Quote Originally Posted by JoshS View Post
Well, to be fair, there are REAL issues. BMW very recently settled a class-action suit with E46 owners because the unibody fails where the rear subframe mounts, and there is now factory guidance on how to reinforce the unibody at those locations (it involves using structural foam.) Exactly the same sort of structural failure happens on both the E36 and Z3 chassis too, although unfortunately they aren't included in the settlement. It's as though BMW engineers just don't know how to build a chassis that can hold a rear subframe without breaking apart. These failures are relatively common on street cars.

Likewise, the front control arm failures are well-documented -- they have embedded ball joints for the inner pivot and these fail regularly. Racing guidance suggests replacing them every season or two. Likewise there are weaknesses that have shown themselves on racing cars again and again with E36 front subframes, E30/Z3 rear trailing arms, etc.

I'm not lobbying for any sort of rule change. We live with these things and lots of manufacturers have these sorts of struggles. I'm just pointing out that it's not as though these are all performance issues masquerading as safety issues. In a lot of ways, many street cars, especially once they get up there in miles, are not up to the task of racing, or in some cases, even driving around on potholed streets.
I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the education.