Rear shock replacement.

[gooten1]

I got a set of bilsteins for my rear suspension since it's been rattling. I'm going to do the instal either tonight or tomorrow. Is there anything I ought to know before I just dive in and do it?

((Once I'm done, I'll type up a write-up for the notebook.))

[H3_2.1-ti]

I would go ahead and replace the rear shock mounts as well. Use the E46 cabrio rear mounts and gaskets. Great upgrade and not expensive. Probably cost you about 40$ including the gaskets.

Cheers,

[moku]

I installed Bilstein Sports on my car and it was pretty straightforward. Like H3_2.1-ti already mentioned, you'll want to upgrade your RSMs. I used E46 M3 Convertible RSMs and also added the reinforcement brackets. Other than that, you should be good to go.

[hotdog19d]

it should be pretty straight-forward, I did it and I'm pretty much an un-handy man

[gooten1]

Wow. Took me less than thirty minutes. Jack the back end up, support it on jack stands, and drop the two bolts that hold it on. (One on top, one on the bottom.) The nut on top is a 17 mm, while the bolt on the bottom is a 18 mm. You'll have to use a smaller wrench to hold the top of the shock still while you turn the top nut.

Once you put the new shocks in, tighten them down a bit, then put the car back on its wheels. Then tighten the nuts and bolts the rest of the way.

I'm gonna drive gently for a few hundred miles, till the shocks are broken in. The old ones were totally shot, and the new ones (Bilsteins) are soo cool.

[hotdog19d]

I knew you wouldn't have any problems.

[gooten1]

Put on the front shock tower brace today. That took about 10-15 minutes. I had to whack the brackets to get them over the bolts, but other than that, it was muy simpatico. (Very simple.) I can tell a bit of a difference in chassis rigidity, especially during hard cornering. (Then it started raining, which turned my cornering into drifting.....but that's another story....)

[gooten1]

Gotten a few more miles on the new set up, and I'm ready to put the Bilstein Sports on the front too...I love the feel. I did find out that the old shocks were dead (I can compress them by hand, and they won't rebound.) So pretty much anything is an improvement, but these keep the back end steady and firm, letting me corner quicker. To sum it all up, I'm saying a 9 out of 10.