New Z4M owner

Hysteric

Member
Hello all, wanted to introduce myself and my new purchase.

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I'm sure I will be plundering the grey beards on this site for information and what to do (and not to do) but plans are to enjoy, get to know the car and get a few track days in.

I don't normally keep garage queens and this will be no different.

I am on the lookout for and welcome any advice on;
- track days for novices (I am in Surrey)
- CSL style bucket seats
- good condition set of black door cards

Many thanks in advance.
 
Welcome

You are in good company down there in Surrey with a few like minded M owners…

Good work getting a photo up

Stuart
 
bigwinn said:
Welcome

You are in good company down there in Surrey with a few like minded M owners…

Good work getting a photo up

Stuart

Thanks Stuart, would be good to link up with the locals.
 
Welcome to MC ownership. :thumbsup:

There are a few of us in, or close to, Surrey and one mostly uses his for track days. He has Carbon Tillet seats in his, but having sat in it I wouldn't want to go too far in them. Someone else had Recaro Pole Position seats in his and they were much more comfortable! From what I have read there aren't too many seat options that will fit between the centre console and the door.

I'd recommend posting a "Wanted" ad in the Classifieds for black door cards. There are a few members who have broken Z4s so one of them may have a pair.
 
Thanks Mr Tidy.

I’ve sat in Tillets in an Elise and they’re epic but agree with your assessment!

I’ve also seen Cobra Nogaro seats which look quite nice and seems to fit however not measured it up myself - want to keep the factory belts for now


Mr Tidy said:
Welcome to MC ownership. :thumbsup:

There are a few of us in, or close to, Surrey and one mostly uses his for track days. He has Carbon Tillet seats in his, but having sat in it I wouldn't want to go too far in them. Someone else had Recaro Pole Position seats in his and they were much more comfortable! From what I have read there aren't too many seat options that will fit between the centre console and the door.

I'd recommend posting a "Wanted" ad in the Classifieds for black door cards. There are a few members who have broken Z4s so one of them may have a pair.
 
Mr Tidy said:
Welcome to MC ownership. :thumbsup:

There are a few of us in, or close to, Surrey and one mostly uses his for track days. He has Carbon Tillet seats in his, but having sat in it I wouldn't want to go too far in them. Someone else had Recaro Pole Position seats in his and they were much more comfortable! From what I have read there aren't too many seat options that will fit between the centre console and the door.

My ears were burning :oops: either that or you were talking about Tom_K! :lol:

I find my tilletts really comfortable, I've done a 4.5h trip to Folkestone, then 5.5h onward to the ring in them last few years running and had no issues whatsoever!

Welcome to the madhouse op, hope to see you on track at some point :thumbsup:
 
Ha would love to take a look at your tillets before I pull the trigger.

Are there any suggestions for first time trackers? Thruxton and brands hatch seem close (but Thruxton is 90db static) and preferred track day organiser?


Ed Doe said:
Mr Tidy said:
Welcome to MC ownership. :thumbsup:

There are a few of us in, or close to, Surrey and one mostly uses his for track days. He has Carbon Tillet seats in his, but having sat in it I wouldn't want to go too far in them. Someone else had Recaro Pole Position seats in his and they were much more comfortable! From what I have read there aren't too many seat options that will fit between the centre console and the door.

My ears were burning :oops: either that or you were talking about Tom_K! :lol:

I find my tilletts really comfortable, I've done a 4.5h trip to Folkestone, then 5.5h onward to the ring in them last few years running and had no issues whatsoever!

Welcome to the madhouse op, hope to see you on track at some point :thumbsup:
 
Hysteric said:
Ha would love to take a look at your tillets before I pull the trigger.

Are there any suggestions for first time trackers? Thruxton and brands hatch seem close (but Thruxton is 90db static) and preferred track day organiser?

Old pic from before I changed the wheel but you get the idea! Always welcome to have a sit etc if you fancy, I'll let you know next time I'm heading down to Frimley in it and we can meet up if you want :)

IMG_20211218_120310.jpg

First time in an M or first time on track fullstop? Don't want to teach you to suck eggs if you've done a few days before in other cars!

