BMW E24 6 Series suspension parts
In designing the E24 6 Series to suit multiple markets, then chief pen-and-clay man Paul Bracq, who created the BMW Turbo in 1972, confronted the reality that BMW doesn’t always mean the same thing in Germany as it does here. It was a time to revel in traditional BMW styling, performance and personality, even though the influence of the 1972 Turbo is clearly evident on the E24 exterior. As it is even today, the German concept of sporting luxury does not always translate into American notions of, well, luxury luxury. And in many other countries, it is not a stretch to say BMW is better known for motorcycles and police cars than luxury automobiles. Still, no one here complained about the look of the new car; it was the “go quotient” that garnered criticism, and for the same reason as the E24’s stablemates–more weight and less power. It seemed, at least in the U.S., that BMW was reverting back to the pre-E9 era in terms of power-to-weight ratio.
Four-wheel disc brakes with ATE calipers stopped the coupe a whole lot better than the U.S.-spec engine that motivated it, and the suspension, softened for America, was a model of BMW handling and comfort. Suspension design was also shared with the E12 and, in fact, with most BMWs since the early ’60s. It was a tried and true formula–control arms with strut rods and MacPherson struts at the front, semi-trailing arms at the rear, fully independent all around. BMW carried over 195/70-14 tires on 6×14-in. wheels from the E9 coupe and E12 5 Series. In fact, the wheels were interchangeable, something BMW was infinitely cool about until only recently. Enthusiasts quickly found Bilstein sport shocks, Alpina coil springs and 7×14-in. wheels either from the aftermarket or from BMW. Tire size could be increased to 225/60-14 with no significant speedometer penalty or fitment issues. Long-lost companies such as Quickor were fast to market with larger sway bars and coil springs.
Now, it’s a fact of life that everything gets bigger and heavier in time–cars as well as people. We are willing to put up with added girth in return for function. But what happened to U.S.-spec E24 engines was just a sin. American emissions laws mandated use of a positively horrible exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system incorporating an air-injection system component that was akin to bolting a two-by-four board across the cylinder head exhaust ports. High-compression pistons were out of the question, and, in fact, low compression was the order of the day due not only to the EGR system but also to the demise of serious high-octane gasoline–this was way before the knock-sensing ignition emerged to save the day for compression ratios. The result was that horsepower and torque nosedived. Due to the thermal reactor exhaust manifolds, cylinder-head warpage problems in the E24’s M30 engine appeared almost instantly in the heat of American summers.
