The Widening Idea
So a couple years ago I saw some people trying the e46 LCA mod for the front to increase track and steering angle. At the time there wasn't much support and you had to grind down the edges of the hexagonal e46 to fit the e36 lolipop. Now there are more options that make it more a plug and play thing. So the following is just a mental excercise at what different model track width and wheel base is for the widening of my 318ti.
Source: automobile-catalogue website
97 318ti (same specs for 323ti) - Wheelbase: 2700mm / 106.3in
- Front Track: 1408mm / 55.4in
- Rear Track: 1413mm / 55.6in
96 1.9L z3 - Wheelbase: 2446mm / 96.3in
- Front Track: 1411mm / 55.6in
- Rear Track: 1427mm / 56.2in
99 2.8L z3 coupe (roadster same specs) - Wheelbase: 2446mm / 96.3in
- Front Track: 1413mm / 55.6in
- Rear Track: 1494mm / 58.8in
97 328is coupe (sedan same) - Wheelbase: 2700mm / 106.3in
- Front Track: 1408mm / 55.4in
- Rear Track: 1421mm / 55.9in
99 z3m coupe (roadster same specs) s52 & s54 models same specs - Wheelbase: 2459mm / 96.8in
- Front Track: 1422mm / 56in
- Rear Track: 1492mm / 58.7in
97 M3 coupe (sedan & Euro M3 same specs) - Wheelbase: 2700mm / 106.3in
- Front Track: 1422mm / 56in
- Rear Track: 1444mm / 56.9in
Trailing arm info:
- z3 1.9 & 318ti same 8.395kg trailing arm according to RealOEM
- z3 2.8L has a 10.198kg trailing arm according to RealOEM
- 323ti has a 8.655kg trailing arm (probbaly due to the extra brace between the fork of the trailing arm, as the 318ti and z3 1.9 don't have that)
Picked Up a z3 2.8 coupe Rear End!
So this morning I picked up a complete rear end from a 2.8L z3 coupe! !!
It even includes the 3.15 LSD diff, currently I really do enjoy my 3.46 LSD diff, and honestly I think its great for acceleration and spirited driving, shifting those gears is fun! But as the car is basically a commuter the 3.15 diff would help with freeway MPG and lazy driving. Besides there might be some fun to gain going from torsion type LSD to clutch type LSD.
Sooo??
Anyways from the numbers above, first some people wrongly assume that the 318ti has a smaller wheelbase then the other e36's, that is wrong!! It has the same wheel base, and thus longer wheelbase (more stable for high speed cornering ?) then z3 models. The track width is also increased from non-M to M models for z3 and e36, there is no difference between coupe/roadster on this and even the almightly euro "real" M3 has the same basic wheel base and track width as the US spec M3.
My specs?
Mix n' Match 318ti: - Wheelbase: 2700mm / 106.3in ~ same? or increase a bit?
- Front Track: 1408mm / 55.4in + e46 LCA = ??? I can't find conclusive information on how much width the e46 LCA adds to each side.
- Rear Track: 1494mm / 58.8in stock z3 2.8 rear.
So it seems like the rear will be a good 86mm / 3.4in wider then the front. The two choices would be M3 front which will bring it out to 1422mm / 56in vs the stock 1408mm / 55.4in or just go with the e46 LCA and they *fingers crossed* should be close to the same track width.
THE BAD: Adds weight to the 318ti
and wheel/rubber width choice. As I go forward with this I will have to face the trouble of not having sufficient space under the fenders to fit even normal OEM BMW wheels with "wider" tires (225+ ?). So we shall see how this works out.