November 2008. Odometer 276000km. The original steering setup in e30s is not particularly sporty. You have to rotate the steering wheel a lot to turn the car. Fortunately, the e36 z3 steering rack, which is more responsive, fits into the e30, and can be installed with some minor modifications. The required conversion kit is available from Zionsville Autosport in Indianapolis, USA. Zionsville is very knowledgeable and great to deal with. I highly recommend them.
Project Total: $1098.00
The rack definitely reduces the amount of steering-wheel rotation you need to turn the car, which is very nice and very noticeable on the track. Minor steering adjustments also have a bigger impact on the car, so the car feels easier to control, and more agile. Overall, the more responsive steering adds to the general tightness of the car. Personally, I'd like an even quicker ratio, but there's no direct-fit rack that offers quicker steering for the e30. Of the available kits from Zionsville, I'd definitely go with the ST-3 (the quickest ratio kit). For street driving, the effect of the rack swap isn't terribly noticeable, so you'll want to skip this upgrade unless you take your car to the track or to autocrosses. I guess I'd call this a luxury upgrade. It feels good, but it's expensive for what it does. I'd do this upgrade last (after brakes, tires, suspension, ecu chip, short shifter, and differential (325e/325 only)).
Here's the e36 z3 rack before installation:
Here's the e36 z3 rack installed:
