price hikes have not really hit 17" 5x120 wheels as much. NZ wheels selection new as you may have noticed is terrible for older BMWs. Coilovers, I would import a set of KW V1s unless youre needing camber plates and a bunch of damping adjustment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vingoe 0 Report post Posted March 1, 2022 2 hours ago, Sammo said: Wheels-wise I would be looking for something used and OEM - fortunately the rampant price hikes have not really hit 17" 5x120 wheels as much. NZ wheels selection new as you may have noticed is terrible for older BMWs. Coilovers, I would import a set of KW V1s unless youre needing camber plates and a bunch of damping adjustment. I would like camber plates etc which is why I was leaning towards some BCgold adjustables, but can’t really justify the price of them with the way the car is at the moment. Would you be able to link me to a reliable site that I could import those KW V1s from? Wouldn’t mind having a look at them atleast, thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted March 1, 2022 https://www.demon-tweeks.com/nz BC are good value and feature packed but wouldn’t go any cheaper than that - cert adds $750ish so might as well get decent quality. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vingoe 0 Report post Posted March 1, 2022 16 minutes ago, Sammo said: https://www.demon-tweeks.com/nz BC are good value and feature packed but wouldn’t go any cheaper than that - cert adds $750ish so might as well get decent quality. Fair enough, I think I will go with bcgolds eventually but a manual conversion is first on the list, costs around the same so will definitely be making that a priority haha Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtydoogle 383 Report post Posted March 1, 2022 What are you planning on doing with the car? Koni yellow and H&R springs will outperform BC golds or BC reds on the road XYZ adjustable set up are cost effective and great starting point for track work, speed factor in Tauranga sell them. Manual conversion is getting pricey now but is a great way to make the car more fun, typically a getrag kit is well upwards of 2.5k, plus it's foolish to not replace clutch/flywheel/master and slave at the same time, add another $1k to bring good quality gear in from overseas. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted March 1, 2022 I haven't done the suspension on mine yet, done wheels and manual conversion though (would recommend LSD too). Wheels are Style 194s powder coated bronze, 17s with a bit of stretch on the rear to account for the staggered widths. Gearbox is a G220 with a single mass flywheel, it's a cheaper box but seems good for the stock M52b28 engine, clutch I got is a bit heavy so might be something to watch for. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrs 120 Report post Posted March 1, 2022 Keep in mind anything adjustable or not provable as OE equivalent will likely require certification so factor in an additional $750+ If doing a manual conversion, most kits come with with a brake pedal / clutch pedal combo. The minute you touch the brake pedal you now need certification (if detected by the person doing a warrant) - additional cost. Manual conversion may also require driveshaft hoops depending on the certifier. Because of where I live and the rather limited certification options I was forced to do 2 hoops... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtydoogle 383 Report post Posted March 1, 2022 2 minutes ago, wrs said: Keep in mind anything adjustable or not provable as OE equivalent will likely require certification so factor in an additional $750+ If doing a manual conversion, most kits come with with a brake pedal / clutch pedal combo. The minute you touch the brake pedal you now need certification (if detected by the person doing a warrant) - additional cost. Manual conversion may also require driveshaft hoops depending on the certifier. Because of where I live and the rather limited certification options I was forced to do 2 hoops... Oh so you went to see old mate Ricard down Gordon rd? He's a blithering idiot. If there is a next time,call Danny at Autocerts in Ashurst, he's up here a heap. Absolute top bloke, has done a few cars for us. Charges less than Premier Autos too Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vingoe 0 Report post Posted March 2, 2022 20 hours ago, dirtydoogle said: What are you planning on doing with the car? Koni yellow and H&R springs will outperform BC golds or BC reds on the road XYZ adjustable set up are cost effective and great starting point for track work, speed factor in Tauranga sell them. Manual conversion is getting pricey now but is a great way to make the car more fun, typically a getrag kit is well upwards of 2.5k, plus it's foolish to not replace clutch/flywheel/master and slave at the same time, add another $1k to bring good quality gear in from overseas. I just want a fun street build that can comfortably drift at low speeds, I can source g220s for a bit less than 2.5k and they are in good nick, I know it’s going to cost around 4k to get the conversion done, a bit more if I were to get it done at a shop, but so would getting some nice wheels, coil overs and a cert. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vingoe 0 Report post Posted March 2, 2022 16 hours ago, wrs said: Keep in mind anything adjustable or not provable as OE equivalent will likely require certification so factor in an additional $750+ If doing a manual conversion, most kits come with with a brake pedal / clutch pedal combo. The minute you touch the brake pedal you now need certification (if detected by the person doing a warrant) - additional cost. Manual conversion may also require driveshaft hoops depending on the certifier. Because of where I live and the rather limited certification options I was forced to do 2 hoops... I didn’t ask how much it’s gonna cost to manual convert it but yeah thanks for that haha, I already have a good idea of what it would cost me to do it and even got a quote from a couple shops that would do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
driftfinatic 2 Report post Posted March 2, 2022 I run BC golds on my drift E36. 10kg Front and 12kg rear springs and the required valving to these specs. If i had to do it all again i would just call evan at speedfactor and he will put together a xyz coil over setup for you. Hassle free way to do it. think they are around 1600 and then cert on top of that for road car Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blackie 510 Report post Posted March 2, 2022 I'm running BC Golds on my daily E36. They're excellent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrs 120 Report post Posted March 3, 2022 On 3/1/2022 at 9:26 PM, dirtydoogle said: Oh so you went to see old mate Ricard down Gordon rd? He's a blithering idiot. If there is a next time,call Danny at Autocerts in Ashurst, he's up here a heap. Absolute top bloke, has done a few cars for us. Charges less than Premier Autos too Nope, and yes, he appears to be someone who wanted to charge a lot for nothing. I went with Autocerts but he came to Napier. Was $750 all up including travel - cheaper than me going there, especially when I had an initial fail which I managed to resolve in 45 minutes while he was still in town... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrs 120 Report post Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) Went with Koni adjustable inserts into standard early model front mounts (with the M3 style swaybar connection) and OE Koni adjustable replacements for the rear from Stocks with Eibach springs all round from a Bilstein B12 kit. It lowered the car to near stock M3 stance within a few mm. I also changed to M3 swaybars and also M3 top hats to increase castor and camber. Massive difference in performance and didn't require a cert for the suspension change because it's all OE equivalent. Thanks to 3Pedals for the advice during the research phase... Edited March 3, 2022 by wrs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herbmiester 923 Report post Posted March 13, 2022 Funny, young guys want to drift and old guys want handling. I have done 3 E36's but all set up to handle, coil overs are not necessary to reduce ride height just shocks and springs. My first e36 had Koni STR.T and King springs, worked pretty well. Whiteline and Nolathane bushes have been my go to options but one of my E36's got a subframe crack and some says stiffer bushes in the back can do this and some prefer rubber with limiter bushes. As mentioned the $$$ for certification is a pain that's why I stay away from coilovers. Many young guys dont get certified but my Nephews mate didn't bother, had a crash got denied insurance and then then the insurance company of the car he crashed into took him to court for 30k. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
