LSD?

M

Memo

Member
Hi Guys,

I own a 2003 3.0i with manual tranny (funny enough it is the only manual z4 3.0i in Turkey :evil: ). I have owned the car since brand new and thinking about changing it. When I checked the market sincerely enough I couldn't find anything intresting. So I have decided to modifiy and keep the car. Below would be my questions and I would appreciate any comments. :)

1- I wan't and LSD. In some threads I read that a diff swap from an m3 is possible. I would appreciate some more details.We have tons of wrecked m3's here in Istanbul and I shouldn't have any problems find a a nice diff with an LSD. The ratios are shorter to so I am guessing that will be another advantage.
2- I am pretty satisfied with the HP that the car has, but some more 10-15% increase would be wonderful. Which way should I go? No SC or Turbo's please. On the other hand I might consider a cam.
3- Next season I will enter to some autoX action, what other mods do you suggest.?

Thanks in advance
 
Memo said:
Hi Guys,

I own a 2003 3.0i with manual tranny (funny enough it is the only manual z4 3.0i in Turkey :evil: ). I have owned the car since brand new and thinking about changing it. When I checked the market sincerely enough I couldn't find anything intresting. So I have decided to modifiy and keep the car. Below would be my questions and I would appreciate any comments. :)

1- I wan't and LSD. In some threads I read that a diff swap from an m3 is possible. I would appreciate some more details.We have tons of wrecked m3's here in Istanbul and I shouldn't have any problems find a a nice diff with an LSD. The ratios are shorter to so I am guessing that will be another advantage.
2- I am pretty satisfied with the HP that the car has, but some more 10-15% increase would be wonderful. Which way should I go? No SC or Turbo's please. On the other hand I might consider a cam.
3- Next season I will enter to some autoX action, what other mods do you suggest.?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Hi Memo,

Welcome to the forum :D

I believe you are correct about item 1 - not sure I would want shorter ratios but that's down to personal taste. As for a 10-15% power increase - it's a slippery slope...you will never be satisfied and will end up spending a fortune :thumbsdown:

Can't answer your last question...just enjoy the car!

Steve
 
I did the M3 axle conversion on my Alpina and I would highly recommend it. There are two things that are a bit of a problem. you have to shorten the propshaft and you have to space your wheels slightly ( the M3 axle is slightly narrower than the Z4 ). Other than that its a straight swap. I love it! It's not just the LSD that you gain, the ratio is much better, my car ran out of power at top speed rather than revs so its obvious some potential was being wasted. I now have a slightly higher top speed by 2mph at maximum revs plus my acceleration is better due to the ratio change. The other advantage is that the M axle is much stronger than the Z axle. The hubs, brakes, shafts etc are much "chunkier". This suits me fine because I give the car some serious abuse and I don't want to worry about things holding together. For this reason I fitted M3 front hubs at the same time.The only downside is that its slightly heavier than the Z axle.

If your planning to track your car I think it would be better to invest your money in improving your suspension and brakes. This will shave a lot more from you lap times than 15% power increase. A good set of tyres makes all the difference too.
 
Thanks for the quick answers..

Ok so I won't mess up with the engine. I am happy with it anyway.
As for the swap I have already informed couple of people who might get me the rearend.

Curtis what about the traction control ( DTC etc)? have you practiced any difficulties or is it gone for good :)..
Suspension KW or Bilshtein coilovers are in the plan. Brakes never really thought about it? I don't even know what is out there . There are some people using stoptech on m3s here.

As soon as I will upgrade the wheels to 18s (currently have turbine styles) I will also get PS2s.
 
OK - Given the context of the post so far I couldn't resist a little bit of nostalgia here from our olde friends Country Joe and the Fish:

Now if you're tired or a bit run down,
Can't seem to getcha feet off the ground,
Maybe you oughta try a little bit of L.S.D.

Only if you want to

Shake your head and rattle your brain,
Make you act just a bit insane,
Give you all the psychic energy you need —

Eat flowers and kiss babies
L.S.D.
For you and me!


Bonus points if you a) remember which album that came out on and b) more yet if you actually still have a copy :smart:

(Yes I do on both counts :D)
 
this is what I have received from KAAZ.

> Thanks for your inquiry.
> Our part number DBW3020 will fit your Z4 3.0 with 3.46 final gear ratio.
> We do have the item in stock.
> Our online strore cannot process orders from overseas so if you do decide
> to purchase the item please email me so I can process the order manually.
> We do ship units to Europe and South America on daily basis.
> Best Regards,

And I told them that my final drive is 3.07. Now they are checking with japan? Will keep you updtaed.
 
quote="Memo"]

Curtis what about the traction control ( DTC etc)? have you practiced any difficulties or is it gone for good :)..
Suspension KW or Bilshtein coilovers are in the plan. Brakes never really thought about it? I don't even know what is out there . There are some people using stoptech on m3s here.[/quote]

The E46 M3 uses an identical system so it all still works as normal.

If your fitting coilovers don't forget to get the car cornerweighted or your just wasting your time and money.

Stoptech brakes are good, so are AP's but you could just change the pads for Pagid RS29's or similar to start with. That would make quite an improvment on it's own. I only did five laps of Silverstone on standard brakes before they were completely toasted so it's worth doing something.

Replacing the standard suspension bushes with upgraded ones makes a dramatic difference and don't forget to give yourself maximum negative front camber by removing the dowel in the front strut tower and pushing the struts inboard.

Once you've stopped the suspension flopping about by upgading the bushes etc around and found your perfect suspension/steering geometry setup it might be worth getting a strut brace to help lock it all in place. Don't be tempted to fit a strut brace without changing the bushes, suspension and geometry first. BMW's standard stuff is complete rubbish so there no point trying to improve the structural regidity of the chassis when everything else is flopping around underneath it.

Adjustable anti roll bars might be worth considering. These give you another perameter to adjust while looking for your preferred setup.

Tyre pressures are critical. I've found that 30psi hot is perfect for me but you might find different.

One last thing! If your fitting coilovers it's worth fitting adjustable top strut mounts at the same time. I use lots of positive castor at the front and the improvement is superb.
 
Curtis thank you very much for the comments....

BTW I have located a 3.62 M3 diff with LSD, on the other hand my mechnaic is insisting that it will not fit the car. I will go there and check personally tomorrow. Any points that requires attention???. And why in the hell people are saying it won't fit including the official bmw dealer
 
You'll need the complete rear axle assembly, not just the diff. The carriers are different for a start but if you get the whole lot it will bolt straight in. Check the condition of the bushes before you fit the axle, it's a lot easier to replace them with the axle out. You might also want to check there's no backlash between the pinion and crown wheel. If it's a low mileage diff there shouldn't be a problem. Make sure all the parts are there, if you have to go out and buy a driveshaft or a hub assembly it can be expensive.

Don't worry what your dealer says, most of them don't know the difference between a halfshaft and a hemorrhoid. I know it will fit because I've fitted it! Tony Rodrigues ( X88 Racing ) fitted one to his 3.0 too.
 
Did somebody say Hooters? Worship-Hooters.gif

Hawaii2.jpg
 
chad5k1 said:
Birds do an LSD which I've heard good things about:
http://www.birds.uk.com/
Click to expand...

The price of 1145 GBP (EUR 1600) for the LSD and installation seems very reasonable to me. Certainly it's a lot less than what I payed for my Drexler LSD.
 
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