6 months in.....

[physprof]

so, sometime since I posted - too busy with work and other things.

10k miles on and 6 months of Z4MR - what's been been my perspective.

Occasionally, I've looked in to see what has been happening - mostly to see what day-to day issues crop up.

1. driving...
still a thrill, but accessibility of upper echelons is limited sans a track day - lets just say back to quieter locales of my youth in highlands and islands plus some forays into other jurisdictions means you can see what happens nearer the notional Germanic self imposed speed limit. Streering feels a bit light, too light to help confidence - is this a strut brace calling? or perhaps more than 3mm on Conti SC M3 tread can offer or me lacking bollox?

1.1 I was intrigued by that recent astra hatch debate.... he seemed to be pootering around in old Mini Cooper vid... but the roads did not look suitable for serious workout ... too many house/drives etc directly onto road ....bloke of bike FSS.... get off to proper roads (1.0 above).

1.2 have learned to drive around the CDV.... sport button helps......

1.3 yes scruff of the neck driving a la hammond on top gear helps when hustling along......

1.4 driving on snow..... see tyres above... laugh out loud madness.......pendulum driving.....

1.5 rarity value - great to see so few M's about.......

2.0 living with
2.1 great, plug and play - would echo the few comments about suitability for long (200-400 mile trips).

2.2 roof down routinely with good weather - great midnight 150km drive back from airport following a trip abroad in late february at 5C... heated seats etc(+++)... few showers and a few looks of "crazy fecker" from other motorists during the two showers that I drove through at (cough) 150km/hr. reason for roof down - been up since 4am ..... fresh air and plenty please and courtney pine on ipod with DSP.

2.3 oil - not a drop used ....tyre pressures pretty stable. various quotes for new tyres - conti sc3's M3 - stealer 220+VAT each ..... pissed myself.... same package could be had for a bit over 700 from blackcricles.... but do I go conti or F1s? ...which I love on my e39 for last 8 years.......


3.0 faults....
3.1 recent appearance of the yellow emissions light - which has gone off and on 3 times now - new warranty funded o2 sensor going in latter this week to make the fix.

3.2 random seatbelt warning light.......OK if it wasn't for that fecking buzzer ... is that for our US friends? hopefully now fixed.

3.3 springs.... pressing down on either three quarters when car parked up with handbrake on /off leads to sqeaking .... not on my 125k e39 tho' hence cracked springs suspicion.... so when in for 3.1 above - they checked to see springs knackered - reply - no - it is rear brake pads .....mmmmm

4.0 rough and tumble
4.1 december - bell-end scrapped small section of rear bumper on street parking - drove off left - tell-tale paint etc ....not too bad but decided on chipsaway... as it is way down low and cosmetic.... great job 90 quid.

4.2 january - a person dinged the rear wing near petrol cap with their rear passenger door trying to extracate their kid from their child seat - a total hero and decent chap - left his number and then without question paid the 400 quid approved bodyshop repair - restored faith in motoring humanity. lesson for us all - don't drive off. own up.

so there you are.... all in more fun than I'd have anticipated in september ...looking forward to the lengthening spring evenings.

 

[ovrkll]

Nice write-up! And I guess you can thank us for the annoying seatbelt chime

 

[Andy]

I'm 28k and almost 3 years in and I'd echo most of the above.

Was going to do something similar when I hit 30k.

I too have had the emissions light 3 times, and I also have sqeaky rear springs.

I have Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas.. £520 for 4 and love them. Great pattern, very predictable and good sized lip over the alloys.

 

[outrun]

Nice write up. I too have gone for Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas - not that they are too easy to come by! I felt they were a great price when compared to PS2s which i think are the Daddy. The only othr i seriously considered were Toyo Proxes but their write ups have been mixed.

I also have a squeaking rear spring, only rear o/s though. I thought it might be because my car is lowered but it's interesting to hear that several people have the same issue with standard springs. It's really cool to pull up in a shiny, sexy and rare car only for a little squeal to come out of the back end wheni get out! Makes me appear tobe heavier than i am.....

 

[Andy]

Wow someone else on my tyres.. I always get ignored usually for the favourite Falkens debate.

My local tyre blokey got them no probs, but im tempted to try and order some more rears in to store, even though the wear rate compared to the Contis is much better, and at that cost ive been abusing them a lot more than I used to.

 

[physprof]

Guys, thanks for comments - should have added car at 32K and showing 4K to next oil service - it was a 06 reg.

The springs - indeed I'm 15 stone and it is pretty uncool getting out of low car and the spring go creak/squeak.....who ate all the pies....

