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E46 M3 SUBFRAME ISSUE PRODUCTION YEARS SERIES
Featuring 95A durometer polyurethane, Black Series bushings are 25% stiffer than street bushings. Need bushings for a dedicated track car? Powerflex Black Series bushings are the ultimate in track and race bushings. Powerflex street bushings are ideal for street driven vehicles and those that see occasional autocross or track time. Periodic reapplication is recommended to extend squeak-free service life of bushings. Use of Powerflex Copper Grease PCG1 is recommended for ease of installation. Powerflex performance polyurethane bushings are built to last longer than OEM rubber bushings, while improving performance and allowing for a more engaging driving experience. Their experience with polyurethane bushing material and state-of-the art manufacturing techniques allows them to produce premium performance bushings, made to exact-fit standards. Powerflex is the number one selling suspension bushing manufacturer in Europe. Powerflex polyurethane subframe bushings are firmer than OEM bushings, resulting in better handling, a more planted rear-end, and more efficient suspension articulation - all with minimal sacrifice to ride quality.
![e46 m3 subframe issue production years e46 m3 subframe issue production years](https://i.imgur.com/mxnWwt1.jpg)
Factory rubber bushings are a compromise between a cushy ride and responsive handling. With the subframe out of the car there are quite a few additional items that can or should be replaced.Subframe bushings are tasked with securing the subframe to the chassis. Access to the top of the floor in the rear trunk is also required. It is also recommended, but not required, to remove the gas tank. Installation requires the removal of the exhaust, rear suspension, subframe, and differential. And any future crash repairs or chassis work in this area will be more difficult with the foam. Also, most fabricators, welders, and body shops dislike the structural foam because it makes welding and metal repairs more difficult and dangerous (the vapors from burning structural foam is hazardous). You could find yourself making welding repairs even after the foam has been applied. But it doesn't address pre-existing cracks or the weak and incomplete spot welds at the top of the subframe mount. It's derived from aircraft construction so it's very strong, light weight, durable, and relatively easy to apply. There's nothing really wrong with the foam method. When the foam is fully hardened it adds strength between the sheetmetal layers and prevents them from flexing. Urethane or solid aluminum mounts are strongly recommended, even on street cars, as they do not allow the subframe to flex.īMW's official fix was to inject structural foam between the two layers. Worn and spongy rubber subframe mounts contribute to additional chassis flex. Eventually entire sections of the rear floor can rip away.
![e46 m3 subframe issue production years e46 m3 subframe issue production years](https://transport.kelsey.host/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/BMW-E46-M3-3.jpg)
E46 M3 SUBFRAME ISSUE PRODUCTION YEARS CRACKED
Continuing to drive with a cracked floor only worsens the problem and cracks spread. Since there is this gap between the layers, with tremendous torsional load at these points, the bottom layer twists and deforms and the spot welds eventually pop and fail. BMW tried to eliminate flexing of the floor by bracing the front mounts but this only transferred the stress to another point. What followed was the continuation of an unprecedented success story that started in 1986 with the purist M3 E30 and was reinforced in 1992 by the progressive M3 E36. Shortly after the turn of the millennium, a third generation BMW M3 entered the automotive world: the BMW M3 E46. If the two sheetmetal layers were joined or braced together this problem may never have developed in the first place. The BMW M3 E46.A driving machine for the ages.
![e46 m3 subframe issue production years e46 m3 subframe issue production years](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.bimmerfile.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/E36_compact_M3_concept_511-highRes.jpg)
![e46 m3 subframe issue production years e46 m3 subframe issue production years](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2508/13115158565_c605e774b3_b.jpg)
The rear subframe mount gussets (where the subframe is bolted to) are tack welded to the bottom layer. The rear floor of the E46 is actually two sheets of steel with a gap between them. However, every E46 on the road potentially needs rear floor repair and reinforcement and it's a absolute must-do for any track or race car project. BMW even has an official fix for non-damaged cars. Unlike the E36 M3, the E46 models did not receive sheetmetal reinforcements from the factory and subframe and floor failures continued to be a problem well into the E46 production. Rear subframe and floor failures are quite common on the E36 and E46 models.