Cruise Control retrofit for '03 3.0SE SMG

7

7doug

New member
 Newbury
Hi Guys!

I'm a newbie here - been reading various topics on the forum for the past six months, which have proven invaluable in my research before selling the old Proton Persona 1.8 1999 auto and taking the sweet leap up back in Feb to a saphire black with red leather 53 plate 3.0SE with the SMG box. Glad I did - puts a big grin on my face every single time I get in! The the SMG box is fantastic (after the adjustment period!)

So, first of all thanks to each and every one of you who put all the invaluable information on this forum - You ROCK! :evil:

Now that I've suitably greased the wheels :D , I would very much like some comments on the subject line - retrofitting the cruise control.

Yes, I have read ALL the previous post on the subject, and the impression I got was that peeps were talking about installation into cars with manual boxes - the only clue I had was a post by Z4coupebeaver who said in regards the instructions:

"This doesn't cover the 3.0Si with autobox/paddle shift and I can give advice on that if needed."

Now, I know this quote says Si, not the SE that I've got, and that it says autobox/paddle shift, and I do have the SMG (no confusion on my part over this), but it got me thinking there may be an issue somehow. I had a quick check this evening and the wiring loom is in place ready for the stalk.

My local stealer firstly said it couldn't be done, so I put him straight on that one by quoting the Forum. After he said "on your on head be it", he looked to see stock levels and there's none in stock in Germany or the UK anyway, he said there were 6 at Soper of Lincoln so I gave them a call. I spoke to Joe and mentioned the Forum (again) and asked about putting it in an SMG boxed Zed and he didn't sseem to think there would be an issue, other than a two week lead time roughly on getting the part in.

So, can anyone think of any reason why I shouldn't go ahead and order the stalk - got a trip up to the North of Scotland in three weeks time and 570 miles of dual carriageway and motorway driving would be a lot nicer with cruise control!

Over to you.....
 
I had an SMG Z and I retrofitted it absolutely no problems. There are no differences that would affect the operation of the cruise control stalk so crack on :thumbsup:
 
:D

Brilliant! Thanks for that - that'll be a phone call tomorrow morning to order :) and a £60 lighter wallet :|
 
Hi and welcome.

You should have the wiring already being an 03, so just plug and play.

z4coupebeavers post was relating to post face lift which is why the reference to 'si' which is an engine reference (N52 engine). 'SE' is a trim reference so worth noting.

Your engine will be the M54.

Glad you found the CC stork though, they seem to getting thin on the ground. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks srhutch for the clarification - I do get a bit lost on engine vs trim references at times, so didn't realise that z4coupebeaver was talking post face lift, and yep, got the loom in place.

jimbo1958 - love the box, use it 100% of time in manual mode and have the sport button pushed 90% of the time - what an evil button that is!!! :evil: Though I do get annoyed by my passengers saying "Oh! You got an auto.... in a sports car???" then having to clarify what SMG actually is - they generally glaze over at this point and think it's just a "fancy" auto instead :headbang:
 
7doug said:
Thanks srhutch for the clarification - I do get a bit lost on engine vs trim references at times, so didn't realise that z4coupebeaver was talking post face lift, and yep, got the loom in place.

jimbo1958 - love the box, use it 100% of time in manual mode and have the sport button pushed 90% of the time - what an evil button that is!!! :evil: Though I do get annoyed by my passengers saying "Oh! You got an auto.... in a sports car???" then having to clarify what SMG actually is - they generally glaze over at this point and think it's just a "fancy" auto instead :headbang:
Click to expand...

Yep, should be plug and play with a SMG. When in cruise control the car keeps its gear/speed. In auto mode it will shift, in manual mode you need to shift manually---just as normal.

With cruise control on and the sport button on the 'resume' function will resume speed much faster than normal as well.

A bit about your SMG tranny:

I have two SMG boxes. A SMG II and a SMG/SSG in the Z4. (I also have a manual older M3). The SMG in the Z4 definitely takes an adjustment period. Unfortunately when they were first released in 2003 the press got a hold of a few of these boxes in the Z4 and 330i and it had some issues with the SMG computer programming. The problems were ironed out the following year with software updates, but unfortunately the damage was done by the press already. The box was discontinued in the Z4 in 2005 but continued in production up until the 2008 model year in the 5 and 6 series vehicles. (identical system as the Z4, with the exception of a larger hydraulic pump for the larger engines.)

