Damo's E86 for road and track - New upgrades incoming!
- Thread starter damocell
- Start date
To be honest, I didn't measure it but i reckon it's at least 1.5-2 litres once fully topped up, although I was 0.5 litres below max before I started.
No i didn't consider removing the oil thermostat from the N54 housing. My theory on this is that the oil will warm up quicker, therefore reducing wear and tear at lower temps. Then as the thermostat gradually opens it'll pump some of the cooler oil from the radiator around but still be at approx 90 degrees so protecting the engine.
Could be wrong though
Although the car had already got Powerfelx Road Series front lower control arm bushes fitted, I wanted to move to offset bushes. When a set of Super Pro Offset bushes came up for sale on here by @Sulokim I bought them
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Removing the housing was easy, Powerflex bushes were in good condition still
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Pressed them out with my bush pressing tool without too many issues. But, I couldn't get the new steel sleeved Super Pro to go in square.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
12 hours in the freezer and with the housing warmed in the oven, they finally went in
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Greased em up like a good un and popped them on the car, ruining my chopping board in the process
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Also, fitted more rear pads
these lasted three trackdays this time instead of two! Any advice on this is appreciated. Minded to stick to Bluestuff as the work and only cost £85 a set.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Also moved to a 12kg rear spring. So now the car is 8kg front and 12kg rear. Should help with rotation but I do wonder if it'll be a bit wild once I put my square setup 225 AR-1 on. Time will tell. I can go to 10kg fronts very easily if it is a handful.
Car is now ready for Cadwell, although it could do with another alignment, obviously.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrRemoving the housing was easy, Powerflex bushes were in good condition still
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrPressed them out with my bush pressing tool without too many issues. But, I couldn't get the new steel sleeved Super Pro to go in square.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr12 hours in the freezer and with the housing warmed in the oven, they finally went in
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrGreased em up like a good un and popped them on the car, ruining my chopping board in the process
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrAlso, fitted more rear pads
these lasted three trackdays this time instead of two! Any advice on this is appreciated. Minded to stick to Bluestuff as the work and only cost £85 a set.Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrAlso moved to a 12kg rear spring. So now the car is 8kg front and 12kg rear. Should help with rotation but I do wonder if it'll be a bit wild once I put my square setup 225 AR-1 on. Time will tell. I can go to 10kg fronts very easily if it is a handful.
Car is now ready for Cadwell, although it could do with another alignment, obviously.
Sacramento, CA
EBC blues/yellows don't last very long on track no matter what. I moved to RPX and had way better wear results and braking performance on my 3.0i. I put up with the squeak and dust on the road.
On the M, I'm running DTC70s, and the fronts are dying after 2 days due to lack of cooling. You might want to look into cooling as well.
On the M, I'm running DTC70s, and the fronts are dying after 2 days due to lack of cooling. You might want to look into cooling as well.
Yeah, I run RP-X on the front already, they are one of my favourite pads and I have cooling running from the front bumper, although EBC's SR range are even better. Don't have any issues with front wear.
The Bluestuff are my rear pad which I'm burning through in 2-3 track days. They dont make RP-X for the rear of the 3.0si so that isn't an option and cooling is difficult as the disc draws air from the outside of the car. I have to stick to Bluestuff as there aren't many options and the price is very good.
Could try moving brake bias forward using a brake bias valve. Especially if you alr have adequate cooling on the fronts
More caster
Possibly, but that is far more effort then I plan to put into the car tbh. It's not a massive issue, I'll just keep changing the pads for now
Increases caster which adds more negative dynamic camber. It's the same setup the E46 M3 and Z4M runs.
Cadwell tomorrow!
Managed to fit my oil gauge last weekend. I'm not happy with the gauge pod but it'll have to do for now as I am fully out of time but want to see how the temps hold up on track.
Install was fairly easy using an adaptor for the oil filter housing of the N54/55/S55
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Took taps for the power from the fuse board
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
I really struggled with gauge placement, nowhere seemed to work well unfortunately. The 3D printed gauge holder didn't fit at all well in the now butchered
ashtray....
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
As I say, I'm nowhere near happy with it and a better solution is defo needed but it'll do for now. Temps rise nicely, hold as the thermostat opens at 85ish and then sit at 95-100 degrees when cruising so perfect so far.
Will report back after Cadwell on oil and coolant temps
Managed to fit my oil gauge last weekend. I'm not happy with the gauge pod but it'll have to do for now as I am fully out of time but want to see how the temps hold up on track.
Install was fairly easy using an adaptor for the oil filter housing of the N54/55/S55
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrTook taps for the power from the fuse board
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrI really struggled with gauge placement, nowhere seemed to work well unfortunately. The 3D printed gauge holder didn't fit at all well in the now butchered
ashtray....Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrAs I say, I'm nowhere near happy with it and a better solution is defo needed but it'll do for now. Temps rise nicely, hold as the thermostat opens at 85ish and then sit at 95-100 degrees when cruising so perfect so far.
Will report back after Cadwell on oil and coolant temps
Not loads has happened recently with the Z4.
Had a great track day at the end of September at Cadwell. Car performed brilliantly. Started off wet in the morning and dried into the afternoon. The Conti CS7s were frankly awesome in the wet. So much confidence in them. Having moved to 12kg rear springs the car also felt much more eager to turn in and simple a bit sharper. I think I'm happy now with my 8kg front and 12kg rear spring rates.
In the afternoon, I moved to my 225 square setup of AR-1 and had some of the best laps ever driving this car. It just felt more alive and on its toes. I was more able to control the balance and add some rotation with the throttle, which is lacking on a staggered setup.
Best lap in the afternoon, can see the LSD doing its thing out of the hairpin, stupidly I didn't set my exposure correctly so its not hte best video
Had some fun laps being chased by my mate in his 520bhp E82, the closing speed on the straights was incredible!!
First video is looking back from my car and forward from his:
Second is me trying to get away in the wet
So whilst not a lot has happened to the car, I have had to fix a couple of things. Firstly, whilst being a yobo and doing some 0-60 (5.6 seconds) and 1/4 mile (14.0 seconds) times I managed to pull the driveshaft out of the diff a little.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
I suddenly found out that manual driveshafts are really hard to come by. Managed to pick one up from BMW and refurbed the other, plus replaced the snap rings in the LSD so should now be ok. Refilled the LSD with Castrol oil too.
Then decided to replace the gearbox oil and gaskets to the exhaust
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
and now that boring stuff is over I can talk about some rather tasty upgrades that are coming.
First is a electric hydraulic steering conversion to get rid of the awful EPS, utilising a E46 quick rack and a the power steering pump from a Porsche Cup Car....shhhh don't tell anyone, but its also from a Vauxhall Zafira
I just need to work out where to mount this rather large pump and fashion a Z4M intermediate shaft
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Plus I've decided to do the grown-up thing of.....turboing the car!
Why? The car needs more power for sure, the chassis is so good that it's crying out for it. The N52 has been shown to produce more power per PSI of boost than its N54 brother due to its better-flowing head. They have run comfortably in track cars at 500whp unopened and everyone loves some stustustustustu noises.
A guy in the states ran his at 19psi on a rather large turbo making 561whp! I don't want that level but 450bhp would be nice
The weak point may be the gearbox, but for the power I'm looking to run it should be fine.
I've begun getting the parts together and so far have the intake manifold (with spacers and throttle body), exhaust manifold and catch can.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
I've decided on the turbo after pouring over compressor flow charts and calculating spool/boost. So from here the process will be:
1, Fit N54 manifold and catch can (plus hydraulic steering swap) - I will get it mapped for these just to document the difference in performance
2, Swap clutch for a N54/550i pressure plate and 330i e9x friction plate so it'll hold the power. Fit a new oil pan with a drain for the turbo (will be getting my indy to do these bits)
3, Remove AC to give more room for pipes (don't want to lose it, but can't see how to run the pipes with it in place)
4, Work out where the Mishimoto J Line intercooler will go and attach, fit AFR and Boost gauge
5, Mount turbo, run pipes etc (this will be in January I think)
6, Fit injectors and get it mapped
7, Hope it doesn't blow up
If all goes to plan, I'll have a Z4M beater of a car for less than a Z4M!
Had a great track day at the end of September at Cadwell. Car performed brilliantly. Started off wet in the morning and dried into the afternoon. The Conti CS7s were frankly awesome in the wet. So much confidence in them. Having moved to 12kg rear springs the car also felt much more eager to turn in and simple a bit sharper. I think I'm happy now with my 8kg front and 12kg rear spring rates.
In the afternoon, I moved to my 225 square setup of AR-1 and had some of the best laps ever driving this car. It just felt more alive and on its toes. I was more able to control the balance and add some rotation with the throttle, which is lacking on a staggered setup.
Best lap in the afternoon, can see the LSD doing its thing out of the hairpin, stupidly I didn't set my exposure correctly so its not hte best video
Had some fun laps being chased by my mate in his 520bhp E82, the closing speed on the straights was incredible!!
First video is looking back from my car and forward from his:
Second is me trying to get away in the wet
So whilst not a lot has happened to the car, I have had to fix a couple of things. Firstly, whilst being a yobo and doing some 0-60 (5.6 seconds) and 1/4 mile (14.0 seconds) times I managed to pull the driveshaft out of the diff a little.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrI suddenly found out that manual driveshafts are really hard to come by. Managed to pick one up from BMW and refurbed the other, plus replaced the snap rings in the LSD so should now be ok. Refilled the LSD with Castrol oil too.
