Curious what USDM E36/E46/E34/E39s had LSDs.
My assumpton was anything starting with "M" or ending in "is", but I think my last thread that mentioned BMWs mentioned the latter not necessarily being true.
Curious what USDM E36/E46/E34/E39s had LSDs.
My assumpton was anything starting with "M" or ending in "is", but I think my last thread that mentioned BMWs mentioned the latter not necessarily being true.
E39, E46 - Only in M cars. Installing an M diff in a standard car is not straightforward but is possible with the right donor parts. There are e46 aftermarket lsd's and it's possible to install the guts from another bmw lsd into an e39/e46 diff housing. None of these options are easy or cheap.
E32, E34 - available as an option, quite common
E36 - quite common up to 1995, usually found on cold weather package cars or IS models. 1996-1999 - available as an option but very uncommon.
Is there a way to tell if a car has an optional LSD in it, like doorjamb stickers or VIN codes? Or is it dump the clutch and count the stripes?
If there's a way to tell through the vin I'm not aware of it. They will have a tag on the diff cover which will note the ratio and type. O is for open, S is for limited slip.
Hotlinked LSD diff tag:
Cool, thanks!
ansonivan wrote: E36 - quite common up to 1995, usually found on cold weather package cars or IS models. 1996-1999 - available as an option but very uncommon.
I am still trying to track this down, but there are reports that a dozen or so US MY1996 328s came with the LSD. There is a person in Holland selling a factory LSD-equipped 328 rear end.
The LSD-equipped rear ends also have an "S" stamped on the top of the case.
The list price for the 325i and 328i LSD units from BMW is $500, so if you don't mind trying the install procedure into the rear end you could just order one. The E36 M3 LSD unit is a different part number and costs nearly three times more. the M3 LSD unit can be bolted onto a non-M ring gear by using some collars on the smaller bolts. The 1995 M3 rear end has the same final drive ratio (3.15) as the E36 325s, but most of the parts are different.
I found mine on a 325is with heated seats. It was also available as a separate line option, but it was not available with the traction control on the non-Ms, Traction control started as an option in MY1994 and became standard in MY1997. Non-M E36 LSDs are pretty uncommon. The 325 LSD unit was also used in E24/E28/E30(including the E30 M3)/E34.The 325 LSD is also the 328 automatic LSD. I haven't tracked down what is different with the 328 manual LSD, but it does weigh over a pound more.
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