Led astray - "M"adness follows!
Discussion
Well after 15 years of BMWs, and over 5 years with 3.0Si Z4 Coupes it was always going to happen in the end!
So I bought myself an early Christmas present and picked up a Z4M Coupe on 21 December.
Luckily I have a mate with trade plates and a Transit transporter so once it got home it stayed parked until I taxed it this morning (ouch) and went for a drive on some quiet A and B roads.
It is far from standard with H & R coil-overs, 19" CSL Replica wheels, spacers and a strut-brace plus a few things I probably haven't identified yet - but I just love the S54 engine.
Sadly the ride height just doesn't work in the Home Counties, so I'll need to work out how to get it a bit higher just to clear speed-bumps but for now I'll just avoid them!
And I'll wash it once the local garage has it's jet-wash back in operation.
So I bought myself an early Christmas present and picked up a Z4M Coupe on 21 December.
Luckily I have a mate with trade plates and a Transit transporter so once it got home it stayed parked until I taxed it this morning (ouch) and went for a drive on some quiet A and B roads.
It is far from standard with H & R coil-overs, 19" CSL Replica wheels, spacers and a strut-brace plus a few things I probably haven't identified yet - but I just love the S54 engine.
Sadly the ride height just doesn't work in the Home Counties, so I'll need to work out how to get it a bit higher just to clear speed-bumps but for now I'll just avoid them!
And I'll wash it once the local garage has it's jet-wash back in operation.
Kevin Bird told me that Zs should never be lowered and from experience he was right. I experimented endlessly with mine and ended up on standard springs and Bilstein shocks but the most important thing was to adjust the geo to have slightly more toe in and camber but not as much as CSL set up.
Billy_Whizzzz said:
Kevin Bird told me that Zs should never be lowered and from experience he was right. I experimented endlessly with mine and ended up on standard springs and Bilstein shocks but the most important thing was to adjust the geo to have slightly more toe in and camber but not as much as CSL set up.
Well, BMW produced Z4s with 3 different ride heights (SE, Sport & M settings), so which is the correct one according to Birds?BTW, my Z4MC runs on Bilstein B16/PSS10 and has been lowered by about an inch (rears are also 265/40 instead of OE 255/40). Fills the arches much better & drives superbly (on both road & track) compared to OE springs & dampers.
Yes - sorry - was referring to M. I went to see Birds for advice as I had terrible problem making my M predictable, drivable and safe after fitting a Bilstein kit. Ended up chucking springs away and reverting to standard M springs with Bilstein shocks. Have to confess I got fed up trying to fettle it as like others on here, never found it coincidence inspiring compared to every other BMW I’ve had.
Thanks for the kind comments everyone.
I've had a look at the front coil-overs and it looks like I could get it about half an inch higher, so will probably try getting them as high as they go and see if that works. I suspect I might need to change the springs and shocks in the longer term as it is only ever going to be a road car while I have it!
The guy I bought it from had another Z4M previously so it came with a suitcase full of bits - like the H & R lowering springs and shocks he had on his previous one and the OEM bits that got taken off this one to fit the coil-overs. But after 70K miles or so I don't think getting the OEM bits refitted would be worth doing and I suspect the lowering springs might also be lower than I'd want. I need to do some serious research before I start!
I like the CSL Reps but think I might prefer it without the spacers, or with smaller ones, so it looks like it is going to be a bit of a project.
Still there is no real rush as I need to sell my 3.0Si Coupe before I get too involved in spending.
I've had a look at the front coil-overs and it looks like I could get it about half an inch higher, so will probably try getting them as high as they go and see if that works. I suspect I might need to change the springs and shocks in the longer term as it is only ever going to be a road car while I have it!
The guy I bought it from had another Z4M previously so it came with a suitcase full of bits - like the H & R lowering springs and shocks he had on his previous one and the OEM bits that got taken off this one to fit the coil-overs. But after 70K miles or so I don't think getting the OEM bits refitted would be worth doing and I suspect the lowering springs might also be lower than I'd want. I need to do some serious research before I start!
I like the CSL Reps but think I might prefer it without the spacers, or with smaller ones, so it looks like it is going to be a bit of a project.
Still there is no real rush as I need to sell my 3.0Si Coupe before I get too involved in spending.
I've had a couple of these, the first thing I would do is put the 18s back on especially if you're on country roads as it will ride better, then I'd consider keeping the suspension as is, the stock shocks (rears) are literally shocking and lowering springs won't help. You're far better off tuning a top spec set of coilovers than trying to get back to OEM as you'll be very disappointed by what you have. They ride low but you can get plates to cover the 'fangs' that offer some protection. It's not really a great car on B roads, in fact it's terrible on anything less than smooth tarmac but they are lovely looking things and that engine note never gets old.
Looks very nice - congrats.
Regarding ride height, I went through a world of pain on my E46 330i touring before settling on Blistein B6 springs & Sport springs. Eibachs were too low & not rated properly for the Touring (even though Eibach said they were). And the 19in reps... likewise I would try to revert to stock 18's - they look more classy & will ride better. The CSL reps will sell well too, as will the coilovers.
Regarding ride height, I went through a world of pain on my E46 330i touring before settling on Blistein B6 springs & Sport springs. Eibachs were too low & not rated properly for the Touring (even though Eibach said they were). And the 19in reps... likewise I would try to revert to stock 18's - they look more classy & will ride better. The CSL reps will sell well too, as will the coilovers.
Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff