# E36 318is LSD standard ?



## guzplace (Apr 16, 2004)

Does this model have LSD as standard or not?
what about E36s in general ( NON - M3 )


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

guzplace said:


> Does this model have LSD as standard or not?
> what about E36s in general ( NON - M3 )


AFAIK it was never standard on the 318is but it was available as a factory option up to '95 or '96. By 1996 ASC was becoming a mainstream feature and I don't believe any car fitted, or which could be optioned, with ASC was available also with an LSD.


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## guzplace (Apr 16, 2004)

hey andy how are ya ?
thanks a lot for ur fast reply.

what's ur ride ?
i have a european model too
E46 318i


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## SergioK (Aug 14, 2002)

andy_thomas said:


> AFAIK it was never standard on the 318is but it was available as a factory option up to '95 or '96. By 1996 ASC was becoming a mainstream feature and I don't believe any car fitted, or which could be optioned, with ASC was available also with an LSD.


I test drove an E30 318is with the LSD and couldn't really figure out what good it was for since any 318i with some decent tires on it can't really break the rear end loose. Hell, I've gotten my wife's 318i into a power oversteer situation only once and I had to really push it on a highly technical track in order to do so. I don't have a LSD on my car and it has the 2.5l I-6 with more HP & torque than the 1.8l I-4 and I haven't really noticed a need for a LSD.

An M3 with 333hp... that's a different story.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

SergioK said:


> I test drove an E30 318is with the LSD and couldn't really figure out what good it was for since any 318i with some decent tires on it can't really break the rear end loose.


You're not trying hard enough .


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

guzplace said:


> hey andy how are ya ?
> thanks a lot for ur fast reply.
> 
> what's ur ride ?
> ...


Also European model: E46 318i, with Valvetronic motor. Very smooth, not fast, but a lot more economical than it was due to an endless series of firmware updates applied by the dealer...!


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## johnf (Sep 16, 2003)

LSD came standard on the M3. It was an option in Germany (and elsewhere in Europe) on other E36 models through 8/97. Starting with 9/97 production, it was dropped in favor of ASC+T except on the diesel models, the 318tds, 325td and 325tds. I suspect their DDEs would not support it and it was just easier to continue with LSD.

BMW NA dropped LSD from the U.S. pricelist at the end of 2/96. The marketing folk sincerely believed ASC+T made it obsolete. Munich, however, had no problem putting it on a U.S. car while it was still an option in Europe. A U.S. dealer could still special order a 318is with LSD but getting BMW NA to approve took some persistance. My dealer spent about a month working their system at various levels before they would agree to it on my 6/96 U.S. 318is. And when they delivered the car, the bums didn't even slap an "Individual" sticker on the shock tower for the special equipment  or the month of politicking the options took. 

Anyway, get LSD if you can. I definitely notice it when I push the car hard or drive it in the wet or on snow.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

johnf said:


> BMW NA dropped LSD from the U.S. pricelist at the end of 2/96. The marketing folk sincerely believed ASC+T made it obsolete. Munich, however, had no problem putting it on a U.S. car while it was still an option in Europe. A U.S. dealer could still special order a 318is with LSD but getting BMW NA to approve took some persistance. My dealer spent about a month working their system at various levels before they would agree to it on my 6/96 U.S. 318is. And when they delivered the car, the bums didn't even slap a special order sticker on the shock tower to show there was something special about it  or that it took a month of politicking to get its options.


"318is Individual Sideways" would have been the most apt I suppose, John


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## johnf (Sep 16, 2003)

andy_thomas said:


> "318is Individual Sideways" would have been the most apt I suppose, John


I don't think BMW NA understood that at the time. Fortunately, my salesman did. He was racing a 2002 and clearly understood why I would prefer an LSD to ASC+T.


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