Finally bought my Z4 Coupe...

[Chris1981]

Afternoon all

Always loved the Z4 coupe and after getting fed up with the running costs of my E46 M3 I finally went out and got my 3.0 si Sport, Montego blue with Oregon leather and piano black trim, MV2's with awful run flats on, these will be replaced after I've burnt the rears out! :evil:

So far it's not going too bad, replaced vanos solenoids after it threw an engine light and had to get a new front bumper mounting bracket, I'm assuming a previous owner mounted a kerb at some point as the under tray is also shagged but doesn't bother me as it's out of sight!

Be nice to get some thoughts on mods from people on here.... Lowering springs, which to go for got my eye on some eibachs any expert advice on here? Wouldn't mind a slightly louder exhaust but don't want to lose any performance, which is the best to go for? Also improvements to the air intake, is there a decent induction kit out there? afe do one at around £500 but I think that's a bit steep! is a K&N replacement element any better than the standard filter? I expect this last one will get some varied responses... but is a remap worth it? not necessarily for the power improvements but to improve drivability!?

attempted to add image with both photo bucket and straight up attachment, do either of these work?

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[buzyg]

Welcome. Photo works a treat, lovely looking Zed. 8) Your going to miss that engine though. :wink:

 

[DPG]

Welcome Chris, looks good

Intakes are pretty steep. You can get AFE, GruppeM and Eventuri (made for the M but can be modified) but all are £500 or over.

Try the sound generator modification before spending on a new intake. Might do the job.

 

[NickDE]

Welcome, lovely looking car !

 

[Mr Tidy]

Warm welcome to you OP from a fellow Montego Coupe owner!

As someone said it would probably be worth trying the sound generator mod before you invest in induction kits - search the "How To" topics for details.

Mine already had a non-standard (but unidentified) exhaust on it and I prefer to hear that than induction noise, but an exhaust isn't a cheap alternative!

Re-map has been done on the N52 3 litre, but I don't think it makes much more power - try searching re-map in the E85/E86 discussion heading and you should find the topic. Edited to add I found a message from someone who had it done and "288 bhp Remap" is in his signature, so slightly up from the standard 265 bhp.

Good luck with the mods - that's what joining the forum seems to cause! :lol:

 

[Chris1981]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

You're right mr tidy, an exhaust is far nicer sounding than induction kit so will definitely be doing it at some point... have already done the sound generator mod, started with both out but have had to put one back in when the Mrs called me a middle aged boy racer, that mod only encourages taking it up to the redline!

My theory on the induction kit is that the sound generator bellows can't be aiding air flow and a straight induction pipe would get more air in and a bigger bang! On that note does anyone know why there are 2 filters in the N52 air box!? (Should probably be saving this for the main forum)

Yes buzyg, I do miss that M engine, still struggling to get used to having only 7000 rpm to play with! :wink:

 

[Mr Tidy]

You're right mr tidy, an exhaust is far nicer sounding than induction kit so will definitely be doing it at some point... have already done the sound generator mod, started with both out but have had to put one back in when the Mrs called me a middle aged boy racer, that mod only encourages taking it up to the redline!

Well yes and no - from my experience a good exhaust is likely to make you more likely to want to explore the upper reaches of the rev-counter! :lol:

Maybe best tested without MrsChris1981 present. :rofl:

 

[paddy wright]

Looks very well!

 

[Marlon]

Great looking coupe - welcome along

(I had a quantum remap which claims 9% increase - felt more torque after it was done, now I'm used to it. One day I will put it on a dyno and find out)

 

[Worcester_spoon]

Re lowering - eibach b12 kit (springs and matching shocks) is worthwhile if you have the cash. I ran the b8 eibachs on standard shocks and it shagged them, so had to change.

Depending on how you like your ride, well worth upgrading all the bushes to either power flex or Meyle HD. I fitted an updated front wishbones as well which I think helped tighten up the front end. Or maybe it was the e46 M3 arb that did it (the convertible one as its thicker), or maybe it was my imgaination. This is how the modding journey starts!!

Best mod I've ever done? RTAB limiters. Made a huge difference IMHO to the rear end (although often causes a heated discussion on here). Turner Motor Sport do a kit for about £80 I think.

I have a custom exhaust and it's very addictive. Much better than the induction sound :driving: :driving:

 

[jack07]

Welcome Chris.Good taste you have Sir! The best colour and wheel Combo by far.I have been using K&N oiled replacement filters for years now,without any noticeable power gain,and the investment in the long term quality is only offset by the cleaning /re-oiling (if done carefully does not cause Maf sensor issues)Re exhaust mods,worth checking out thread on here back box modification by member Ducklakeview.I'm off to see him when funds permit.Enjoy your great car

 

[RickRob]

Hi and welcome. Nice looking Zed.

Thanks for the pic- it looks as though the second one, the straight up attachment worked. From Photobucket you have to copy and paste the contents of Then"IMG" box.

There will be no shortage of suggestions on how to spend lots on your new pride and joy!

Enjoy :driving:

 

[Chris1981]

Thanks for the suspension tips spoon... was thinking of just Eibach springs and powerflex bushes but will look into shocks now too! Never heard of RTAB limiters until you mentioned it, hackengineering do a set for £50 so may do that as well, but aren't they intended to prolong life of OEM bushes? If I poly bush the rear would it be an unnecessary addition as the poly bush itself should reduce any unwanted movement in toe angle that only occurs with worn bushes?

DLV back box mod does sound interesting and probably more affordable than a custom system, but as there's a power flow distributor on my doorstep I'll go and see what they can offer in way of a SS system first, i imagine they'll want to pull my pants down on price though!

Will let you all know on the main forum how I get on with the mods!

PS. I have Carly for BMW so if anybody in the Rugby area (Or reasonably near to Rugby) wants any help with coding drop me message, be more than happy to help a fellow Z4 owner for the price of a pint!

 

[Worcester_spoon]

Thanks for the suspension tips spoon... was thinking of just Eibach springs and powerflex bushes but will look into shocks now too! Never heard of RTAB limiters until you mentioned it, hackengineering do a set for £50 so may do that as well, but aren't they intended to prolong life of OEM bushes? If I poly bush the rear would it be an unnecessary addition as the poly bush itself should reduce any unwanted movement in toe angle that only occurs with worn bushes?

Sorry, should have said RTAB go with standard bushes so no need if you're going poly (the source of much heated debate on here as to what's better!). Shocks are defo worth it if the cash will stretch.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[coupedan]

Welcome!!
Great looking car you have there.. this is turning into another Montego Blue coupe thread.

As said before, changing all of the bushes out for updated ones helped massively!
I personally went fully polybushed and the only ones that creak are the front anti-roll bars. In terms on NVH.. barely noticeable increase.

There isn't a great deal in terms of engine mods but you can hack the standard rear box (Ducklaviews mod) or go down the very expensive route of getting an aftermarket one.

Suspension wise, Bilstein B12 if you can stretch.. I've just ordered me some and the cheapest I could find them were £697!!

Ditch the runflats for a set of Michelin PS4's and these will transform the ride and grip - probably the single best thing I have done to the car.