Will entire M3 suspension and brakes fit on zhp?

[nextelbuddy]

I bought an M3 parts car that has everything except hood headlights etc...

i'm swapping in the engine and transmission but wanted to know if I could also swap in the brakes.. not just the calipers but everything like the knuckles, hub, shocks etc...

I'm pretty sure fronts wont be an issue but the rears I was curious about. im keeping my ZHP diff instead of swapping i the M3 DIFF since id rather sell the diff for money but if I sell the diff and swap over the trailing arms, hubs, suspension.. will it bolt on? and if it does, will my rear wheels have a wider track?

thank you for any and all advice.

[fw_fw]

....but the M3 diff is LSD???? You don't want LSD????

[slater]

....but the M3 diff is LSD???? You don't want LSD????

+1... you are crazy not to!

the rears (springs and shocks) actually are 100% interchangeable.

for the fronts, you need everything from the top mounts down to the lower control arms and knuckle. to be honest, in that light you might as well drop the entire M3 engine/trans/front subframe w/ steering rack and suspension directly out of the M3 as one unit, and move it right into the ZHP.

and definitely take the M3 rear end. besides the LSD, you also get a bigger rear sway bar and more swaybar options down the road. plus M3 rear brakes.

[san]

+1... you are crazy not to!

the rears (springs and shocks) actually are 100% interchangeable.

for the fronts, you need everything from the top mounts down to the lower control arms and knuckle. to be honest, in that light you might as well drop the entire M3 engine/trans/front subframe w/ steering rack and suspension directly out of the M3 as one unit, and move it right into the ZHP.

and definitely take the M3 rear end. besides the LSD, you also get a bigger rear sway bar and more swaybar options down the road. plus M3 rear brakes.

Also the rear m3 subframe is a different design to the Zhp/330 isn't it? Will it be possible to swap Zhp diff into the m3 subframe?


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[az3579]

Will it be possible to swap Zhp diff into the m3 subframe?



Why would anyone want to?

[slater]

Also the rear m3 subframe is a different design to the Zhp/330 isn't it? Will it be possible to swap Zhp diff into the m3 subframe?


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no, only the M3 diff will fit the M3 subframe.

[san]

Why would anyone want to?

I wouldn't but if I understand correctly that's what OP is trying to do...


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[nextelbuddy]

thanks guys thats what i thought.

my DIFF seems to be fine and i didnt necessarily need the LSD. I already was going to have the S54 6 speed transmission gearing so i didnt mind having the longer final drive from the 330 diff albeit open. the m3 diff i could sell for 600-700 dollars to recoup some money potentially.

it sounds like though if i want to swap over the entire suspension I really need the m3 diff.


one last thing, if I have the M3 suspension and diff on my car, does that mean my wheels will either stick in more or stick out more? ie.. will the track size/width change at all?

[slater]

my DIFF seems to be fine and i didnt necessarily need the LSD. I already was going to have the S54 6 speed transmission gearing so i didnt mind having the longer final drive from the 330 diff albeit open. the m3 diff i could sell for 600-700 dollars to recoup some money potentially.

true, you could - however, with that power you really are going to need the LSD to put it to the ground.



one last thing, if I have the M3 suspension and diff on my car, does that mean my wheels will either stick in more or stick out more? ie.. will the track size/width change at all?

yes, i believe the front is a bit wider. i think the rear control arms and subframe mounting points are the same, but the rear hub is a bit different. my parts car had a full M3 rear end and the rear track seemed about the same, visually.

[az3579]

If you want the M3 suspension, do note that you may be limited in the wheels you can run. Your track will be wider, and you might have fender clearance issues front and back. The 330 doesn't have the wider fenders like the M3 does, so this is something you want to consider before pulling the trigger.

[nextelbuddy]

If you want the M3 suspension, do note that you may be limited in the wheels you can run. Your track will be wider, and you might have fender clearance issues front and back. The 330 doesn't have the wider fenders like the M3 does, so this is something you want to consider before pulling the trigger.

thats exactly what i was thinking.

side note, your mirrors, are they OE M3 mirrors with modified base plates?

the parts car i have is silver. was thinking of getting the base plates painted black and the mirrors painted imola then tackling some type of retrofit.

i could never find m3 mirrors for 4 door e46 that were made to fit but looked like E46 M3 mirrors. everything i found looked like E36 m3 mirrors.

[az3579]

thats exactly what i was thinking.

side note, your mirrors, are they OE M3 mirrors with modified base plates?

the parts car i have is silver. was thinking of getting the base plates painted black and the mirrors painted imola then tackling some type of retrofit.

i could never find m3 mirrors for 4 door e46 that were made to fit but looked like E46 M3 mirrors. everything i found looked like E36 m3 mirrors.

I have OE M3 mirrors on my car. One of the previous owners retrofitted them and did a piss poor job of it. He did not modify the baseplate so part of it sticks out. There's only one bolt holding my left mirror on, and it's the wrong kind of bolt. Also, he painted the base red - I really would have preferred black. The mirror motors never quite adjusted properly either, even though I replaced both motors. One glass isn't aligned properly and the other shakes. As nice as they look, they have been nothing but a pain in the ass since I bought the car.

Unfortunately, the only aftermarket mirrors are the E36 and E39 style ones, neither of which look good on an E46. :(

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[nextelbuddy]

I have OE M3 mirrors on my car. One of the previous owners retrofitted them and did a piss poor job of it. He did not modify the baseplate so part of it sticks out. There's only one bolt holding my left mirror on, and it's the wrong kind of bolt. Also, he painted the base red - I really would have preferred black. The mirror motors never quite adjusted properly either, even though I replaced both motors. One glass isn't aligned properly and the other shakes. As nice as they look, they have been nothing but a pain in the ass since I bought the car.

Unfortunately, the only aftermarket mirrors are the E36 and E39 style ones, neither of which look good on an E46. :(

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well they look good from here! lol

these are good points to know when I go to tackle mine. I had no idea so much work had to be done such as motor swap.... not looking forward to that. and the turner base plate template seems to be gone from their website as well :/

[az3579]

Didn't even realize they had a template...
Charlie assisted me with trying to get the mirror glass centered and he just had to eyeball it since we didn't really have a template to work off of.

[cornercarver]

Gang,

Picked up a full M3 rear suspension today (thanks again for dropping it off Dave! I have no F-ing idea how you loaded that mass of steel into your truck by yourself. :eyetwitch )

A couple of questions I've been researching but can't seem to find definitive answers on teh intarwebs... If anyone here has done the swap and can confirm, I'd appreciate knowing before I start pulling things apart;

1 - Is the ZHP driveshaft compatible with the M3 diff? I've read as long as it has a 6-speed it's the same, but others have said the bolt pattern is different and/or the driveshaft is shorter because the M3 diff is longer.
2 - Are the RTA's the same on both cars? I have read that the track width of the M3 is wider due to the wheel offsets and the rotor mounting flange-to-flange dimension is the same? I've also read that the M3 RTA's are slightly different and thus the half shafts won't work with the ZHP RTA's. I'd like to re-use my RTA's because I already have SDW RTAB's in them and would prefer not to remove / reinstall in the M3 RTA's.

Help is appreciated...