BUDGET PERFORMANCE SUSPENSION GUIDE (Ultimate E46 OEM+ SACHS Setup) (2024)

1. What is this?

This guide will walk you through my suggestions for refreshing your E46 suspension using OE BMW parts only. The goal is to achieve increased performance over the original ZHP setup at a lower cost than aftermarket. While written with the ZHP in mind, this guide can be applied to all non-M 6 cylinder E46s. I will also provide background information on E46 stock suspension setups, including some commentary and part numbers to better understand the context of this guide. If you don’t care about any of that and just want the list of parts, you can skip to section 9 or 10.

2. Stock parts?

Enthusiasts may scoff at the idea of stock suspension, but there is tremendous value in factory parts that is often overlooked. BMW owners should know this best. The sheer number of available factory options and packages can completely transform our cars – case in point being the ZHP. Not to mention the exhaustive BMW Individual program, BMW Performance parts bin and excellent cross-compatibility between models. These options provide many parts for BMW drivers without having to resort to aftermarket solutions.

3. Why should I care?

OE parts have economies of scale on their side. They are low-cost, but are far from cheap. You will spend less compared to entry-level aftermarket parts while receiving better quality and performance. Not to mention that if you live in a country with strict laws on modifications and aftermarket parts, this may be your only option to begin with.

4. What parts are we talking about?

Put simply, my overhaul consists of the high performance line of SACHS dampers. SACHS is an OEM for E46 dampers. Our cars originally shipped with SACHS dampers. Seeking more detailed information starts making things complicated. There have been many discussions over the years about which dampers were originally shipped with the different trim levels of the E46. To make matters worse, the trim levels are different in every country. For example, America received the ZHP as opposed to the MSport (M package). While similar, there are some key differences, complicating matters further.

5. Deep dive into SACHS

Before we look at the different factory suspension setups, let’s familiarize ourselves with SACHS dampers. SACHS, a sub-brand of ZF, used to have four distinct lines of shocks. While new old stock (NOS) of some parts still exists, all four lines have officially been discontinued. All the OE lines (Touring, Super Touring and Advantage) were replaced by the new Pro Touring line.

Touring – basic line of shock absorbers
Super Touring – performance shocks for sporty applications
Advantage – high performance shocks for sports cars and performance trim levels
Performance – ultra high performance aftermarket shocks
Pro Touring* – combination shocks that consolidate various lines from low to high performance

I don’t have the exact dates, but the SACHS Performance kit (part number 84 1500 118 208) was discontinued sometime around 2010. The Performance dampers can be identified by their red shock bodies. The kit was paired with 30/30mm lowering springs, also made by SACHS. This is what it looked like.

There has been no replacement for the Performance kit.

The Advantage line of shocks was discontinued in two stages for the E46. First, the rear Advantage shocks were discontinued around 2015. The Advantage struts were discontinued more recently in 2019. The Advantage dampers can easily be identified by the red stickers on a black shock body. This is what they looked like.

In the early days of the E46, some cars also came equipped with BOGE shocks, another brand of ZF. While some products are still labeled under the BOGE brand, E46 components are exclusively SACHS now. This is a what the BOGE Turbos looked like. They were basically the predecessors and very similar to the now also discontinued Advantage dampers.

Touring and Super Touring dampers have blue stickers on black shock bodies.

Pro Touring dampers have white stickers on black shock bodies.

*There’s a chance that this line of shocks actually has no more name. I read Pro Touring somewhere, thought it sounded fitting and decided to use it to describe this newest line of SACHS dampers.

6. Which SACHS dampers did different E46 variants come with?

I have speculated in the past, and I can’t guarantee that I got it right this time, but I think that I’ve finally found the answer to the mystery. I cross-referenced these with BMW part numbers for verification and they seem to check out. The part numbers I’m about to list all refer to the front left and right dampers unless otherwise noted. The tables below are set up like this, with each line break representing the beginning of a new table:

Package name (as ordered through the dealer, for example base model or sports package)
Suspension name and factory option number
Original BMW part numbers for the front dampers that came on that package
Name of the SACHS line that corresponds with those original BMW part numbers
SACHS part numbers, including discontinued legacy line part numbers (Touring, Super Touring and Advantage) and current part numbers (Pro Touring)

