[nikitino25]

When I installed my shocks with the alignment pin already out and the strut hat nuts loose, we pushed the shock towers (shock assembly) all the way inward toward the engine and then tightened the (3) strut hat nuts on either side (this ensures max neg camber from this adjustment).....unless I totally did it wrong but this makes sense just looking at the overall orientation. This was before alignment...

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

This was done after the install. I can see that the strut tower nuts are in a different location (more inboard as you say) than they used to be. I'm just wondering if there is a way I can check to see if there is more camber left in the adjustment.

I wonder about this too. with the strut bolts as inboard as possible in the slots and with m3 wishbones, I only have -1.1 camber, while many with same setup claim -1.5. Maybe it's a 328i thing or maybe other parts can be adjusted in some way? Makes me want to undo and retorque my m3 arms.

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

This was done after the install. I can see that the strut tower nuts are in a different location (more inboard as you say) than they used to be. I'm just wondering if there is a way I can check to see if there is more camber left in the adjustment.

I wonder about this too. with the strut bolts as inboard as possible in the slots and with m3 wishbones, I only have -1.1 camber, while many with same setup claim -1.5. Maybe it's a 328i thing or maybe other parts can be adjusted in some way? Makes me want to undo and retorque my m3 arms.

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by jwzimm

Okay, sounds like it was done correctly then. You could try and loosen the nuts and move it but I would bet it is as far as it will go. Do you have your final alignment sheet?

Yes, I have it.

I got 1.24' / 1.04' front camber.

Looking at what max spec is in a stock car (around -0.7'), I can see that I've definitely got more camber than that. Just wondering if there's more in it.

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by nikitino25

When I installed my shocks with the alignment pin already out and the strut hat nuts loose, we pushed the shock towers (shock assembly) all the way inward toward the engine and then tightened the (3) strut hat nuts on either side (this ensures max neg camber from this adjustment).....unless I totally did it wrong but this makes sense just looking at the overall orientation. This was before alignment...

Was this done with the front wheels on the ground and the suspension loaded? Sounds like if you could get a hand on the shock assembly, the suspension was not loaded at the time. I was going to try to loosen the 3 nuts and push the top of the tire inward (towards the engine) with the suspension loaded. Might not get anywhere though.

By chance, do you know what the torque specs are for those 3 nuts?

[ajsalida]

Also matters how low the front is to start with, ie stock vs lowering springs etc. Whatever it is you should get .4 to .5 extra neg deg out of the pin removal.

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Also matters how low the front is to start with, ie stock vs lowering springs etc. Whatever it is you should get .4 to .5 extra neg deg out of the pin removal.

Good point. I'm on a stock sport suspension. Not lowered.

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

Good point. I'm on a stock sport suspension. Not lowered.

Yeah so in your case you'd be super lucky to see -1.1 deg. I have an XI and on Eibach pro kit "i" springs, which lowers ~1.5" in front (and well below ZSP), get -1.5 deg with pins out.

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Yeah so in your case you'd be super lucky to see -1.1 deg. I have an XI and on Eibach pro kit "i" springs, which lowers ~1.5" in front (and well below ZSP), get -1.5 deg with pins out.

Really? I got the impression that stock suspension + M3 front control arms would give about 1.5 deg with pins out, and lowered + M3 front control arms would give close to 2 deg with pins out.

[rwalker]

I'm running pins out with M3 bits and could only achieve -1.3deg.

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

Really? I got the impression that stock suspension + M3 front control arms would give about 1.5 deg with pins out, and lowered + M3 front control arms would give close to 2 deg with pins out.

Can't use M3 bits on XI in front so I don't have any experience with that. Whatever you start with, you'll get another 0.4 to 0.5 neg. Because it is a strut front end lowering will always give you some more neg camber.

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

Can't use M3 bits on XI in front so I don't have any experience with that. Whatever you start with, you'll get another 0.4 to 0.5 neg. Because it is a strut front end lowering will always give you some more neg camber.

Gotcha. I guess I thought that the M3 front control arms contributed to some negative camber as well.

[ajsalida]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

Gotcha. I guess I thought that the M3 front control arms contributed to some negative camber as well.

Not saying they don't, just I don't have any info either way.

