Quick Z4 3.0si questions

G

Gana

Member
I am looking for a 3.0si Z4 and I have some quick questions.

1. I have seen examples with silver engine plastic cover and others with black, are there any really difference or only cosmetic?

2. Retrofitting an M steering wheel in an automatic...
Do I need to drill new wholes for the paddles?
Are the paddle shifters removable or "embodied'' in the steering wheel column

Thanks in advance
 
A mod can move it :)

1. No difference between silver and black top - (edit) no mechanical difference. Aesthetic only.

2. There's a ring that the paddles attach to, no need for drilling.


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Adamski said:
A mod can move it :)

1. No difference between silver and black top - (edit) no mechanical difference. Aesthetic only.

2. There's a ring that the paddles attach to, no need for drilling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I think you may need to drill a couple of holes if retrofitting paddles to an auto (non smg) car. Slip ring needed and wiring led down to gear shift switch.

I bought a MFSW off a forum member (mac27040) and I'm sure it had a couple of extra holes in from his paddles.
 
Another question regarding the spetronic gearbox:
As i do not have much expericnece with RWD
Does the automatic gearbox make the car less ''tail happy''?
Is eay easier to break traction with stick and cluth than with an auto?
 
Gana said:
Another question regarding the spetronic gearbox:
As i do not have much expericnece with RWD
Does the automatic gearbox make the car less ''tail happy''?
Is eay easier to break traction with stick and cluth than with an auto?
Click to expand...
From a standing start, a DCT or manual will break traction easier than a slushbox. Once you are at speed, it doesn't make much difference, as the torque converter has pretty much "locked up". I say this with little practical experience, more just from my mechanical understanding of the various systems. The answer may be debatable, maybe we will soon see. :)
 
One more question,

In there any limitation in switching completely off all the electronics ( DSC ) when you have a steptronic.?
 
AFAIK, DSC does not alter the transmission behaviour at all, it intervenes via throttle and brakes. When DSC is off, it is indeed completely off. The car will behave like a car from the 80s with no electronics at all. On an icy open car park you can do 360s and then some.
 
thank you bcworkz, 8)
any members with an auto to confirm this?

my main concern is not to loose fun and excitement if i choose an auto.

I understand that i will actualy have less control of the revs as auto may switch gear itself
and also i will not have the assistance of the clutch when i want to break traction of the rear wheels in a quick start or while cornering

am i correct?
 
The fun and excitement you can get from a clutch constitutes abuse IMO. Significant traction loss is fun and exciting, but means you could have been going faster if you had managed traction better. The Zed really isn't the best car for those kind of shenanigans. What it is good for is flying around turns at ridiculous speeds. An auto box will not hamper that at all. Personally, I would never give up a manual in a sports car, it is an important part of the fun for me. Other people think getting near instantaneous shifts at the flick of a finger is fun.

You're going to have to decide for yourself, the sort of fun you'd be missing, is what you really shouldn't do too often anyway. That is unless you think shifting in itself is part of the fun.
 
good points from bcworkz, I can try and add to this as Ive a 3.0si Auto coupe myself.. I have an M steering wheel already though, so bit confused about what you're trying to do or go for. my wheel has the paddle shifters as well and other M-controls.

re fun/excitement: the auto is still fun. I haven't tried the manual (although my other car - a Polo - is manual), and I much prefer the auto. It's fast and responsive when I want it to be, and if I just want to go slow and chillout I can do so without being overly concerned about how I'm driving as the car takes care of the rest. I do find my Z a reasonably tricky car to drive in the rain and on slightly imperfect roads (requires 2 hands on the wheel at all times), so the auto is a godsend in this case.

For going fast theres a 'kickdown' that you'll see in most modern day auto that max's out the revs and changes gear at the optimum point, as well as a nice little sports button that makes the gas pedal a little more sharp by revving 1k above the usual rpms. Kicking down as high speed (say 70mph), will drop the gears and up the revs quicker than I'd be able to in a manual so no issues there. I havent driven it in snow though (this is where a manual could be better) - the auto doesn't change into a high gear if it think the revs will be too low, i'e' impossible to be in 5 of 6th gear at 30mph, or 2nd gear at 75mph (although I wouldn't want to do that anyway). If you try to select the gear it'll show the gear on the dash, then switch back to D or the current gear.

There's 2 settings for traction control, off, and OFF. off is still on, but just limited, and OFF is properly off, (need to hold the traction control button for 5 sec i think to properly turn it off, or 1 sec to just reduce its effectiveness).
 
Thank you dmo!!!

Regarding the steering wheel what i want to do is to retrofit an M wheel from a manual Z4 to an auto Z4 with paddles.So the question is how the paddles could fit in the non steptronic steering wheel.

So i understandthat when you have traction control in OFF mode (not off) there no way the Steptronic's electronics to activate it and the Z is fully capable to break traction and go sideways if the is not enough grip!!

another question,
Is there any way to find M seats in uk in decent prices?
 
np. why not just get the normal M steptronic wheel, it's quite a nice wheel. as the seats are electric, and the fitting is tight, i'd say your much better off just getting a coupe with the M components added onto it from the factory. it'll save you the effort which will be well worth it. why are you so eager to go sideways anyway? when you looking to buy?
 
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