Tyler's 04 slicktop 6spd Silvergrey MCS/Brembo/CSL/Karbonius/Nogaros/Supersprint

[Tbonem3]

I'll update this journal soon, but I've changed my front and rear rates since the last setup detailed ITT, which was 400lb/550lb. Just not in sync in terms of bounce freq, and too much understeer up front. Going down to softest setting on swaybar helped, but I still didn't love it. I mentioned previously that I went down to 343lb (6kg) up front, but I also went up to 628lb (120n/mm - ohlins) in the rear which is much less "pitchy" or a better ratio than before. I'll document the details.

And I'll put down my plans for the rest of 2023. I'm trying to buy a house, so I'm not fully focused, and I have some things I want to do with the E90, but I want to move up to 9.5"et22 wheels up front (from 9"et30), get hotter brake pads and fluid, and then go up to 265 for the front at elast, elaving the 275 in rear or maybe 265 square if I get all new tires at which point, I'd be looking at 200tw type tires like RE71r, a052, cup 2s. Thinking DS2500 for pads, already got some motul RBF600 for fluid. I'm still getting too much fade in the canyons, and I'm spoiled by the E90's front end grip, so I want to go up from my 9" wheels with 245 - it really doesn't feel any better to me than when I had the more common 8.5"et32 wheel with 245 tires.

[duracellttu]

Wondering if you made any recent updates to your spring setup? I've been driving on 400/600 and been liking it so far.

[DarrickRickard]

It looks very, very cool, I like it very much!

[Tbonem3]

Very nice 👍

[Seano666]

That's a great track setup, and this is a great build thread! My 2004 Silver Gray is basically stock compared to yours.

[Casa de Mesa]

Just so it might get more notice, I'm also posting here that I'm trying to organize a drive/meet this spring. Nothing grand, but something to get us started after such a long drought. Please see here, and provide feedback!

I wish I was closer. I'd take you up on this in a heartbeat!

[Tbonem3]

Thank you!

[Acarv_426]

I must have revisited this build-journal over a couple hundred times by now lol - Love it

[Tbonem3]

Just so it might get more notice, I'm also posting here that I'm trying to organize a drive/meet this spring. Nothing grand, but something to get us started after such a long drought. Please see here, and provide feedback!

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/r...ture-pandemics (please scroll all the way down)

Little Sycamore Cyn to Yerba Buena Rd



Decker Cyn

[duracellttu]

Yes, I haven't updated this thread yet, but I found some 60N/mm (342.6lb) H&R 60mm springs on sale with ECS, so I went for it. I was looking at 336 (6kg), but felt that was a little too close to the 325lb that I already had which felt too soft. I felt 343lb was lower enough from 400lb to satisfy me. It also allowed me to go back to medium setting on hotchkis sway without bringing back so much understeer, which I'm very happy about. Car feels great, besides scraping the rear on big dips in the caynons. Now I need stiffer rears to get much closer match in bounce frequencies, which will also be more appropriate for the 13.125" ride height I have.

Good to know. I just removed my 336# Swift springs and felt they were too soft. After coming from 450# for the longest time. Trying 400# for a bit seeing how I like that coupled with 600# rears. Thanks for the feedback!

[Tbonem3]

Yes, I haven't updated this thread yet, but I found some 60N/mm (342.6lb) H&R 60mm springs on sale with ECS, so I went for it. I was looking at 336 (6kg), but felt that was a little too close to the 325lb that I already had which felt too soft. I felt 343lb was lower enough from 400lb to satisfy me. It also allowed me to go back to medium setting on hotchkis sway without bringing back so much understeer, which I'm very happy about. Car feels great, besides scraping the rear on big dips in the caynons. Now I need stiffer rears to get much closer match in bounce frequencies, which will also be more appropriate for the 13.125" ride height I have.

[duracellttu]

Just saw you post your 400# TCK springs for sale. Did you move to a softer front spring?

[r4dr]

Looks great. I had a washer at the bottom of that stack anyway because seating the yellow bushing's inner sleeve directly on the shock's shoulder made me nervous.

[Tbonem3]

I'm not sure if it's simply my age, or perhaps now daily driving an E90 M3, but I've been lamenting adding certain track parts to the E46 in recent times. You saw that I've been "de-modding" a bit. That continues now with the RSMs. I had bought some really nice AGK spherical mounts, but believed that they added unwanted NVH. Not so much noise, as the poly damper included do really keep them quiet, but there's more road noise than before, and some creaking of the body (I assume) when going slowly over driveways. While the car's purpose is still for very spirited driving, I felt the need to soften it a bit more.

So I decided that RE's rubber RSMs were the most stout rubber based mount you can buy. I was looking at TCKline as well, since their bush is rubber as well (I already had GC poly previously, and wanted rubber this time). I was also limited in my choice of mount due to the 12mm (versus standard 10mm) shaft diameter.




For race shocks, you simply don't use that bearing/collar, but you do need to source larger ID washers (7/16" sae ends up fitting perfectly, and the OD matches the bushing exactly - win/win)



Removing the AKGs (they're for sale hint hint)




I actually could have bought an RSM that didn't have the reinforcement plates since I have this DMG GTR brace, but that's ok, I wanted the RE ones. Luckily, the RE's studs were just long enough to reach through the DMG brace, and have enough for the underside nuts to fully engage.



All done.

Next, thanks to r4dr indirectly alerting me to an issue in this thread: https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...es-14mm-shafts
I realized that TMS does not supply bearings to take up the slack between standard 16mm strut shafts and 14mm MCS shafts.

So, luckily, I found some perfectly dimensioned sleeves/bearings to take up that slack. I wasn't having issues, and I was very confident in the shtrut being well sandwiched by the top nut and shaft shelf, but worried mostly about my alignment angle being off if the shaft were not parallel to the strut mount wall.

AMZN link - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1



Here they are, even already have the edges bevelled!



I measured the depth of the TMS mount, and it'll take 3 of these bearings.



So I dropped the dampers. You can just see the slack or gap between the shaft and the TMS bushing (2mm).



Did a test fit. They slipped over the damper with little effort, but the OD was a tight fit into the TMS bushing.



I also noticed that with these bearing slipped on, I no longer had enough "shelf" for the damper to butt up against, under the TMS bushing. Luckily, I remembered that MSC had supplied washers with the suspension.



And those washers, obviously, fit perfectly. It will raise my front ride hieght by 1.5mm but that's ok
So now I'm ready - washers and 3 bearings.



With such a tight fit, I wasn't able to feed the damper up through the mount by hand. I had to use the jack to force it through. I went slowly, and there were no issues.



Perfect!



Now I can be sure the shaft is perfectly radially centered in the mount. This might slightly affect my alignment. There was a discrepancy in my castor angles left to right (in my last alignment), so maybe I'll get another alignment now.

Went for a drive and was very pleased with a little more compliance in the rear. Slightly less harsh, and the little bit of noise I had was gone!

[Tbonem3]

Ya, Evolve stage 3 Alpha N tune from 2017. Alpha N (hell, even map/csl) tunes can be hit or miss for people - there are different variables in play, but I replaced every maint part and sensor and my car had always performed well, so luckily, the Evolve tune worked perfectly out of the gate for me. I'm also close to sea level in a very temperate place. Haven't had a reason in 5 years to re-tune.