[rwalker]

my car's negative camber increased with the M3 bits, just not to the extent that others have predicted above

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by rwalker

my car's negative camber increased with the M3 bits, just not to the extent that others have predicted above

I'm starting to feel a lot better about my own camber changes now that I'm hearing about other people who haven't gotten a full 1.5 deg.

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

I'm starting to feel a lot better about my own camber changes now that I'm hearing about other people who haven't gotten a full 1.5 deg.

me too. sort of...

[nikitino25]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

Was this done with the front wheels on the ground and the suspension loaded? Sounds like if you could get a hand on the shock assembly, the suspension was not loaded at the time. I was going to try to loosen the 3 nuts and push the top of the tire inward (towards the engine) with the suspension loaded. Might not get anywhere though.

By chance, do you know what the torque specs are for those 3 nuts?

The torque on the top hat nuts is only 34nm or 25ft lb.....supposed to use new nuts also according to bentley manual

I could of sworn I saw somewhere that you can get neg 2.5 deg of camber with M3 arms and pin removed but could be wrong about that......

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by nikitino25

The torque on the top hat nuts is only 34nm or 25ft lb.....supposed to use new nuts also according to bentley manual

I could of sworn I saw somewhere that you can get neg 2.5 deg of camber with M3 arms and pin removed but could be wrong about that......

Wow, 2.5 deg sounds too high. I think that much is possible, but only with camber plates and coilovers.

[David1]

Originally Posted by nikitino25

The torque on the top hat nuts is only 34nm or 25ft lb.....supposed to use new nuts also according to bentley manual

I could of sworn I saw somewhere that you can get neg 2.5 deg of camber with M3 arms and pin removed but could be wrong about that......

Nope, you would need camber plates.

[therealm3]

Hello all. Just wanted to post an update to this thread so others can have more data to base decisions off of.

My car is an 2011 E91 328 Msport and I pulled the alignment pins and set both sides to Max camber (negative). I had an alignment yesterday and the Fronts are -0.56 L and -0.46R. Toe at 0.06 both sides. Visually it looks like more camber than that, but the computer doesn’t lie. I was hoping for more but the car does turn in a lot better now so I might hold off on M3 arms. We’ll see.

And for $hits and giggles I pulled out the sheet on my old car, a 2007 E90 335 with BMW perf susp and M3 arms. I did not do the pins on that car and it had -1.09L and -1.18R.

Hope this helps someone.

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by therealm3

Hello all. Just wanted to post an update to this thread so others can have more data to base decisions off of.

My car is an 2011 E91 328 Msport and I pulled the alignment pins and set both sides to Max camber (negative). I had an alignment yesterday and the Fronts are -0.56 L and -0.46R. Toe at 0.06 both sides. Visually it looks like more camber than that, but the computer doesn’t lie. I was hoping for more but the car does turn in a lot better now so I might hold off on M3 arms. We’ll see.

And for $hits and giggles I pulled out the sheet on my old car, a 2007 E90 335 with BMW perf susp and M3 arms. I did not do the pins on that car and it had -1.09L and -1.18R.

Hope this helps someone.

That's good info. I suspected that stock camber was pretty conservative on our cars, pretty close to 0 or very slightly negative. Looks like on your E90, you could have gotten -1.5 deg if you pulled the pins. What did you think of the turn-in with what you had?

[therealm3]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

That's good info. I suspected that stock camber was pretty conservative on our cars, pretty close to 0 or very slightly negative. Looks like on your E90, you could have gotten -1.5 deg if you pulled the pins. What did you think of the turn-in with what you had?

I really liked the turn in and handling in general from my 335 so I have been slowly trying to recreate that on the 328. I have PSS's and performance suspension already and I wanted to try removing the alignment pins and see what it did before I got the M3 arms because there is a good chance I will be replacing the car in a year or so. Save some money, but I may end up doing it anyways cause the steering just isn't as crisp and accurate. With my old car it felt like it wanted to turn and was much more stable when pushed hard. Honestly I feel like the Tires (PSSs) made the biggest difference in handling so far on the 328. I love them. Maybe the best thing would have been only tires and M3 arms. Who knows. Too late to try that combo now.