Just gone and rechecked - car in in garage - took handbrake off and pressing down on either rear-3/4 there is indeed no noise - only with handbrake applied.... so a pads issue or perhaps floating disks? anyway nothing to worry about save an incentive to loose some weight. dealer said a good power wash of brakes might well help - can't be arsed either getting it on aramp or take a wheel and a time off... so I'll live with it.

The handbrake shows same tendency as e39s that they are crap unless pulled 4-5 clicks up .....

Have to say I wasn't too much of a conti fan - our slk had them initially and wear rate was poor, chnaged to F1s - however when I got Z4M 10K miles ago there was 4-5 mm tread all round and it is now in the 2.5-3mm range which I suppose if very fair wear rate....

 

[mmm-five]

The springs - indeed I'm 15 stone and it is pretty uncool getting out of low car and the spring go creak/squeak.....who ate all the pies....

Just gone and rechecked - car in in garage - took handbrake off and pressing down on either rear-3/4 there is indeed no noise - only with handbrake applied.... so a pads issue or perhaps floating disks? anyway nothing to worry about save an incentive to loose some weight. dealer said a good power wash of brakes might well help - can't be arsed either getting it on aramp or take a wheel and a time off... so I'll live with it.

I'm 18 stone - so it was probably me!

The handbrake is a show in a small drum on the rear - hence when the wheel moves a little forwards/backward when you put weight on it then the shoe rubs against the drum and squeaks.

 

[Piero Bembo]

We’re on Contis and they just don’t work below +5°C. Maby the rears have seen their best at almost 20k km.
Steering works just fine up to 110kph, then it get light, especially in medium twisty roads. When you have heavier loads on you get moore feedback and more confidence. It then it comes back at speeds above 170–180 (motorway cruising is fine whatever speed). And that is my only complaint (since the installation of OEM cupholders) – but it’s probably more down to passive/inexperienced driving. And yes, have the strutbrace (BMW-style).
Mpg/Kmpl is possitive, much less than expected. But then again, it might be my foot that’s a little light.
Feels great for long drives except for dusk/night, sits low so I get all meeting lights right in the eye.

 

[physprof]

I'd agree with the light steering in that range....and the cupholders (mine were OEM fitted myself ....that silly buzzing from passenger side at same speeds...

really is amazing how similar everybody has same idiosyncrasies - or is that a tautology?

that is my main problem with contis - low temperature they are very poor - noticeably worse than F1s - it is the debate I've seen too often - winter vs. summer tyres... for UK is is just not worth the hassle - if you had the inclination/times/space/cash - get two sets of wheels and play pit-stop tyre change on weekly basis depending on forecast...just to get decent performance.

 

[outrun]

Yup, the old Continental complaint. The compound is simply far too hard so it never gets up to temperature in colder weathers and is downright dangerous for the first couple of miles on a cold morning. Get them changed, just about anything is better. I'm not sure i agree about the steering getting too light at higher speeds but i have 19s so the ride is different from standard. I wonder if it's just so weighty and full of feel at slow speeds that it feels too light for you at higher speed?

Ditch the Contis!

 

[mmm-five]

With all this info I'm reading about how bad the standard Conti's are and how bad the steering is, I must either be driving a different car to the rest of you, or I've got the best of the car to come.

I've had chewing gum-like rubber on my tyres after a hard countryside blast like you'd normally get on a track, my PS2s never got that on the CSLs, but then I suppose the PS2s on the CSLs wouldn't have moved as much and therefore created less heat than the Conti's.

I've done 6,000 miles in the 3 months I've had mine, and that includes two 250 mile sub-zero blasts around North Wales, two track days, forum cruise, BMW Car Club cruise, two 100 mile blasts around Derbyshire & South Yorkshire.

In all that time, the only tyres I've been less than confident on were the PS2s on the CSL wheels - and that's from someone who was a PS2 convert since they came out (on an e34 M5 though). I'm delaying judgement until my Conti's need replacing (would have been within a month, but I'm not driving for work at the moment) and am then going to put PS2s on to see if it was just the wheels that ruined it, or whether the tyres had something to do with it too. I might simply have been the fact that the PS2s on the CSLs were old and not giving out there best, but the way I drive I thought it was safer (and more comfortable) to go back to standard :idunno:

I''ve not had any problems with light steering at any speed (up to 140mph that is) but I'm used to the vague straight-ahead & very light in general steering of the M5 (and it's bus steering wheel) and am used to having to hint the steering all the time anyway, so maybe I'm unconsciously hinting the Z4's wheel as well so that it's always just on load?

I do find the car handles better with a passenger in though