Re: bmw-digest V9 #109

[RangeR BoB <samurai@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

SNIP
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Prakash,

AFAIK the M-Sport brace originally intended for the E36 M3 LTW won't fit 
your 318ti (or the 750iL for that matter). The ti braces I've seen are 
quite a different shape.

Neil
96 M3

SNIP
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	You 3-series folks have all the fun! 
	(much higher production = larger aftermarket)

	My 7 handles well, but for some body roll.  Eibach and H&R make spring
kits for the E-32.  Lowering the CG of Sputnik would help the body roll
some, but there are those nagging clearance problems.  I don't want to
lower the car because it has enough scrape potential in poorly designed
driveways (like mine!) as it is.  I have dragged the exhaust and the gas
tank on things so far.

	My favorite solution back in my open wheel days was moderate springs
and stiffer antiroll bars.  My theory was the springs are to absorb
bumps and the anti-rolls handle the body lean.  Of course they are
interelated.  Weak chassis necessitated strong springs to account for
chassis flex.  Large aerodynamic aids and their attendant true downforce
(as opposed to reduced lift) meant stiff springs, too.  Rode like
ox-carts.

	Changing shocks has little/no effect on body roll, unless they are gas
charged to the amount that it effects the overall spring rate of the
entire system (springs/shocks/antiroll bars) The (low) frequency of body
lean events is much too slow to be affected by the dampers themselves by
much (some parasitic drag of the piston as the chassis starts to roll,
but that all goes away when you hit any road texture or a bump so it is
really moot).

	Any experience with a good set of anti-roll bars for a E-32?  Also such
things as strut tower braces?  I am not planning on racing, it is an
Interstate express, currently used for big trips (around 80-120 mph on
Interstates) and commuting (15 miles of Interstate at around 60-70 mph)
until I nurse Sammy back to life (rear ended in July) 

	Thanks in advance.  Y'all are a great repository of experience for a
BMW newbie like myself...
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 RangeR
   BoB
 Hembrook
 
 '89 BMW 750iL                   	"Sputnik"	92k
 '89 Suzuki Samurai 4x4          	"Sammy"   	94k
 '88 Kawasaki ZX-10					28k

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