Differential Upgrade List
 

Hugo, in real oem you find the numbers, and the model of car, when i have my old Ti y prove some diff, in my Ti i use a M3 Manual tranny so i finish with the 2.93lsd, but before i use 3.73 and 4.10!!!!Never find the 3.46 or 3.45 in Puerto Rico, i think if your Ti is Supercharger you need the 2.93 or somekind of 3.2??? if th Ti is NOT supercharger the 3.73 is the perfect number for drag

Hi. I sell lots of used limited slip diffs for BMWs. I can say with experience that E36 318i and tii uses a small case diff identical to the E30 318i built from 1984-1991. You might want to use the flanges from your existing diff and pop them into a replacement E30 small diff. The flanges snap out by leveraging a beefy screw driver between flange and case. Just avoid putting pressure on the lightweight dust cover that is pressed onto the flange shaft. The ratios I have seen for E30 318i lsds are: 3.64, 3.91 and 4.10. If there are any others, I haven't seen them. Any of these would be an easy and fairly affordable refit into your E36 car. No hassle!

If you look through the differential threads, you will see that there are many choices. Alot of members, myself included, have gone with large case diffs.

There is also the limited slip differential that was optionable for the 1995 model year that I have in my car. It is a 3.45 LSD

When discussing diffs, for me ratio is not as important as what size housing it has.

This subject deserves a well cataloged file in the notebook section. Ratios, case sizes, mounting and parts needed to do the swap, depending on which diff you choose. It should also list beside each choice who has done that mod.

Only because you have a 328ti right? The added torque is definitely bad news for the small case diff. The ratio runs a close second to the case size for me.

I really don't see the need to go with the large case diff if you retain the 1.8. Even supercharged M42 and M44 engines would be fine with the small case diff.

That may be true, but after doing the searching, it turns out finding a 3.45 LSD from a 318ti is not easy. Then again, I really wasn't sold on the idea anyway. My 3.46 LSD large case was cheaper than buying the 3.45 LSD from the 318ti.

I also decided that changing ratios was not the right way to add torque. So I kept the same ratio, and added the LTW flywheel instead.

A DASC ti puts out around the same hp as a 2.8. Many people have not upgraded their diff whether a DASC or conversion. My stock one lasted only a few years.

I'll sell my 3.45 LSD for the right price. It has less than 100k miles on it and the fluid is changed religiously every 10k miles. PM me with bids. :biggrin:

Why do you wanna sell the diff?

I've got two options in front of me right now:
-I can pick up Snuggz's m44 for cheap and build it up (forged internals, etc.) and run big boost on it...
-Or put a Nissan Sr20det into the Ti.

Both situations will produce a ton of power, so I should probably upgrade to a large case e30 diff.

I'm with Dusten. I'll sell mine as well. 135k miles, and the fluid is regularly changed with redline. It was inspected and all of the seals were changed about two or three years ago.

This large case LSD vs small case LSD reminds me of the CAI debate. Why recommend the 3.45 LSD from the Club Sport, when for the same price or less, you can get the large case diff. Truth is, you don't need to buy a single thing, after buying the large case diff. The M-coupe finned cover is a bonus. Just swap a used rear cover from an E30 6 cylinder car, and that's it. Everything else on your Ti is useable.

If you decide to upgrade, then swap halfshafts and flanges, and maybe the rear cover.