Liam's Z4C race car project

1536Z4 · Post by **1536Z4** » Wed Mar 16, 2022 11:59 am

Liam22 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 11:21 am 2 seconds a lap quicker

Nice video . Sounds great and quicker too

TheDan · Post by **TheDan** » Wed Mar 16, 2022 12:13 pm

Looked awesome, I love the Silverstone GP track!

Liam22 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 11:21 am 3. Wheel alignment (getting dragged out of the gravel was brutal)

What alignment (camber) settings do you plan to aim for?

Jahmez · Post by **Jahmez** » Thu Mar 17, 2022 12:10 pm

Love these types of threads.... Looking forward to seeing it all pan out...

sars · Post by **sars** » Thu Mar 17, 2022 12:24 pm

Just awesome

Wursle · Post by **Wursle** » Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:54 pm

Liam22 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 11:21 am Wow - the MILV stuff is very interesting.

I had a cheeky shakedown race at Silverstone GP on Sunday. It was a last minute thing which meant going on last year's worn out tyres and marginal brake pads. A new race series for me, Snetterton Saloons (on an away day to Silverstone at a Britcar meeting). I was in the 2.5-3.5l class.

Damp qualifying, but the car felt great and noticeably faster. Unfortunately the ABS pump started to fail which meant I went from having ABS to not having ABS. Given that all my warning lights are already on (because disabled steering angle sensor) I didn't see this coming, resulting in a trip to the gravel trap...

I pulled the ABS fuse for the race but it meant learning the brakes from scratch. Thankfully it was dry, and I had a few locky moments but no real issues. In the dry, the car is now hitting 130mph at the end of the Hangar Straight and 2 seconds a lap quicker than the last time I drove Silverstone GP.

My son made a cool video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmZa22xDiQ

A few things to fix before its next outing:
1. ABS pump repair (I have the classic fault codes)
2. New RHS driveshaft circlip (same problem I had last year with the LHS). Driveshaft is popping out. Perhaps the diff/subframe is flexing???
3. Wheel alignment (getting dragged out of the gravel was brutal)
4. Replace bonnet badge (don't know where it went!)

Mega mega mega as always Liam!

Also look into the N54 Manifold swap for a cheap way to pick up extra horse power with the MILV's as it will rev all the way to 7400!

How are the Megane calipers and M3 discs holding up now? are they still going strong and is there any desire for more braking?

This sounds absolutely nuts now!

Liam22 · Post by **Liam22** » Mon Mar 21, 2022 12:08 am

TheDan wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 12:13 pm What alignment (camber) settings do you plan to aim for?

Same as I've been running for a while. Will post the settings the next time I see my setup book.

I was going to get the ABS pump repaired to cure the 5DF0 and 5DF1 error codes (£190). But I was told that the E92 M3 ABS unit has a compatible pump and I was able to find a low mileage one for £150.

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I separated the pump unit from the electronics and tested the motor with 12V.

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Pulled the old unit from the car and noticed it has been repaired before. Even better to replace it then!

Simply bolted the E86 electronics onto the E92 hydraulics and put it back on the car. Did a quick test with ABS bleed and it made all the right noises. Will do a full bleed this week.

Liam22 · Post by **Liam22** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 7:52 pm

Wursle wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:54 pm Also look into the N54 Manifold swap for a cheap way to pick up extra horse power with the MILV's as it will rev all the way to 7400!

Any evidence for this? I had a quick look but seemed inconclusive. Also some question on throttle body sizes.

Wursle wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:54 pm How are the Megane calipers and M3 discs holding up now? are they still going strong and is there any desire for more braking?

Pretty well. They've been through 2 sets of pads now and starting to show signs of micro-cracks. They'll certainly do another season, probably two.

Liam22 · Post by **Liam22** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:22 pm

Fitted the MILVs today. I've previously replaced the cam cover gasket, so remembered pretty well how to remove the cover. That's a 30 minute job in itself.

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Marty's instructions are pretty good. I was able to get a 22mm ratchet on the crank from above, through the gap by the expansion tank. I found the best position for each cylinder was to "point" the cam lobe away from the engine, perpendicular to the deck. I also thought it was a good idea to pre-lube each support with clean engine oil.

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However, I'm not that clever, because I over-tightened the support bolts on cylinder 1, shearing one of them. No harm done, but I'll need a new pair from BMW before I can refit the cam cover. Here's the job half done with temporary bolts on the no.1 support.

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1536Z4 · Post by **1536Z4** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:37 pm

Liam22 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:22 pm I over-tightened the support bolts on cylinder

Hi Liam,

Did you use a torque wrench or just hand tight plus a few degrees .

Did you use a different method for the other bolts .

Thanks

Liam22 · Post by **Liam22** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:42 pm

I got confused by "in lb". Set my torque wrench to 14Nm for the rest!

1536Z4 · Post by **1536Z4** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:49 pm

Liam22 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:42 pm I got confused by "in lb". Set my torque wrench to 14Nm for the rest!

Easily done . Been there done that . Thanks .

Wursle · Post by **Wursle** » Tue Apr 05, 2022 1:28 pm

Liam22 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 7:52 pm
Wursle wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:54 pm Also look into the N54 Manifold swap for a cheap way to pick up extra horse power with the MILV's as it will rev all the way to 7400!
Any evidence for this? I had a quick look but seemed inconclusive. Also some question on throttle body sizes.

Wursle wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:54 pm How are the Megane calipers and M3 discs holding up now? are they still going strong and is there any desire for more braking?
Pretty well. They've been through 2 sets of pads now and starting to show signs of micro-cracks. They'll certainly do another season, probably two.

This is the link that got the N54 Intake discussion going
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthr ... ?t=1451616

Good stuff regarding the megane brakes! so other than brake wear and tear nothing bad to report. just out of interest what are the wheel sizes / offsets for the wheels you run? I run a 17x9J ET30 and i am wondering if my wheels will fit over.

If you are looking for a good disc to run next PFC do some 2 piece rotors for the m3 that you can get in blanks without the holes.

Liam22 · Post by **Liam22** » Tue Apr 05, 2022 1:43 pm

Wursle wrote: ↑Tue Apr 05, 2022 1:28 pm what are the wheel sizes / offsets for the wheels you run? I run a 17x9J ET30

Fronts are 17x8J ET34 (E90 fitment). I needed 5mm spacers to clear the calipers but that depends on the spoke style and dish.

Braking performance is excellent for the weight of the car. 1.7g deceleration on Nankang AR-1 tyres.

Liam22 · Post by **Liam22** » Wed Apr 06, 2022 2:12 pm

Wursle wrote: ↑Tue Apr 05, 2022 1:28 pm This is the link that got the N54 Intake discussion going
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthr ... ?t=1451616

That's a N54 intake manifold on an E82 128i (US market). That car has the low power (228bhp) N52B30 engine so will have the "lesser" stock intake manifold. So I'm not yet convinced that the N54 intake on the 261bhp engine will show a benefit.

Ed Doe · Post by **Ed Doe** » Wed Apr 06, 2022 3:49 pm

a few years back before I bought my M I was looking into upgrades for the N52 - some dudes in the US had firstly got them revving to 9krpm with no issues, making think nearer 300bhp... The same guys also stuck a turbo on it and made iirc about 500whp on 'pump gas' on an otherwise completely unopened engine... I'm not suggesting that would necessarily stand up to race levels of bashing, but they certainly appear to be quite strong engines!!

I tried to hunt about for the 9krpm dyno videos but looks like they've all been made private now

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