BMW E36 M3 H&R CoilOver PDF Installation Instruction Manual

In the fall of 1999 I had the pleasure of purchasing a 97 BMW M3. I had always been in awe of the car after hearing many publications rave about its handling prowess and silky smooth drivetrain. I never imagined that I would own a car of this caliber, but that all changed when I made one fatal mistake. I allowed a dealer to hand me the keys for a test drive. Actually, I didn’t want to drive the car, but a friend I had along with me,
without my prior knowledge, asked that I be allowed to drive the car. End of story. I now drive an Alpine White M3 and can’t wait to make that last payment.

I quickly realized that the M3 was much more car than I would probably ever be driver. Although I enjoy autocrossing and various other driving events, the M3 has made me realize how far I have to go in the driving skills department. Things happen in a hurry for the uninitiated. I have driven many high powered sports cars, but none have ever moved me or involved me like the M3. I can’t see ever being without one again.

Upon purchase, my car had just over 30,000 pampered miles. Not a scratch inside or out. This was my first BMW and I was pretty unfamiliar with them in general. After joining the E36M3 digest, I learned much, and unavoidably changed much on the car. Hence this write-up. Through talking to others, it became apparent that the stock suspension on an E36 M3 is generally shot at around 30,000 miles. Pretty disappointing in a $40,000 car, but somewhat common none the less. Lets just look at it as an “opportunity.” J

At the time of this install my car had 51,000 miles on it and things had started to feel a little floaty and sloppy at times. This prompted me to start shopping for suspension upgrades. As always, everyone has an opinion, and there are a few “common” setups out there, but the thing that rought me to the H&R coilover kit was the fact that they are engineered as a set. No mixing and matching various companies products. As a somewhat anal mechanical engineer myself, this engineered “system” seemed appealing, and heck, those front struts do look cool. My only concern was the ride. I have a dedicated autocross/track car, so the M3 is the fair-weather daily driver and I wasn’t about to ruin the streetablility of the car. Many horror stories abound and I was concerned about the impending purchase. But with the pushing of a few informed souls, I took the plunge. I figured if the ride was that bad, somebody was going to get a really good deal on a slightly used coilover set. Check out the inpressions section to see if anything is for sale. J

Download BMW E36 M3 H&R CoilOver PDF Installation Instruction Manual