Then decided to replace the gearbox oil and gaskets to the exhaust
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickrand now that boring stuff is over I can talk about some rather tasty upgrades that are coming.
First is a electric hydraulic steering conversion to get rid of the awful EPS, utilising a E46 quick rack and a the power steering pump from a Porsche Cup Car....shhhh don't tell anyone, but its also from a Vauxhall Zafira
I just need to work out where to mount this rather large pump and fashion a Z4M intermediate shaft
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrPlus I've decided to do the grown-up thing of.....turboing the car!
Why? The car needs more power for sure, the chassis is so good that it's crying out for it. The N52 has been shown to produce more power per PSI of boost than its N54 brother due to its better-flowing head. They have run comfortably in track cars at 500whp unopened and everyone loves some stustustustustu noises.
A guy in the states ran his at 19psi on a rather large turbo making 561whp! I don't want that level but 450bhp would be nice
The weak point may be the gearbox, but for the power I'm looking to run it should be fine.
I've begun getting the parts together and so far have the intake manifold (with spacers and throttle body), exhaust manifold and catch can.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrI've decided on the turbo after pouring over compressor flow charts and calculating spool/boost. So from here the process will be:
1, Fit N54 manifold and catch can (plus hydraulic steering swap) - I will get it mapped for these just to document the difference in performance
2, Swap clutch for a N54/550i pressure plate and 330i e9x friction plate so it'll hold the power. Fit a new oil pan with a drain for the turbo (will be getting my indy to do these bits)
3, Remove AC to give more room for pipes (don't want to lose it, but can't see how to run the pipes with it in place)
4, Work out where the Mishimoto J Line intercooler will go and attach, fit AFR and Boost gauge
5, Mount turbo, run pipes etc (this will be in January I think)
6, Fit injectors and get it mapped
7, Hope it doesn't blow up
If all goes to plan, I'll have a Z4M beater of a car for less than a Z4M!
I'm loving your thread DamoI really struggled with gauge placement, nowhere seemed to work well unfortunately. The 3D printed gauge holder didn't fit at all well in the now butchered
Could you not have fitted an a-pillar pod like these, or is space a bit tight?
MK3 Supra - A Pillar Gauge Pods
We are brining back the 80s and 90s styling for you guys. Introducing, our very own A-Pillar gauge pods! We have been asked many times to design such pod and here we have it. We took a different approach on this one. Instead of replacing the entire A-Pillar trim, we decided for a modular design...
autoextrude.com
I had some Defi gauges in my old 200sx, and this was the perfect position
This!!! that will be me in a few weeks.. ;/
Very short update for now as I will be updating with much more mods soon.
Did another Cadwell trackday and two Bedford days. The wet day at Bedford in December was really fun, car was sideways loads plus I managed to get some experience of driving the "wet line"
Since then, I've fitted the 345mm 2 pot Brembo rear brakes from a F20 M135i......
53 by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Install video can be found here:
And I've also bought some solid rear subframe bushes to refresh the rear end along with poly diff mounts, new camber arm and inner poly bushes
IMG_5241 by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Once this is complete, all the suspension components will have been upgraded, and a full alignment will be done.....after I've finally got around to fitting my hydraulic steering
Turbo kit is on hold for now as I've booked a Nurburgring track day, so I want the car to be as reliable as possible for that.
Also, I've got a BBK coming for the front and some new wheels!
Did another Cadwell trackday and two Bedford days. The wet day at Bedford in December was really fun, car was sideways loads plus I managed to get some experience of driving the "wet line"
Since then, I've fitted the 345mm 2 pot Brembo rear brakes from a F20 M135i......
53 by Damien Bower, on FlickrInstall video can be found here:
And I've also bought some solid rear subframe bushes to refresh the rear end along with poly diff mounts, new camber arm and inner poly bushes
IMG_5241 by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrOnce this is complete, all the suspension components will have been upgraded, and a full alignment will be done.....after I've finally got around to fitting my hydraulic steering
Turbo kit is on hold for now as I've booked a Nurburgring track day, so I want the car to be as reliable as possible for that.
Also, I've got a BBK coming for the front and some new wheels!
Cheers, looking forward to a properly connected rear end. I'm not sure if I am imagining it but I think I'm feeling a little movement from the rear. It defo tramps when the wheels spin too so it needs doing.
Steering is coming along.......slowly,
⠀I've mounted my bracket for the pump and just need the AN fittings/lines now, but haven't had a chance to measure up. Plus, I want to do the front and rear at the same time, so that I can then send it for a full alignment in one go.