Teach me about ITR 325's

[Olson-RRT]

1. Are there any common problems things that break etc. for this car?
Yes, but the great thing is they are common and can be planned/corrected for and there are not a lot of them

2. What size tires can fit under it in ITR
Wheel width is 8.5" so a 225 would fit nicely and a 245 would as well and work with just a bit of fender rolling; stay close to the stock et38 offset

3. Why the allowance for a trunk mounted fuel cell is the sock tank in a dangerous location?
Very safe location. We kept the stock tank in our BMWCCA Mod class car as it is also mounted low and close to center.


4. What to junkyard replacement motors for these run?
A few hundred to a couple thousand, many to choose from though. You should be looking for a >94 as this is the VANOS motor which gives you variable intake valve timing

5. What do replacement transmission run?
About as much as a Valentine's day dinner with a nice bottle of wine

6. Are final drives and LSD easily available, what is the typical cost.
Good searching will net you a stock clutch pack type <$500. Many "is" models come with them

7. How are the brakes on the car? I don't enjoy cars that are under braked?
BMWs get flak for poor braking systems as they have stuck with the single piston slider type for years while recently most manufacturers are using multiple piston, fixed calipers in their performance models. Fresh fluid, well bled, rebuild kit (rubber bits and cheap) and a good choice of pads will give you a more than adequate braking system

8. How difficult is this car to work on? What are the ECU options?
Very easy and very reliable. ECU is called a DME. Believe you can use anything that fits in the stock DME box which gives you many options. As anything, depends what you want to spend and spend some time with the rules on this one.

9. Oh yeah and how are they at making weight does a 215lb guy stand a chance in this car?
Making weight is not a problem but to fully answer your question a)Not sure how good the 215lb guy in question drives and b)I thought this was for your wife!!

10. Anything else anyone can offer?
Lots of hard development work previous done on this chasis for you to pull from. That counts for a lot.

[ekim952522000]

Hey guys just because the car is going to be for my wife doesn't mean I won't want to drive it sometimes. Ya never know I might end up liking it better than the prelude and trade her.

Thanks for all the info it sounds like a solid platform.

So it sounds like I would want a 94 or 95 coupe?

[Olson-RRT]

Coupe or sedan will be equal performance. Some prefer the sedan as the B pillar ends up being about even with your shoulder so the theory is greater side impact protection. Best aspect of a good donor is no rust. Where the rear sub-frame attaches should be reinforced (many rip out) and having rust there will make this a miserable job.

[JeffYoung]

Except, unfortunately, that's illegal.

Where the rear sub-frame attaches should be reinforced (many rip out) and having rust there will make this a miserable job.

[Olson-RRT]

Except, unfortunately, that's illegal.

Where the rear sub-frame attaches should be reinforced (many rip out) and having rust there will make this a miserable job.

Not if it matches the factory repair which has been close to an outright recall for the e46. At a certain point in their production cycle, both e36 and e46 chassis had this from the factory. Rust and wear can still wreck the factory reinforcements though. Not seam welding or anything along those lines, this is installing OEM parts. I don't think this violates item 8 under Suspension Mounting Points. I would not race an e36 chassis without these parts installed.

http://rrtracing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=223

edit: Item H under 8. Body/Structure
All chassis/structural/electrical repair, if performed, shall be in concurrence with factory procedures, specifications, and dimensions. Unless specifically authorized by the manufacturer for repair or allowed by these rules, no reinforcement, i.e., seam welding, material addition, etc., is permitted.

Knew it was in there somewhere.

[Ron Earp]

Here we go again......

[Greg Amy]

Here we go again......

https://improvedtouring.com...ad.php?t=12163

Start there.

BTW, the Autotechnica photo links on the first page no longer work. But, remember, nothing on the web ever disappears. Just add "http://web.archive.org/web/20050404233644" in front of the failed links, such as:

http://web.archive.org/web/200504042.../gallery/car11

[robits325is]

Coupe or sedan will be equal performance. Some prefer the sedan as the B pillar ends up being about even with your shoulder so the theory is greater side impact protection. Best aspect of a good donor is no rust. Where the rear sub-frame attaches should be repaired (many rip out) and having rust there will make this a miserable job.

How's that.

[Olson-RRT]

How's that.

That be better

Kinda like "may" and "shall"... Subtle yet quite different.

[JeffYoung]

Sorry Ron, I know I shouldn't start. But, this one always irked me.

Did the cars come from the fact with the reinforcement or not?

If not, illegal.

Everytime this starts, we get a BMW guy first say "you should reinforce the subframe mounts" which after being pointed out as illegal, becomes "it's just a repair."

If it never came from the factory reinforced, it's illegal. The reinforcement kit, OEM or not, is illegal. If you are repairing it back to teh way it was when it came from the factory, that is legal.

[Olson-RRT]

Sorry Ron, I know I shouldn't start. But, this one always irked me.

Did the cars come from the fact with the reinforcement or not?

If not, illegal.

Everytime this starts, we get a BMW guy first say "you should reinforce the subframe mounts" which after being pointed out as illegal, becomes "it's just a repair."

If it never came from the factory reinforced, it's illegal. The reinforcement kit, OEM or not, is illegal. If you are repairing it back to teh way it was when it came from the factory, that is legal.

Yes, they came from the factory "reinforced", the part used is intended to bring older or damaged cars to factory spec. Also see my edited post above.

[ekim952522000]

Sorry Ron, I know I shouldn't start. But, this one always irked me.

Did the cars come from the fact with the reinforcement or not?

If not, illegal.

Everytime this starts, we get a BMW guy first say "you should reinforce the subframe mounts" which after being pointed out as illegal, becomes "it's just a repair."

If it never came from the factory reinforced, it's illegal. The reinforcement kit, OEM or not, is illegal. If you are repairing it back to teh way it was when it came from the factory, that is legal.

Hmm maybe the E36 has bigger problems then I thought.

Jeff does that still apply if the factory has a recall on a car to change something? I would think that would become the new way a car is supposed to be fixed.