Wymian sprężyn zawieszenia BMW E36(1).pdf

H&R COILOVER INSTALLATION FOR

E36 BMW M3

Revision 2.0

Scott A. King

9/26/01

DISCLAIMERS:

I am in no way associated with H&R or any vendors mentioned in this write up. This write up is intended to

complement any information that can be found in the Bentley/Haynes etc. manuals regarding the installation

of suspension systems on an E36 BMW.

When I prepared for this install, I was unable to find a complete and thorough write-up, and that is what I am

hoping to provide with this document.

The steps listed here follow the exact install that I followed. Your results may vary and you may find ways

to improve the process. If you have comments or feedback e-mail me at vw8vgti@hotmail.com and I will be

more than happy to update this for the next guy/gal.

Also if you have any questions feel free to contact me. Many folks provided me with useful information

during this project and I hope that I can pass along the wisdom.

BACKGROUND:

In the fall of 1999 I had the pleasure of purchasing a 97 BMW M3. I had always been in awe of the car after

hearing many publications rave about its handling prowess and silky smooth drivetrain. I never imagined

that I would own a car of this caliber, but that all changed when I made one fatal mistake. I allowed a dealer

to hand me the keys for a test drive. Actually, I didn’t want to drive the car, but a friend I had along with me,

without my prior knowledge, asked that I be allowed to drive the car. End of story. I now drive an Alpine

White M3 and can’t wait to make that last payment.

I quickly realized that the M3 was much more car than I would probably ever be driver. Although I enjoy

autocrossing and various other driving events, the M3 has made me realize how far I have to go in the

driving skills department. Things happen in a hurry for the uninitiated. I have driven many high powered

sports cars, but none have ever moved me or involved me like the M3. I can’t see ever being without one

again.

Upon purchase, my car had just over 30,000 pampered miles. Not a scratch inside or out. This was my first

BMW and I was pretty unfamiliar with them in general. After joining the E36M3 digest, I learned much, and

unavoidably changed much on the car. Hence this write-up.

Through talking to others, it became apparent that the stock suspension on an E36 M3 is generally shot at

around 30,000 miles. Pretty disappointing in a $40,000 car, but somewhat common none the less. Lets just

look at it as an “opportunity.” J

At the time of this install my car had 51,000 miles on it and things had started to feel a little floaty and sloppy

at times. This prompted me to start shopping for suspension upgrades. As always, everyone has an

opinion, and there are a few “common” setups out there, but the thing that brought me to the H&R coilover

kit was the fact that they are engineered as a set. No mixing and matching various companies products. As

a somewhat anal mechanical engineer myself, this engineered “system” seemed appealing, and heck, those

front struts do look cool. My only concern was the ride. I have a dedicated autocross/track car, so the M3

is the fair-weather daily driver and I wasn’t about to ruin the streetablility of the car. Many horror stories

abound and I was concerned about the impending purchase. But with the pushing of a few informed souls,

I took the plunge. I figured if the ride was that bad, somebody was going to get a really good deal on a

slightly used coilover set. Check out the inpressions section to see if anything is for sale. J

On to the install…

TOOLS NEEDED:

This is a list of the tools I used for the install.

• ½ drive ratchet and sockets in metric sizes (13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22mm should probably be all that you need)

• ½ drive impact wrench (the more torque capacity the better!!!!)

• Air compressor

• ½ drive extensions (helpful in the tight spots, 6” should suffice)

• Snap ring pliers (if you don’t have a set, a cheap Autozone version will suffice for the limited use)

• Small punch

• Hammer or other blunt instrument for “persuading”

• Channel-Lock pliers

• Set of metric allen wrenches

• Small slotted screwdriver

• Stubby phillips screwdriver

• 16mm cone wrench (available at any reputable bike shop…more on this later)

• Spring compressors (after many suspension swaps, I finally bought my own instead of renting. Got a

set from Harbor Freight for $10)

• Torque wrench

• Hydraulic floor jack

• Two (2) jackstands required (Four (4) preferred, explanation to follow)

ADDITIONAL PARTS NEEDED:

• E46 rear shock mounts (RSM) or equivalent. I would highly recommend replacing your RSM’s during

this install. This is a known weak point with the E36’s and you already have things apart.

The E46 mounts are stiffer and should provide a longer service life.

• Z3 reinforcement rings - I added these for some additional support of the rear shock tower area. Not

needed if you have a rear stress bar.

Below are the part numbers and approximate prices for the RSM’s/ Z3 reinforcements and necessary

hardware.

E46 Rear Shock Mounts (2 required) #33 52 6 754 096

$18.40/ea

Self-Locking Collar Nut (4 required) #31 33 1 092 887

$0.55/ea

Washer Gasket

(2 required) #33 52 1 128 734

$0.43/ea

Z3 Reinforcement Plates (2 required)

#51 71 8 413 359

$14.40/ea

• Bearing grease

• Anti-seize

• Red Locktite or equivalent

• Brake parts cleaner

• Penetrating oil

• New strut bolts and such. This is not absolutely necessary, but I wish I had done this from the start.

I’m going to get some from the dealer and swap them out, so save yourself the headache.

TORQUE SPECS AT A GLANCE:

I had a quick reference available during the install that I thought was helpful

Component

Torque (ft-lb)

wheels to hub

sway bar end link to strut

steering arm to strut housing

strut assembly to strut tower

upper strut mount to strut shaft

shock absorber to rear trailing arm

shock absorber to upper mount

shock absorber upper mount to body

BASELINING:

To determine a reference point for where the car sits stock, I referred to the Bentley manual. Below are the

stock ride height figures for the car.

INTIAL RIDE HEIGHT - BENTLEY

22.05"

21.26"

You can also measure the current height of your car by taking a tape measure and measuring the distance

from the fender to the lower wheel lip at 12 o’clock at each wheel. By measuring to the wheel lip instead of

the ground, you will eliminate any error caused by uneven tire wear. Then just compare to your final

measurements to determine the change in ride height.

INSTALLATION STEPS:

PART I. REAR SUSPENSION

First things first. To remove the rear shocks, it is necessary to basically tear the trunk out of the car.

Although this sounds bad, it really isn’t. I had people tell me it would take 2 hours to get the trunk ready for

the install, but it took me a whole 20 minutes, tops. I would suggest doing these next couple of steps the

night before the install. Yo u don’t want to have to climb in the car and be grabbing the carpet and seats

with greasy hands.

1. To start, get in the back seat and gently pry up on the rear speaker covers with you fingers (no tools

required) while pulling them towards you. They should come out relatively easily.

2. Once the speaker grilles are removed you will see two (2) Phillips head screws that need to be removed.

Use a short screwdriver to maneuver around the rear glass.

3. Once the screws are removed the speaker will be resting on a single spring clip that needs to be

depressed to remove the speaker from the rear deck. It may be necessary to use a small screwdriver to

“persuade” the clip. Be careful to not puncture the rear speakers in the process.

4. Once the clip is released, unplug the wire plug from the speakers and the speakers are free.

5. With the speakers now out of the way, move back to the trunk. Remove the carpeted tire cover and

utility tray that is above the battery on the passenger side.

6. If your car has the factory CD changer, this is the point where you will want to remove it. Otherwise,

move on to the next step.

Remove the carpeted changer cover if you have it, to gain access to the mounting. There are three (3) 13mm

fasteners that hold the CD changer in place. Two will be readily visible parallel to the face of the

changer and one will be farther towards the back seat attaching to the rear deck. With these removed,

simply unplug the two wiring harnesses and remove the changer.

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