Pics of my new Z4M Coupe

[imuir]

Doctor do you know the offset on the Z4MC wheels ?

[DoctorD]

imuir said:

Doctor do you know the offset on the Z4MC wheels ?

Yes. Rears are 30 and Fronts are 42.

[craigAMV8]

Hi mate it looks amazing. I had one on order an cancelled it and i bought a AMV8 instead, you pics are making me think, WRONG. The wheels make it, did you have side skirts fitted ?

[DoctorD]

craigAMV8 said:

Hi mate it looks amazing. I had one on order an cancelled it and i bought a AMV8 instead, you pics are making me think, WRONG. The wheels make it, did you have side skirts fitted ?

Yes, I had the BMW aerokit side skirts fitted, they're only £115 each so can't figure why BMW didn't fit them as standard to the M model.

[craigAMV8]

absolutely they with the wheels make a massive difference, did the dealer supply and fit the skirts

[DoctorD]

craigAMV8 said:

absolutely they with the wheels make a massive difference, did the dealer supply and fit the skirts

Yes, everything was painted and fitted during the PDI service.

[Rev Dogbolter]

DoctorD said:

imuir said:

Doctor do you know the offset on the Z4MC wheels ?

Yes. Rears are 30 and Fronts are 42.

Dearest Doctor,

In an earlier posting, you eluded to the Roadster's oversteer would be improved by the CSL wheel / tyre combo having a wider track. Is this due to the wheel offset above (is this different from the standard wheels?) and / or are the tyre widths different from the standard 225 / 255 width?

I have asked my local dealer (Ocean Paignton) twice for the aerokit skirt and CSL wheel information. Their incompetance is such that they say theydon't know and will find out and get back to me, which they never do. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. At least I now know from your posting that the skirts cost £115....now all I have to do is convince them that they really exist and can sell them to me!!!!!

Bless you for continuing enlightenment.

The Reverend Dogbolter

[DoctorD]

Rev Dogbolter said:

Dearest Doctor,

In an earlier posting, you eluded to the Roadster's oversteer would be improved by the CSL wheel / tyre combo having a wider track. Is this due to the wheel offset above (is this different from the standard wheels?) and / or are the tyre widths different from the standard 225 / 255 width?

I have asked my local dealer (Ocean Paignton) twice for the aerokit skirt and CSL wheel information. Their incompetance is such that they say theydon't know and will find out and get back to me, which they never do. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. At least I now know from your posting that the skirts cost £115....now all I have to do is convince them that they really exist and can sell them to me!!!!!

Bless you for continuing enlightenment.

The Reverend Dogbolter

Dealers, bless them.

The side skirts are part of the 'Aerodynamic Package' kit that is part number 51 19 0 413 069, but it will have its own part number since each element of the kit can be purchased seperately. So the parts assistant merely needs to enter the above part number, click on the 'extended side skirts' sub-item and then order it!!

The CSL wheels will be a problem to get hold of since BMW try to prevent people buying them who don't already own an M3 CSL. It may be easier to get hold of the M3 CS wheels which look the same, but are slightly narrower at the front (8J rather than 8.5J). The wheel offset makes little difference but the footprint is increased by the wider rims (8.5J and 9.5J) and increased tyre width (235/265). My car is therefore 9mm wider at the rear and 4mm wider at the front, with an increased footprint also.

Grip, shall we say is 'not' a problem..

[Phil 46]

that is gorgeous!!! what a stunning car

[phatgixer]

DoctorD said:

Grip, shall we say is 'not' a problem..

I bet it still understeers in the usual M-car way. I think a degree or two extra negative camber up front will improve its stance even further and make it look really hoggy...

[DoctorD]

Strangely it doesn't understeer much at all, in fact the front end is really planted (much more so than the CSL with -2 degrees camber). But when you really carry a lot of speed through a fast corner the ride height feels a tadge too high, as if it is slightly on tippy-toes. An inch or so lower and it would be nigh on perfect (as you noted at Sandown Park the other day).

