Performance Improvements 2.0

G

goldbed

New member
I'm so sorry if this has been posted beore but I couldn't find a suitable thread and as a newbie I thought I would bite the bullet and post.

I have recently bought a Z4 2.0SE and would like to make some minor performance adjustments but that won't a) break the bank or b) ruin the warranty.

It has been suggested to me about changing the air intake and was hoping for some suggestions. If there is anything else anyone can offer by way of suggestions to improve the performance (other than buying a better spec engine :) ) then please feel free to post.

Please don't kill me if this is a rehash of an old post :oops:

David.
 
Thanks for the welcome - nice to be welcomed! :D I will grab a few pics over the weekend. should have said the spec (told you I was new to this sort of thing):

56 plate, roadster (hence soft top), monaco blue (I think), pretty much as standard apart from that.

First BMW I've owned, first soft top, first roadster - so pretty much new terriotiry for me.

D
 
Welcome to the forum David

Well you've ruled out a lot by saying perfomance improvement, 2.0l, won't break the bank or invalidate the warranty.

You're probably limited to air filters, intake and exhaust (but they may invalidate warranties too, although in reality I really doubt they do anything for performance but give a better sound. BMW OEM bits are generally well sorted.

Let's see some pictures when you get a few minutes :)
 
Yeah, I realise it is a big ask. I just find there is a little lag at lowish revs that with my limited knowledge of these things, a remap may sort. The car is still in warranty so didn't want anything obvious until such time as it is out (1 year from now). Not knowing where to go and what is best, I thought I would ask.

By break the bank - happy to fork out up to £500 if it is worth it. Valued opinions welcomed.

I get the idea pictures are a must on forums - will see what i can do ASAP! :)

D.
 
Greetings and welcome,

I suppose it depends on what you consider "performance" to be. Is it strictly power or can it be other things like look and feel? Many may suggest new tires if your Zed still has RFTs... or perhaps a new, better weighted shift knob (like the ZHP) would improve the performance of running through the gates. The modified CDV-delete has been posted quite a bit lately, though would likely affect the warranty were it discovered.

And to me, one of the best (and cheapest) performance mods was simply replacing the riding crop antenna with a stubby... Car doesn't go faster, be gains aesthetic performance points! :D

Edit: Oh, and de-badging, of course... you'll lose 6 oz. of brand bling and gain at least .0000001 seconds off the mark. :lol:
Cheers.
 
welcome to the forum.

As far as your question, I dont think you will find any performance improvement that does not ruin the warranty.

Nevertheless you have to know that our engine (I have the same) does not really accepts any real performance improvement.
Its the valvetronic one which is very sensitive to engine upgrades.

That is why no BMW upgrade shops offer any serious improvement to valvetronic engines.

I have checked lots of proposals and the only one that gives some performance (very small if any) is a correct combination of new intake + new program + exhaust (only the last part).

I have not done it and probably I will not, as I hear from others in Greece that have done it, they say it does not really offer any serious improvement.

On the other hand, valvetronic is one of the most economic VS performance engines, something very important this period...

Again if you insist I can ask what changes my friends have done and tell you.

In any other case as you dont want to ruin your warranty better stay as is and enjoy your nice roadster.
 
rollingstone said:
Greetings and welcome,

I suppose it depends on what you consider "performance" to be. Is it strictly power or can it be other things like look and feel? Many may suggest new tires if your Zed still has RFTs... or perhaps a new, better weighted shift knob (like the ZHP) would improve the performance of running through the gates. The modified CDV-delete has been posted quite a bit lately, though would likely affect the warranty were it discovered.

And to me, one of the best (and cheapest) performance mods was simply replacing the riding crop antenna with a stubby... Car doesn't go faster, be gains aesthetic performance points! :D

Edit: Oh, and de-badging, of course... you'll lose 6 oz. of brand bling and gain at least .0000001 seconds off the mark. :lol:
Cheers.
Click to expand...

Aesthetic Performance Points????? :headbang: You must be in sales and Marketing
 
Wow - thaks for the great advice guys - rollingstone, v funny.

I see what you're getting at. the price I pay for not enough money to have bought a better engine I guess :(

Just one point (not being a true petrol head I guess) but what is a CDV-delete?

Stubby aerial is a nice touch - will also help with th car cover :D

Thanks for the posts eveyone. Much apprecaited.
 
goldbed said:
Just one point (not being a true petrol head I guess) but what is a CDV-delete? .
Click to expand...

I'm not the most well-versed on the subject, but you'll find plent of opinions and insights by searching the term in the general forum... And (below) is a link to the company folks tend to order their modified CDVs from. It's got all the info you need to help make an informed decision... but if warranty is a concern, you'll have to weight the relative "benefit/risk" according to your own measures.

cheers.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/cdv.htm
 
Thought I'd let you know BMW's rules on warranties. Just because you modify the car does NOT mean you loose the warranty. That kind of stealer cop out has been made illegal at least here in the UK. The way it works is this. You can modify the car as much as you like and as long as a future component failure can not be directly attributed to a modified part you are still covered. That came directly from my local stealers service manager and I have put the theory to the test many times back in the days when I had a warranty. The only time you may have a problem is when you do something extreme like fit a supercharger and then claim for a blown clutch for example. If the dealer decides that the clutch was destroyed because of the extra power from the s/c then your stuffed however the parts on all cars are designed to handle much more power than the standard car produces. A perfect example is the clutch on my Alpina, it came fitted with a standard 3.0 clutch yet the Alpina has 80 more horse power than the 3.0. I very much doubt whether an upgraded intake and exhaust could be attributed to causing a mechanical failure so your fine if that's the route you want to take. One last thing, the only time mods may come into question are for situations such as the above. If for example you fitted coilover suspension and you made a warranty claim for a busted wiper motor then of course the two items are unrelated and your claim will be honoured.
 
For right or wrong i would say if you change your CVD or Mod it and for any reason your clutch goes they will use the warrenty get out card.

Cheers

PaulN
 
Yup, that's a good example of how they could get you but having said that it's the CDV that actually wears out the clutch so it's more likely that they'll get you if your diff breaks up because the CDV is designed to relieve the load on the drive train.
 
Guys I have a 2.0i Sport as well, I was looking for an induction kit + exhaust combo, however NO-ONE apparently makes either that I can find in the UK. Anyone know of any suppliers in GB??
 
I wasn't aware of the CDV, but that explains why my car seems to lurch when changing gear at low speed sometimes. Bloody annoying. I'll probably remove the valve next spring now I know about it.

The link that I read mentions the CDV is only on the 2.5 and 3.0 engine units. If this is the case, then it's not one for goldbed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom