bottomed out today

MACK said:
Bilstein B4 aren't a lowered shock, they're designed for use with SE springs primarily but can be used with lowering springs if required.
Sach shocks as fitted as standard to E85 and other BMWs of this vintage were pretty poor quality, this forum and others are littered with stories of them failing in some cases as little as 20-30k etc. The standard rear springs were fairly crap as well, its a case of when not if they fail and it doesn't matter if their SE or M sport spec. Oem replacements were no better and also fail hence why folks tend to go aftermarket on here whether they're lowering of not. You have to be careful with aftermarket springs some of them aren't progressive for example. That's why folks tend to use the likes of Suplex who are well known/good quality and do both SE and M Sport spec springs for the Z4
blimey mack, only 20k ? thats 5 years motoring, im not even sure i will last that long myself !
but please explain the differance of a bilstein b4 over a normal bilstein that i saw.
 
road warrior said:
and. while i am at it.. coilovers vs ordinary suspension - i notice i have conventional springs

The advantages over a properly specified fixed strut set are mainly being able to make adjustments e.g. for track use. The disadvantages include being able to make adjustments you don't need and don't have the time or the knowledge to properly set up, traditionally they tend to be less robust, ride less well and cause handling issues when not set up right. Very expensive units are apparently very good, a lot of retail stuff is cr@p aimed at McDonald's car park braggers. Horses for courses, given your reasons for changes I'd steer clear and invest in good quality standard spec parts.
 
R60BBA said:
road warrior said:
R60BBA said:
If you want to put on 16s go buy a Z3.
Because?

If you’re seriously asking that question I’ve lost all hope. :? :tumbleweed:

To be fair tests on road cars have shown that simply up-sizing wheels and tyres over standard fitment will make no positive difference to cornering ability and in some cases reduce track lap times. Going from 16 in to 20 inch for example would add possibly 14+ kilos of unstrung weight, that with the rotational inertia will knock .25 - .5 secs off your 0-60 time and the contact patch and gyroscopic effect of the heavier wheel will reduce steering agility. That plus reduced comfort and susceptibility to damage means it's not necessarily a logical upgrade.

........ However road cars have a sweet spot size wise, I thought my old 17's rode better, were fractionally more stable in corners and gave more communicative backside 'feel' than my current staggered 18's which are as far as I would go size-wise. 17-18" rims are the sweet spot on the e85 IMHO, but if you can put up with the look (and forum ragging :wink: ) 16's would probably be a good drive.
 
exactly - i do wonder where your need for big wheels is compensating for something perhaps ? please feel free to lose all hope good sir cus i dont give a rats arse what you think. and rather opinionated coming from someone that dont even own a zed no more., and if you have anything else to say to me i suggest you say it with a smile. You wont like me when im angry.
 
road warrior said:
exactly - i do wonder where your need for big wheels is compensating for something perhaps ? please feel free to lose all hope good sir cus i dont give a rats arse what you think. and rather opinionated coming from someone that dont even own a zed no more., and if you have anything else to say to me i suggest you say it with a smile. You wont like me when im angry.

Please tell me where I said you need big wheels?

18s are perfect for the Z4 E85/E86. Hence why all MSport Z4s were sold with them as standard.

I would consider 17s during winter but that’s the smallest I would go. 16s are too small. Do you see the likes of Mr Wilks putting 16s on his car? No!

Also, in response to your last comment. Not sure you’d be able to catch me in my E46 M3 :P :driving:
 
meanwhile back to the studio... im thinking m sport shockers and normal springs, that would work woulnt it ?
so i get more height than the lowered m sport springs and stiffer shocks ? hmm ?
my car was spec'd with m sport suspension from new but i want comfort and less grounding - so prolly bilstein shocks and sach coil springs .. hmm ?
 
