Quote:
Originally posted by Todsimpson
I'm gonna dispute that the M3 suspension in newer or better. It's the same layout, struts in the front and trailing arms in the rear.
Where the 911 is much better is in adjustability. Front caster, camber and ride height all can be changed easily while in the rear ride height, camber and toe are all adjustable, though a little more difficult.
How much adjustment is in a stock M3 suspension?
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It's the same layout, yes, but suspension design gets so complicated in the details - I mean, to take a simple example I know well, drive an M3 back-to-back with a 325iS. There's a lot more difference in those two suspensions than just springs and shocks. Even if you get the same camber, toe, tires, etc. set between the two, the M3 still has the kung-fu grip by comparison. The big difference there is that the knuckle at the bottom of the strut has different geometry.
Now, comparing the M3 to the 911... The most obvious big difference, which may or may not itself matter, is that on the E30 unlike the 911, the front control arm has no bushings in between the strut and the car - it uses ball joints instead. The M3 can run way more caster because it has power steering. In the rear, the trailing arm angle is very different between the cars. There's a thousand little differences like this, which don't show up in the numbers one usually sees (because there's little if anything you can do about them) but which do have an impact overall. Saying the M3 and the 911 have the same suspension is kind of like saying the 996 has the same engine as a Subaru Legacy because they're both 24v flat-sixes. The Subaru example is not meant to diss the 911 suspension; it was just the easiest analogy I could think of
And yeah, lack of adjustability is the biggest weak point design-wise in the M3 - there is none, other than toe.