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Thread: E30 shock questions

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    508
    My Cars
    E30 M50B28 Turbo

    E30 shock questions

    Hey all!

    This is kind of a long post, but I wonder if anyone can shed some light on this for me?

    The current parts of my suspension are:
    F - 8KG (447lb) linear coil-over springs with 325ix with Bilstein P36-0251 shocks
    R - 12KG (670lb)linear springs with B36-2027 Bilstein shocks

    The result is hopelessly under damped! I read that the 325ix shocks have even less damping than the regular e30 Billy shock.

    The problem is that although Bilstein Sydney in Aus can re-valve these things, it has been pretty much "yeah sure, we can valve them". But what specs? No other info was sought from me about the setup so I am not inclined to think that the settings are anything more than a wet finger stuck out in the breeze! I am also not impressed that the price has doubled in less than 12 months....$1250AUD ($916USD) to valve 4 shocks seems a tad over the top to me. In any case, I guess the most important aspect here is to get the damping specs right!

    After much reading, I think that my initial impression of the front shocks having too much compression damping is actually that they are under damped and are crashing into the bump stops, thus giving the impression of being harsh. This seems to be a fairly common thread among Bilstein users (and FatCat MS).

    Some values I found are as follows:

    (at 20 inch per second as per Bilstein testing, or 52cm per second in metric)

    BMW 325i HD FRONT
    Rebound: 2320 N
    Compression: 800 N
    P36-0136

    BMW 325i SPORT FRONT
    Rebound: 2330 N
    Compression: 755 N
    P36-0335

    BMW 325iX 4WD FRONT
    Rebound: 1365 N
    Compression: 465 N
    P36-0251

    BMW 3-SERIES E30 SPORT REAR
    Rebound: 1650 N
    Compression: 565 N
    B36-2027

    BMW 3 SERIES E30 HD REAR
    Rebound: 1650 N
    Compression: 565 N
    B36-2028

    BMW 3 SERIES E30 CLUBSPORT REAR
    Rebound: 2600 N
    Compression: 1200 N
    B36-0604

    BMW 3 SERIES E30 CLUBSPORT FRONT
    Rebound: 3000 N
    Compression: 1200 N
    P36-0135

    BMW 3 SERIES E30 GROUP N REAR
    Rebound: 2000 N
    Compression: 2000 N
    BE3-04630

    BMW 3 SERIES E30 GROUP N FRONT
    Rebound: 3000 N
    Compression: 3000 N
    PE3-04629

    NON-BMW SHOCKS:

    MERCEDES BENZ W124 (FOR SHORTER REAR LENGTH 18" V 20" - EXTENDED)
    Rebound: 2870 N (potentially way too stiff, but 670lb spring, so.......?)
    Compression: 900 N
    B36-1470
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXgY...ture=endscreen

    MUSTANG REAR KONI TOP ADJUSTABLE
    Rebound: ? N
    Compression: ? N
    8041-1186

    So there are some off-the-shelf options, and then there is Linear and Digressive valving options when customising as well as many other possibilities when customising. One could also talk with Bilstein USA and get a valve kit from them, then get crafty and mod the shocks myself! FatCat specialise in this stuff and have many winning cars and customer testimonials.

    http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/FCM_Elite_FAQ.htm

    Here is some talk on off-the-shelf items, Lee @ Massivebrakes has a fair bit of comment up in this thread:

    https://s14net.vbulletin.net/forum/s...-rebound-specs

    I guess I'm just really unsure of which direction to go in, take a chance on customised valving from Sydney Shocks, or just get 'OTS' items. I think that for the rear, either the W124 Bilstein or the Mustang Koni would probably make sense, but the front is more of a problem (because 325ix shorty shock).

    Does anyone have some practical advice regarding the damping rates for my springs?

    Thanks for any advice.
    Last edited by Nutzy; 07-20-2018 at 09:04 AM.
    1989 E30 - M50B28 Turbo - ZF 8 Speed

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