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Jono's Z4 Coupe

2003 - 2009, roadster, coupe, facelift
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JDavis21
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Jono's Z4 Coupe

Post by JDavis21 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:20 pm

R60BBA wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:58 pm First of all, nice thread and car!

But ahh man why did you go for the STs over the KWs?!

Although the ST is made by KW, they are galvanised steel and so are prone to rusting. The KWs are inox (stainless steel) and so although they cost a couple hundred of quid more, they are fully worth it when living in the Northern Hemisphere. Not to mention they come with lifetime warranty also.

Heres’s a pic of just 12 month old STs.

Thread here: https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthre ... -Coilovers
I've previously run KW Clubsports on my R53 racecar, and V3's on my JCW Clubman - and trust me I'm aware of how good the inox coating is! But budget was the main reason I've opted for XTA's currently, as they were half the price of the KW option I wanted. I'm more than sure I'll upgrade to Clubsports when the car becomes more track orientated, but for now these are perfect whilst still leaving budget there for other upgrades. Plus, clubsports don't come with the lifetime warranty from KW due to their intended use.

I used some ceramic coating I'd bought for my wheels on the mini, but never used - so hopefully they won't get as bad as your picture.
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Jono's Z4 Coupe

Post by JDavis21 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:45 pm

Pretty happy with how she's sat right now!
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The car feels great to drive now, no more knocking, no more brake wobble and even more confidence in the chassis with slightly improved steering feel.

Next jobs on the list are just a bit of maintenance, and maybe a few track sessions or a full day at Bedford, Donington or Snetterton.
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Post by tee.gilding » Mon Feb 18, 2019 5:53 pm

That's looking bloody lovely! Sitting perfectly on those new coilovers!Good to hear your knocks have gone silent - I'll have to get me a set of those arms ordered and fitted...
2007 Z4 3.0si Sport (E86) : Stratus Grey : Black Oregon leather : 19" Veemann V-FS33 : BC Racing coilovers : Kumho Ecsta rubber : MTEC discs : Brembo pads : stubby aerial : ZHP gear knob

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Jono's Z4 Coupe

Post by ben g » Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:23 pm

Looks to be sat perfectly 8) I was worried you were gonna go full on slammed :lol: :thumbsup:
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Post by Jembo » Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:29 pm

Try this place, is next to ETA Motorsport at Brands Hatch.

I found they were cheaper than eBay & so say came recommended through an ETA customer above.
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Jono's Z4 Coupe

Post by JDavis21 » Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:56 pm

tee.gilding wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 5:53 pm That's looking bloody lovely! Sitting perfectly on those new coilovers!Good to hear your knocks have gone silent - I'll have to get me a set of those arms ordered and fitted...
Thanks! Have to say I'm rather happy with how she looks and drives now... and my mind is at ease knowing there's no more play in anything.
ben g wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:23 pm Looks to be sat perfectly 8) I was worried you were gonna go full on slammed :lol: :thumbsup:
Cheers! No chance, function over form in my book. Although when the two can be combined :thumbsup:
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Post by JDavis21 » Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:30 am

Couldn't resist a bargain winter track day! Booked Bedford Autodrome GT Circuit on 4th March, full day for £89! Link below:

https://www.opentrack.co.uk/product/bed ... arch-2019/

I'm really looking forward to exploring the limits of the Z chassis, and Bedford is the perfect place to learn about a car without being too hard on it. Plus I've done a lot of laps around the place in a variety of cars, so it'll be nice to compare it with a few.

Need to work out where to mount my GoPro next 8)
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Post by JDavis21 » Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:55 pm

Had a busy three day weekend, pretty much all Z related!

Dropped her off with RJ Developments (@rj_developments on instagram) for full alignment and corner weights to be set. I thought I could get away without adjustable rear control arms, but sadly not - so we ended up with a little more rear camber than I'd wanted, but not anything too excessive. So they've been added to the shopping list, just not as highest priority.

For anyone interested in the weight of a 3.0si Coupe, here is a picture of the weights prior to me jumping in as ballast during adjustment:

Image[/url]

This was with a few bits and bobs still in the boot, stringing bars hanging from the front and rear bumpers and 1/4 tank of fuel. I was pretty impressed with that as a stock weight to be honest, It could easily become a sub 1300kg car!

So once done Saturday morning, I met up with some mates at my parents house so we could fit some new Stillen intakes to his 350Z. I did say all things Z related, so a 350 counts, right?

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After my alignment, the wheels looked completely lost in the arches due to the extra camber. I managed to borrow some 25mm spacers from a mate that had them lying around after selling his 740i, so with some trial fitting to make sure there was no clearance issues, on they went!

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So pleased with the way the car sits now! I also removed the 3.0si badges from the sides, as they always seemed to be sat on the piss to my eye, and I'm not a huge fan of unnecessary badging anyway.

Now to the exciting part, Bedford Autodrome on Monday! The car felt excellent, the chassis was well balanced and predictable with enough power to make the car rotate without snapping. The PS4's provided great performance, this was the biggest surprise to me - they almost felt semi-slick like. But... the brakes were pretty shoddy, there was enough stopping power and I didn't suffer with any fade, however I had some brake wobble early on that only got worse!

