318is

You can fit E28 535i rubber engine mounts (P/N 11811132793) in place of the M42's hydraulic mounts. They will be a lot rougher and noisier at idle but not much above 1,000rpm. The benefit will be much better response from the engine from the standing start and on the move as there is less give in the engine, keeping the driveline straight. Not recommended for those who like a quiet comfortable ride. To fit you will need to remove the alignment tabs from each E28 mount and you will need to... more

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13: Fuel Preparation System

A pod filter is a popular modification but it needs to be properly shielded from engine heat to get the most out of it. Hot 4s magazine tested an E30 318is with a pod filter with and without a home made heatshield. With the heatshield power was up a maximum of 4kW (at 5,000 rpm), that's 5%.

Genuine and Ryco air filters look identical but the genuine filter is cheaper in my experience.

Airbox Modification For Increased Sound

Inspired by a news item for a... more

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16: Fuel Supply

There were three types of tank fitted to E30's, 58-litre on all models prior to 9/1983, and 55-litre and 63-litre tanks fitted to later models.You may have read that certain E30 M3's had a 70-litre tank. This is not exactly true. They actually had the 55-litre tank plus a 15-litre supplementary tank in the boot (inside the 15" spare wheel I believe). The 318is has the 55-litre tank. Fuel tanks should be interchangable but if changing to a different capacity you should also change the fuel... more

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17: Radiator

I have been told that BMW radiators clog up and inhibit flow significantly after around 5 years. For this reason you should avoid replacing a faulty radiator with a reconditioned, repaired or second hand unit. Even if the radiator is regularly flushed it may still suffer this problem. more

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18: Exhaust

My rear muffler has rusted in some places causing parts inside to rattle around and make noise so it is time to replace it.

The factory system comprises a very nice set of extractors going into a catalytic converter. The system then has a removable rear section which includes a resonator and finally a muffler with a single tip. As the pipe goes beneath the rear subframe it is flatened presumably for clearance. Some rough measurements revealed that the rear section uses 2.25 inch pipes but... more

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21: Clutch

Lighter Flywheel Options

Ever since I bought my 318is I have always felt it would benefit from a lighter flywheel mainly as it is particularly slow to drop revs on upchanges. It would probably also help acceleration too.

According to Julian Edgar in his book 21st Century Performance, it is reasonable to reduce the weight of a flywheel by up to 30 per cent before any significant degradation of smoothness and drivability occurs.

Unfortunately the 318is (or at least most... more

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23: Manual Transmission

It is possible to fit the gearbox from the E36 M42-powered 318is (Getrag 250). To quote someone who has done this: "You have to check inside bearing diameter in rear of the crankshaft. Clutch slave cilinder rod was lenghtened about 4 cm. It's better to make it adjustable, because it's difficult to make it right (Just make a thread on rod and long nut, because other way you have to cut and weld your stock clutch slave rod 3 times or more). To fit lambda sensor you have to cut small... more
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25: Gearshift Assy

Sometimes a sloppy gearshift can be caused by the rubber grommet that the gear lever passes through the body through. If this has cracked a new one will improve your gearshift.

Looking for a short shifter? Gear levers from some other BMW models will fit straight in. Popular choices are:

The lever from the Z3 1.9 (P/N 25111434148). Some quotes from people who have fitted this lever:
"Has a really nice feel... the shifts are noticably shorter than stock... no... more
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31: Front Axle

When looking for suspension parts keep in mind that the 318is has the wider 51mm struts, not 45mm.

Kmac and Nolan make front strut top mounts that allow you to adjust castor and camber.

Finding a front strut brace to fit a 318is is difficult as the M42 engine and intake manifold are higher and sit further back than engines on other E30 models.

Changing the suspension may cause registration legality and insurance issues. For example, NRMA Insurance will... more

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32: Steering

You may be able to fit an E46 power steering rack to an E30. Apparently you need to split your E30 steering coupling and join the top it to the bottom part of an E46 coupling.

There are two versions of the Mtech steering wheel. One is 380mm and the other is 365mm. more

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