Z4 2.0i sdrive with a tuning box.
Discussion
So after enjoying the summer weather with the Z4 I have now decided to pack it away for the winter months. It will be replaced by a Saab 9-3 Vector convertible bought today from a friend as an mot failure(drivers side seat belt won't retract) for £300. It's in good condition with a good service history and drives really well. Bought a belt today for £140 so hope to have it bought and roadworthy for less then £500.
Anyway back to the Z4. Love it and even though it's only the 2.0 184bhp version I have to say i'm pretty happy with the way it performs. However as with these things there is always room for improvement. So after weighing up the options remap vs tuning box I have decided to go for a tuning box.
Hours of internet research finally left me with 2 options, Racechip or TMC. I chose TMC, for no real reason it was either one or the other. I am unfamiliar with maps and tuning boxes and part of me is still unsure weather or not it's a good thing, my main concern being will it damage the engine?, only time will tell I suppose.
So my £400 has been paid and I am now awaiting delivery. My next concern will be can I fit this myself or should I pay a garage? when it arrives i will read the instructions and a decision will be made.
Once it's fitted I will report back on any differences good or bad it has made to the way the car behaves.
Anyway back to the Z4. Love it and even though it's only the 2.0 184bhp version I have to say i'm pretty happy with the way it performs. However as with these things there is always room for improvement. So after weighing up the options remap vs tuning box I have decided to go for a tuning box.
Hours of internet research finally left me with 2 options, Racechip or TMC. I chose TMC, for no real reason it was either one or the other. I am unfamiliar with maps and tuning boxes and part of me is still unsure weather or not it's a good thing, my main concern being will it damage the engine?, only time will tell I suppose.
So my £400 has been paid and I am now awaiting delivery. My next concern will be can I fit this myself or should I pay a garage? when it arrives i will read the instructions and a decision will be made.
Once it's fitted I will report back on any differences good or bad it has made to the way the car behaves.
I would love to keep in on the road during the winter months, but there a a couple of reasons why I have chosen not to. My location, I live in the country side, narrow pot holed roads, tractors and cow s
t. This in itself is not to much of a problem during daylight hours as they can all be relatively easily avoided not so during darkness. Another thing the roads around here are also steep and winding, they can become slippery and hard to negotiate.
What really made my mind up was when my friend offered me first refusal on the Saab 9-3 Vector cabriolet he was selling for £300 as an mot failure, shouldn't cost to much to get it through, it will then be used through winter. However saying all that as you say bright sunny crisp days, the Z4 temptation might be to much to resist.
Once I have the TMC fitted I will be sure to report back with a good honest review of how the car performs, all good and bad points will be included.
For anyone who might be interested I will start a thread on the highs and lows of topless winter shedding in the Saab.
t. This in itself is not to much of a problem during daylight hours as they can all be relatively easily avoided not so during darkness. Another thing the roads around here are also steep and winding, they can become slippery and hard to negotiate.What really made my mind up was when my friend offered me first refusal on the Saab 9-3 Vector cabriolet he was selling for £300 as an mot failure, shouldn't cost to much to get it through, it will then be used through winter. However saying all that as you say bright sunny crisp days, the Z4 temptation might be to much to resist.
Once I have the TMC fitted I will be sure to report back with a good honest review of how the car performs, all good and bad points will be included.
For anyone who might be interested I will start a thread on the highs and lows of topless winter shedding in the Saab.
vsonix said:
Assuming the Saab's only fail was the seat belt not retracting, that's a pretty bargaintastic shed there.
You mat have found that simply servicing the seat belt i.e. cleaning and lubing the mechanism would have restored it to functionality - failing that I'd have just found a used one! As long as the webbing is intact and it works is the main thing - no point buying new if you're shedding.
Not quite but saying that no to much of a horror story.You mat have found that simply servicing the seat belt i.e. cleaning and lubing the mechanism would have restored it to functionality - failing that I'd have just found a used one! As long as the webbing is intact and it works is the main thing - no point buying new if you're shedding.
Seat belt issue, £140 for a working replacement which i will fit myself this weekend.
Front anti roll bar links, £17 from ebay, will leave this to the garage.
NSF indicator bulb not working, got one in the shed, again will fit this myself this weekend.
The front lights have an issue where all bulbs work dip and main but when you pull the switch to turn on and keep on the main beams they will not stay on, they work fine when the switch is pulled back and held but once you let go of the switch they go out leaving just the dip beams. I hope this makes sense. This issue might need a bit of investigation, google and Saab forums suggest possibly the headlamp relay(orange one) might be at fault or possibly the switch itself. If anyone on here can shed any light on this I would be grateful.
Still think it's a bit of a bargain though.
