starkie7 Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Anybody know which anti roll bars fit other models? I've got a 330d touring on sport shocks and eibach pro kit. I've heard the M3 front bar is a straight fit but not the rear, is this correct? As for the rear, a convertible m-sport bar is the best oem which will fit, again is this correct? Eibach etc are too expensive for me to even think about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autosri Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 i dont know if the convertible ones fit tourings but if you go on rear oem find the part number you have type that into part number search it will tell you what cars share the same bar then go from there and if its any use i have a coupe and fitted the 20mm bar from a vert it was a direct swap just a bit fiddly to fit using jacks and axle stands due to height restrictions m3 bars should fit but i wont be bothering on mine the handling is perfect with the 23.5mm front and the 20mm rear nice neutral balance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 Front m3 one will fit. with bushes etc , ive got one on my 330 saloon. Rear m3 wont its a different shape. if the vert is the thickest fit one of those.ill be checking real oem and maybe finding one now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm1 Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 try upgrading the drop links and bushes this will give the standard bars a stiffer feel. Just to add this is a must do in my opinion as these cars have way too much roll as standard. I have H+R uprated arb's on mine and they have made a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blair Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 I've got an M3 H&R on the front & an M3 convertible (M3 rear end) rear anti roll bar on mine, at the same time I also fitted HSD's all round & polybushed everything I have very little body roll but as I did it all at once I can't tell you which bits made a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starkie7 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 after a long slog through bmminiparts (find it much quicker than realoem) came up with a list of bar thicknesses: 330d touring 23/24 - 18/19 6cyl vert 23/24 - 18/20 m3 26 - 21.5 csl 30.8 - 22.5 eibach 27 - 21 h&r 27 - 21 kw 27 - 21 i went through loads of different body styles and engine configurations and basically the 6 cylinder models have 24/19 with sport suspension. all coupes, loons and tourings interchangeable. the 6 cylinder vert sport models have the slightly thicker rear bar but identicle fronts. m3 and csl fronts will fit other models but not the rears. csl have a huge 30.8mm front bar! aftermarket bars are all the same thickness but have 6mm difference between the axles rather than the 5mm that runs through must of the bmw range. if i put m3 front and vert rear bars on i'd only be 1mm down on each end and have the same balance as aftermarket kits. JWM330CI 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budwab Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 The Z4 M sport front anti roll bar is also a direct swap for the E46 (Confirmed by users in the States) Part number : 31351096364 is 25mm, with bushing 31351096365. Ordering mine, along with a 20mm 'Vert rear bar. This will also maintain the 5mm difference between axles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autosri Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Main difference between oem bars and aftermarket is aftermarket are adjustable so have a range of bar sizes really a 27mm bar could range in stiffness from a 24-30 if you see what I mean Out of interest what are you trying to achieve a balance or over steer or a more planted rear end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budwab Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) Interestingly my other half's 318i SE saloon has a front ARB of 24.6mm. This is bigger than the 330i/D Sport models ARB too. Part no: 31351095272 Edited August 23, 2011 by budwab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budwab Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) double post. Edited August 23, 2011 by budwab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autosri Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 That would cause it to understeer with a much bigger front bar than rear so maybe they assumed 318 would go to people who just pop to the shops who would feel safer with understeer in an emergency Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budwab Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 That would cause it to understeer with a much bigger front bar than rear so maybe they assumed 318 would go to people who just pop to the shops who would feel safer with understeer in an emergency LOL...Exactly the sort of use that car gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starkie7 Posted August 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 i think the balance is ok at the moment, touch too much understeer but that can be cured with a heavy foot . just looking to get less roll, feels like it leans too much weight onto the outside and bounces off the bump stops too often. z4 bar is interesting but a lot rarer to get hold of than an m3 version i guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autosri Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) Try the 20mm rear bar to get rid of the understeer and some slightly stiffer spring rates maybe eibach pro kit Could it be the Tyres causing the roll feeling if they have soft side Walls maybe a little more air may help Edited August 23, 2011 by autosri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budwab Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 There's a 318i arb here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E46-318i-Front-Anti-Roll-Bar-Genuine-Free-Post-/180653393630?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a0fc806de Looking on realoem.com it looks as though this is a 24.6mm. Best to check with seller. The size will be on the bushes, if interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm1 Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 mine still rolls even with the H+R bars on set stiffest front softest rear it is way better than it was though but i guess these are heavy cars and the earlier ones like mine had less stiffness in the chassis I am going to put a strut brace on to stiffen it further these make the biggest impact in conjunction with arb's in my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_spender Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Hard front and soft rear will cause more understeer, also has anyone considered Whiteline bars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm1 Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Hard front and soft rear will cause more understeer, quote yes I know I felt the car oversteered so wanted to get rid of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arry Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Adding to this thread - I've got to change at least the drop links on my front ARB and I've always felt the car rolls too much. This could be due to the worn drop links anyway, I guess, but I doubt it. Interested in any info anyone's got on just uprating the drop links / poly bushing to the chassis or getting adjustable ARB's front and back and doing the job from there. If you've got them, what have you got and on what settings? Basically mine's an SE spec and I don't want to compromise ride quality at all because it was pretty much the primary purpose of buying the car. I do, however, want to sharpen turn in and lose mid corner roll. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autosri Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 You will reduce ride comfort with stiffer bars as you are linking the two struts together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arry Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hmm, yeah I guess that's fairly inevitable. May just go with uprated ARB mounts and drop links, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_spender Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Have a look at this chart gives you an idea what difference a thicker bar will make. http://www.balancemotorsport.co.uk/images/whitelinearbsizechart.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggy Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Are there different shape M3 front bars in UK? I found this on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E46-M3-Anti-Roll-Bar-Front-/200430607128?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2eaa985b18 but in USA all seem to have a straight middle section: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=m3+e46+front+sway&_sacat=0&_odkw=m3+e46+front+sway+-link&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 Do they all fit standard e46? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blair Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Best pic I have of my H&R anti roll bar it was on an M3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