Keep a careful eye on tyre pressures, they'll rocket on track and you need to keep them at around 32psi max.
Build into it slowly, the M is a bit of a handful on the original suspension, albeit tending to understeer it can be spiky if you try and push through that.

Youll find the tc is a bit overzealous (old tech really) and if you leave it on two things will happen as you start to go quicker - 1. It'll hold you back 2. It'll absolutely decimate your rear pads as it tries to keep things under it's own version of 'control' :lol:

Otherwise get stuck in, the s54 is such a treat to fully wring out on track, and the chassis is exciting but becomes (imo) a real corker once dialled in with a few choice parts ;)
Personally I'd go brands first, Thruxton is a fast circuit in which to learn a new car!
 
I’d agree with everything Ed has said, except I’d suggest you try a couple of airfield days first if you have no previous track experience. They’re generally much less expensive and have far more run off. They’re also not subject to sudden elevation changes that can unsettle the car since airfields are necessarily flat.
Motorsport Events run good value track days that are very well organised and safe, usually with an open pit lane rather than sessions that significantly reduce your track time. If you like them as a company, you can graduate from airfields to proper tracks including Thruxton. The days they run at Abingdon are very popular and book up early.
Thruxton can be intimidating the first time you go there even when you’re experienced. It been a few years since I’ve been there (I’m living in Sydney now and shipped my Zed with me), but I think I remember that I was hitting 140mph down the back part of the track before the 50mph chicane which has almost no run off. As Ed says, I’d get to know the car first and ensure that it’s mechanically up to the task before visiting there.
 
Ed Doe said:
Old pic from before I changed the wheel but you get the idea! Always welcome to have a sit etc if you fancy, I'll let you know next time I'm heading down to Frimley in it and we can meet up if you want :)

First time in an M or first time on track fullstop? Don't want to teach you to suck eggs if you've done a few days before in other cars!

Keep a careful eye on tyre pressures, they'll rocket on track and you need to keep them at around 32psi max.
Build into it slowly, the M is a bit of a handful on the original suspension, albeit tending to understeer it can be spiky if you try and push through that.

Youll find the tc is a bit overzealous (old tech really) and if you leave it on two things will happen as you start to go quicker - 1. It'll hold you back 2. It'll absolutely decimate your rear pads as it tries to keep things under it's own version of 'control' :lol:

Otherwise get stuck in, the s54 is such a treat to fully wring out on track, and the chassis is exciting but becomes (imo) a real corker once dialled in with a few choice parts ;)
Personally I'd go brands first, Thruxton is a fast circuit in which to learn a new car!

Thanks Ed, I'm based in Woking so very happy for a meet - those Tillets look the business and would love to have a nose whenever possible. Give me a shout.
Loving the steering wheel in the pic as well - I want to get mine re-done very similar.
First track day period so any and all advice welcome.
I've currently got B12s and PS4s on mine but as you say still getting used to the car.
 
BMWZ4MC said:
I’d agree with everything Ed has said, except I’d suggest you try a couple of airfield days first if you have no previous track experience. They’re generally much less expensive and have far more run off. They’re also not subject to sudden elevation changes that can unsettle the car since airfields are necessarily flat.
Motorsport Events run good value track days that are very well organised and safe, usually with an open pit lane rather than sessions that significantly reduce your track time. If you like them as a company, you can graduate from airfields to proper tracks including Thruxton. The days they run at Abingdon are very popular and book up early.
Thruxton can be intimidating the first time you go there even when you’re experienced. It been a few years since I’ve been there (I’m living in Sydney now and shipped my Zed with me), but I think I remember that I was hitting 140mph down the back part of the track before the 50mph chicane which has almost no run off. As Ed says, I’d get to know the car first and ensure that it’s mechanically up to the task before visiting there.

