Your list of best e36 upgrades and mods

[M3rocket]

Hey Folks,

I saw this type of thread around 2014 that ended a few years later, so thought I'd revisit anew.

What's your short list of best bang-for-the-buck e36 upgrades and modifications?

I'll start the convo with my M3 convertible:
- cooling system overhaul (radiator, metal water pump, aluminum therm housing, belts, pulleys, idlers, hoses)
- replaced amber corner, side, and rear lights with clear
- shocks, upper mounts, bearings, gaskets
- replaced all cracked HK speakers
- replaced faded/cracked hood roundel
- R&R "lifetime" transmission fluid
- added hardtop in winter

BTW: our cars are now "Classics"! (25+ years). Should soon see values go up, if not already.

[E36 Em Tree]

Mods:
Cheap ebay black kidney grill
Window tints

Upgrades:
Adding Euro headlights to keep OEM look
Stromung exhaust
Rogue Engineering rear strut tower shock mounts
KW V2 coilover/shocks
Hotchkis sway bars
ECS braided brake lines


I've done other maintenance like F/R brushings, engine/tranny mounts, tunnel insulation brace, Z3 SSK with DSSR, replaced leather on boot/ebrake/armrest, single din radio, motorsport door mud guard, all window seals

[pbonsalb]

I remember being really happy after I replaced the subframe bushings. A forum member who was a marine did the work and I learned a lot. I later changed them out myself for even stiffer ones. I’d say replacing all 30+ bushings, mounts, ball joints and endlinks is the best thing you can do on these cars. Most people just install stiffer shocks and springs and that actually makes the ride worse.

For performance, I like turbocharging. I tried supercharging, but the turbo is fantastic. Expensive, but 500 rwhp is far, far more entertaining than 250 rwhp. It’s not twice as fun; it is 10 times as fun. An E36 turbo has supercar performance.

[XnWarden]

I started with a stock 328i, and gradually built it into a knock off M3.

Going from the stock 15 inch rims for the 328 to some lightweight 17s with better tires made a huge difference.

My other favorite mods were:

Swapping in some Vader seats (I imagine any bucket seat would be similar)
S52 swap
Lightweight flywheel
3.91 rear end
Complete suspension bushing refresh


Things that didn't make a huge difference:

Changing up the exhaust. A lot of people spend tons of money here and it's really not needed unless you're adding forced induction.

A short throw shifter. I installed the IRP short shifter and ended up removing it and selling it and just using the stock setup with refreshed bushings.





Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[tjm3]

BMW HP Driving school.

[Spyke]

Rear trailing arm (sealed) spherical bearings
Rogue rear shock mounts
AKG shifter
3.38 or 3.46 LSD(for a non-M e36)
Aluminum radiator + Aluminum overflow tank + Stewart water pump
Light 17" wheels in a square setup with good tires
Chassis X-brace
Glass lens headlights with real projectors
Brass brake caliper slide pins

[kbat11700]

- replaced all cracked HK speakers



Did you replace them with new HK speakers, or something different? Mine are shot, and I'm weighing options.

[Spyke]

Rainbow used to be the plug and play way to go, not sure about nowadays.

Whatever you do, don't overpay for Bav Auto. Not worth the money at all.

[tjm3]

Did you replace them with new HK speakers, or something different? Mine are shot, and I'm weighing options.

Used BavAuto speaker sets in three 3 series, 2 M3s and one 325i. Swapped the original amp in the 325i with an HK unit from an M3 and modified the associated wiring.

The BavAuto speaker sets ARE worth the money. Can you put together your own set? Maybe, but the overall upgrade won't be as nice.

[M3rocket]

Did you replace them with new HK speakers, or something different? Mine are shot, and I'm weighing options.

new HK speakers