Kev’s Zed

[Kev]

So I bought a Z4 didn’t specifically want one as never been a convertible fan. The idea was to buy a car to use on track as well my late father who raced for many years said all you need to have fun on track is 200bhp and rear wheel drive, with that in mind and a 3k budget I ended up with this Z4

It looks a lot better than it is
The headlights are the indicators stopped working a couple of weeks after I got it it’s obviously had a bump in the front. I’m not to worried about looks as long as it works but the wiring to the front lights are shocking a rats nests of scothloks and twisted wires :x so the journey begins

 

[Mr Tidy]

Nice choice - but you got a 3.0i so have a bit more than 200 bhp!

When I had my E46 325ti Compact I often thought I'd like to track one of those. OK "only" 192 bhp but it cost less and I just preferred the idea of having a metal roof!

Still I'm looking forward to reading about your adventures.

 

[buzyg]

It's going to be fun Kev.

 

[paddy wright]

Welcome- the headlights are aftermarket so getting rid might help.

 

[Kev]

You’re right total crap I suspect looking at the prices of headlights that’s the reason

After doing a track day in a car many years ago at Cadwell the brakes faded that bad I could only 6/7 laps at a time so the first thing I bought was braided hoses. Then put the car in for service to find out if there are any further horrors. The garage asked where the MOT was done never a good sign........

 

[Kev]

Nice choice - but you got a 3.0i so have a bit more than 200 bhp!

When I had my E46 325ti Compact I often thought I'd like to track one of those. OK "only" 192 bhp but it cost less and I just preferred the idea of having a metal roof!

Still I'm looking forward to reading about your adventures.

The metal roof thing is a bit of a mental block for me (i need one) going to be hard to get over a flimsy bit of material above me
Even looked at roll cages but they only appear to make them for the coupe? Perhaps i should have gone for a compact? Being 6'1" dont help and on the slightly larger frame size :wink:

 

[Kev]

Well the guy i bought the car off Adam from Long Eaton lets call him Dick to protect his identity :evil: lied about most things i purchased the car late October, in December it had service, inspection, braided hoses, some badly corroded brake pipes, two tyres and brake fluid and I was now hunting for some suspension.
How the car came with 12 months MOT i have no idea neither did my MOT garage the main thing i noticed that on an uneven road the car would change lanes on it's own very little control when the right foot was planted. Turns out the "misting to front shocks" actually means all the oil from the shocks is now on the outside of them, the kangaroo front end was undriveable on anything other than a smooth road at low speed.

Theses got fitted about a month ago and while the weather was not so i good i started on the headlights
Complete mess, the indicator bulbholders are knackered rusty out of shape and broke and i can't find any replacements! Anybody help on this one??

While taking off the front bumper i was pulling on the headlamp power wash hose when it suddenly let go .....cos it had snapped off the pump anyway why no i need H/L washers? Headlights are s**t anyway i'm wanting to lighten the car for trackdays so they all came off I also removed foglights as I want to eventually use the holes for brake cooling
Also the ultra racing strut brace arrived

 

[Willzy]

Enjoying the updates, keep them coming

 

[paulc_bkk]

Good luck with the car - it sounds like it’s starting to come back to life now you’re getting stuck into it

The strut brace is a good one - I have the same, plus the ultraracing under-body rear brace too - they definitely make a difference

 

[Kev]

Good luck with the car - it sounds like it’s starting to come back to life now you’re getting stuck into it

The strut brace is a good one - I have the same, plus the ultraracing under-body rear brace too - they definitely make a difference

Thought the front would make a difference but the rear I wasn't sure about?

The only rear one I have seen fit's in the boot is that the one you mean?

 

[ben g]

What's the indicator bulb holders you need? The long black ones (the oem headlamps have 2 in each housing)? If so, I might have a couple spare in my shed if you require them.

 

[paulc_bkk]

Thought the front would make a difference but the rear I wasn't sure about?

The only rear one I have seen fit's in the boot is that the one you mean?

No, there’s a specific under-body brace that replaces the two thin standard bars - it’s a multi-point bar so far more rigid



I can’t say how effective one is over the other because I had both fitted at the same time, but the before and after was quite noticeable - as were the new rattles from the vibrations transferred into the cabin instead of being absorbed by the suspension



Then again, I’m also running coilovers, had most bushes replaced (front polyurethane) and adjustable camber arms, plus 19” wheels but not run flats.... the car is pretty stiff

 

[Kev]

What's the indicator bulb holders you need? The long black ones (the oem headlamps have 2 in each housing)? If so, I might have a couple spare in my shed if you require them.

