E36 Poor Man's Parts Review

[Nate94]

Hey Guys,

They’re calling for rain in CA today and the car is spotless so I thought I’d write a review of the parts I've installed over time from reading all of your experiences.

A little about the car, purchased 5 years ago now from a little old lady and her husband. She’d used the car as a literal 'grocery getter' since ’94 and it was in mint condition. Her husband was a car guy and had meticulously maintained it, along with a few other German cars.

At the time, I was commuting to school and spending a lot of time on CA 99, if any of you are familiar with the road you know it’s your typical CA crap, with constant construction zones and traffic. I knew I needed the car to be livable and so my dreams of a catless header-back exhaust and properly low suspension gave way to a more reasonable ride height and so on. My hope with this review is I can shed some light on mods that most of us can actually afford/live with on a daily basis. Believe me, I’d love to throw 10 grand at this thing with 3 piece wheels and 3-way adjustable coilovers, forged internals and a turbo, but with a baby on the way, I suspect a track monster will remain a dream. I know there’s a lot of weekend canyon carvers on this forum, so hopefully ya’ll get something from this as you’ve all helped me a lot over the years.

Parts Covered

AFE Cold Air Intake w/ Mishimoto Silicon Intake Elbow
TMS Performance Chip for Intake and Exhaust
Riot Racing Big Bore Throttle Body (BBTB)

I’ll mention all three of these things at once since they complement each other. I started out with the AFE intake and chip purchased from TMS, and would advise anyone who buys these to ignore the power claims. Yes, these will give you more power, the butt dyno says 10 whp, but the real benefit in my opinion has been the responsiveness. The M50 feels less sluggish and lighter on it’s feet, more willing to rev and pulling harder from 4500-7000 rpm, and the sound is great. Around town under load the intake makes a guttural growl as you roll into the throttle, but at WOT it screams mechanical goodness. After reading quite a bit on the bottleneck at the throttle body, I pulled the trigger on Riot Racing’s BBTB a year later. That last piece by far made the biggest difference in responsiveness, again, making no more noticeable power, but giving you the power that is there, sooner. I would equate it to a slightly lighter flywheel; the car revs up faster and makes heel toe blips much easier. In short, do not do an intake and chip without fixing the smallest part of the intake tract along with it, it’s worth the money. It should be said that the TMS chip has to be swapped for the stock one for CA Smog, as does the AFE intake (CARB legal pending), and the car does run richer. Plan to replace the O2 sensor more often (cheap and easy, purchase from Amazon), and cleaned the MAF sensor as often as you clean the intake filter if you get the oiled type.

Strömung Exhaust w/ resonator deletes

I feel like this exhaust gets overlooked a lot and it’s a real shame that it does. It’s relatively affordable, I believe about $600, and the TIG welding and build quality are just as good as any other name brand I’ve seen. The exhaust alone was a bit too quiet for me so I also opted to remove the resonators while in there. At cruising speeds, and lower than 3500 rpm the car sounds relatively stock with a deep bass tone, at WOT it snarls to life and at 5000 rpm it screams with a very smooth deep note. There is absolutely no ricer rasp or drone… it is one of those satisfying exhaust notes that you feel in your chest when ringing it out and while at cruising it is still quiet. You’ll never be mistaken for a wannabe street racer, it sounds German.

Beyern Wheels (18x8.5 et15 F & 18x9.5 et25 R, 245/35/18)

Good wheels for those looking for relatively easy wide fitments and style, but I would not buy them from a handling respect. The quality is good, and the look is also very nice, my only gripe is that the wheels are very heavy in comparison to say an Apex Arc-8. At the time I was a newb and knew nothing about unsprung weight. I’m currently saving for Apex Arc-8 17x9.5 squares and would point others to something lighter as well if handling is your interest.

Bilstein B12 Suspension Kit with Eibach Sportline Springs from TMS

This suspension is one of my main reasons for writing this review as I’ve had my eye on some KW v2’s for some time now and can’t bring myself to get rid of the Billy’s and Eibach’s that hold up so well. First off, the fitment and quality is great with this kit and I would suggest to anyone doing the install themselves to get all new mounts and reinforced ones at that, it makes things much easier, and it would be a shame to have go back later and replace the bits that’s you’ve reused from your old suspension. As I mentioned, I needed the suspension on my car to be complaint for CA roads, but also love to drive and push my car. While I would have loved to do coilovers and have a lower ride height, I found myself on a budget ($1200) and not wanting to compromise a descent ride, let alone scrape on everything. Full disclosure, this is not a track setup, but it makes for a perfect back road, canyon carving setup. If I’m honest, I will not see much track time at this point in my life and a majority of my time in the car is spent enjoying spirited weekend drives. If that is you, don’t spend $3,000 on a track worthy setup, you don’t need it for the street and when these cars are selling for $4000, if you aren’t seeing track time, it’s unnecessary. The car isn’t that low as you can see in pictures, which only sucks about once a month (at Cars and Coffee when the stance guys pull in), and it isn’t that stiff with progressive springs, but I’m yet to hit any corner on the street and feel like the car is not composed. Full disclosure, your alignment is everything, there is a great definitive alignment thread on here that is worth reading! In short, if you’re not a track junky or an avid auto-crosser, don’t be afraid of a good spring/shock combo, especially if you drive the car every day. FYI, I do not rub at all in the front or rear, see below.

