tires and wheels Upgrade Brakes?

[chito]

So I read the upgraded brakes article and am a little confused on something.  It says to buy the front struts from a tii for a non tii car for one of the upgrade options.  But every time I try to look up online for tii front struts it never has the spindle on it.  From reading on here I know they use different spindles.  I've read that if going with bigger 15" rims it is better to swap to the bigger spindles and bigger hubs.  Can you buy these new from anywhere? I want to upgrade the brakes and use 15" wheels so what parts do I need exactly?  Can I use an e21 320i spindle and tii front strut? I would like to use all new parts if I could.

[AceAndrew]

Tii struts went NLA about a year and a half ago (last ones went for $1,300 EACH). The Tii strut suggestion for 15" wheels is a fallacy.

[Chamoix]

Chito,

Don't believe the spindles can be separated from the strut, as in they are a single piece. I did the big brake upgrade on my base car last year with tii struts, 320 hubs and IE vented & drilled rotors. Added spacers to widen the tii calipers to fit the wider rotors. Probably overkill on a car that isn't raced or auto crossed (actually barely driven), but the improvement in the braking was dramatic and I don't live in fear of having to make a panic stop anymore.

[LarryS]

If you want new parts (rebuilt calipers) why not get the kit from IE?

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/2002-brake-kits/02bbk01.html

 

I'm thinking of getting the Tii version for my Tii, I'm just worried my Original alloys might have a problem.

[chito]

The part about the bigger rims had me worried. They should edit that. If the spindles can't be separated then why if you buy front struts they have no spindle on them?

[Cru Jones]

The part about the bigger rims had me worried. They should edit that. If the spindles can't be separated then why if you buy front struts they have no spindle on them?

 

The 'fiche doesn't show them separate from the strut when I look at it. Where do you see them separate?

[TobyB]

The 2002 strut is a tube with what's traditionally called a 'spindle' welded to the bottom of it.  

 

Then you get a hub from an early 320.  Are you, perhaps, referring to the hub as a spindle?

 

Yup. The tii one has bigger bearings.

 

They're nice, but not more than about $200 nice.  I don't know where the 15" wheel thing came from.  It doesn't make any sense.

The wheel can be 13, 14 or 15" and have both the same offset and overall diameter, as well as weight.

 

I raced 'wrong offset' wheels for years on the standard struts- they do fine.  You DO have to maintain them 

a bit more religiously for racing use, but that's just regreasing every couple of weekends.  For  a street car,

you'd want to do it every time you changed the pads, but that's not exactly 'high maintenance'.

 

What USUALLY happens to them is that they get overtightened,  and then burn up.  Unlike a Murrikan car, you 

actually want them the absolute slightest bit loose, for safety.  So get them 'just' tight, so there's no rocking top- to- bottom,

then loosen them until you can JUST feel play.

 

This has worked for me for over a decade...

 

hth

 

t

[M3M3M3]

you do not need tii struts to run 15in wheels or do the ventilated brake upgrade.  regular struts work just fine.  there isn't any issue with the bearings at all for street use.  for heavy track use, just like toby said, you just to maint on them more often.

 

+1 to all toby said regarding the definitions of spindle and hub...

[chito]

http://www.partsgeek.com/mmparts/struts/bmw/2002tii.html hopefully the link works. Everytime I type in front struts I find these. They all look like just the tubes. So your saying if I order some billstien HD front struts they'll come with the spindles welded on them and all I gotta do is put the bigger 320 hubs on them?

[chito]

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/2002-suspension-steering/02bil023.html most are like this they just look like tubes no spindles on them. I did notice on their custom coilover kit they have spindles on the bottom of those. So do the billies also come with spindles?

[Cru Jones]

 

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/2002-suspension-steering/02bil023.html

 

most are like this they just look like tubes no spindles on them. I did notice on their custom coilover kit they have spindles on the bottom of those. So do the billies also come with spindles? 

 

 

 

Your links are messed up. I fixed them for you.

 

The bilsteins are just inserts into the stock struts.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Cru Jones

[M3M3M3]

chito...no offense intended, but you do not appear to have any idea what parts you are looking at or what the definition of the various parts are.  have you ever worked on cars before?

 

on left in this pic is a bare strut.  the other two have inserts in them.

 

lots of struts

 

this is the spindle end of a strut.

 

this is a hub.  it goes on the spindle.

 

and these are struts with inserts in them and hubs on the spindles.

 

now go back and reread the faq article on upgrading to vented brakes.

Edited September 4, 2013 by mlytle

[chito]

Ok so a strut is a different piece and they don't sell those no more, right? So whats the deal with the custom coilover kit. Did they make there own spindle to weld on there?

Ok so a strut is a different piece and they don't sell those no more, right? So whats the deal with the custom coilover kit. Did they make there own spindle to weld on there?

[bobthomas]

IIRC struts from early (pre e28) 530is work also.

[M3M3M3]

Ok so a strut is a different piece and they don't sell those no more, right? So whats the deal with the custom coilover kit. Did they make there own spindle to weld on there?

Ok so a strut is a different piece and they don't sell those no more, right? So whats the deal with the custom coilover kit. Did they make there own spindle to weld on there?

you have been an faq member for 3 day...suggest you do a bit more research with the search function and then come back with any q's.  there are tons of threads on brake upgrades and ways to convert struts to use adjustable height collars.  (2002's come STOCK with coilover front suspensions..that is what a mcpherson strut is.)