04-19-2011, 10:54 AM
you're talking about the rear shock tower metal actually failing? Not a concern IMHO.
I can only imagine this happens:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=258995">http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=258995</a><!-- m -->
when you let the shock mount get loose, bang around for months and shred the surrounding metal. Or if the shock mount got really rusted out due to years of busted trunk seals and neglect. There's a gasket that probably traps water between the mount and tower as it ages if it's getting wet regularly. I fail to see how something like this:
![[Image: 2010-12-21_14-01-30_491.jpg]](http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk73/DUBESINEM/2010-12-21_14-01-30_491.jpg)
just bolted the same way the mount bolts in is going to help much unless you actually weld that thing to the tower. I'd skip this "upgrade" unless someone can explain to me how that helps.
It's the shock mount itself that's a sucky design and commonly fails.
![[Image: csc_005.jpg]](http://www.rfdm.com/albums/album41/csc_005.jpg)
It's been doing that ever since they came up with the 3 series. The bushing blows out and the top of the shock shaft bangs around in the mount. No big deal, but they're cheap to replace before it happens. Bimmerworld and others have some cheap, better designed, urethane versions that don't add any NVH, I consider it a must if upgrading to a sport suspension as that's going to accelerate the bushing failure. E46 is stiffer, but still rubber. For just a street car on tired suspension, I'd wait 'till it fails or looks like the one above. And you won't need the front strut mount reinforcements either without a really aggressive suspension. I'd get a strut tower bar to help share the load up there before I'd get the reinforcement plates. Looking at the price of the plates though, for $10-15, well I guess that's cheap insurance.
I can only imagine this happens:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=258995">http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=258995</a><!-- m -->
when you let the shock mount get loose, bang around for months and shred the surrounding metal. Or if the shock mount got really rusted out due to years of busted trunk seals and neglect. There's a gasket that probably traps water between the mount and tower as it ages if it's getting wet regularly. I fail to see how something like this:
just bolted the same way the mount bolts in is going to help much unless you actually weld that thing to the tower. I'd skip this "upgrade" unless someone can explain to me how that helps.
It's the shock mount itself that's a sucky design and commonly fails.
It's been doing that ever since they came up with the 3 series. The bushing blows out and the top of the shock shaft bangs around in the mount. No big deal, but they're cheap to replace before it happens. Bimmerworld and others have some cheap, better designed, urethane versions that don't add any NVH, I consider it a must if upgrading to a sport suspension as that's going to accelerate the bushing failure. E46 is stiffer, but still rubber. For just a street car on tired suspension, I'd wait 'till it fails or looks like the one above. And you won't need the front strut mount reinforcements either without a really aggressive suspension. I'd get a strut tower bar to help share the load up there before I'd get the reinforcement plates. Looking at the price of the plates though, for $10-15, well I guess that's cheap insurance.
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