Hey I have recently purchased a 97 e36 m3 just for the purpose of drifting and was wondering if I weld the diff would it be enough because I have seen the 325s and 318 with welded diff and they perform preety good but since the m3 has the LSD I haven't seen anyone who actually welded one....also where would I be able to find moded hubs been looking everywhere imposiible to find thanks for the help .
LSD would be the better option from a driving point of view, welding the diff just makes it super predictable and its cheaper for non-M cars which don't have LSD as standard. Modified hubs can be done by anyone with metalworking knowledge. Check out mo from superstyle garage for hubs if he still does them
The lsd will allow you to drift and be fine for a bit of fun at practice days / road use etc. they tend to get a bit old and sloppy and never have quite the same level of control and predictability as a welder though. If it's just going to be a drift car then flog the lsd for good money then swap a 325 diff in welded up.
Oh and for modded hubs look for urchfab on facebook. Be aware m3s have different hubs to stock 36s so you might need to send yours off for modifying rather than exchange for ready made sets
Swapping the diff to a regular e36 item would require you to swap the propshaft too. As the m3's use a 6 bolt flange as opposed to a 4 bolt. Technically you can swap the input flanges but there's always the risk of buggering up the diff since it should be checked for ring gear runout when swapping noses. Personally I'd keep the lsd and possibly in the future look to getting 2 extra plates added with some machining to the ramp angles. Gives you an awesome lsd that's a winner all round. Also no offence but have you drifted much before? I honestly don't see the need for extra lock, as it just saves you from spinning due to lack of skill, my mx5 had piss all lock and that's why I used to be going faster than the e36's and 200's that had mega lock.
thanks for all the input guys and no I haven't drifted at all before this is my first drift car and for a 325i diff swap can I just get a 325 or 328 drive shaft as well because its not a dayli its just ganna be for drifting and is it even possible to weld the stock m3 lsd or that's not an option
thanks for all the nice suggestions by the way im new to driftworks and to drifting so any little thing is a tremendous help =)
You would need a 328 driveshaft as the 325 uses a different gearbox end. It seems silly to weld your lsd as a 3.15 lsd is worth £300 all day long on ebay as opposed to £30 odd for an open diff to weld
Is this just on older bmws? I have had 2 1998's a 323 and 318 the they both have 6 bolts holding the shafts in. ignore ignore that just read it again
