Nick_08

new suspension, just in time for winter 

205 vs 245 

Here is the e30 vs e46 rear caliper. 32mm vs 40mm piston 

Go the tires mounted, took a look at the fender difference here, the passenger side has been rolled/pulled and the drivers side has not been rolled yet. 

Here is the e30 vs e46 rear caliper. 32mm vs 40mm piston 

Go the tires mounted, took a look at the fender difference here, the passenger side has been rolled/pulled and the drivers side has not been rolled yet. 

Here is the e30 vs e46 rear caliper. 32mm vs 40mm piston 

Go the tires mounted, took a look at the fender difference here, the passenger side has been rolled/pulled and the drivers side has not been rolled yet. 

Here is the e30 vs e46 rear caliper. 32mm vs 40mm piston 

Go the tires mounted, took a look at the fender difference here, the passenger side has been rolled/pulled and the drivers side has not been rolled yet. 

Here is the e30 vs e46 rear caliper. 32mm vs 40mm piston 

Go the tires mounted, took a look at the fender difference here, the passenger side has been rolled/pulled and the drivers side has not been rolled yet. 

205 vs 245 

205 vs 245 

These are rebuilt e46 325i calipers. They fit with adapting brackets from SRS concepts. Completely bolt on, even the brake line.  I will post some pictures/measurements of the factory e30 and e46 caliper side by side. The piston is much larger on the e46 unit. 
Part number:  34216758135 (left) &  34216758136 (right)

I'm converting the rear to 5 lug using z4 hubs, this adds minimal width (like 2mm per side) unlike the z3 and ti swap. This will allow me to remove the 20mm spacer/adapters needed to run the e38 style 5's and add a much larger tire. Going from a 205/45-16 to a 245/45-16. Anyway, I need more traction...so it starts. An added bonus is the e46 325i brakes a quite a bit larger. I do have to say, the B90 paid for itself again...worth the investment 10 or so years later.





Edit* forgot to add, the e46 rotors are also vented...check it out. 

 

I'm actually researching this right now. My wheel choice is e38 style 5 (16x8 et23). 
-e46 325 front brake rotors are 300 x 22mm
-e46 330 front brake rotors are 325 x 25mm (as Mitch noted^) and there's a really good chance my wheels won't clear these. 
-e36 m3 front brake rotors are 315 x 28mm (as Mitch noted ^), I don't think these would fit either ( might be close). 
After much thought all day with the help from @KaiserRolls & @m42b32 I think I will end up going with the IRP 5 lug conversion kit and run the e46 325 calipers/rotors. These will be a decent upgrade from the e30 260 x 22mm rotor and in fact, the e46 325 setup will be 1/10th of the price of a massive BBK which is also only 300 x 22mm!
In closing, I'm going to mark this thread as closed and thank you all for the information. Appreciate it...
-Nick

I'm actually researching this right now. My wheel choice is e38 style 5 (16x8 et23). 
-e46 325 front brake rotors are 300 x 22mm
-e46 330 front brake rotors are 325 x 25mm (as Mitch noted^) and there's a really good chance my wheels won't clear these. 
-e36 m3 front brake rotors are 315 x 28mm (as Mitch noted ^), I don't think these would fit either ( might be close). 
After much thought all day with the help from @KaiserRolls & @m42b32 I think I will end up going with the IRP 5 lug conversion kit and run the e46 325 calipers/rotors. These will be a decent upgrade from the e30 260 x 22mm rotor and in fact, the e46 325 setup will be 1/10th of the price of a massive BBK which is also only 300 x 22mm!
In closing, I'm going to mark this thread as closed and thank you all for the information. Appreciate it...
-Nick

Thank for sharing. Yes, 5 lug swap so I can ditch the 18mm adapters and get the benefit of the bigger brake package. Can I ask, are the e46 brakes around the same size as the e36m3? Thanks @m42b32!

Well that is awesome.  A buddy of mine has had them on his procharged S197 mustang and it's quite possibly the greatest thing ever.  Everyone should have cutouts.

Alright I've entered full on sleeper mode. I added the 3.5" cutout and a full 3" exhaust with a resonator/bullet muffler and a walker sound fx 18160. Thing is so quiet, driving down the road can't hear the engine at all. In fact. this made me worried because now I can hear all these e30 noises I haven't heard in a long time. Subtle transmission sounds, rattles, its crazy. The car has polyurethane mounts everywhere. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the rear section when I had it out. 
 

Alright I've entered full on sleeper mode. I added the 3.5" cutout and a full 3" exhaust with a resonator/bullet muffler and a walker sound fx 18160. Thing is so quiet, driving down the road can't hear the engine at all. In fact. this made me worried because now I can hear all these e30 noises I haven't heard in a long time. Subtle transmission sounds, rattles, its crazy. The car has polyurethane mounts everywhere. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the rear section when I had it out. 
 

Alright I've entered full on sleeper mode. I added the 3.5" cutout and a full 3" exhaust with a resonator/bullet muffler and a walker sound fx 18160. Thing is so quiet, driving down the road can't hear the engine at all. In fact. this made me worried because now I can hear all these e30 noises I haven't heard in a long time. Subtle transmission sounds, rattles, its crazy. The car has polyurethane mounts everywhere. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the rear section when I had it out. 
 

I’ll preemptively pour one out for your driveline

Added another spring to the wastegates :). I've never experienced anything like this before, pulls so hard. Enjoy!

Just a 2nd gear roll on the throttle.

I honestly don't have high hopes but I thought I would give it a try. I'm not exactly sure how I will set up the logic to run the pump. I was thinking to have it turn on when I hit 100 kpa and/or IAT above x. Thoughts? I think the intermittent cycling will keep the water cooler for a longer amount of time. I am also thinking about adding an override switch in the cabin to run the pump continuous if I wanted. Anyway, I think the pump will change how fast the IAT changes so I'll have to wait and see. 
Thinking out loud, I think I could even leave this pump and add another in the tank or just outside to serve as a feed. It may or may not work but, likely just make the system more complicated. The best choice is probably to fork out the $$$ for a pump should I find the need.
 
Manual, Wilwood pedal box with factory calipers and HPS pads. I've been looking at options to upgrade the calipers and rotors. Any suggestions? 

@SteelBlue I’ve got a SBE LS1, basically all the gen III LS have weak rods and pistons. I will keep the boost low (under 10 psi). Perhaps 600-700 level? I’m either building this LS1 or an iron block with forged internals. 
 
Updates: I added some heat shielding to the firewall and powder coated the brackets I made. The flat ones move the coil packs up about 30mm to make clearance for the wires. The down pipe is very close to the valve cover. I also made the mounting bracket for the brake reservoir. 
 

Engine bay wiring: as I stated, I deleted the C101, spliced and ran the wiring through the blower compartment. All the extra wiring in the whole harness has been gone through and completely removed. 




 
 

Added another spring to the wastegates :). I've never experienced anything like this before, pulls so hard. Enjoy!

Just a 2nd gear roll on the throttle.

Added another spring to the wastegates :). I've never experienced anything like this before, pulls so hard. Enjoy!

Just a 2nd gear roll on the throttle.