With that said, there are 2 essential things for Z4 SMG owners:
1 - ensure you have the latest SMG software loaded into your car.
2 - ensure your hydraulic fluid is properly topped up. low fluid leads to clunky clutch engagement.

The 'pause between shifts' with the SMG box in the Z4 and 3 series cars is due to the overly heavy flywheel. It's equivalent to the M3 in mode 4. It's fast shifting, but not always elegant. The same flywheel is used in the regular manual Z4 transmissions, so it has to have some weight to it so new drivers don't stall their car. In the 550i and 650i's BMW finally didn't cheap out and put a lighter flywheel in the SMG boxes compared to a heavier flywheel in their manual *50i's.

A lighter DUAL MASS flywheel in your Z4 or 330i will allow the engine to spin down quicker (rev match sooner) which in turn leads to even faster shifts, and much smoother shifts. (pretty much eliminating any clunk sound, even for those that don't know how to drive SMG). A single-mass flywheel wouldn't work without reprogramming the SMG computer. Dinan is the only company I know of right now that has the correct lightweight dual-mass flywheel for the Z4 SMG that will work with the stock computer. It's basically a stock flywheel that has been drilled out to lighten weight.

With the dinan flywheel shifts on the Z4 or 330i are smoother than the stock M3 SMG II, and much more enjoyable to use. If you really want to get the most out of your SMG box I highly recommend upgrading the flywheel when you swap out your clutch. Warning though, it's an expensive upgrade.
 
Can concur wth other posts - retro fitting cruise in SMG box is fine - I did it and I'm no expert - hardest part was peeling back that sticky loom tape stuff (mrs jaxZ4 did that !)

Good to see another lover of SMG - shifting (u and down) at a pace is just fabulous. :driving:
 
OK - update - spoke with Halliwell Jones in Chester as apparently they had a stalk shown on the system in stock - rang them up and it was another customer order. But, the chap did say that Germany currently had 24 (they had 0 yesterday), so got on the phone to Dick Lovett Hungerford, spoke with Daid again (really helpfull), and he confirmed that there did indeed seem to be 24 in Germany. So put the order in, am £60 lighter, but at least it should arrive by Mon/Tue next week and in plenty of time for my trip :D

ZED_NOT_ZEE thanks for taking the time with all that info - very interesting. My hydraulic fluid level is fine, but how do I tell if I have the latest software for the SMG? Is this a stealer visit, diagnostic tool job (I have access to one), or does it show up somewhere in the bowels of the on board computer?

I can't say I've noticed any "clunk" sound on shifting - in fact in normal mode I find it incredibly smooth. In sport mode it is more aggressive, and can be a bit prone to making your head nod, but nothing I find too out of the ordinary. The only thing I've noticed, and that's in the past week or so, is once or twice in first, it'll almost feel as though it's about to stall, but at the last moment return perfectly to idle speed.

I read loads of reviews before going for the SMG box, and if I'd believed anything I'd read I would have bought a manual, but the very first time I drove a car with flappy paddles (I believe it was a C4 Picasso - not SMG obviously) I just thought "this makes perfect sense", Also, if it's good enough for F1, WRC and BTCC drivers, then there must be something in a sequential manual shift box, or these guys wouldn't be investing millions in developing them. Really not sure why everyone is so attached to stirring cogs manually other than for nostalgic reasons. I will admit, that once or twice in certain situations I have thought it would have been nice to have dipped a clutch, but I suspect this is just more down to learning the finer points of driving the SMG.

And as for using the SMG in auto? Tried it once, and that was enough - far prefer my timing of gear changes over its - even if I'm in London traffic!

jaxZ4 - can't wait to get up to the North of Scotland, back to some of the country roads I used to drive 16 or 17 years ago - going to be real fun with the SMG box, the sport button and the top down (weather permitting) so I can hear the holw of the 6! :evil:
 
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