BMW Differential and Gearing Upgrades for BMW 3 Series E46 (1999-2005)

Clear BMW chassis

Please ensure your correct model is selected

Upgrading various parts of the differential can have tremendous benefits in your car's performance. It's easy to forget that the differential is a source for making your car faster and handle better so it's often overlooked. The engine is not the only place to make the car faster. Our differential options vary from gearing upgrades to limited slip conversions. You can purchase the ring & pinion gear sets on their own (professional installation required) or have us build a diff around your own specifcations. The options are almost endless! Every custom-built diff is fully rebuilt with seals and bearings. We also design and supply bushing options to reduce driveline wind-up, finned differential covers for better cooling, and more!

Ratio Changes - Changing the differential gearing is one of the best and most-effective upgrades you can make on any BMW (old or new). By using a shorter (numerically higher) final drive ratio you are increasing your RPM relative to road speed - this puts you in a more powerful RPM range than before! Since you're in a 'meatier' part of the power band you're now putting down more power/torque to the ground. If you can trade outright top speed for faster acceleration at daily speeds then this is the perfect upgrade for you.

Limited Slip Upgrades - Sadly, many BMWs today are not equipped with a limited slip (posi-traction) differential. BMW has tried to compensate by using traction control that cuts power at the engine or applies the brakes to retard wheel spin (or a combination of both). But nothing beats the function and feel of a a true LSD which may be why BMW continues to use them in M cars. Our LSD upgrades can be done a number of different ways - a factory-type limited slip unit with either 2 or 3 clutch packs, helical type, OS Giken unit, or something truly custom. We can also vary ramp angles and setup to change the limited-slip behavior under acceleration, deceleration, and cornering. Need a custom diff? Call or e-mail to have a quote.

Sub-Categories

Sort By:

Turner Motorsport - Corporate Logo
T#:337
Part#: TDR4680035
Ships in 7 Business Days
Sale - Save 25% $ 232.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 174.74 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 25%
$ 232.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 174.74 USD
Free Shipping
Made in the USA For our Grand-Am Cup E46 M3s we wanted a fully solid differential mount setup. The advantages of a fully-solid aluminum set is that they last forever, quickens response in the suspension, and frees up horsepower to the wheels. These fully solid aluminum diff mounts are CNC machined and lightened for a direct replacement of the original rubber pieces.

By substituting aluminum for rubber we can take out all of the deflection and 'wind up' inherent to the original rubber pieces. The high deflection rate of the stock rubber means the suspension reacts slower as the bushing is compressed. The power used to compress that bushing is instead passed straight to the axles and wheels. And since there is no time lost to deflection, response is greatly improved. These diff mounts are only recommended for racecars since the aluminum transfers more noise and vibration.

This is a 3-piece set with a single front bushing and two rear bushings to press into the cover. They mount with the stock BMW hardware.

This item fits the following BMWs:
2001-2006 E46 BMW M3
Show More Show Less
Turner Motorsport - Corporate Logo
T#:555025
Part#: TDR4680035-01
Ships on Aug 28, 2026
Sale - Save 28% $ 597.46

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-14-2026

$ 432.64 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 28%
$ 597.46

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-14-2026

$ 432.64 USD
Free Shipping
For our Grand-Am Cup E46 M3s we wanted a fully solid differential mount setup. The advantages of a fully-solid aluminum set is that they last forever, quickens response in the suspension, and frees up horsepower to the wheels. These fully solid aluminum diff mounts are CNC machined and lightened for a direct replacement of the original rubber pieces.

By substituting aluminum for rubber we can take out all of the deflection and 'wind up' inherent to the original rubber pieces. The high deflection rate of the stock rubber means the suspension reacts slower as the bushing is compressed. The power used to compress that bushing is instead passed straight to the axles and wheels. And since there is no time lost to deflection, response is greatly improved. These diff mounts are only recommended for racecars since the aluminum transfers more noise and vibration.

This is a 3-piece set with a single front bushing to be pressed in and two rear bushings pre-pressed into the cover. They mount with the stock BMW hardware.

This item fits the following BMWs:
2001-2006  E46 BMW  M3
Show More Show Less
ECS - Corporate Logo
T#:378193
Part#: 002447ECS03KT
In Stock
Sale - Save 25% $ 197.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 148.49 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 25%
$ 197.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 148.49 USD
Free Shipping

Worn rubber differential mounts will lead to the differential twisting and shifting around in the rear subframe. Not only will this be noisy but it's bad for driver confidence and bad for the chassis as well. Even on fresh rubber bushings the differential has deflection and twist, especially if the car has been modified for more torque. Since the differential is centrally mounted in the rear subframe, with all suspension mounts interconnected, a differential with too much deflection will affect handling and could even damage the rear subframe.

