Barty's Green Z4 Coupé - Not another one…

Interesting re. the tyre test, have you got a link by any chance [ref]JK0202[/ref]?

255 instead of 265 is interesting; what width rim are you running? I can imagine 255 allows the back to turn slightly easier than the 265. As for the ride; I’m on coilovers so I suspect a firm -if not harsh- ride. We’ll see how we get on :thumbsup:
 
Link to the tyre test here:

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/features/91856/tyre-reviews-best-car-tyres-buy-now-2021

Let me know what you think.
 
JK0202 said:
Link to the tyre test here:

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/features/91856/tyre-reviews-best-car-tyres-buy-now-2021

Let me know what you think.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Interesting stuff; I’ve enjoyed the PS4 on my 159, and currently run Vredestein’s on the 118D. The Vreds are quiet, comfortable, but not quite as communicative when it comes to grip levels as the PS4’s. That said, the steering on our cars isn’t very communicative to begin with (though I’ll address that via a hydraulic conversion).

I might just try the Hankooks, a friend runs them on his 147GTA and seems to like them. The Michelin’s are always a safe choice though you do pay the price for that. I’ve got another month or two to figure this one out, so no rush.

In the mean time, I’ve taken delivery of my steering wheel! Well-used, but I’ll send it off for reupholstering first. The covers can be redone with soft touch material, so no issues with that either. Should look pretty sweet once finished! Really like the added thickness- identical to the M-wheel but with the inlay as an added touch.

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As far as the choice of rubber is concerned:

Throughout my last 12 years of E85s / E86s, I have used Michelins (first PS3, now PS4S), Pirelli P-Zero, Falken FK510, Hankook EVO and some very cheap brand I forgot about (one of the E85s was handed over to me on them), all on 19 inch staggered 8.5J/9.5J rims.

My experience: if you wish to push your Z every now and then, and you can / wish to afford them: always buy the Michelins. If you opt for a different brand the ride is not necessarily poor, but it will be less in terms of how much you can push the car and how much feedback the tyre will give you. Say that a situation you could corner without issues with 120 km/h on Michelins will be getting difficult on other brands above 110 km/h (given that we are both Dutch: for instance some of those "klaverblad" corners for which they advise say 70 or 80 km/h).

Then again: I am currently running PS4s on the E86 and the Falkens on the roadster (but might switch them anytime soon) and have no "real" complaints about the Falkens. They are cheaper than the Michelins and thus I do not expect the same from them. They are also a very decent ride, however their limits show a little sooner.

As for the Hankooks: those were a real disappointment to me for a very specific reason. They will suit a car being driven daily or several times a week, but they are very prone to becoming square if you park the Z for a couple of weeks every now and then. That will cure after driving a couple of kilometres, but to me is a very annoying start of a ride in a hobby car.

Last observation: one brand of tyre is way chunkier than the other brand and thus one brand's 255 will (almost) match another brand's 265. Michelins are chunky. Falken and Hankook for example are not.
 
[ref]Mau[/ref], thanks for the extensive reply! Bedankt :thumbsup: Specifically your experience with the Hankooks is an interesting one, though I do use the car several times a week so not necessarily an issue for me. Michelins have always done well for me, so it’s why I’m leaning that way now. The Vredestein’s are also an option, though with a slight penalty to out-and-out performance. I’ve always gotten on with them well.
 
Fitted the Storm Motorwerks gear knob today. Really pleased with both the look and feel 8) Couldn’t wait to the full interior rebuild with this one haha

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They’ve been requested numerous times, but winter -or rather an extremely extended autumn- was in the way. Until now.

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Got them fitted with some new rubber. 225/35/19 fronts, 255/30/19 rears. Vredestein Ultrac Vorti +, the sporty brother of the Satin’s. I treated the new wheels to a layer of ceramic coating which was left to harden for 48 hours. A long wait, ironically…

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Thursday evening, it was go-time and damn did it look good on the very first impression… Can’t imagine switching back to the winter setup frankly…

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As for the look… well I don’t have to say much other than that it’s transformed the car and I have been inundated with positive remarks since (for which I say: thanks very much, appreciate it all!).

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Not just good looking under the sun, but equally so under artificial light. I love the fitment of that rear wheel in particular. Just complements the shoulder line so well.

Up next: interior. A lot of it… soon too, as Bimmerfest Europe is just 7 weeks away!
 
