BMW Drivetrain Parts for BMW 3 Series E46 (1999-2005)

When wheel bearing begin to fail you normally will here a squeaking or grinding noise or sometimes feel a slight amount of vibration in the steering wheel. Be sure to replace these asap to prevent possible damage to the hub or steering issues.

OEM Schaeffler (INA, LuK, & FAG) is an engineering company that focuses on high-performance, precision manufacturing. With their individual brands INA, Luk, and FAG providing exceptionally high quality parts directly to BMW, as well as countless other automotive companies, their history of reliability and variety of offered parts makes Schaeffler a go-to replacement parts provider for all of us here at Turner Motorsport.

As a leading source of high performance BMW parts and accessories since 1993, we at Turner Motorsport are honored to be the go-to supplier for tens of thousands of enthusiasts the world over. With over two decades of parts, service, and racing experience under our belt, we provide only quality performance and replacement parts.  All of our performance parts are those we would (and do!) install and run on our own cars, as well as replacement parts that are Genuine BMW or from OEM manufacturers. We only offer parts we know you can trust to perform!

Since established in 2004, GSP North America has positioned itself as a leading supplier of New Axles in North America.GSP’s new axle program consistently offers the best application coverage, most SKU count, and more new numbers than any other competitors. GSP’s hub assembly program was introduced to North America market in 2010 and has grown into one the most trustable programs in US market.

This item fits the following BMWs: 

E46 BMW M3

E85 BMW Z4M 

Hands down - one of the best performance upgrades you can make to an E46 M3, E60 M5 or E63/E64 M6! With almost no downside you can make your BMW much quicker by swapping in a new ring & pinion gear set. The gearing used to be overlooked when planning modifications but the 3.85, 3.91, and 4.10 gears are now one of our biggest selling upgrades for the E46 M3! With a rear end gear upgrade you get the effects of adding horsepower but without adding any more stress to the engine or drivetrain. It's one of the best areas to get return from your modification spending. Using a shorter (numerically higher) gear ratio will give you better acceleration. The R&P acts as a torque multiplier, putting the engine into the power band sooner for each gear. There is an 6% increase in torque at the wheels with the shorter R&P. Want to make your car faster off the line or out of corners? Or avoid a downshift to pass on the highway? This is what you need.

The R&P can be installed on its own but for cars that have more than 60,000 miles it would be a better idea to rebuild the whole diff. The factory viscous limited slip units have a typical lifespan of 50-70,000 miles. We offer diff rebuilding with 3.85 or other gear options and you get a fully-rebuilt and serviced limited slip unit at the same time. Click here for our diff rebuild options.

3.85 Gearing Example: 2004 M3, 6-speed manual, 275/35-19" rear tires

Gear RatioGearSpeedRPM

40 MPH in 4th
3.62 4th 40mph 2,250rpm
3.85 4th 40mph 2,350rpm

70 MPH Cruise
3.62 6th 70mph 2,650rpm
3.85 6th 70mph 2,800rpm

5th Gear Speed at Redline
3.62 5th 175mph 8,000rpm
3.85 5th 165mph 8,000rpm

Why 5th? Because 6th does not have the mechanical advantage to get past wind resistance at these speeds - it is more of a cruise/overdrive gear. Using 5th for comparison purposes is much more relevant than having to take into account wind direction, resistance, grade, elevation, tire sizing, etc. These numbers are for comparisons among gear ratios only, not to determine what your M3 will top out at.

This item is the genuine BMW part and the ring & pinion set only. You will need to have this professionally installed into your existing differential. BMW does not supply differential rebuild parts (bearings, shims, plates, etc.) so only a qualified shop that is experienced in BMW diff rebuilding should perform this installation. We also offer built differentials and exchanges, click here.

This item fits the following BMWs:
2001-2006 E46 BMW M3
2004-2010 E60 BMW M5
2004-2011 E63 BMW M6

OEM part number 33108311351