ZROSSA Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Howdy Guys, This ones a bit off topic, However I know there are some of you running these cars on the track and at least one of you has put e36 suspension in their Zed. I have an early 635csi. For years i have been pondering how to improve the rear suspension and make it easily adjustable for camber and toe.There are lots of ways to do his with the semi trailing arms but they always have compromises. Then I bumped into a photo of an early Bathurst bluebird turbo which has two transverse links from the diff to the hub. On further investigation i found it was fundamentally the same set up as the e36, e46 and series 1 audi tt's. It looks as though it would be pretty easy to make a couple of transverse links and I thought a discussion about it might help out the 280zx and 300zx guys. So the question is, What are the down falls of this type of suspension? Bmw stuck with it for at least two models so it cant all be bad. My main goals would be able to control camber and toe better than the semi-trailing arm with out having to run too high a spring rate. The 635 is used as more of a gt car than a racer....that's what the zed if for! Cheers, Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 As crazy as that sounds if you put a spherical joint at the outer most pickup point (nearest rocker) and a soft bushing on the inside you could control camber gain. You could even use the inner bushing to adjust toe. (Or ditch it all together) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 JohnC did a nice job of articulating the geometric reasons the suspension works well. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/105513-e36-m3-suspension-in-a-240z/?p=987259 One thing I notice more and more is the difference in feedback front to rear. On strut cars I (feel) what the wheel is doing easier than Z link SLA or SA suspensions. (This could be setup based) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 Thank PeeJ, I was going to cut the link buy the diff off altogether to make it a light as i could. Its in the planing stages....need to finish the bloody Zed first. I really just don't like the way the semi trailing arms change camber and toe from braking into a corner and then accelerating out. Its not an issuie when on your game but its a gt car so the trip should be a bit more relaxing. I have noticed that both bmw and audi have moved to a more complicated rear set up in later models. I was also wondering what the guys who race these cars do for rear set up. Adjustable arms are a give in....I wouldn't have it any other way. I did find someone who mention changes in mounting point for better geometry but they never mentioned what specifically. Any Ideas? Cheers, Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 They probably raise the inner pickup point and move the subframe up into the body while lowering the diff. How close is it to Z3 suspension? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Check out pics of the DTM trailing arm setups. They use a trick adjuster for camber and toe and can adjust the RC too. Take a look at this post about three quarters of the way down the page, http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1536110-Video-from-my-first-race-with-dog-ring-transmission. Nice tranny, I'm using one very similar on my Z. Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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