Base Model
Standard Suspension (Option S225A)

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Original BMW part numbers:

Code:

31 31 6 750 78931 31 6 750 790

= SACHS Touring

OEM (SACHS) part numbers:

Code:

556-867 (Touring) [discontinued]556-868 (Touring) [discontinued]317-547 (Pro Touring)317-548 (Pro Touring)

Base Model
Poor Road Package (Option S815A)

Original BMW part numbers:

Code:

31 31 6 750 78931 31 6 750 790

= SACHS Touring

OEM (SACHS) part numbers:

Code:

556-867 (Touring) [discontinued]556-868 (Touring) [discontinued]317-547 (Pro Touring)317-548 (Pro Touring)

Sports Package
Sports Suspension (Option S226A) PRE 09/2001

Original BMW part numbers:

Code:

31 31 6 750 79131 31 6 750 792

= SACHS Advantage

OEM (SACHS) part numbers:

Code:

556-873 (Advantage) [discontinued]556-874 (Advantage) [discontinued]317-541 (Pro Touring)317-542 (Pro Touring)

Sports Package
Sports Suspension (Option S226A) POST 09/2001

Original BMW part numbers:

Code:

31 31 2 282 45931 31 2 282 46033 52 2 282 461 (rears)

= SACHS Super Touring

OEM (SACHS) part numbers:

Code:

290-949 (Super Touring) [discontinued]290-950 (Super Touring) [discontinued]317-539 (Pro Touring)317-540 (Pro Touring)

Performance Package
ZHP Suspension (Option S767A)

Original BMW part numbers:

Code:

31 31 2 282 45931 31 2 282 46033 52 2 282 461 (rears)

= SACHS Super Touring

OEM (SACHS) part numbers:

Code:

290-949 (Super Touring) [discontinued]290-950 (Super Touring) [discontinued]317-539 (Pro Touring)317-540 (Pro Touring)

MSport Package (M Package)
MTech Suspension (Option S338A + Option S226A)

Original BMW part numbers:

Code:

31 31 2 282 10131 31 2 282 102

= SACHS Advantage

OEM (SACHS) part numbers:

Code:

556-873 (Advantage) [discontinued]556-874 (Advantage) [discontinued]317-541 (Pro Touring)317-542 (Pro Touring)

7. Get to the point already

The point is that the SACHS Advantage line of shocks, famously known as MTech dampers, were the highest performing dampers available from factory for the E46. Advantage dampers were by far the most popular and highly recommended performance setup in many German forums. They can even handle certain lowering springs and are often used as Bilstein B8 alternatives (the latter has a very bad reputation in Germany). This means that for our budget performance suspension overhaul, we want SACHS Advantage front struts and SACHS Advantage rear shocks.

8. The issue and the solution

Although the ZHP didn’t receive the MTech dampers like MSport models in the rest of the world, MTech dampers (the old Advantage line) are still available to Americans because early model S226A cars were sold here (as seen in section 6). Unfortunately, SACHS Advantage dampers were discontinued, as explained in section 5. That isn’t a big issue for the front Advantage struts, because the front replacement units, now under the Pro Touring line, supposedly perform identically. As you can see in the section 6 table, the two part numbers we want are 317-541 and 317-542.

The rear Advantage shocks (556-884) on the other hand have been permanently discontinued. The new replacement part number is 556-882, which is a combination shock that consolidates the part numbers for both sport and non-sport models into one unit. According to ZF, this new unit is 30% softer than the old 556-884 Advantage line part, although rebound is slightly stiffer.

Regardless, it is no good for our purposes.

If you live in Europe, there is an easy solution because you have access to an additional sub-brand of ZF: TRW, which makes the TRW JGT439T. Supposedly, this part is closer in performance to the old 556-884 part. I did find a listing for them on amazon.com, so there does seem to be a supplier distributing them in the US, but I can’t guarantee how much longer this listing will be available.

