While the e30 was similar in design, fact is NONE of the 318ti rear suspension parts came from, were used on, or are compatible with e30's. I did a part# cross reference on realoem for the trailing arms, halfshafts, subframe and differntial and all of the part#'s come back to only the ti and Z3's.
"to accomodate the suspension" not the other way around. The suspension wasn't designed to accomodate the floorpan or space constraints.
^^^this right here says it all. Basically what I've been saying that the ti was a solution to the otherwise generic feel of the standard e36's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they implying that the semi-trailing arm suspension makes the car feel sportier?
The compact was introduced a year after the e36 M3 made it's debut in Europe and the Z3 and Mcoupes were added a year after the compact. Could it have been that BMW noticed a flaw in subframe design before they started making the compacts, Z3's and Mcoupes? Or perhaps they got some feedback on the generic handling characteristics of the e36 coupes and sedans and wanted to bring back the raw feel of the e30 M3?
The differences you see at the track could be any number of things. I mean you said so yourself that tire sizes, weight and mods were not the same. What about ASC, gear ratios, swaybars etc? You can't possibly expect two different cars to handle/perform exactly the same. There's just too many variables. What it all boils down to is someone's opinion on which setup is actually "better". Even the info published in books is just someone's opinion. It's hard to say that anything is factual. I'm sure the author of that book was not a spokesman for BMW's research and development or marketing department. Look what Road & Track had to say:
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and ideology. Great example, I just read the article you posted and got an entirely different interpretation of it.
I've posted my story elsewhere on the forum, but I'll give you a brief description of how I got into ti's. It started back in 1999 when I moved to Sicily. A friend loaned me his e30 m3 for a whole month! It was the first Bimmer I ever drove. I immediately fell in love with that car. Finally I found a '91 e36(eurospec) 318i and purchased it. After a couple weeks, I was disappointed that it didn't feel as good as the e30 M3 did. Figured a little more power is what it lacked, so I picked up a 328is. Power was really close to the e30 M3, but it still felt kinda generic. Drove both of those cars while stationed overseas, sold them right before I came home. Bought a Jeep Wrangler and had fun with it for a couple years before deciding to get back into bimmers. Sold the Jeep and test drove an avus blue '96 318ti base. Immediately felt the rawness of the e30 m3! Since then I've owned 3 318ti's. I've driven e30's, e34's e39's, e36's, e46's and even an e90 as well as a couple Mcoupes thanks to friends, family and dealership test drives. Came really close on more than one occasion to pulling the trigger on a Z4 Mcoupe. I've owned 6 e36's, 3 of them ti's and none of them gave me the same thrill that the e30 m3 did. The ti comes really close and I'm hoping that the S52 powerplant will deliver the experience I've been chasing all of these years. Unless I can find an unmolested e30 M3 for a reasonable price, my heart will always be with the ti
