While I've seen this on E30 Zone... Steering Rack Conversions - E30 Zone Wiki ...I'm not sure it's correct. First up, Z3 racks- Are they REALLY a straight fit? E30 Zone says... "The fastest rack, and no need for a custom steering linkage, makes this the perfect rack." BUT from what I understand, a Z3 rack is a direct swap for a E36 one too, but a E36 one in a E30 needs a custom steering linkage, so surely a Z3 one would then too? Also, for lock/angle- Is a Z3 one as good as a E36 one etc? Basically I've got a decent E30 325i drift car, with lock washers for more lock too, but with the stock E30 rack and extra lock makes it a comical 4+ turns lock to lock, which is a bit gay for the initial big flick in entries, and I like doing them, so shit needs changing asap. I'd rather have an easy life, so a straight swap like a Z3 rack, IF they really don't need a custom linkage, is ideal. Who can tell me for sure?
I think they need a custom linkage looking at this: How to Guide - E36 Steering Rack Swap - e30tech.com Forums Don't just want to get the BMW Lock kit or shortened hubs? Then just remove the rack spacers and that will really decrease your turns to lock.
From what I understand, RHD and LHD is not the same, so how relevant that is, I don't know. And as I say, that contradicts what the link I posted from E30 Zone says. I need someone who "knows" not "thinks". I think stuff about this, but I don't know. And what BMW lock kit or shortened hubs for a E30?
just done this on mine, (E46 purple tag rack - e30). all you need is a rack and a corsa C 'UJ'. the one end of the corsa C UJ will fit the rack, the other end you remove the top half of the joint and swap it with the top of the e30 joint. its on Needle rollers, the alluminum is folded over i found it easier to cut the e30 joint up and then do the corsa one nicely once you've seen how it goes together. the rack needs 14mm spacers they go ontop (mounting bolts) the pipes should fold into the new positions, the old e30 track rods and inners are uused and the e30 rack boots. we have found the lock to be better once doing this rack conversion too. BMW E46 3 SERIES PAS POWER STEERING RACK 1998-2005 GENUINE | eBay Steering Column Lower Coupling Joint Corsa C, Combo B, Tigra B 24435928 Vauxhall | eBay
Z3 are a ton better than e36 ones. 2.7 turns lock to lock as opposed to 3.5. Technically the m3 racks are 3.2 but their lock limited so not worth considering.
Is that deffo true tho? heard about 10 different stories. Even E30Zone Wiki claims a Z3 rack is a straight fit. And id deffo not be keen if less lock
I have also heard about 10 stories, the e46 purple tag is deffo a better lock over standard e30. We have had a z3 racked e30 in, but wasnt looking at the lock. E46 rack is the cheaper option . Because z3 racks seem to be getting hard to find and more expensive.
I think the m3 rack is exactly the same as the normal rack only with locks stops (which you can add and remove yourself).
Cool, job done, E46 purple tag rack bought. Next question- Keep PAS or not bother? I didn't mind my MX5 at all once de-powered.
Not right. The z3 rack is faster mm/rev than the e36 rack, I've got both a z3 and a regular e36 rack in my unit. They both have the same amount of lock. Expect the z3 does it in 2.7 turns and the e36 does it in 3.5 turns. The ONLY rack that's lock limited is the m3 one. My z3 rack cost me £25 the only reason People Complain about them being expensive is they got to specific bmw breakers that know their worth. I went down to my regular breakers yard that had 2 z3s and they wanted 25 quid a pop. Finally Stavros if you look into past threads people have problems with the e46 racks locking up on full lock. It's a problem they seem to suffer with. - - - Updated - - - Also don't listen to the bullshit about z3 1.9 racks. Mines from a z3 2.8 and still the right ratio, more Internet bullshit. All z3s share the same part number for the short ratio rack.
It sounds like you've gone for an E46 rack but for the sake of completeness... Fitting an E36 rack is pretty easy. Fit them in the rear of the two sets of rack holes on the subframe Use spacers to take up the slack as the rack body is thinner YOU DON'T NEED A CUSTOM LINKAGE, I don't know why E30zone haven't cottoned on to this yet. Take out the rubber guibo out of the standard E30 steering linkage, and bolt the two pieces directly together That's it, though PAS pipes are not a direct fit, either custom pipes available from DanThe on E30zone (same as E46 racks I think) or bend the original ones. I run an E30 saloon with an M30 3.5 with the E36 rack swap as above with 4mm rack spacers each side. I gutted the rack, cut out as many PAS seals as I could and greased it all up like a normal non-PAS rack. The result is awesome. As mentioned the other racks have less turns but really I don't think I would run a lower turn rack without PAS, as I think the E36 rack de-PAS is JUST bareable at slow speeds. I think the E36 rack is still an extremely huge upgrade over the standard rack. On track though it's totally boss and perfect when drifting. Another note, I've run a similar setup on a E30 325i touring though I didn't take the rack apart, strip and grease it. I just disconnected the hoses and squirted out as much fluid as possible. Taking the rack apart is a piece of piss on the bench and it's 10x better than just squirting the fluid out, a big improvement. I'm happy enough with just using 4mm rack spacers, I can get pics of lock if anyone is interested. I can't see the need to cut the hubs about and crabbing around
