Performance Upgrades

[monzon]

Hi everyone,

Just a thought about exhaust systems and induction kits. Does the Z4M need upgades? What are the best brands to look at?

Thank you for your help. I would also be interested to hear about what everyone else has done and the performance gains you have realised.

Regards
Rob

 

[Andy]

Exhaust, Induction, ECU are all worthy upgrades & give what you would usually expect.

Superchargers exist and that's an interesting way to go, Stage 2 gives 550bhp on the ESS VT1, @ about £9,000 but isn't fully released yet.

Does it need it? Depends on you. Not many people will require more performance on a car which already does 0-60 in 4.8s, you might be better off looking at wheels / tyres / brakes / suspension upgrades instead.

 

[monzon]

Thank you, how have other members got on?

 

[Blacklines]

My personal priorities allowed the following in this order (due to availability and cost):

Remus back boxes. c.£650
CSL Wheels. c.£1000
Full AP brakes. c.£2000+
Pagid RS29 pads. c.£500
Nitron suspension. c.£1200 including adjustable top mounts and Eibach springs.

My car is used on the road daily and does a fair few track days. The mods work perfectly for me and are a great compromise.

I like the idea of more power but I'm reluctant to make any expensive alterations to the engine which so far has provided plenty of bang and been 100% reliable. Maybe one day but not just yet.

 

[mikedav]

Does the Nitron set up improve the ride too? Stupid question possibly by wondering if there is an upgrade that will tighten it up but also improve damping with better quality dampers, despite those being counter productive!

 

[Blacklines]

Does the Nitron set up improve the ride too? Stupid question possibly by wondering if there is an upgrade that will tighten it up but also improve damping with better quality dampers, despite those being counter productive!

Good question. My dampers are the basic one-way adjustable units. There are 20 clicks. I've tried:

20 all round - pretty darn harsh.
15 all round - still a tad on the hard side for the road but I expect would be fab on a dry smooth track.
10 all round - nice compromise.
5 all round - great for taking a long steady drive.
0 - not even been there yet.
Settled on 10 at the rear and 12 from full soft (or 8 from full hard!) at the front. It only takes seconds to adjust the front but the rears take a little longer and require reaching the adjuster on the bottom of the damper.

Overall I would say the ride is way better than standard but hit a pothole and the shock/bang is more obvious. For me that is a small price to pay for the handling improvement. Strangely even the steering feels sharper but that may be down to a proper Geo?

 

[AlanJ]

Hi everyone,

Just a thought about exhaust systems and induction kits. Does the Z4M need upgades? What are the best brands to look at?

Thank you for your help. I would also be interested to hear about what everyone else has done and the performance gains you have realised.

Regards
Rob

First ask yourself are you a sufficently capable driver to explore the full potential of the car 'as is'? If YES then mods are worthwhile, if not then what's the point! oke:

 

[mmm-five]

First ask yourself are you a sufficently capable driver to explore the full potential of the car 'as is'? If YES then mods are worthwhile, if not then what's the point! oke:

Of course!

I am a driving GOD :driving: (although that God is Bacchus)

 

[AlanJ]

Would thsat be the red or whit Bachus - or both..... :rofl:

 

[mmm-five]

Would thsat be the red or whit Bachus - or both..... :rofl:

Do they do a madeira?

 

[bruss]

My personal priorities allowed the following in this order (due to availability and cost):

Nitron suspension. c.£1200 including adjustable top mounts and Eibach springs.

My car is used on the road daily and does a fair few track days. The mods work perfectly for me and are a great compromise.

I like the idea of more power but I'm reluctant to make any expensive alterations to the engine which so far has provided plenty of bang and been 100% reliable. Maybe one day but not just yet.

Hi Where did you get the Nitrons? There web site is quoting 1745 plus vat plus fitting. I'd be in at 1200 ish, Nitrons are the best mod I've made on the Lotus.

 

[Spud]

Does upgrading an M affect a BMW warranty if you've taken one out?

 

[mmm-five]

Does upgrading an M affect a BMW warranty if you've taken one out?

Well, they won't cover any modified parts and will baulk at paying out on for repairs that arise from said mods.

For instance, they 'probably' won't pay for warped discs if you've got Pagid RS19/29s pads in; nor would they pay for a replacement MAF if they thought an oiled filter contributed to its failure; nor would they look favourably on a warranty claim for a transmission that had died on a turbo-diesel that had been remapped.

However, most of the time, the 'tuner' should have some sort of warranty/insurance in place to cover damage caused by their product - make sure you ask before you modify, and if they say their product won't/cannot cause damage then ask them why they're not backing up that claim with a warranty (doesn't apply to all product of course, but I'd hope a turbo-diesel tuner has insurance in place for claims for transmission rebuilds as I know quite a few BMW diesels that have prematurely required a gearbox).

 

[Spud]

Great advice, thanks. Will bear that in mind for my (eventual) move to M-Power!

 

[Blacklines]

Nitron suspension. c.£1200 including adjustable top mounts and Eibach springs.

Hi Where did you get the Nitrons? There web site is quoting 1745 plus vat plus fitting. I'd be in at 1200 ish, Nitrons are the best mod I've made on the Lotus.

Nitron fitted my suspension. It was ex-display. Guy (who owns and runs the company) did tell me that he would fit the kit for free for free for Z4M owners!
http://www.nitron.co.uk/nitron09/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_60_333