Differences between 92' and 93'up 3 series

[D3U1LT]

I just perchaced a 92 325I i have noticed as im am searching for parts there not as available for this year as they are for 93 up... such as suspension mainly, and other major tuning parts superchargers/turbo kits/ect. all avalable for 93up but why is the 92 soo different? Is this a bastard car not worth building? Is it going to make it difficult for swaps and parts in the future? Please fill my noob sense in! before i get to deep with this 92. TIA

[antonk]

As far as I know, the major difference is pre 06/92 and post 06/92... pre 06/92 has a different suspension setup which makes it harder to get parts... it's a little more like the M3 setup. So if you're 92 but June or later, you should be good.

[D3U1LT]

and as far as other parts superchargers turbo ect...? where does it say the date of manufacture so i know what im working with?

[Daved]

The 92s didn't get VANOS, I think that's the biggest difference.

[antonk]

The date would be on the driver's side door jamb

[D3U1LT]

The date would be on the driver's side door jamb

I know what year my car was made... Im trying to figure out the differneces.

[Jester4176]

I know what year my car was made... Im trying to figure out the differneces.

But what MONTH was your car built? Thats the big difference. Pre June uses a different suspension setup, which can easily be replaced with post June parts so you can install any suspension kit you want. As for the engine, it's non-vanos for the entire model 92 year, regardless of build month. The 92 engine is a better engine for s/c from what I've read. It has beefier internals(double valve springs, connecting rods) and hotter cams. We only have to buy 1 cam and swap the intake to the exhaust iirc, then we have an even hotter cam setup. My 92 is rock solid after 210K miles and can still wrap up to 7K with no problems whatsoever.

[TboneM3]

Vanos Biotch

[antonk]

where does it say the date of manufacture so i know what im working with?
That's the question I was answering before...

[Yuen]

You want to know your build date? Get your VIN number, and go to www.realoem.com. I run a 92 as well, very early build. August 1991.

[D3U1LT]

My Build is a 9/91 with that aside I know it is an early model, so any more differnces?

[heifetz17]

As said before, the two main differences are the different suspensions and the '93 and up have vanos. The non vanos m50 (your engine) is more rev happy and has hotter cams than the vanos M50. The non vanos engines are very popular and will hold up to just about anything.

It's going to take a little extra work to find what you need for a '92. If you're going to actually use what you have, it's well worth it. If you want a car for show mainly, trade your '92 in for a '93+