[Rev Dogbolter]

DoctorD said:

Rev Dogbolter said:

Dearest Doctor,

In an earlier posting, you eluded to the Roadster's oversteer would be improved by the CSL wheel / tyre combo having a wider track. Is this due to the wheel offset above (is this different from the standard wheels?) and / or are the tyre widths different from the standard 225 / 255 width?

I have asked my local dealer (Ocean Paignton) twice for the aerokit skirt and CSL wheel information. Their incompetance is such that they say theydon't know and will find out and get back to me, which they never do. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. At least I now know from your posting that the skirts cost £115....now all I have to do is convince them that they really exist and can sell them to me!!!!!

Bless you for continuing enlightenment.

The Reverend Dogbolter

Dealers, bless them.

The side skirts are part of the 'Aerodynamic Package' kit that is part number 51 19 0 413 069, but it will have its own part number since each element of the kit can be purchased seperately. So the parts assistant merely needs to enter the above part number, click on the 'extended side skirts' sub-item and then order it!!

The CSL wheels will be a problem to get hold of since BMW try to prevent people buying them who don't already own an M3 CSL. It may be easier to get hold of the M3 CS wheels which look the same, but are slightly narrower at the front (8J rather than 8.5J). The wheel offset makes little difference but the footprint is increased by the wider rims (8.5J and 9.5J) and increased tyre width (235/265). My car is therefore 9mm wider at the rear and 4mm wider at the front, with an increased footprint also.

Grip, shall we say is 'not' a problem..

My Dear Doctor,

Thank you for your excellent response. Your knowledge and elicidations endlessly surprise me. The aerokit skirts are now on order. I must say I feel the aesthetics of the front of the car would be even more improved if the front spoiler protruded further forward than the grill similar to, but not as extreme as, the racing series Coupe. Any thoughts?

Yours etc etc

Reverend Dogbolter

[DoctorD]

Rev Dogbolter said:

I must say I feel the aesthetics of the front of the car would be even more improved if the front spoiler protruded further forward than the grill similar to, but not as extreme as, the racing series Coupe. Any thoughts?

Yours etc etc

Reverend Dogbolter

Dear Rev, fit the side-skirts first and then see what you think. Personally I feel it looks quite balanced as it is. Remember the full Aerokit included front and rear spoilers which the Z4M already has, so the side-skirts just complete the look. Strange, why BMW did not fit them in the first place..

[vr6-er]

This car may be great as a drivers car, but in my opinion is pig ugly as standard without the CSL wheels and will depreciate very hard. Its new at the moment but give it a year or so and you'll pick one up very cheap. Its alright if your minted.

I got a lease quote on a Z4 M conv and from the residual offered BMW finance have no confidence in that car! In years to come the conv will be marginally more desirable.

Just a word of warning.

Edited by vr6-er on Wednesday 18th October 22:42

[targarama]

vr6-er said:

This car may be great as a drivers car, but in my opinion is pig ugly as standard without the CSL wheels and will depreciate very hard. Its new at the moment but give it a year or so and you'll pick one up very cheap. Its alright if your minted.

I got a lease quote on a Z4 M conv and from the residual offered BMW finance have no confidence in that car! In years to come the conv will be marginally more desirable.

Just a word of warning.

Edited by vr6-er on Wednesday 18th October 22:42

Not everyone leases or worries about a small difference in depreciation. They buy a car for what it is and can do.

The low residuals should be a positive if you're looking to lease. You should buy a car you can more afford and look forward to a nice depreciated Z4M Coupe in 2 years time. Something like 350Z would fill the gap nicely. Strap a supercharger on for plenty of gogo.

[mat205125]

targarama said:

vr6-er said:

This car may be great as a drivers car, but in my opinion is pig ugly as standard without the CSL wheels and will depreciate very hard. Its new at the moment but give it a year or so and you'll pick one up very cheap. Its alright if your minted.

I got a lease quote on a Z4 M conv and from the residual offered BMW finance have no confidence in that car! In years to come the conv will be marginally more desirable.

Just a word of warning.

