Hi All.
Steve from Stockport near Manchester checking in, been a forum lurker since buying an E85 2.5i in September after selling my previous weekend toy, a Robin Hood Lotus 7 style kit car.
Two years to build and on the road for eleven years in various states of tune and power, the last incarnation weighing in at 720kg and being propelled by a 278bhp/300lbft 2.0 Vauxhall Astra VXR turbo lump. Stupidly fast, absolutely as basic as they come, but great fun and over the years I covered 43,000 miles venturing onto the continent every year with either the Mrs or the youngest lad as passenger or just riding solo. But it had been on borrowed time for the past eighteen months due to the other half being absolutely terrified of it with the VXR motor. So, a Z4 seemed like an ideal replacement to get her indoors outdoors and back into the passenger seat.
A train ride from Stockport to Bury St Edmunds saw me driving back the same day with a sterling grey E85 2.5i with 106s shod in Bridgestone run flats which are truely awful, red leather, xenons, front parking/distance sensors, 66,500 miles, FSH and MOT until the end of June 2017. There are a few issues with handling which I think are mainly the tyres which will be going early next year, as well as a very small amount of play in the lollipops which I'll polybush. There's 20mm difference in ride height across the rear axle, both springs are intact so it may just be 13 years of wear on the driver's side and I'm planning on replacing these in the new year too.
So I've taken nearly a 90bhp hit on power and nearly doubled the weight but the Mrs and me both love it, which is enough for me.
Plans are already underway for a two week road trip in July taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander, spend a few days exploring northern Spain and then wind our way back up through France to Caen and the ferry back to England.
And here are the all important photos
Steve from Stockport near Manchester checking in, been a forum lurker since buying an E85 2.5i in September after selling my previous weekend toy, a Robin Hood Lotus 7 style kit car.
Two years to build and on the road for eleven years in various states of tune and power, the last incarnation weighing in at 720kg and being propelled by a 278bhp/300lbft 2.0 Vauxhall Astra VXR turbo lump. Stupidly fast, absolutely as basic as they come, but great fun and over the years I covered 43,000 miles venturing onto the continent every year with either the Mrs or the youngest lad as passenger or just riding solo. But it had been on borrowed time for the past eighteen months due to the other half being absolutely terrified of it with the VXR motor. So, a Z4 seemed like an ideal replacement to get her indoors outdoors and back into the passenger seat.
A train ride from Stockport to Bury St Edmunds saw me driving back the same day with a sterling grey E85 2.5i with 106s shod in Bridgestone run flats which are truely awful, red leather, xenons, front parking/distance sensors, 66,500 miles, FSH and MOT until the end of June 2017. There are a few issues with handling which I think are mainly the tyres which will be going early next year, as well as a very small amount of play in the lollipops which I'll polybush. There's 20mm difference in ride height across the rear axle, both springs are intact so it may just be 13 years of wear on the driver's side and I'm planning on replacing these in the new year too.
So I've taken nearly a 90bhp hit on power and nearly doubled the weight but the Mrs and me both love it, which is enough for me.
Plans are already underway for a two week road trip in July taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander, spend a few days exploring northern Spain and then wind our way back up through France to Caen and the ferry back to England.
And here are the all important photos
I might have to think about that a bit more.
