:!: Swapping a 6-cylinder E30 rear differential to your 318ti

That's a link I have searched for for a long time. Thanks. It definitely answered alot of my axle &axle flange questions.

that's some nice info.... but I still have questions.... he swapped a 3.73 onto a 4 cyl engine. (I can tell byt he muffler)
I have a 6 cyl engine.... what ratio should i go with??? I personally consider that the 3.45 (stock Ti) I am using is TOO MUCH of a short ratio... I mean... I shift every 2 seconds.... and my top speed is like 120mph @6K rpms. anyone have an M3 swap? what are you using???
if I use a 3.73 is it going to get worse??? should I find a 3.25 or 2.93?

I run a 3.46. It revs a bit high on the highway.
I guess I'm just used to it. When I first got the car I used to start of in 2nd.

imposible gear ratio to find... 3.46 revs high... wow... imagine a 3.73!!! so i guess I will sacriffice some acceleration and go witht he 2.93???? or will it be TOO sloww off the line?

It's a Quaife. It can be made in any ratio you want.

well... after a day at the recyclers... and looking over 30 LSD 2,93 ratio, 20 lsd 3,73 ratio and about 3 lsd 4,10 ratio, I finally made up my mind.
By luck (I guess) I found a 1991 535i LSD 3,25 ratio. the back plate was different, but the rest of the diff was the same as those of an E30. I switched the plate, and ordered an M coupe plate as well, ($90 + $4 for gasket). brought it home, cleaned it up, painted it after 2 hours of sanding it, and it is now ready to be put on.
I took the cups off an E30 lsd, the axels and sensor.
I was unhappy with the high revs and low speed on the higway with the stock 3,45 open diff, so I figure I would HATE the 3,73 for my 3.2L M3 engine.
I had my mind set on a 2,93LSD, as I have plans of supercharging the car some time soon.
but I figure... my M3 has a 3,23 LSD, so I think the new 3,25 will be pretty close to a stock M3 ratio... and That I can live with.
for the new 3,25 diff AND AXELS in magnificent shape I paid $375. I think it is a pretty good deal.
what really amazed me, was the amount of 2,93LSD ALL OVER! so I will actually buy one to compare them when I have the carger... prob. $100 for the Diff.. 2,93

maurolin the diff you swop out is it lsd

I am looking at a 96 ti with a Four-speed automatic with clutch-less manual shifting, would this tut still apply for this car?

that actually looks like a fun project.. dunno if i need to do it though

man I just love people that get Knee-Deep into projects. I get to learn from their mistakes. Great info though. this will come handy when I swap my homosexual transmission for a manual

ok so reading all that and wondering has anyone been succesful with just running the e30 shafts and not having to hybrid them??

he says if you can make them fit do it, but i am just wondering if anyone has done it and it worked fine??

my e30 axles are in super good shape and seem even nicer than the ones on my ti so i wanna know if its fine to keep the non hybrid

thanks

you do NOT want to hybrid them so ... YES, absolutely the e30 shafts work just fine.

sweeeet!

so now i just looked and my diff is actually a 2.73 not 2.93 or 3.73

is that just gonna make me incredibly slow off the line where it isnt worth it or will i be fine??

i do do a lot of highway driving but i didnt know if that was just toooooo long of gearing?

really don't think you'd want to use a 2.73 (if that's indeed what it is).