Thanks all for the positive reactions, much appreciated! I really can’t get over how much I like the new look. Keep peeking out the window, especially with the sunny weather we’ve had lately 8)

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Over the weekend we had not just one but two fellow Zeds in the studio! The Montego Blue was in dire need of a deep clean, while the Silbergrau example had his callipers done (M-Blue) and underwent a maintenance wash. Really nice to see the totally different possibilities with the Zed; it’s a platform that lends itself extremely well to personalisation :thumbsup:

Speaking of other Zeds: in 7 weeks time Bimmerfest Europe will land in Venray, the Netherlands. We’ve been able to gather 15 E86’s for the drive there and the meet itself. Should be quite the sight! That leaves me with a little over a month to finish a few projects:

- Interior panel swap, trim respray and insulation upgrades;
- Steering wheel modification, reupholster and swap;
- Window tinting to a light smoke;
- Addition of 1, maybe 2 yet undisclosed mods…

With that in mind: more updates soon! :thumbsup:
 
Oil and filter change done, and none too soon. Oil was quite dark but then it had been in there for 13 months. My own fault for not getting round to this sooner, all the goodies had been sitting in my office for weeks now. Happy to say it runs smoother now, with the whine you sometimes hear now gone. Suspect it was the filter, as it wasn’t in very good shape. Replaced with the original MANN filter, and doing another change in 3k km’s or so.

Also fitted 6 new spark plugs, the old ones were nice and white on top with no signs of contamination. Always nice to know. Considered 6 new coils as well but don’t fix what isn’t broke. If one goes bad I’ll do them all.

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Also lightly tinted the indicators on the sides to reduce their visual impact on the dark green. Looks nice and natural, and with LED’s inside there’s no issue with light production.

Finally, I visited a tint specialist who’ll do the rear hatch and small side windows next month. Also received some of the final pieces to the interior puzzle, so that shouldn’t be much longer either. Exciting times ahead!
 
Barty said:
They’ve been requested numerous times, but winter -or rather an extremely extended autumn- was in the way. Until now.

4A7B35D3-587B-4CD0-BB0D-4FD3BACDBFAB.jpeg

Got them fitted with some new rubber. 225/35/19 fronts, 255/30/19 rears. Vredestein Ultrac Vorti +, the sporty brother of the Satin’s. I treated the new wheels to a layer of ceramic coating which was left to harden for 48 hours. A long wait, ironically…

0072B237-29B6-464F-98F8-F3FA79B1D7F1.jpeg

Thursday evening, it was go-time and damn did it look good on the very first impression… Can’t imagine switching back to the winter setup frankly…

ACDFDDA6-F591-4A06-A78A-678E34004039.jpeg

As for the look… well I don’t have to say much other than that it’s transformed the car and I have been inundated with positive remarks since (for which I say: thanks very much, appreciate it all!).

D1B418B0-21E1-4A27-BBFB-7588D135A9CF.jpeg

Not just good looking under the sun, but equally so under artificial light. I love the fitment of that rear wheel in particular. Just complements the shoulder line so well.

Up next: interior. A lot of it… soon too, as Bimmerfest Europe is just 7 weeks away!
Click to expand...

Loving the build so far and this wheel colour is incredible!

From a fellow Tiefgruen driver :D

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[ref]Wursle[/ref], I knew I’d seen a race-specced Green Machine before somewhere! Awesome build, and thanks for the compliments :thumbsup:
 
Barty said:
[ref]Wursle[/ref], I knew I’d seen a race-specced Green Machine before somewhere! Awesome build, and thanks for the compliments :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I've been umming and arring about what colour to do my wheels and the Bronze looks amazing! i thought it would look good but didnt want to spend out if i didnt like it :D lots more race car parts to go!
 
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Happy Easter everyone, and time for another update. Over the last weeks I’ve stripped most of the things you don’t need while maintaining a drivable car. Trim panels off to the paintshop, as well as the wheel. Managed to pick that up yesterday looking absolutely glorious. The trim panels need another respray since an old crack came through the clear coat. Luckily our go-to painter is as picky as I am!

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Dropped the wheel off at the upholsterer last night. She will have it ready in a week or two, well in time for Bimmerfest on the 8th of May.

Tomorrow I’ll wash the car and park it up at our studio for what will be a week of interior modifications. The car is booked in Thursday morning for its window tint, so has to be back at a drivable level by then.

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Finally, two made-to-order bits of carbon should arrive this week. They too will be installed before Bimmerfest. It’s going to be a totally different car in a week or two. To say that I’m excited is an understatement 8)
 
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