Rear Suspension - BMW 1999-2005 M3 Service Manual

Suspension, Steering and Brakes — General
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ease parking and city driving. At high
speeds, assist is reduced to ensure
stability.
The steering linkage connects the
rack-and-pinion unit through tie rods to
the steering arms. The tie rod ends allow
the wheels to pivot and react to
suspension travel.
On all wheel drive models, the rack and
pinion steering is constructed with a
larger diameter piston than the rear
wheel drive version. This is necessary to
counter the additional drag of the all
wheel drive system and the wider
standard wheels and tires.
The lower steering column in all wheel
drive models connects to the steering
rack via a universal joint, whereas there
is flexible ("guibo") joint on the rear
wheel drive models. The turning radius
of the all wheel drive vehicle is 35.8 feet,
1.4 feet greater than the rear wheel drive
vehicle.

Rear suspension

The rear suspension subframe (final
drive carrier) is the main mounting point
for the differential housing and rear
suspension components. It is bolted to
the vehicle undercarriage using four
large rubber bushings (arrows).
Trailing arms locate the rear wheels and
anchor the springs, shock absorbers and
stabilizer bar. Drive axles with constant-
velocity (CV) joints at both ends transfer
power from the differential to the road
wheels. The differential is mounted to
the subframe through rubber mounts
and bushings to help isolate drivetrain
noise and vibration.
In all wheel drive models, the rear
suspension and the rear differential have
2/25/2009 10:23 PM