RE: BMW Z4 3.0si: PH Carpool

RE: BMW Z4 3.0si: PH Carpool

Author
Discussion

jabbawookie92

26 posts

134 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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99t said:
Interesting, mine is a 3.0Si Sport with original sport suspension, 18's and Bridgestone run flats. Ride is very firm but acceptable for the type of car (just) but the tramlining is terrible on anything other than glass-like surfaces, especially now the tyres are wearing down a bit. To the point that it's spoiling my enjoyment of an otherwise very, very good car.

Might have to give the CSL setup a try when I change tyres.

Did you notice any loss of sharpness in its responses when changing away from run flats (due to less stiff sidewalls)?
I would definitely recommend getting rid of the Runflats, I thought mine was OK when I first got it but after putting normal tyres on is that I realised how big of a difference it makes.. less road noise, more compliant ride (Still crashy on OEM sport suspension) and also more progressive when the grip levels run out, where as the Bridgestone runflats are quite snappy.

I can't say I noticed a loss in sharpness when I switched as at the same time, I replaced all lower arms and bushes etc.

jabbawookie92

26 posts

134 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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Patrick Bateman said:
I do wonder about the difference between it and the roadster.

I don't doubt the Coupe is the sharper steer, but top-down motoring is bloody fantastic. Add to that the cheaper entry fee...
My other halves Dad had the 2.5 Pre-Facelift (Not a direct comparison) but compared with my Coupe.. it felt quite a bit softer and not as rigid (More GT like)

I have always wondered what the difference would be with the same year, same engine Coupe / Convertible.

TameRacingDriver

18,083 posts

272 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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jabbawookie92 said:
Patrick Bateman said:
I do wonder about the difference between it and the roadster.

I don't doubt the Coupe is the sharper steer, but top-down motoring is bloody fantastic. Add to that the cheaper entry fee...
My other halves Dad had the 2.5 Pre-Facelift (Not a direct comparison) but compared with my Coupe.. it felt quite a bit softer and not as rigid (More GT like)

I have always wondered what the difference would be with the same year, same engine Coupe / Convertible.
The general consensus on the z4 forum seemed to be that the convertible was very nearly as rigid as the coupe, which you do kind of expect as it was designed first as a convertible. As I said if I were buying one again it'd be convertible all the way, as the coupe did feel a bit claustrophobic.

Patrick Bateman

12,179 posts

174 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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£1400 for the power steering? Jesus.

rtz62

3,366 posts

155 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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I had a choice of one of these or a TVR.
The TVR won; am I certifiable or was I better off with like the rawness of the TVR more than the silken speed and reliability of the Z4....?
I could never quite like the front of the BMW (I know, I know, how can I compare it to a TVR?) but the BMWs headlights always made me think of Michelle Rodriguez, who has 'sad-looking' eyes (actually it's her eyebrows that often make her look that may, but that's my opinion..



Bet there's not many posts that have likened the look of a particular car to that of a model / actor / actress....

jabbawookie92

26 posts

134 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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rtz62 said:
I had a choice of one of these or a TVR.
The TVR won; am I certifiable or was I better off with like the rawness of the TVR more than the silken speed and reliability of the Z4....?
I could never quite like the front of the BMW (I know, I know, how can I compare it to a TVR?) but the BMWs headlights always made me think of Michelle Rodriguez, who has 'sad-looking' eyes (actually it's her eyebrows that often make her look that may, but that's my opinion..



Bet there's not many posts that have likened the look of a particular car to that of a model / actor / actress....
You sir are a genius!
Never thought the front end of my car looked like her until now! hahaahah

paulyv

1,020 posts

123 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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TameRacingDriver said:
The general consensus on the z4 forum seemed to be that the convertible was very nearly as rigid as the coupe, which you do kind of expect as it was designed first as a convertible. As I said if I were buying one again it'd be convertible all the way, as the coupe did feel a bit claustrophobic.
A good point to raise as the roof on the coupe is in no way load bearing from what I understand, so there should not be a huge difference in rigidity between the two. I believe removing the roof on a coupe is not that difficult a task (relatively speaking) as some have been swapped for carbon panels.

jabbawookie92

26 posts

134 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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paulyv said:
A good point to raise as the roof on the coupe is in no way load bearing from what I understand, so there should not be a huge difference in rigidity between the two. I believe removing the roof on a coupe is not that difficult a task (relatively speaking) as some have been swapped for carbon panels.
I believe the roof bares no load.. however, according to these figures online the Coupe is almost twice as stiff than the roadster for torsional rigidity:

BMW Z4 Coupe, 32,000Nm/degree
BMW Z4 Roadster: 14,500 Nm/deg

TameRacingDriver

18,083 posts

272 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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I think the question is, how noticeable is it? As far as I know the z4 roadster does better than most rivals for rigidity anyway. I think for me I would happily sacrifice a little for the outdoor motoring which for me adds a whole new dimension of fun.