Ewazix said:
R60BBA said:
road warrior said:

If you’re seriously asking that question I’ve lost all hope. :? :tumbleweed:

To be fair tests on road cars have shown that simply up-sizing wheels and tyres over standard fitment will make no positive difference to cornering ability and in some cases reduce track lap times. Going from 16 in to 20 inch for example would add possibly 14+ kilos of unstrung weight, that with the rotational inertia will knock .25 - .5 secs off your 0-60 time and the contact patch and gyroscopic effect of the heavier wheel will reduce steering agility. That plus reduced comfort and susceptibility to damage means it's not necessarily a logical upgrade.

........ However road cars have a sweet spot size wise, I thought my old 17's rode better, were fractionally more stable in corners and gave more communicative backside 'feel' than my current staggered 18's which are as far as I would go size-wise. 17-18" rims are the sweet spot on the e85 IMHO, but if you can put up with the look (and forum ragging :wink: ) 16's would probably be a good drive.

I’m fully aware of unsprung weight and the difference in which simply changing a wheel size can affect a road vehicle.

I think Car Throttle and TyreReviews did a video or article on this a while back however can’t remember.

However my point is - although Style 104 16s were initially offered, most SE cars were specced on 17s and MSport cars on 18s. As a result of the buying demand, I believe BMW phased out the Style 104 16s for the facelift Z4s.

When I changed the wheels (MV2s 18s) on my Zed, I opted for lighter 18s as I didn’t want to increase unsprung weight and wanted to maintain the sporty balance of the car whilst also maintaining ride comfort. My 18s were wider and lighter than my MV2s and so my cars handling improved.

The biggest I would go on a Z4 is 18s for this very reason, however people run 19s are happy with them.

However 16s is just wrong.
 
you have yet to explain what is wrong with 16" wheels - they handle well, they are comfortable - so what exactly is wrong about them ? and bear in mind many z4 owners use them and are happy with them, and while i accept in your mind and heart they are wrong, you have yet to explain WHY they are wrong.. bmw specced them and sold them so what your issue exactly ?
If your reasoning is based on looks, or " filling the wheel arch " that is vaccuous, we all agree it " looks " better, but we also know a woman with big tits is no more capable of producing milk for a child than any women with smaller ones. so, is image your all ? its accepted 17" are the best - 18"'s look nice , 19" are silly and 20" are useless and dangerous.
 
road warrior said:
you have yet to explain what is wrong with 16" wheels - they handle well, they are comfortable - so what exactly is wrong about them ? and bear in mind many z4 owners use them and are happy with them, and while i accept in your mind and heart they are wrong, you have yet to explain WHY they are wrong.. bmw specced them and sold them so what your issue exactly ?
If your reasoning is based on looks, or " filling the wheel arch " that is vaccuous, we all agree it " looks " better, but we also know a woman with big tits is no more capable of producing milk for a child than any women with smaller ones. so, is image you all - its accepted 17" are the best - 18"'s look nice , 19" are silly and 20" are useless and dangerous.

If you read my posts I opted for lighter weight 18s for performance over aesthetics. If I wanted image I would’ve gone 19s.

Furthermore you don’t need to ask me why mate.

As I said, BMW discontinued Style 104 on the facelift Z4s (2006 onwards).

It’s not just my opinion, it’s also BMWs.
 
well mate... you said its wrong and i ask why ? and fact that thay disconnected them - what that got to do with anything ?
every car that is made is discontinued your e46 is discontinued . your point is ??
 
road warrior said:
well mate... you said its wrong and i ask why ? and fact that thay disconnected them - what that got to do with anything ?
every car that is made is discontinued your e46 is discontinued . your point is ??

E46 M3 and other high revving N/A motors being ‘discontinued’ or no longer produced as I would prefer - is due to emissions regulations and turbocharger technology.

Even today I saw something on the news about petrol cars over the age of 13 years old will be charged an extra £13.50 on top of congestion charge whenever they enter the Zone.

Anyways back to the point - the point is that 16s look wrong. Also from a dynamic driving perspective the tyre wall on a 16 inch rim would be too big - thus compromise sporty handling. It’s not like people buy Z4s because they offer a smooth ride like an E Class Mercedes does.

I will say it again. BMW discontinued Style 104 for the facelift Z4. They didn’t do it for no reason.

Goodnight sir.
 
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