Thanks pal, airfield circuits sound a good shout to get settled in with the car - its quite daunting as the car is new to me and I don't know where it is at yet but seems there is only 1 way to find out....
Will take a look at Abingdon and Castle Coombe as well.
Just noticed you have your Elise as your sensible daily driver.... mmmm :D
 
flimper said:
Consider Cadwell, I drove that as a complete amateur (still am) and enjoyed it. Roads there are epic too.

Thanks Flimper, Cadwell looks good but is a 3.5hr drive for me.... bit punchy or is that normal behaviour ?
 
Hysteric said:
Thanks Ed, I'm based in Woking so very happy for a meet - those Tillets look the business and would love to have a nose whenever possible. Give me a shout.
Loving the steering wheel in the pic as well - I want to get mine re-done very similar.
First track day period so any and all advice welcome.
I've currently got B12s and PS4s on mine but as you say still getting used to the car.

Willdo, I think I'll next be down in Frimley in it in July, will keep you posted :)
I liked the wheel, but have since changed it for a Momo Mod.07 wheel, which I prefer :)

I started tracking my 3.0si on b12s with PS4s, it's not a bad base to start out on, should definitely feel a bit sharper than on stock suspension.

Not to be argumentative, but if you're a novice I'd personally avoid Cadwell too, it's a fantastic track for sure, but its unofficial nickname as the 'mini-nurburgring' is well deserved - it's narrow, the run-off is very short before you interface with something hard, there are elevation changes, unsighted corners and areas under trees. It's not a track I've done yet (although I really want to), but I would not recommend it as a novice, unless you a) have a much higher sense of self-preservation than me :lol: or b) enjoy scaring yourself.

I'd try and get out at Bedford as a first track day, or Abingdon as an airfield day - both have plenty of run-off so you can focus on how the car feels under you and slowly build the speed without feeling terrified.
Brands would also be relatively good as they run novice days which means you'll not be intimidated by weekend racers getting some testing in divebombing you on the brakes.
 
Ed Doe said:
Hysteric said:
Thanks Ed, I'm based in Woking so very happy for a meet - those Tillets look the business and would love to have a nose whenever possible. Give me a shout.
Loving the steering wheel in the pic as well - I want to get mine re-done very similar.
First track day period so any and all advice welcome.
I've currently got B12s and PS4s on mine but as you say still getting used to the car.

Willdo, I think I'll next be down in Frimley in it in July, will keep you posted :)
I liked the wheel, but have since changed it for a Momo Mod.07 wheel, which I prefer :)

I started tracking my 3.0si on b12s with PS4s, it's not a bad base to start out on, should definitely feel a bit sharper than on stock suspension.

Not to be argumentative, but if you're a novice I'd personally avoid Cadwell too, it's a fantastic track for sure, but its unofficial nickname as the 'mini-nurburgring' is well deserved - it's narrow, the run-off is very short before you interface with something hard, there are elevation changes, unsighted corners and areas under trees. It's not a track I've done yet (although I really want to), but I would not recommend it as a novice, unless you a) have a much higher sense of self-preservation than me :lol: or b) enjoy scaring yourself.

I'd try and get out at Bedford as a first track day, or Abingdon as an airfield day - both have plenty of run-off so you can focus on how the car feels under you and slowly build the speed without feeling terrified.
Brands would also be relatively good as they run novice days which means you'll not be intimidated by weekend racers getting some testing in divebombing you on the brakes.

100% agreed on Bedford

Very safe place to test the car and your limits
 
Ed Doe said:
Hysteric said:
Not to be argumentative, but if you're a novice I'd personally avoid Cadwell too, it's a fantastic track for sure, but its unofficial nickname as the 'mini-nurburgring' is well deserved - it's narrow, the run-off is very short before you interface with something hard, there are elevation changes, unsighted corners and areas under trees. It's not a track I've done yet (although I really want to), but I would not recommend it as a novice, unless you a) have a much higher sense of self-preservation than me :lol: or b) enjoy scaring yourself.

Re Cadwell, I suppose it depends if you intend to drive the track 10/10ths or not. I didn't want to so was happy there :) Am thinking of Goodwood as a possibility, again driving at 7/10ths, so Ed you'd probably lap me :)
 
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