I called it a day at lunch as I couldn't bare it anymore, but at £89 for the whole day I'd still class that as cheap track time even for just the morning. A few pictures from Opentrack:

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I'll be making a few adjustments following the track day:

Upping the front spring rate from 50N/mm to 70N/mm as I found I was having to over compensate with the damper adjustment, especially on some of the longer corners - I had this in my head to do prior to the day so had already bought some springs, just need to collect them, but the time on track confirmed it's the right way to go.

Upgrading the brakes, I don't feel the need for a BBK considering how little time the car spends on track when compared with the road so I've decided to upgrade the stock setup. I've ordered braided hoses, genuine BMW 2-Piece discs for the front (similar design to the M3 etc), genuine BMW rear discs, Ferodo DS2500 all round, and the relevant sensors, clips and retaining bolts etc.

I pick up the BMW bits from Sycamore on Thursday just before attending their launch event for the new Z4, and will be hoping to fit them on Saturday.

Sorry for the long update!
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Post by Mr Tidy » Tue Mar 05, 2019 11:46 pm

It sounds like you've been busy, and as a Coupe owner it's really interesting. :thumbsup:

Although I don't think mine will be doing any track days. :roll:
Coupes because stunning!
Current - Silver Grey MC, Imola Red heated Nappa & carbon trim. Aeros, H & R Coil-overs, 224s, OE Strut brace, Nav, cup-holders, DSP Hi-Fi, pdc, cruise, MFSW, no CDV! E90 330i daily
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Post by JDavis21 » Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:56 pm

Mr Tidy wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 11:46 pm It sounds like you've been busy, and as a Coupe owner it's really interesting. :thumbsup:

Although I don't think mine will be doing any track days. :roll:
Glad to hear it's interesting!

I can understand why you wouldn't want to track one, definitely a future classic - my Dad has his low mileage Coupe tucked up in the garage most of the year, but it seems such a shame not to enjoy it more often!

In an ideal world I'd be tracking an E46 M3, but my budget wouldn't stretch that far and I have a history of picking the slightly more quirky versions of cars to play with. On paper, the Z4 Coupe pretty much matches the E36 M3's stats (The 3.0, not the Evo!), but being around 10 years newer it's a nicer place to sit daily and easier to work on and maintain. Plus, it's a stunning shape 8)
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Post by R60BBA » Wed Mar 06, 2019 1:25 pm

JDavis21 wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:56 pm
Mr Tidy wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 11:46 pm It sounds like you've been busy, and as a Coupe owner it's really interesting. :thumbsup:

Although I don't think mine will be doing any track days. :roll:
In an ideal world I'd be tracking an E46 M3, but my budget wouldn't stretch that far.
The switch is definitely worth it if you can afford it.
Current: 2002 E46 M3
Current: 2005 997 Carrera S
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Gone: 1998 E31 840Ci Sport
Gone: 2007 Z4 E86 3.0Si Sport
Gone: 2001 Z3 E36/7 2.2i San Remo Individual
Gone: 2015 F21 116d M Sport
Gone: 2012 A3 Sportback 1.2TFSI

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Post by JDavis21 » Wed Mar 06, 2019 1:40 pm

R60BBA wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 1:25 pm
JDavis21 wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:56 pm
In an ideal world I'd be tracking an E46 M3, but my budget wouldn't stretch that far.
The switch is definitely worth it if you can afford it.
Maybe in a few years time, was always a poster car for me (shows my age, or lack of).
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Post by philbo909 » Wed Mar 06, 2019 9:44 pm

the z4 looks so much better than the m3 though :driving:
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Post by Jembo » Wed Mar 06, 2019 9:59 pm

philbo909 wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 9:44 pm the z4 looks so much better than the m3 though :driving:
I am sure we r all agreed the E46 is a better handling car at the limit... in every other way, to me, the Z beats it hands down... & why am here
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Post by Mr Tidy » Wed Mar 06, 2019 10:57 pm

JDavis21 wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:56 pm Glad to hear it's interesting!

I can understand why you wouldn't want to track one, definitely a future classic - my Dad has his low mileage Coupe tucked up in the garage most of the year, but it seems such a shame not to enjoy it more often!

In an ideal world I'd be tracking an E46 M3, but my budget wouldn't stretch that far and I have a history of picking the slightly more quirky versions of cars to play with. On paper, the Z4 Coupe pretty much matches the E36 M3's stats (The 3.0, not the Evo!), but being around 10 years newer it's a nicer place to sit daily and easier to work on and maintain. Plus, it's a stunning shape
Well to be fair the main reason I won't track it is because I couldn't afford to bin it!

I did think about tracking my daily when it was an E46 325ti Compact, but last year I replaced it with an E91 325i which wouldn't work too well. :lol:

I keep looking at E46 M3s, but as much as I'd love to try something with the S54 engine you'd still be sitting in an E46 cabin! :roll:

And while the E46 M3 looks great, I think an E86 looks way better!
Coupes because stunning!
Current - Silver Grey MC, Imola Red heated Nappa & carbon trim. Aeros, H & R Coil-overs, 224s, OE Strut brace, Nav, cup-holders, DSP Hi-Fi, pdc, cruise, MFSW, no CDV! E90 330i daily
Gone - Montego Blue
Gone - Ruby Black

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