Jonstar

866 posts

191 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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TameRacingDriver said:
I think the question is, how noticeable is it? As far as I know the z4 roadster does better than most rivals for rigidity anyway. I think for me I would happily sacrifice a little for the outdoor motoring which for me adds a whole new dimension of fun.
Not very I suspect.

I nearly bought a coupe but couldn't understand the premium they command over the roadster which imo offers more for less and plus I can now hear the straight six in all its glory.

Earthdweller

13,548 posts

126 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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I adore the look of the Coupe .. but when it came to buying a toy it had to be the roadster.. maybe if I buy a second one ?

Re rigidity I don’t feel any scuttle shake in mine at all ... feels very solid which is more than can be said for some others

TameRacingDriver

18,083 posts

272 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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Earthdweller said:
I adore the look of the Coupe .. but when it came to buying a toy it had to be the roadster.. maybe if I buy a second one ?

Re rigidity I don’t feel any scuttle shake in mine at all ... feels very solid which is more than can be said for some others
To be fair, people go on about the looks of the Coupe, and they are surely very, very pretty, but its not like the Roadster is exactly ugly either! I'd say for a weekend car the Roadster will be the more fun choice.

Although one thing the Coupe has over the Roadster is one less thing to go wrong (the electric roof), which can be quite a costly thing to repair by all accounts.

RaineyDays

240 posts

100 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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Had one as a DD for 2 years and was fine once I got rid of the OEM runflats.

Plenty of positive comments and rare on the roads.

Sold it for a Z4M roadster which I owned for a year.

Baked_bean

1,908 posts

192 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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Patrick Bateman said:
£1400 for the power steering? Jesus.
That as what I thought. It Just went without warning, which I guess is a risk with most electric steering systems?! The column from bmw is £1800 I believe, I managed to get a rebuilt one via the bmw specialist I used.

I would still have another though!

Patrick Bateman

12,179 posts

174 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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What's a leaking power steering hose in comparison eh?

Mr Tidy

22,313 posts

127 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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If you are going to buy a Z4 you really need to get onto one of the dedicated forums, then some of these issues can be easily solved! (I use z4forum, but there are others).

There is a place in Derbyshire that will rebuild the ABS pump for £165 with a warranty!

The roof motors die because they are located under the hood drains so they drown! But most can be dried out and brought back to life - there are several forum members around the country who will do this for a reasonable cost, and also relocate them into the boot away from the drains!

Much as I love mine, I'll admit they have their issues, but I doubt they are much worse than many other cars!

It's just a question of finding the best solution.




flight147z

976 posts

129 months

Tuesday 17th October 2017
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https image

Here's mine - it was this or a TT - 1 year in

Earthdweller

13,548 posts

126 months

Wednesday 18th October 2017
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TameRacingDriver said:
To be fair, people go on about the looks of the Coupe, and they are surely very, very pretty, but its not like the Roadster is exactly ugly either! I'd say for a weekend car the Roadster will be the more fun choice.

Although one thing the Coupe has over the Roadster is one less thing to go wrong (the electric roof), which can be quite a costly thing to repair by all accounts.
I actually love the look of mine ..

original guvnor

128 posts

149 months

Wednesday 18th October 2017
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I've owned a Z4MC for 7 years and an E85 3.0 for 5 years prior to that. I've also got a mate with the E85M which I driven on a couple of occasions. I'd say the Coupe (at least the M variant) feels a lot stiffer than the equivalent Roadster. It's a lot more spikey and is harder over bumps too. The Z4MR is probably the nicer to drive therefore. But I fell in love with the Coupe and still feel the same now. I should also say I think the E86 3.0 is a corker.

No rattles or squeaks whatsoever in my car.

Mr Tidy

22,313 posts

127 months

Thursday 19th October 2017
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Patrick Bateman said:
What's a leaking power steering hose in comparison eh?
Well for my E46 325ti it was £194.79 for the part alone last year, so a total bill of £300+ by the time it was fitted by my BMW indy!

But why should reality get in the way of a good moan! blah