These 88A urethane E46 M3 diff mounts are much stiffer than stock but still not as solid as our Turner aluminum/Delrin bushings. This set will resist twisting much better than the stock rubber mounts. Included is the front diff mount and two rear mounts in the cover.

Show More Show Less

ECS - Corporate Logo
T#:348998
Part#: 002447ECS01
In Stock
Sale - Save 25% $ 148.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 111.74 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 25%
$ 148.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 111.74 USD
Free Shipping

Revitalize your driving experience with ECS Tuning's In-House Engineered Performance Polyurethane Differential Bushings. Say goodbye to soft factory rubber bushings and their deflection. These innovative bushings provide a substantial improvement in the connection between your right foot, the chassis, and the wheels. The outcome is a crisper power transfer from the differential to the wheels, resulting in enhanced throttle control for various driving activities. Notably, these polyurethane bushings achieve these benefits without the harshness or vibration often linked to delrin or solid differential mounts.

Manufactured using a robust 88A durometer polyurethane and a black anodized 6061-T6 aluminum sleeve, these bushings offer superior resistance to chemicals, ozone degradation, road salt, and general wear and tear. This translates to an extended service life.

Show More Show Less

ECS - Corporate Logo
T#:378192
Part#: 002447ECS02KT
In Stock
Sale - Save 25% $ 183.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 137.99 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 25%
$ 183.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 137.99 USD
Free Shipping

Worn rubber differential mounts will lead to the differential twisting and shifting around in the rear subframe. Not only will this be noisy but it's bad for driver confidence and bad for the chassis as well. Even on fresh rubber bushings the differential has deflection and twist, especially if the car has been modified for more torque. Since the differential is centrally mounted in the rear subframe, with all suspension mounts interconnected, a differential with too much deflection will affect handling and could even damage the rear subframe.

These 88A urethane E46 diff mounts are much stiffer than stock but still not as solid as our Turner aluminum/Delrin bushings. This set will resist twisting much better than the stock rubber mounts. Included are the two front diff mounts and the rear mount in the cover.

Show More Show Less
Premium Differential Service Kit - E46 M3, E9X M3, E82 1 M Coupe ...
Includes BMW SAF-XJ limited slip differential fluid with FM booster
Packaged by Turner - Corporate Logo
T#:598688
Part#: E46M3DIFSERTMSKT
In Stock
Sale - Save 8% $ 301.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
05-03-2026

$ 277.83 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 8%
$ 301.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
05-03-2026

$ 277.83 USD
Free Shipping
Servicing your differential is an important job and should only be completed using high quality components! To ensure our customers are getting exactly what they need, we have put together this limited-slip differential service kit that includes all new fluid from BMW, a new BMW drain plug, and one of our new Titanium Magnetic Differential Drain Plugs!
Show More Show Less

ECS - Corporate Logo
T#:378219
Part#: 002447ECS04KT
In Stock
Sale - Save 25% $ 112.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 84.74 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 25%
$ 112.99

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
06-13-2026

$ 84.74 USD
Free Shipping

Your rear differential is indirectly connected to your right foot through the engine and driveline, and connected to the seat of your pants through the chassis. Soft factory rubber differential bushings absorb vibrations between chassis and differential, providing comfort and softness in both of these connections.

Enter ECS Tuning's In-House Engineered Performance Polyurethane Differential Bushings. By eliminating the deflection factory rubber bushings permit, the connection between your right foot (and your seat) to the wheels is improved. Removal of this slop allows for crisper power transfer from differential to wheels, which means better throttle control while carving a canyon road, drag racing, sliding the rear end out, or just driving to work. This is achieved without the harshness or vibration associated with delrin or solid differential mounts.

Featuring a tough 88A durometer polyurethane and Black anodized 6061-T6 aluminum Sleeve, our Performance Polyurethane Differential Bushings are more resistant to chemicals, ozone degradation, road salt, and general wear and tear than factory rubber bushings, resulting in a longer service life.

Show More Show Less
Packaged by Turner - Corporate Logo
T#:556968
Part#: 33112282482KT3
Ships on Aug 28, 2026
Sale - Save 7% $ 676.14

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
05-03-2026

$ 627.61 USD
Free Shipping
Sale - Save 7%
$ 676.14

This product was last offered at the strikethrough price on
05-03-2026

$ 627.61 USD
Free Shipping

This kit includes Turner Motorsport solid aluminum differential race mounts pre installed in the differential cover for a quick install. These mounts where developed by Turner Motorsport for their Grand-Am Cup E46 M3 race cars, the advantages of solid aluminum mounts is increased suspension & drivetrain response, less drivetrain loss resulting in more wheel horsepower, and longevity - they effectively last forever. These CNC-machined mounts are a direct replacement for the stock rubber pieces, and have been lightened to remove excess weight. 

 

Show More Show Less