Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonjt
An aluminum subframe would be significantly less stiff than a steel one of an otherwise identical design. The steels available to the auto industry for chassis design are far stiffer and far stronger than the available aluminum alloys. Just an fyi.
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Think about this, M gmbh took the BMW E90 platform and decided to throw out its rear subframe and engineer an entirely new aluminum one. Do you think they would have gone through that trouble if the end result wasn't much, much better than sticking with steel?
Weight saving wasn't their only design goal, does the rear end of the E9x M3 feel loose and floppy to you? Aluminum can be plenty stiff when designed properly and used in appropriate quantities.