E92 M3 Factory Alignment Specifications and Ride Height

Ride height:

From bottom of rim to fender.

18" Wheels
Front: 610 mm
Rear: 594 mm

19" Wheels
Front: 623 mm
Rear: 607 mm

Competition package: -10 mm from above specs.

Thanks!

Nice, where did u do it?

Very nice.

dealer

Mods - Any chance we could get this on a sticky?

These are from the alignment I had my dealer do as part of delivery. I had to type them out because the printout doesn't scan well. Anyway, they are actually generic to the E9x 3 series. The only difference is that you can get more neg camber in the front of an M. Mine is set to -1.3(left) and -1.2(right) with the guide pins in place (incidentally the max I could get from my 335 was -0.5 and -0.7 with the pins out). It handles very well, but I am fairly certain it will scrub the outside tire edge when I autocross and I will end up pulling the pins, going for the max neg. camber (I have read you can get around -1.5) and setting the toe to 0 deg.

Front:

Camber = -0.2 to -0.8
Caster = around 7.2 (this appears not to be adjustable)
Toe = 0.03 to 0.20
Total toe = 0.07 to 0.40
Steer Ahead = -0.05

Rear:

Camber = -1.6 to -2.1
Toe = 0.10 to 0.20
Total Toe = 0.20 to 0.40
Thrust Angle = -0.07 to 0.07

Tried to get a more track friendly alignment today. At stock ride height they could only get -1.4 in front. Looks like I'll need plates.

I only got -1.3 out of my front end.

So what's the consensus on who to buy from?

Dinan
TCKline
?????

I don't think anyone's bought camber plates on this forum yet.

Radiation Joe wrote

I only got -1.3 out of my front end.

So what's the consensus on who to buy from?

Dinan
TCKline
?????

GC has some available, that's what I would probably go with given my positive experiance with their products on the E46. EDC presents an issue apparently (connector on the top of the shock). I am buying a set the moment they are available.

The dinan units are not really camber plates as they only add -0.7 degree, which is not nearly enough.

jml wrote

GC has some available, that's what I would probably go with given my positive experiance with their products on the E46. EDC presents an issue apparently (connector on the top of the shock). I am buying a set the moment they are available.

The dinan units are not really camber plates as they only add -0.7 degree, which is not nearly enough.

but just for street driving, you probably don't want to go too much, i.e. more than -2 deg, because that is just going to wear out your tires...

rzm3 wrote

but just for street driving, you probably don't want to go too much, i.e. more than -2 deg, because that is just going to wear out your tires...

Then why bother? There is absolutely no reason for more than 1 degree on the street, and unless you go at least -2.5, no reason to bother for the track either.

jml wrote

Then why bother? There is absolutely no reason for more than 1 degree on the street, and unless you go at least -2.5, no reason to bother for the track either.

exactly. really if one's only driving on the street, there is no need to go beyond factory specs.

Cool, Thanks.
I'm going to get my M3 aligned soon,
Should I print out stock M3 spec chart to the shop or just let them use e9x 3 series spec chart since they are same?

Does the e90 M3 utilize the same specs or is it different???

MentholGuy wrote

Cool, Thanks.
I'm going to get my M3 aligned soon,
Should I print out stock M3 spec chart to the shop or just let them use e9x 3 series spec chart since they are same?

If you are aligning at a dealer, then no need to print out. If at some other shop, then I would print it out.

spectrumphoto wrote

Does the e90 M3 utilize the same specs or is it different???

don't know. ask your SA

thx

rzm3 wrote

exactly. really if one's only driving on the street, there is no need to go beyond factory specs.

I am not sure I agree with this. If you have some good twisty roads that you take at a fast pace, the stock alignment will prematurely wear the outside of your front tires (mine are suffering). I think -1.5 - -2.0 might be about right to make mine wear more evenly while performing better in the twisties and the occational track day.

Also, if you go with the optimal -3+ for the track then you are likely to get pretty big oversteer, so then you need to adjust the rest of your suspension. I'd guess -1.5 - 2.0 would be neutral handling with significantly lessened shoulder wear.

Great thread!

I am considering the Dinan springs, and wondering if I should have the camber plates installed at the same time since the suspension will be pulled apart anyway. The two sets of tires I've used are worn out bad on the outside. With the extra -.7, one would get pretty close to -2 degrees after the alignment, which would be a pretty good setup I think like jakeo is saying. A couple of questions I can't seem to find answers to:

1. How thick are the Dinan plates? (How much of a reduction in the drop)
2. How much do they weigh?

If anyone has installed them, please let me know. I called Dinan, but can't get a hold of anyone there, and my Dinan dealer has not seen any yet, so he doesn't know either.

Also, I've read mixed reports on pulling out the pin--if the pin even exists or not on the E9X M3. So, does it exist? And, is the -1.3 max negative camber people are reporting obtained with or without pulling out the pin?

lucid wrote

I am considering the Dinan springs, and wondering if I should have the camber plates installed at the same time since the suspension will be pulled apart anyway. The two sets of tires I've used are worn out bad on the outside. With the extra -.7, one would get pretty close to -2 degrees after the alignment, which would be a pretty good setup I think like jakeo is saying. A couple of questions I can't seem to find answers to:

1. How thick are the Dinan plates? (How much of a reduction in the drop)
2. How much do they weigh?

If anyone has installed them, please let me know. I called Dinan, but can't get a hold of anyone there, and my Dinan dealer has not seen any yet, so he doesn't know either.

I got a hold of a Dinan rep, so I'll answer my own question for others who might be interested:

The camber plates are forged aluminum and result in a 1/8" reduction in the drop. They weigh less than a pound. If you max out the stock negative camber setting and add the plates, you'll end up with 2.0-2.1 degrees.