Rear Camber Adjustment Arms

These were a last minute purchase to get the wide Beyerns to fit, and for $150 or so, have been very helpful in maintaining a good alignment. I currently have -1.5° of camber in the rear with no rub, and no rolled or pulled fenders. However, a car guy at Les Schwab took a dye grinder to my inner fender well where I rubbed slightly under hard cornering.

Bavarian Autosport Front Stress Bar (Strut Bar)

For the price, you cannot beat the difference that these strut bars make. Brand aside, the added rigidity at the front suspension mounting point makes the steering feel significantly tighter and more responsive.

Powerflex Polyurethane Front Control Arm Bearings

I went ahead and added these guys to my order when replacing my front control arms and tie rods recently. On a bumpy grooved road they immediately made the car tramline along with any crack on the surface. It was not until I got onto smooth pavement and pushed the car that I could really feel a difference in the way the steering had tightened under load and become more responsive on center. I would caution anyone installing these that you will give up some civility in the steering as you’ll fight the front wheels a bit more, but they are worth it if you have smooth curvy roads nearby.

ZHP Shift Knob

Lastly, if you are like me and are afraid of installing a short throw shifter and making the engagement too notchy, this knob may be more what you want. These knobs are great, they’re shorter and weighted enough to make your throws more direct and solid feeling, but I don’t feel like I lost any of the OEM smoothness. It also goes to say that new OEM transmission mounts make the shifter feel much crisper as well, which was done at relatively the same time as installing the ZHP knob.

Hope this helps others like me!

Flickr Link to photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHskAzma8T

[Deus Ex Machina]

Cool, the attachments don't work. Enjoyed reading the post.

[Nate94]

Sorry man, not sure why the pictures aren’t showing up, thanks

[Team Neverlift]

May want to host them on a 3rd party like flickr...

Also, I use basic Bilsteins & progressive lowering springs for my track setup, these dampers are perfectly capable at everything... and value per dollar cant be beat.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on a z3 SSK w/ poly bushings, and the inclusion of the LTW/vert lower crossbrace to square up the front of the car with your already installed front strut bar.

[mslevin]

What offset are those Beyerns? Surprised you don't have more issues with the rear.

[Nate94]

Flickr link added! That's great to hear that this setup would hold up to some track use, I'm an hour from Willow Springs and would really like to do a track day when time permits. What springs do you use? I've been looking into the Z3 SSK option, I really like the idea of it being somewhat OE, and understeer.com has a pretty well reviewed kit. The X-Brace seems like a great bang for the buck too, I'm sure it compliments the stress bar well.

[Nate94]

What offset are those Beyerns? Surprised you don't have more issues with the rear.

The rears are 18x9.5 et25 and the fronts are 18x8.5 et15, with about -1.5 degrees of camber i don't rub, I will have to look up the thickness of my lower spring pads, that may help out. Added a link to pics so you can see.

[Deus Ex Machina]

May want to host them on a 3rd party like flickr...

Also, I use basic Bilsteins & progressive lowering springs for my track setup, these dampers are perfectly capable at everything... and value per dollar cant be beat.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on a z3 SSK w/ poly bushings, and the inclusion of the LTW/vert lower crossbrace to square up the front of the car with your already installed front strut bar.

I thought about getting a new set of yellow M3 Bilsteins instead of going aftermarket when I upgrade my shocks on my 325is. Looks like about $1000 for all four. I need to do RTAB's first. It would probably be a good idea to get the shocks before doing the front bushings so I only have to disassemble and reassemble once.

[Aeko]

I may take your recommendation on the ZHP knob as I was looking at solutions that would shorten the OEM throw just a bit... like ~15%. All the undercarriage bushings and mounts in my e36 need to be redone anyways and I need to refresh all the shifter bushings as well. I was also looking at the Bilstein / Eibach combo. Is it much harsher than OEM ride or still pretty comfortable?

[Team Neverlift]

I thought about getting a new set of yellow M3 Bilsteins instead of going aftermarket when I upgrade my shocks on my 325is. Looks like about $1000 for all four. I need to do RTAB's first. It would probably be a good idea to get the shocks before doing the front bushings so I only have to disassemble and reassemble once.

I use 96+ M3 Bilsteins w/ 96+ M3 top mounts, swapped side to side for more negative camber.... and poly 95 M3 (offset) FCABs for more caster on Non-M control arms. This setup worked great for spirited driving, but once I began to track the car and compete, I had to shim the struts for more negative camber to get a little more life out of my tires. I had -2.5 before the shims, and now run -3.5 w/ the shims.