The TMC box has been here for a week now, still not fitted it and not sure I will now. My main concern is engine damage as suggested by other ph members in this thread. Searching the net I cannot find any instances of this TMC box causing any issues, in fact all the reviews seem to be positive but im still not convinced.
The box does come with a 2 year engine warranty so this must surely mean that TMC have faith in their product, also comes with a 14 day money back guarantee.
So do I bite the bullet and fit it?? or do I stick the returns label on and send it back??
The box does come with a 2 year engine warranty so this must surely mean that TMC have faith in their product, also comes with a 14 day money back guarantee.
So do I bite the bullet and fit it?? or do I stick the returns label on and send it back??
Massive thread revival. Still have the Z4 it has been great fun and absolutely faultless, it's now just passed 26k miles and is still mechanically standard apart from a K&N panel filter.
As you can see I toyed with the idea of a tuning box but never got one fitted, I did buy one but returned it but the urge for a bit more power has never gone away.
So I have bitten the bullet and have gone for a remap. Being done tomorrow and it's fair to say i'm a tad excited.
This is how she sits today, crying out for more power.
If anyone is interested I will report back with the results.
As you can see I toyed with the idea of a tuning box but never got one fitted, I did buy one but returned it but the urge for a bit more power has never gone away.
So I have bitten the bullet and have gone for a remap. Being done tomorrow and it's fair to say i'm a tad excited.
This is how she sits today, crying out for more power.
If anyone is interested I will report back with the results.
cerb4.5lee said:
paultownsend said:
Do these use the B48 2.0 engine?
I believe that it uses its predecessor the N20 engine, but I'm not a 100 percent sure. I have the B48 2.0 engine in my Mini and that engine came out in 2014. So it's back with me and it's fair to say i'm happy. Not driven it far yet because it's absolutely pissing it down but from the brief few miles I have done all I can say is awesome. The difference is night and day a cliche I know but it really does feel like a different car. It drives like before i.e docile when you want it to be but now when you put your foot down it picks up and heads for the horizon so much quicker then it did before.
Engaged sport mode for the return leg of my test drive, again just as impressive pulls really hard now.
I know I'm singing the praises of a now 260ish bhp 2.0L 4 pot turbo and there are countless cars out there with far more power but the jump from 184 bhp and the big increase in torque has truly made this a rapid little car.
This will be the end of mechanical mods on this car I am happy with how it is, K&N panel filter and the remap, I'm to old for noisy exhausts and lowered hardened suspension.
Any future mods and I'm sure there will be some will now be purely cosmetic.
Engaged sport mode for the return leg of my test drive, again just as impressive pulls really hard now.
I know I'm singing the praises of a now 260ish bhp 2.0L 4 pot turbo and there are countless cars out there with far more power but the jump from 184 bhp and the big increase in torque has truly made this a rapid little car.
This will be the end of mechanical mods on this car I am happy with how it is, K&N panel filter and the remap, I'm to old for noisy exhausts and lowered hardened suspension.
Any future mods and I'm sure there will be some will now be purely cosmetic.
VSKeith said:
Nice. I do like Z4's.
Any hit on the insurance, OP?
I'm going to be brutally honest here, I only got the car back a few hours ago and in my excitement I totally forgot about it. I will be on the phone to them first thing in the morning when I will let you know if it has increased and by how much.Any hit on the insurance, OP?
Julian Thompson said:
That’s a great review thanks for sharing! 75hp from a remap is an amazing percentage gain.
How does the lag feel?
Not really noticing any, throttle response is almost instant especially in sport mode.How does the lag feel?
These engine come from the factory in different states of tune in the Z4, the 18i, 20i & 28i are all the same 2.0L 4 cylinder turbo engine just in different states of tune.
Basically the remap take both the 18i and 20i up to 28i power levels.
VSKeith said:
That's very honest of you and very presumptuous of me to assume you'd done it, would be great to know though 
No problem at all, it's a question that gets asked a lot here on PH although it's usually aimed at a youngster with a V8 engine transplant into a Corsa(still says 1.0 on the V5 bruv, cheaper on the insurance innit). I've nothing to hide. I'm 52yo will 3 cars all insured in my name on 3 seperate policies all with max ncb and I'm an hgv driver by trade, I live in an insurance favourable postcode so I hope that any increase will be minimal if at all.The Z4 is insured through Ageas so I might take a quick look at their T&C's.
I suppose worst case scenario is they refuse to continue cover and terminate the policy. Time will tell.
cerb4.5lee said:
VSKeith said:
4.3s - that's a useful increase in go!
It certainly is! It is making me want to strap a turbo to my 370Z now! 
The 5.5 seconds that does it in seems very limp in comparison for sure. I'd be well chuffed with 4.3 seconds.
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