These horrible looking things and thats cleaned up!

 

[Kev]

paulc_bkk That rear brace looks a rare bit of kit, you believe it makes a difference?

I'm running Spax coilovers, poly bushed diff frame and front ARB, 18" wheels, think i'll try it on track first and see what it feels like

These also arrived the other day but I want to try it with the original brakes first before I change to this set up.

 

[paulc_bkk]

paulc_bkk That rear brace looks a rare bit of kit, you believe it makes a difference?

I'm running Spax coilovers, poly bushed diff frame and front ARB, 18" wheels, think i'll try it on track first and see what it feels like

These also arrived the other day but I want to try it with the original brakes first before I change to this set up.

Hard to say what effect individual things have when I installed multiple things at the same time, but all components combined is a night and day difference when compared to before.....

Boxster s callipers? Here’s mine - I have the Creation Motorsport adapter and M3CSL discs



I got mine painted orange just to be different



Oh, and I’m on 19s so maybe a bit more firm/harsher than 18s would be



Sorry Kev - didn’t mean to hijack your thread...

 

[Kev]

No worries it's a discussion, have emailed creation but they're a bit vague and won't commit to saying if the brackets will fit the Z4? Obviously they do but there are a few different sorts??

So you've jumped straight into the deep end with 345mm CSL discs? I was going to go for the 325mm ones although I believe I will have to machine a bit off the caliper mount surface

 

[Kev]

What's the indicator bulb holders you need? The long black ones (the oem headlamps have 2 in each housing)? If so, I might have a couple spare in my shed if you require them.

Thanks Ben but these have arrived today from fleabay £3.99 a pair just stanley knife one lug off and they fit a treat real snug

 

[paulc_bkk]

Warning: long post alert!

The front axel of the E46 and 85/85 is essentially the same and similar to E36. I don’t know what different there is with the geometry of the M/non-M cars, but I went with the ‘non-m’ bracket and it was a direct bolt-on






I didn’t bother changing the shield as it’s pretty much the same size as the disc and I didn’t want to wait weeks waiting for them to arrive, and I spliced the Porsche brake pad sensor wire into the bmw sensor wire.

The only other thing needed are brake pipes with a 90 degree connector. Creation also do that but I thought theirs was a bit pricy for what it is. Take the time and update both front and rear to stainless and you’ll get the most out of the upgrade. I went with the CM front and had a spare set of Goodridge rear hoses for E36 that I was able to fit to the Z.

I originally planned to do the install on my old non-m E36 convertible, but would’ve needed to go with the 325 discs and shave the rotor to make them fit.... couldn’t find anywhere to shave the rotor so I delayed the install. Glad I did wait as the situation changed and I ended up swapping the E36 for the E85, at which point I got my 345 rotors



I got mine from BMW Direct on eBay, but there are plenty of other sellers selling the same item.

You should be able to fit the 345 kit under 18” wheels, so no need to worry about fitment. Cost-wise I’d imagine by the time you paid to shave the callipers for fit 325 discs, the price difference between 325 and 345 is very small. I also figured I’d always be questioning “what if I got the 345s” if I went with the 325s. Not very scientific reasoning I know, but I’m glad I made the choice I did.

Oh, and it’s probably worth adding into the discussion that I’m just running the standard 3.0 vented discs on the rear. Some people said it changes the brake bias a lot, but others say any difference is negligible.

I was prepared to change the master cylinder to the M3 version, but once the brakes bedded in I found the pedal feel was good. Absolutely shockingly bad pedal feel while bedding in though.

I’m also running EBC pads - I can’t remember if they’re red or yellow, but they stop really well with a strong bite that can be felt in the pedal. The biggest issue I have with them is they’re really dusty

I hope all this helps you plan out the brake upgrade and prepare for install.

 

[Kev]

After much thought think i'll go with the 345mm discs when I do the conversion got to save up again as those discs are triple the price brackets ordered from creation

 

[Kev]

Making my own air scoop, have i tried to grab too much?