E36 steering rack install?

[snowflake]

If you checked this out,

you probably want better steering response, So Do I.

I find there's a dead zone in the middle between left steer and right steer.

This leaves me in a precarious position of playing catch up or trying to predict certain attitudes of the car over varying terrain.

My steering input movements are not accurate, to what i want to project.

Has anyone installed an e36 steering rack. i don't want power steering, i want accurate steering.

[CamB]

E36 (and e30) racks sit in front of the cross member - they need a strut with the steering arm in front of the axle (hope that makes sense).

If you search for "steering rack" in this forum there are discussions about using an E21 rack. You really need to shorten the steering arm (not it's correct name by the way) if you go this route, otherwise you end up with more turns lock to lock, and/or less available steering angle.

I'm having a Toyota rack of some variety stuck in mine at the moment. I have to say, it's not a cheap exercise, but I wanted less vague steering, more room for the exhaust, and a quicker ratio. It's only money.

[snowflake]

Something to think about, i guess.

Truth is there's no real easy fix, but that's exactly what i want a faster ratio.

Keep posted on how your conversion ends up.

I'm gonna have to figure something out.

Hey, isn't it winter down there right now.

[peteinjp]

Some people have installed steering quickeners. Not sure how they like htem but its a bunch easier than doing a rack. No personal experience however. Also I remember reading that some racks actually did not affect the ratio or actually increased the number of turns- not sure myself but worth finding hard data on.

[snowflake]

It depends on which steering rack you use.

An e30 1988 325is steering rack will be 4 full rotations(steering wheel) from full left turn to full right turn.

An e36 325is steering rack i think is 3 or 2 3/4 turns full left to full right.

Assuming the cars have the same turning radius(angle of full turn)

This leads me to believe that the steering input of e36 is faster more accurate and more precise.

[CamB]

The e36 rack is a closer ratio than the e30 rack. The later e36 M3 rack is closer again. z3 rack has less turns lock to lock but same ratio as e36 rack (ie, it has less lock), I think.

This is good to know if you have an e30... but as I said a 2002 needs an e21 rack which mounts behind the subframe.

It is winter down here, but we dont get snow ... although seriously crap weather at the moment...

[NickVyse]

This is good to know if you have an e30... but as I said a 2002 needs an e21 rack which mounts behind the subframe.

Doing a search here will find a lot of info - a few bits from myself and a lot from Moespeed - we've both used e21 racks. An M2 was built in the UK for an Australian client that used an e30 rack ahead of the engine. The steering arms (or whatever their real name is) were swapped left for right and thus pointed forward. Anything can be done with time and money..

[CamB]

The steering arms (or whatever their real name is) were swapped left for right and thus pointed forward. Anything can be done with time and money..

That's an interesting idea! The arms would still be too long though, but that's fixable.

How did it fit between the subframe and sump?

[DB]

An M2 was built in the UK for an Australian client that used an e30 rack ahead of the engine. The steering arms (or whatever their real name is) were swapped left for right and thus pointed forward.

Nick, do you have any more info about this M2? eg. where in Oz, etc?

[NickVyse]

An M2 was built in the UK for an Australian client that used an e30 rack ahead of the engine. The steering arms (or whatever their real name is) were swapped left for right and thus pointed forward.

Nick, do you have any more info about this M2? eg. where in Oz, etc?

sorry - it's 1 m2 I've never tracked down - it was built by Martek just outside Birmingham a few years ago.