[Nate94]

I thought about getting a new set of yellow M3 Bilsteins instead of going aftermarket when I upgrade my shocks on my 325is. Looks like about $1000 for all four. I need to do RTAB's first. It would probably be a good idea to get the shocks before doing the front bushings so I only have to disassemble and reassemble once.

Let me know how your RTAB install goes. I need to do those as well. The front control arm/bushing refresh actually isn’t bad, I just always have to learn the hard way to have the tools that pelican parts recommends on hand...

- - - Updated - - -

I may take your recommendation on the ZHP knob as I was looking at solutions that would shorten the OEM throw just a bit... like ~15%. All the undercarriage bushings and mounts in my e36 need to be redone anyways and I need to refresh all the shifter bushings as well. I was also looking at the Bilstein / Eibach combo. Is it much harsher than OEM ride or still pretty comfortable?

If I’m not mistaken that shift knob comes OEM on all the new M manuals? I’m with you though, I think a bushing refresh in the linkage would be really helpful. The ride with the Bilstein/Eibach combo is really good, definitely a good freeway setup with no jarring, the Bilsteins really are an awesome damper. My wife never complained about the ride until I got the poly FCAB’s haha.

[Aeko]

If I’m not mistaken that shift knob comes OEM on all the new M manuals? I’m with you though, I think a bushing refresh in the linkage would be really helpful. The ride with the Bilstein/Eibach combo is really good, definitely a good freeway setup with no jarring, the Bilsteins really are an awesome damper. My wife never complained about the ride until I got the poly FCAB’s haha.

Awesome! Glad to know. And yeah, that's why I don't plan on going with completely solid mounts haha. I want to be able to roadtrip it comfortably.

How much shorter would you say the throw feels on the ZHP knob?

[Nate94]

Awesome! Glad to know. And yeah, that's why I don't plan on going with completely solid mounts haha. I want to be able to roadtrip it comfortably.
How much shorter would you say the throw feels on the ZHP knob?

I think it’s probably only about half an inch shorter but it’s weighted which is what really made it feel different to me

[Deus Ex Machina]

I use 96+ M3 Bilsteins w/ 96+ M3 top mounts, swapped side to side for more negative camber.... and poly 95 M3 (offset) FCABs for more caster on Non-M control arms. This setup worked great for spirited driving, but once I began to track the car and compete, I had to shim the struts for more negative camber to get a little more life out of my tires. I had -2.5 before the shims, and now run -3.5 w/ the shims.

Thanks for the info Neverlift, I have a set of M control arms waiting for me to pick up. I only drive mine on the street, I will likely upgrade to the M parts as I can, I may reinforce the shock mounts.

- - - Updated - - -

Let me know how your RTAB install goes. I need to do those as well. The front control arm/bushing refresh actually isn’t bad, I just always have to learn the hard way to have the tools that pelican parts recommends on hand...

- - - Updated - - -



If I’m not mistaken that shift knob comes OEM on all the new M manuals? I’m with you though, I think a bushing refresh in the linkage would be really helpful. The ride with the Bilstein/Eibach combo is really good, definitely a good freeway setup with no jarring, the Bilsteins really are an awesome damper. My wife never complained about the ride until I got the poly FCAB’s haha.

Will do Nate.

I may take your recommendation on the ZHP knob as I was looking at solutions that would shorten the OEM throw just a bit... like ~15%. All the undercarriage bushings and mounts in my e36 need to be redone anyways and I need to refresh all the shifter bushings as well. I was also looking at the Bilstein / Eibach combo. Is it much harsher than OEM ride or still pretty comfortable?

The ZHP knob is nice, it's a bit shorter and weighted. I think I got mine from ECS for a little less than $80.

[Team Neverlift]

Thanks for the info Neverlift, I have a set of M control arms waiting for me to pick up. I only drive mine on the street, I will likely upgrade to the M parts as I can, I may reinforce the shock mounts.

96+ arms? No real use to install them on a street car tbh. The strut, top mount, and solid fcabs are all you need to really improve the handling and feel of the Non-M suspension.

[Deus Ex Machina]

96+ arms? No real use to install them on a street car tbh. The strut, top mount, and solid fcabs are all you need to really improve the handling and feel of the Non-M suspension.

I have a complete set of M3 calipers plus front spindles and rotors, I was under the impression that the M3 control arms would complement that setup from some info posted. My M3 parts guy has a set cheap so I was going to pick them up along with some M3 rear trailing arms etc. I am also going to ultimately run the staggered Style 68 M wheels I have in the end.

[Deus Ex Machina]

96+ arms? No real use to install them on a street car tbh. The strut, top mount, and solid fcabs are all you need to really improve the handling and feel of the Non-M suspension.

I have a complete set of M3 calipers plus front spindles and rotors, I was under the impression that the M3 control arms would complement that setup from some info posted. My M3 parts guy has a set cheap so I was going to pick them up along with some M3 rear trailing arms etc. I am also going to ultimately run the staggered Style 68 M wheels I have in the end (or the DS1's, I haven't decided yet).