The rear end on my '01 330CI seems to sit really low, and its eating rear tires on the inside edge. Obviously too much camber, and by the looks of it too much tow in as well. This explains the tire wear, but raises two question in my mind:
1 - Is the sag causing the severe camber, and if so, what is causing the sag?
2 - Is rear camber adjustable on these cars?
A cursory inspection on my lift didn't result in anything looking particularly worn or failed. What do the BMW experts say?
Rear camber is adjustable. The rear shock mounts go bad, but I've never seen them blow through or cause sag. E36 rear mounts had a high failure rate and upgrading to e46 mounts was the way to go.
IIRC, rear springs can crack/sag on E46s of that vintage. Also bushings can contribute to the toe change.
It has the sport package, so it sits a little lower because of that, but other than that the car drives fine, meaning no funny noises like you might expect with broken springs or shocks. Maybe the rear springs are just sagging? From what I can tell the bushings are all good.
Even the stock E46 shock mounts are crap. Turner Motorsports sells a much more robust set for the same price as OEM. If those don't solve the problem, it might be time for new rear shocks.
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3483-rear-shock-mounts-rsm-repair-shop-lifetime-warranty-e30-e36-e46-z3-z4-pair.aspx
Toe eats tires much more quickly than camber, particularly on the driven wheels.
Have you measured ride height and checked all the bushings? My e36 M3 needed every bushing on the car done at about 75k miles. I used OEM BMW stuff everywhere except e46 M3 rear trailing arm bushings w/ limiters and Powerflex urethane on the rear subframe and front control arms.
Track alignment numbers are typically neg 3.2F 2.1F camber, 1/16"/side R toe-in, 1/16"/side F toe out.
Generally you set whatever camber plates you're using to get all the caster you can.
I would bet on broken springs. The E46 seems prone to that
I would say that the springs are sagging. They are 13 years old, after all. If it's not springs or shocks, then I don't know.
Like others have said, check your rear springs for being broken.
I'm not sure if it was a bad batch or a rust issue but it's not uncommon.
Good time to call ground control and order a complete race coil over setup :-)
In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:
Well I really had my doubts about broken springs since the car drove nice, sat level in the rear, and there were no funny noises, but in fact my rear springs are broken! They have apparently been that way since before I bought it.
So, now the second question - where is the best place to buy replacements? This is my dd, so I'm just looking for stock sport package replacement springs.
Thanks for all the help, guys!
I believe that there are some nice riding sport springs that will lower the car some but keep a semi-stock feeling ride
In reply to mad_machine:
I'm looking for exact replacements for my stock springs. I don't want to change then fronts, just the rears. I like the way the car rides and handles, so I just want something that is an oem or equivalent spring
Anybody???
You can always pull the part number from RealOEM.com and pick up a set from a supplier like Pelican or AutohausAZ.
Check with the usual parts houses - even if they don't list them, they should be able to get them. A good BMW-specific place will probably want your VIN to ensure you get the right part (or you can try plugging it into RealOEM to get the p/n). I suspect OE BMW springs will probably run about $150/side or so (more at the dealer, obviously).
SlickDizzy wrote: You can always pull the part number from RealOEM.com and pick up a set from a supplier like Pelican or AutohausAZ.
This.. run your Vin in RealOEM, get the part numbers, and plug them into Pelican's website.. they ship fast too!
I'd try to find some OEM takeoffs from a BMWCCA member or maybe even from a place like Turner.
Junk yard or post on an e46 board "sell me your stock springs".
mad_machine wrote:SlickDizzy wrote: You can always pull the part number from RealOEM.com and pick up a set from a supplier like Pelican or AutohausAZ.This.. run your Vin in RealOEM, get the part numbers, and plug them into Pelican's website.. they ship fast too!
I did that and it only listed one rear spring for my car with no distinction between the base suspension and sport. I emailed pelican, but that was yesterday, so I don't expect to hear back from them until at least tomorrow.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Junk yard or post on an e46 board "sell me your stock springs".
I don't think I want to buy another set that is likely to break.
Guys, I've looked everywhere I know of, but other than a dealer I cant find anyone who makes any distinction between the base and sport suspension springs. They are different, correct?
In reply to bravenrace:
Your car has the sport package so it's a possibility that RealOEM is only showing you sport springs because that's what the VIN decoded as; otherwise I am sure Pelican will help you out when they open back up.
In reply to SlickDizzy:
It didn't ask me for my VIN. I'll have to look again.
It appears that RealOEM is a site that is still under development, which explains why I couldn't find where to input my VIN.
Can someone point me in the right direction for finding out the part number of my rear springs?
Okay, now I'm confused. I went on another site and looked up rear springs. Then I saw this written under one of them:
"Buyers Note: Not for models with factory sport suspension or //M suspension. Sport suspension is not the same as sports package."
There's a sport suspension AND a sport package? How do I know which I have?
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