e36 M3 Front Suspension Overhaul Part IV: 96+ M3 Strut Mounts, Sway Bar Links, X-Brace Install

So the final chapter to the suspension overhaul includes swapping out the strut mounts for reversed 96+ M3 mounts. Throwing the sway bar back on with new sway bar links and installing a new x-brace.

A little background information. The 95 M3 strut mounts and 96-99 M3 strut mounts are different. The 95 M3 is offset for more caster but is centered for no camber change. The 96 M3 is offset for the same reasons, but is also offset side to side so when you switch the left side to the right you get -2.5º camber!

Having about 0º camber and tearing up the outside of my front tires, I decided to give this cheap mod a try. Here is a comparison of the two mounts. The 96-99 on the left and the 95 on the right. The 96-99 mount also seems to be reinforced a little better. The red stuff is grease.

96-99 M3 Left vs 95 M3 right

And here is the difference once installed. I got an alignment afterwards and my camber was at -2.6º. Maybe not great for street but getting better for track. I've read -3.5º for track in the front is optimal.

95 M3 Mount

96-99 M3 Mount

96-99 M3 Mount

While I was down there I decided now would be a good time to buy and install and x-brace. If you have an M3 you should already have the threaded nut-serts installed in the subframe. You basically only need 4 screws for that and 2 screws for the rear mounting points. There is a write-up on understeer.com which I followed, but isn't really necessary if you have an M3.

Last thing to do was re-install the sway bar and replace the sway bar links. I went with Meyle HD. I typically wouldn't really rock Meyle, but the HD parts seem to hold up well.

They use an internal hex thread like the struts to immobilize them as they start to spin when you torque them down. I don't know if this is better or worse than the Lemforeder brand since it's easy to strip out an internal hex thread.

Impressions so far are pretty intense. The solid mounts in the engine and tranny make the car "roar" throughout the powerband. It's actually somewhat quiet at idle not much NVH. But upon acceleration it sounds like a race car would inside the cabin. Heel toe and downshifting are really nice and off/on acceleration is super responsive.

The delrin control arm bushings with the z3 rack make the car pretty darty. I'm not totally used to the setup and we'll see how it fairs on the track. I can't really feel the camber yet, will be more for track. Also I'm not sure where the x-brace improved handling yet since so much was changed at one time. Feels solid that's for sure. The knock is definitely gone, I would've benefitted from any set of new mounts let alone solid ones. We will see, it's for sure no luxury BMW anymore. ;)