My midlife crisis purchase; E86 BMW Z4 Coupe
Discussion
Jonfylane said:
For media connectivity try a Pure DAB Bluetooth module, worked great in my Z4C . DAB, Bluetooth streaming and hands free phone. Simple to fit utilising the aux connection on rear of HU. Also I had these wheels on mine, no idea what they were as already on the car when I bought it.
Regarding a "busy front end" , I chased this issue for al ong time..renewed all the suspension components, and I mean all of it ! Had it aligned by a guy who really knew what he was doing. Every step of the refresh made an improvement but I never truly dialed out the nervousness of the front end. TBH I learned to live with it and drove around it, there are hundreds of posts on the Z4 forums about it, you can adjust the weight of feel on the EPAS by altering the alignment on the collar on the base of the steering column.
Regarding a "busy front end" , I chased this issue for al ong time..renewed all the suspension components, and I mean all of it ! Had it aligned by a guy who really knew what he was doing. Every step of the refresh made an improvement but I never truly dialed out the nervousness of the front end. TBH I learned to live with it and drove around it, there are hundreds of posts on the Z4 forums about it, you can adjust the weight of feel on the EPAS by altering the alignment on the collar on the base of the steering column.
helix402 said:
Sticks. said:
I thought digital speedo was in the hidden menu rather than something you could code. I could be wrong obv.
I think the Z4 doesn’t have the digital speedo option.It may be an option on E89s though.
Court_S said:
I’ve had a good and bad week with the bad being entirely my fault. 
Let’s get the bad out of the way first….
I had to go to the office on Tuesday which if I brave the traffic, means parking in a multi-storey. On the way home, I had a momentary lapse of concentration coming down one of the ramps and thought that I’d caught my rear wheel on the big kerb. I was cross with myself all the way home.
Got home and checked the wheel….nothing. Instead, I saw this…
I did this twice(?) in the 6 years I had mine. Hard to avoid as it's so low (mine was lowered a little further too).Let’s get the bad out of the way first….
I had to go to the office on Tuesday which if I brave the traffic, means parking in a multi-storey. On the way home, I had a momentary lapse of concentration coming down one of the ramps and thought that I’d caught my rear wheel on the big kerb. I was cross with myself all the way home.
Got home and checked the wheel….nothing. Instead, I saw this…
Wasn't a bad fix either time, couple of hours work and something like £200
Jonfylane said:
Jonfylane said:
For media connectivity try a Pure DAB Bluetooth module, worked great in my Z4C . DAB, Bluetooth streaming and hands free phone. Simple to fit utilising the aux connection on rear of HU. Also I had these wheels on mine, no idea what they were as already on the car when I bought it.
Regarding a "busy front end" , I chased this issue for al ong time..renewed all the suspension components, and I mean all of it ! Had it aligned by a guy who really knew what he was doing. Every step of the refresh made an improvement but I never truly dialed out the nervousness of the front end. TBH I learned to live with it and drove around it, there are hundreds of posts on the Z4 forums about it, you can adjust the weight of feel on the EPAS by altering the alignment on the collar on the base of the steering column.
Regarding a "busy front end" , I chased this issue for al ong time..renewed all the suspension components, and I mean all of it ! Had it aligned by a guy who really knew what he was doing. Every step of the refresh made an improvement but I never truly dialed out the nervousness of the front end. TBH I learned to live with it and drove around it, there are hundreds of posts on the Z4 forums about it, you can adjust the weight of feel on the EPAS by altering the alignment on the collar on the base of the steering column.
The connectivity is sorted now; calls are via the factory Bluetooth and streaming via the adapter hidden in the boot (needs to be hidden better but that’s a job for another day).
I’m pretty sure a fair amount of the wandering front end is the wishbones because it’s fine on some roads but really bad on others. If I can get a decent improvement from where it is now, I’ll be pretty happy.
helix402 said:
Mr Tidy said:
I don't think they do - after all the E85s went on sale in 2003!
It may be an option on E89s though.
Spot on. E85 tech is E46 based, E89-E9x. It may be an option on E89s though.
There are only two modules that I can code with Carly anyway. The more annoying one is the car not unlocking when you turn it off.
flight147z said:
I did this twice(?) in the 6 years I had mine. Hard to avoid as it's so low (mine was lowered a little further too).
Wasn't a bad fix either time, couple of hours work and something like £200
Glad I’m not the only one! This has Eibach’s fitted so is a bit lower than standard. The visibility in certain situations is comically bad (e.g. some local T junctions and cresting bumps / hills). The C pillar makes reversing interesting too. Definitely a practical daily driver! Wasn't a bad fix either time, couple of hours work and something like £200
RS Grant said:
Just caught up with the whole thread, lovely car and some nice touches Sam.
I've always liked this era of Z4 but I'm not sure there'd be enough room to accommodate my ample frame, so have never taken it further than scanning the classifieds... which I'm away to do again shortly.
Thanks. It’s getting there….hopefully I can finish the detail next week and for the new wheels.I've always liked this era of Z4 but I'm not sure there'd be enough room to accommodate my ample frame, so have never taken it further than scanning the classifieds... which I'm away to do again shortly.
They’re not the biggest inside that’s for sure and the seats are quite tight around the arse / hip area. It makes my wife’s E91 feel like a barge; even the seats feel soft and squishy.
Mr Tidy said:
helix402 said:
Sticks. said:
I thought digital speedo was in the hidden menu rather than something you could code. I could be wrong obv.
I think the Z4 doesn’t have the digital speedo option.It may be an option on E89s though.
Graeme_Bangor said:
Great looking car, I could never get the twitching dialled out my EPAS however much I adjusted it. Ended up ripping it out and doing a hydraulic conversion.
Thanks.That’s a slightly nuclear option! I’m hoping I can improve with some new parts and a decent alignment. I have been a bit surprised about the stories of how twitchy the front end is or can be because I got on fine with the EPAS in my 130i and my wife’s old 125i cab.
Court_S said:
flight147z said:
I did this twice(?) in the 6 years I had mine. Hard to avoid as it's so low (mine was lowered a little further too).
Wasn't a bad fix either time, couple of hours work and something like £200
Glad I’m not the only one! This has Eibach’s fitted so is a bit lower than standard. The visibility in certain situations is comically bad (e.g. some local T junctions and cresting bumps / hills). The C pillar makes reversing interesting too. Definitely a practical daily driver! Wasn't a bad fix either time, couple of hours work and something like £200
flight147z said:
C pillar is horrendous when you are pulling out onto a main road at a 45 degree angle (turning right and joining traffic coming from over your left shoulder). Can't see a thing!
Oh yes, that C pillar causes me all sorts of issues. In other news, my wheels are ready for collection - hopefully I’ll be able to shoot over tomorrow to pick them up. I don’t think I’ll be starting the suspension tonight because it’s now absolutely s
tting it down with rain. Joy. Court_S said:
Graeme_Bangor said:
Great looking car, I could never get the twitching dialled out my EPAS however much I adjusted it. Ended up ripping it out and doing a hydraulic conversion.
Thanks.That’s a slightly nuclear option! I’m hoping I can improve with some new parts and a decent alignment. I have been a bit surprised about the stories of how twitchy the front end is or can be because I got on fine with the EPAS in my 130i and my wife’s old 125i cab.
I had a 123d with EPAS before I got my first Z4 and like you say the 1 Series set up was much better. But as they didn't get EPAS until the 2007 facelift they got a more refined installation - Z4s basically had EPAS designed in 2003!
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