Edited by vr6-er on Wednesday 18th October 22:42

Not everyone leases or worries about a small difference in depreciation. They buy a car for what it is and can do.

The low residuals should be a positive if you're looking to lease. You should buy a car you can more afford and look forward to a nice depreciated Z4M Coupe in 2 years time. Something like 350Z would fill the gap nicely. Strap a supercharger on for plenty of gogo.

Exactly the same kind of conversations occurred when the M Coupe was launch regarding residuals. "It'll won't be worth as much as the roadster in the future as it looks funny!" kind of comments.

Check the prices on Autotrader now.

I personally find the cost per mile, or per month, scary as hell on any new car due to depreciation. This, as it would turn out, does not cause me too much discomfort as I would struggle to pull together enough for a sat nav option, let alone a car to have it fitted to.

For those with the income, and the desire to go for these cars new I have the upmost admiration, and respect. In that position I would surely do the same. On the bright side for the rest of us, there'll be some tasty specced motors getting about at "real world" money in 5-10 years time!

Keep up the buying Doc!

[DoctorD]

vr6-er said:

This car may be great as a drivers car, but in my opinion is pig ugly as standard without the CSL wheels and will depreciate very hard. Its new at the moment but give it a year or so and you'll pick one up very cheap. Its alright if your minted.

I got a lease quote on a Z4 M conv and from the residual offered BMW finance have no confidence in that car! In years to come the conv will be marginally more desirable.

Just a word of warning.

Edited by vr6-er on Wednesday 18th October 22:42

I disagree with you. I doubt that the Convertible will be the more desirable, they both look quite different and without wishing to upset the Convertible owners out there, the Coupe would appear to be the better looking and more desirable car. Having owned an Alpina Z4 'Convertible' for almost a year and now the Z4M Coupe I can compare the comments and admiring glances from other drivers. And the driving experience is even more different than the aesthetic ones.

Even the depreciation on my Alpina Z4 was no worse than I would expect from something in Porsche's stable, in fact I did better than the Boxster S that I owned before that.

Edited by DoctorD on Saturday 21st October 15:06

[DoctorD]

p.s. did I mention the other reason why the Coupe might hold it's value better?

Firstly BMW are only bringing in 200 cars in the first year, so there will be a lot less around than the Convertible and finally...

...it drives brilliantly (provided you change the tyres and fit a strut brace). It's such a sweet car to drive hard, so nimble and agile and 'solid' (i.e. well planted). There's a lovely feeling that I only ever experience in BMW's (and never experienced with the Cayman S), you perhaps lift slightly as you turn into a corner, and can feel the weight transfer to the front-end, then you apply the throttle and the torque is so immediate that you can feel the front tuck towards the apex of the corner and guide you to the exit. It's so detailed the feedback you get through the chassis and the amount of influence that the throttle has over you trajectory that I find myself smiling and looking forward to the next corner. It's such a tactile driving experience and the engine is so strong and gutsy that I can't help taking the long way home just to prolong the journey.

It's just a shame that some owners will not get to experience this, since you need to change those lousy continentals and fit the PS2s before you'll notice the chassis talking to you this way.

[alexe]

This is great info Steve.
I am picking up my Z4Mcoupe tommorrow - its been one hell of a wait!!!!
Unfortunately, i will have to wait to get any new kit (wheels, tyres and strut bar) past the Mrs as I have REALLY gone over budget this time!!

I am soooo frustrated that the dealer didnt mention the Aerodynamic package and I feel a bit stupid that i didnt see it in the price book as I studied it for hours on end.

How did you get them to do the work at the PDI - my dealer didnt even seem to know about the car untill it got there on Friday!

Do you think the skirts make a big difference? I cant really tell from the pictures.
Forgive me for asking if you any any MORE to share given that you have been so kind already.
I am now going through the nervous excitement phase with less than 24 hrs to go.
Many thanks in advance

[gunner]

I must admit to being very tempted by one of these.Can you provide some sort of benchmark for how it drives vs Cayman/911/GT3...anything like that?Also I would need to do some commuting in it around town,would it be ok in that respect?Thanks a lot.