A more reliable option for US buyers are the E36 M3 rear shocks. The M3 came with M-specific Super Touring (blue sticker) dampers (not comparable to the non-M Super Touring dampers), although these too were recently replaced with Pro Touring units. Nevertheless, the E36 M3 rear shocks are 8.1mm larger in diameter (50mm vs 41.9mm) than standard E46 rear shocks. They also contain more oil and are generally beefier. Performance-wise they are exactly what we need to complete our MTech damper setup.

And that is basically what it comes down to. In a nutshell, we want to install MTech dampers on an E46 as they offer a level of performance that is otherwise only achieved with aftermarket dampers. Due to ZF discontinuing some of their products, I had to improvise and combine SACHS Pro Touring front struts and E36 M3 SACHS Pro Touring rear shocks. The end result is a high performance damper setup consisting of OE parts. While this setup forms the heart of our budget performance suspension, there are still a few distinct routes you can take from here. I’ve boiled it down to a budget and a maximum performance option. All that’s left is to choose one of the options from below.

9. Option 1: Prioritize budget

Core part	Selection	Part number	Price	Notes
Springs	Stock ZHP springs		$0	ZHP springs provide a great balance between comfort and performance. If you don’t have a ZHP, try finding a used set or get Eibach Pro-Kit springs.
Front left damper	E46 SACHS Pro Touring	317-542	$110	Previously known as SACHS Advantage.
Front right damper	E46 SACHS Pro Touring	317-541	$110	Previously known as SACHS Advantage.
Front strut mounts	Stock E46	802-186	$22 x2	Make sure to remove the centering pin with a hammer or dremel and ask for maximum negative camber in the front during the alignment. In Europe, you can also use the Z4 mounts (SACHS 802-066) to lower the front by 10mm without affecting suspension travel.
Front control arm bushings	Stock Z4M	31107838575	$59	These will increase caster by about 1°. They are also made of solid rubber, offering better steering response and durability. If you are unable to press in the new bushings yourself, there is someone on the E46Fanatics forums that offers pre-pressed units.
Front bump stops	Genuine E36 M3	31332225377	$19 x2	These are only 2/3 as tall as the stock bump stops. Alpina used them for their FE3 suspension package on the E46 Alpina B3, which also used a combination of SACHS dampers and Eibach springs.
Rear shock mounts	Stock E46	33521092362	$8 x2	A low cost option that works just fine.
Rear dampers	E36 M3 SACHS Pro Touring	290-816	$65 x2	These should outperform even the old Advantage line.
Rear bump stops	E36 M3	33531138109	$6 x2	These are the shortest and stiffest available rear bump stops.
Total price			$519 with lifetime FCPEuro warranty

10. Option 2: Prioritize performance

Core part	Selection	Part number	Price	Notes
Springs	Eibach Pro-Kit	2067.140	$110 - $281	The Pro-Kit is the least aggressive lowering spring available. It pairs well with SACHS shocks, offering both comfort and performance.
Front left damper	E46 SACHS Pro Touring	317-542	$110	Previously known as SACHS Advantage.
Front right damper	E46 SACHS Pro Touring	317-541	$110	Previously known as SACHS Advantage.
Front left strut mount	Genuine E36 M3	31332227897	$55 - $170	Lemförder doesn’t make these anymore, so expensive Genuine parts are the only option. I recommend trying to find used units. These will increase caster by 2.5° and camber by -0.5°, but make sure to get MY96 or later versions, as only these have increased caster. Ride height remains the same. ECS has some cheaper OEM options but I can’t vouch for them.
Front right strut mount	Genuine E36 M3	31332227898	$55 - $170	Install the left mount on the left and right mount on the right for maximum caster gain. If you prefer camber over caster, install them reversed.
Front bump stops	Genuine E36 M3	31332225377	$19 x2	These are only 2/3 as tall as the stock bump stops. Alpina used them for their FE3 suspension package on the E46 Alpina B3, which also used a combination of SACHS dampers and Eibach springs.
Rear shock mounts	Repair Shop Lifetime mounts	100.33.530.0013	$40	These are stiffer and will last longer than stock mounts.
Rear dampers	E36 M3 SACHS Pro Touring	290-816	$65 x2	These should outperform even the old Advantage line.
Rear bump stops	E36 M3	33531138109	$6 x2	These are the shortest and stiffest available rear bump stops.
Total price			$660 with lifetime FCPEuro warranty