New Z4MC - where to start??

Btw, eibachs are -10mm rear, and -20mm at the front which to me seems sensible as the front defo rides too high, but the rear not so much...
 
Sae said:
Exdos is your spring rates man, but iirc from another thread, although lower ride, the springs are slightly stiffer at rear and softer at front, to give a more balanced less divey under accell/braking. But to counter the stiff ride I've gone for 18s and will go for oem sidewall pss.
Click to expand...

The springs for OEM suspension and aftermarket lowering springs are all "progressive" and you can't normally get an answer from the manufacturers of the effective spring rates. However, in order to make some sort of comparison, the OEM springs are made from 11mm (Front) and 19mm (Rear) diameter wire, whereas the springs on my AC Schnitzer Racing suspension are 14mm (Front) and 16mm (Rear) diameter wire. With the ACS Racing suspension there is now much reduced squatting on acceleration and pitching on braking, which IMO, is how it should be, and to me this indicates that the OEM suspension is way too soft at the front and way too firm at the rear. . :thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the info guys. Good point on wheel sizes too as I think I'm likely to stick with my standard 18's at least until these tyres are worn out so Eibach springs will be my first departure from standard I think. Does anyone have any pictures of the lower springs but with standard wheels. All the images I've come across have had 19" CSL's on too so hard to see which it is thats making the difference.

On strut braces there are OEM ones on Ebay for £309.... is that about right?
 
This one should fit fine

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-M3-E46-GENUINE-FRONT-STRUT-BRACE-/251441303026?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Car+Make%3ABMW%7CPlat_Gen%3AE46&hash=item3a8b11cdf2

Mine's from an E46 CSL and fits fine, just had to remove a 2mm from the camber pins.

strut3.jpg


more pics

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=60704#p896208
 
exdos said:
Sae said:
Exdos is your spring rates man, but iirc from another thread, although lower ride, the springs are slightly stiffer at rear and softer at front, to give a more balanced less divey under accell/braking. But to counter the stiff ride I've gone for 18s and will go for oem sidewall pss.
Click to expand...

The springs for OEM suspension and aftermarket lowering springs are all "progressive" and you can't normally get an answer from the manufacturers of the effective spring rates. However, in order to make some sort of comparison, the OEM springs are made from 11mm (Front) and 19mm (Rear) diameter wire, whereas the springs on my AC Schnitzer Racing suspension are 14mm (Front) and 16mm (Rear) diameter wire. With the ACS Racing suspension there is now much reduced squatting on acceleration and pitching on braking, which IMO, is how it should be, and to me this indicates that the OEM suspension is way too soft at the front and way too firm at the rear. . :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Cheers exdos, nearly iirc'd. Looking forward to trying the theory out for myself in March :thumbsup:
 
T66RGA said:
Thanks for the info guys. Good point on wheel sizes too as I think I'm likely to stick with my standard 18's at least until these tyres are worn out so Eibach springs will be my first departure from standard I think. Does anyone have any pictures of the lower springs but with standard wheels. All the images I've come across have had 19" CSL's on too so hard to see which it is thats making the difference.
Click to expand...

Hi T66RGA. I fitted Eibachs soon after buying my ///M. I use my OEM wheels as track wheels, so most of the pictures I have with these fitted are with the car in motion. As such, body roll gives a misleading impression of the drop with Eibachs. I've posted most of these before in other threads, but I hope they'll help:

OEM suspension:

30042010223.jpg

Eibachs with OEM tyre sizes and 15mm spacers all round:

IMG_1134.jpg

Same set up accelerating out of a slight right hand bend:

Trackdaywithspacers.jpg

In this video, I think I had 265mm rears with spacers only on the front

Lastly, with CSLs without spacers:

DSCF0173.jpg
 
Hi,

I have the exact same car, here is my list of 'must have mods';
- CDV delete
- Eibach Pro kit (at least, or better but more $$ like Exdos mentioned)
- RTAB limiter kit
- Decent tyres (Michelin PS2, PSS etc)

Optional
- Vibra Technics engine mounts (I like them a lot, better gear change, better steering feel)
- spacers (I have 12mm at the rear with standard wheels)

Welcome to the club 8)
 
Thanks for the welcome. Spacers is an interesting one I hadn't really considered yet. Do they come with longer wheel bolts or do standard ones still work?
 
T66RGA said:
Thanks for the welcome. Spacers is an interesting one I hadn't really considered yet. Do they come with longer wheel bolts or do standard ones still work?
Click to expand...

You need to buy longer ones, by the same extra length as the thickness of the spacer.
 
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but the oem wheel alignment is not great, exdos helped me choose a custom set up which means I now feel like the rear is connected to the front!
 
I got a complete H&R set for the rears, they came with longer bolts of which two are locking bolts.
Overall a very nice set, paid about 90Euro, can look up the exact product number if you like.
12mm/side suit the standard wheels very well, arches are nicely filled but not too much.
 
Got fed up waiting for the chance for proper clean so thought I'd take some pics while the sun was briefly out and before any mods happened...

IMG_0098_zps25c93512.jpg

IMG_0100_zps6221c508.jpg

IMG_0099_zpscd9bbe37.jpg

I've already got ready to go on now some Eibach springs, bypass pipes, 13mm spacers for the front so I'll take some more pics when they're on
 
oldjonesey said:
Hi,

Please forgive my ignorance but are "CDV" and "RTAB limiter kit"?

Tah very muchly.

OJ
Click to expand...

CDV = Clutch Delay Valve, which is a valve in the hydraulic clutch line which prevents the rapid clutch application when your left foot is lifted after changing gear.

RTAB limiter kit = Rear Trailing Arm Bush shims. The RTA is bolted to the bodywork in a bracket just in front of the rear wheel arch and by moving the bracket, inwards or outwards, you can adjust the rear toe angle. The RTA is attached to the bracket by a bolt passing through a rubber bush but there is a space of about 1cm wide on each side of the RTA. This gives the RTA lateral play, which will permit unwanted changes of rear toe angle when the car is being driven, thus spoiling more prescise handling of the car. If you place a shim on either side of the RTA into the space in the bracket, then the RTA cannot move laterally, thus preventing rear toe angle changes in the dynamic situation.
 
Tah very muchly Exdos for the info, stored away in the memory banks if needed.

Seems to me that the Z4MC is quiet easy to play with to make it more fun, am I right on this?

OJ
 
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