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Thread: rear coil springs shims

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    elmhurst, illinois
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    328ic and a chevy bl

    rear coil springs shims

    Trying to get parts for replacing my rear coil springs on my 1997 BMW 328ic convertible.
    1) If the model 328ic is not an option on looking up parts, do I look up parts for a 328i? Pretty sure I would not use model 328is (sedan?), right?
    2) The rubber pads/shims that sit above and below the spring come in 2 sizes; 5mm or 7.5mm. Measuring my top old one, it looks to be 1/4 in = 6.35mm. How crucial is this?
    3)Is using the VIN # on part websites an exact way of finding correct parts? Some sites only request the last seven.
    Thanks in advance for any help- I'm just trying to do the job right

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    E34 540i6, E46 323i, E36
    I'd use the last 7 of the VIN on RealOEM to check what the car came with from the factory.

    Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    Rome, Ny
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    M3
    I would assume that the pad would have worn thin not gained in mass as it wore leaving 1 option of the 2.
    Z's are for old men too afraid to drive fast anyway.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    elmhurst, illinois
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    328ic and a chevy bl
    RealOEM did not have info on my springs even after I entered VIN. I can't understand it! Are Suplex springs equivalent?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
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    E36, E70, i3
    Huh...I've never seen that before. Went through the drop downs and yeah, it says no matching parts found when looking at the springs.

    OP what exactly are you looking for? Springs or pads?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Austin, TX
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    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    It doesn't really matter. It really depends on where you ride height is, where you want it to be, and the height of your new springs.

    I just had to replace my springs (one of them broke just sitting in the garage). I have high offset wheels, so I needed to maintain the ride height in the rear.

    BMW makes (at least) three common different thicknesses: 5, 10, and 15mm. Cabriolets have a different thickness than the normal cars (usually more to make up for the additional weight). The 15mm is from the E46 cab, but you can mix and match to get the ride height you're looking for. I also don't think it really matters if you use the top ones on the bottom and vice versa.

    The 5mm and 10mm are only $5-$10, but the 15mm are at least $25 depending on where you find them.

    I'd figure out what you need and go from there.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    Seattle
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    The E36 uses unique pads for the top and unique pads for the bottom.
    Looks like there are three thicknesses for the top 5mm, 7.5mm, and 10mm
    The bottom thickness is not listed.
    http://************/yb7rwe3y

    All E36's can run the same pads.

    There is a E36 Euro upper pad that is 21.5mm from poor road package
    SPRING PAD UPPER 21,5MM p/n 33531091599

    You can see images of upper and lower pads at the Turner site -
    Turner offers a 14.5mm upper pad p/n 33531094754 that is said to have come from an E46
    http://************/ydb3r9s4
    Last edited by bluptgm3; 06-21-2017 at 02:43 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Quote Originally Posted by bluptgm3 View Post
    The E36 uses unique pads for the top and unique pads for the bottom.
    Looks like there are three thicknesses for the top 5mm, 7.5mm, and 10mm
    The bottom thickness is not listed.
    http://************/yb7rwe3y

    All E36's can run the same pads.

    There is a E36 Euro upper pad that is 21.5mm from poor road package
    SPRING PAD UPPER 21,5MM p/n 33531091599

    You can see images of upper and lower pads at the Turner site -
    Turner offers a 14.5mm upper pad p/n 33531094754 that is said to have come from an E46
    http://************/ydb3r9s4
    Yes, the top and bottom pads are different. However, that doesn't mean you can't swap them at will to get the right fit. The bore top and bottom of the spring perch (on the control arm and on the chassis) is the same, and the bore of any stock springs will be the same top and bottom. And they can run either E36 OR E46 pads - I just got the 14.5mm pads from whatever E46, and they all fit just fine.

    There are things in these cars that require the exact right part for year and trim, and there are things in these cars that you can choose from anything built for E30 through F80 (seriously- there are wheel bearings for the 325 BMW re-used over and over, spanning from E30 through E90). This falls in that latter category.

    Figure out how much height you need, and then order up the parts. You can even use plywood, cardboard - whatever you need to get the gap right, then buy the right pads.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    '94 325iC, '08 328i, E93
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=33_0386


    Items 15 & 16 are the object of your desire. Assuming a mid-point at 7.5mm, you can increase or decrease the length of the spring by 2.5mm by changing the upper pad. I looked up my '94 325iC, so you should confirm the results for your car. You can cross reference the parts by double clicking the part number and then look at the information that comes up.

  10. #10
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    All of the parts addressed in this thread fit ALL E36 Coupes and Sedans.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by bluptgm3 View Post
    All of the parts addressed in this thread fit ALL E36 Coupes and Sedans.



    Coupe, sedan, convertible, touring, compact, automatic, manual, USA and EU

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