BMW E46 Suspension

Search our site:

Race camber plates (with solid spherical bearings) are great for the track, but what if you want to drive your car on the street too? That’s what the TMS E46M3 street style caster/camber plates are: A plate you can use on the street, still have the available adjustment of a race camber plate, and not have to put up with a harsh ride or replace the bearings every season. The E46M3 STOCK strut mount only allows about ½ ° camber adjustment and no caster adjustment. For most track cars or street cars that occasionally see the track, that is not nearly enough. The stock strut mount is also set at an angle that is suited only for that position, and puts additional bending load on the strut if it is not in its original position. The TMS Caster/Camber Plates allow significant camber adjustment from approximately -1.2° to -3.85° and allows for the needed strut angle change. Note: Each car’s suspension setup/geometry/ride height will be the limiting factor on range of movement. These plates directly replace the stock strut mount, and incorporate a replaceable custom designed urethane bushing. The stock spring perch and bearing are retained in the assembly, allowing this part to be used with stock or aftermarket struts, such as a Bilstein PSS9 kit. Basically, this is a must for any one who will be auto-crossing, going to track days, or doing any performance driving, and still needs their car as a daily driver. Each part of the TMS caster/camber plates is CNC machined from aircraft grade aluminum billet. All aluminum pieces were then coated to MIL-A-8625F Type III spec hardcoat anodizing. Each steel part was either powdercoated or nickel plated to QQ-N-290A Grade F specifications. High grade hardware is used and main internal threads are helicoiled to add strength and life. A scale for camber and caster has been laser engraved on the upper plate which will always be visible for adjustment, and the upper plate is a full round circle to better distribute the force on the strut tower so it is not compromised. This has shown to be a problem on several BMW chassis, including the E46. This TMS part will not accelerate strut tower deformation.

The BMW E46 3-Series chassis is one of the most rigid and well built BMW chassis to date. Even so, it still has some of the traditional BMW weak points. One of these is the rear sway bar mounts. From chassis to chassis the problem has not been identical, but all the damage we have seen has been related to metal fatigue. The metal fatigue is due to the constant twisting and side loading of the sway bar. These forces on the sway bar will cause the mounting points to fail over time. The failure can happen faster with sway bar bind do to improper maintenance of the bushings, however proper sway bar bushing maintenance does not totally eliminate the problem. In the case of the E46 the sheet metal for the bushing bracket does not have enough material to support the loads being transferred to the subframe. TMS has designed this reinforcement to strengthen and redirect the load to stronger sheet metal. Requires Welding. Does not fit M3.

The E46 rear driveline and suspension are very similar to that of the E36. An unfortunate side effect of this is that the E46 also shares some of the same problems as the E36. One of these problems is the rear mounting points for the subframe, which can rip out from their spots in the sheet metal. This happens because the rear differential transmits the torsional load from the engine through the subframe, then into the chassis. This constant loading and unloading weakens the sheet metal and causes it to fatigue and separate from the chassis. BMW tried to fix this problem in the E46 by placing a cross member on the front two mounting points of the subframe. This cross member keeps the front mounting points from having problems by placing the bushing and the stud in double-shear, thus reducing the twisting action on the sheet metal. The unfortunate side effect of this is that the load from the front of the subframe now gets transmitted to the left rear of the subframe. This is where many failures of the chassis on low mileage street cars and race cars. This product reinforces the chassis sheet metal at the subframe mounting points. This is done by thickening the metal and distributing the load over a larger area. This kit will save time when repairing the chassis, and is also strongly recommended as a preventative maintenance item. NOTE: this kit requires welding. Additionally, you will need to remove the driveshaft, exhaust, trunk interior, rear subrafame and suspension. Professional installation reccommended.

Is your strut housing or shock mount broken from driving around on blown shocks? If so, we can provide you with a new piece, to bring your BMW's handling back to perfection. Often times a loud clunking sound from the wheels will indicate a bad shock mount.

Search our site: