Ride height

B

blobslosak

Member
So I took the plunge after 4 years of missing my old si z4 coupe and bought a Z4m coupe 3 hours before lockdown was announced, cutting it fine! It's tucked up in the garage for the foreseeable but first job is sort the ride height as it's on coilovers and a little low for my liking.

What is the standard ride height of the Z4m coupe? And has anyone experimented with ride heights and found an optimum? I don't want to stray too far from the originally geometry as it will no doubt do strange things to the roll centre etc.

Thanks in advance!

MVIMG_20200323_202230.jpg
 
Welcome to the club :thumbsup:

What coilovers are you on? They only go so high which will definitely be lower than OEM
 
IMG_20200308_170421.jpg
They're BC racing coilovers. I don't mind it being lower, just not as low. Also want to get the front to back height ratio right too.
 
Bit of a search found the below for others benefit:

Attach tape measure to bottom middle of rim flange and measure to lower edge of wheel arch

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e86-z4-m-3.2-cou/repair-manuals/33-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/33-53-springs-with-suspension/FaPCnH1

front 607mm

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e86-z4-m-3.2-cou/repair-manuals/31-front-axle-front-suspension/31-00-front-axle-in-general/6rbW8og

rear 594mm

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e86-z4-m-3.2-cou/repair-manuals/33-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/33-00-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/5ksBi1f
 
Welcome to MC ownership, even if you can't really use it for now! :(

I had 3.0si Coupes for over 5 years and took the same plunge in December when I bought my MC, and am so glad I did. :D

Mine came fitted with H & R coil-overs and spacers and was stupidly low - I couldn't get over speed bumps without it grounding, and the front wheel-arch liners showed plenty of rubbing.

Spacers off and coil-overs set as high as possible, which according to H & R means it is 23mm lower than standard on the front and 19mm lower on the rear and it seems to work OK, but it can be a bit crashy on potholes.

I'll see how H & R's numbers check out tomorrow now you've found the OE figures. :thumbsup:
 
This is how my car currently sits:

20200321_170141.jpg

On H&R springs and with the 14.5 mm rear spring pads. Measuring from the ground (level concrete, not grassy field) and passing the tape measure vertically up past the wheel centres to the wheel arch, I have the following dimensions:

OSF 665
NSF 667
OSR 652
NSR 658

Back end will vary with roof position (open or closed) and volume of fuel in the tank, but I like the way it sits now. Incidentally I noticed that the chassis on my 3.0i was around 20 mm lower than my Z4M. The 3.0i was on stock suspension but had smaller (17") wheels than the M. The 3.0i was occasionally a touch low at the front, but only when having to venture off road. The M could handle being lower I think, but I have no burning desire to lower it at the present moment. Perhaps when my lowering springs kill my shocks!
 
blobslosak said:
Bit of a search found the below for others benefit:

Attach tape measure to bottom middle of rim flange and measure to lower edge of wheel arch

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e86-z4-m-3.2-cou/repair-manuals/33-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/33-53-springs-with-suspension/FaPCnH1

front 607mm

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e86-z4-m-3.2-cou/repair-manuals/31-front-axle-front-suspension/31-00-front-axle-in-general/6rbW8og

rear 594mm

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e86-z4-m-3.2-cou/repair-manuals/33-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/33-00-rear-axle-rear-wheel-drive-guide/5ksBi1f
Click to expand...

Mr Tidy said:
I'll see how H & R's numbers check out tomorrow now you've found the OE figures. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Blob, I presume these are the measurements for your Zed not the OEM ride height since wonkeydonkey’s car sits higher than the measurements you’ve posted?
 
[ref]BMWZ4MC[/ref] my measurements are taken from the ground, whereas his references measure from the wheel rim (which will do away with variation brought about by tyre pressures and sidewall heights).
 
i measured yesterday:
37,2cm front
36,9cm rear.

this is measured from teh middle of the hub to the top of the respective wheel arch..
sitting on standard 224 alloys with 225/45 and 255/40 tires.
 
Well now I'm more confused than ever. :?

If OE is 607mm front and 594mm rear I'd expect mine on H & R coil-overs to be lower even though they are on their highest setting, but it is 610mm front and 620mm rear. It is on 19s, but that only accounts for 12.5mm each end. :roll:

Oh well, it looks OK to me. :)
 

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Good luck with that! :lol:

To be fair mine are Reps, but were on the car when I bought it so I didn't have to resist that urge!
 
Mr Tidy said:
Good luck with that! :lol:

To be fair mine are Reps, but were on the car when I bought it so I didn't have to resist that urge!
Click to expand...

The only way I can stop myself ordering some 19" Riva DTMs is to constantly wheel off clean my MV2s. They look stunning when shiny but I go off them as they get dusty...
 

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Penelope said:
The only way I can stop myself ordering some 19" Riva DTMs is to constantly wheel off clean my MV2s. They look stunning when shiny but I go off them as they get dusty...
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean!

My 1st Coupe came with badly scuffed MV2s so I got them refurbed, but they were a real PITA to keep clean with those narrow gaps between the spokes!

Thankfully my 2nd had decent 108s which were much easier to clean, but then I swapped them for 295s that were even better. :lol:

I think the CSL Reps might be a bit more involved to clean, but they look so good I just might make the effort!
 
FWIW, the BC Racing shocks I have on my Solstice have a range that brackets the stock ride height, so unlike some aftermarket units, they do allow you to set height at factory spec or even higher. That's a wise choice, BTW - too many owners want that low and mean look and end up scraping their front bodywork on steep driveways and speed bumps, and possibly affecting the handling in an undesirable way as you mentioned.

Whenever I do change the shocks on my Z4M coupe, I intend to use the BC Racing units (not in a great rush as it only has around 37K (miles) on it at the moment and the factory shocks are still in excellent shape.
 
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