Smartbear said:
I'm wondering if you are thinking of the last of the Z3M Coupe with the S54 instead?
S54 rod bearing
- Thread starter Vanne
- Start date
I'm wondering if you are thinking of the last of the Z3M Coupe with the S54 instead?
DMC63 said:It's got controls all over it and it's too fat. I hate the paddles and buttons on a steering wheel. It looks s**t, especially in a roadster. When they start to add gadgets to a sports car it turns into a Dad car. That's why I like the 2003 pre-facelift with the bare steering wheel, no heated seats. Bare essentials. Look at all the good old roadsters. Bare bones. A fun car to drive with no bells or whistles. Nowadays it's all about comfort without consideration for looks. The 'average Joe' buys for comfort more than looks.
I think the brushed ali and basic leather trim nailed it. tbh, ali floors without carpets would've been cool too. Imagine the 2003 interior in an M. That would be nice. Fast and functional. None of this comfort crap! Well, you asked
I know what you mean but actually the Z4M's relative simplicity was part of it's appeal to me. Comparing it to my colleagues Boxster 3.4 of the same era he says that my car looks really basic (because the Boxster has buttons everywhere). There are no paddles on the M and only four buttons on the wheel :? Yes, it is a chunky wheel but you can always change it? Elsewhere the dash design is clean, it was designed to look and feel quite retro. My car had no heated seats but driving in cold conditions with the roof down took some of the fun away, so I retro fitted them, it only adds two buttons so not sure it spoiled the looks greatly?
I drove my race Caterham on the road for seven years so am all for stripped out fun, but one some of the longer, winter journeys I could have cried I was so cold, wet and uncomfortable! Take a look again at an M, you might be surprised how basic they are compared to more modern cars?
Sorry for the off topic.
Fishy Dave said:DMC63 said:It's got controls all over it and it's too fat. I hate the paddles and buttons on a steering wheel. It looks s**t, especially in a roadster. When they start to add gadgets to a sports car it turns into a Dad car. That's why I like the 2003 pre-facelift with the bare steering wheel, no heated seats. Bare essentials. Look at all the good old roadsters. Bare bones. A fun car to drive with no bells or whistles. Nowadays it's all about comfort without consideration for looks. The 'average Joe' buys for comfort more than looks.
I think the brushed ali and basic leather trim nailed it. tbh, ali floors without carpets would've been cool too. Imagine the 2003 interior in an M. That would be nice. Fast and functional. None of this comfort crap! Well, you asked
I know what you mean but actually the Z4M's relative simplicity was part of it's appeal to me. Comparing it to my colleagues Boxster 3.4 of the same era he says that my car looks really basic (because the Boxster has buttons everywhere). There are no paddles on the M and only four buttons on the wheel :? Yes, it is a chunky wheel but you can always change it? Elsewhere the dash design is clean, it was designed to look and feel quite retro. My car had no heated seats but driving in cold conditions with the roof down took some of the fun away, so I retro fitted them, it only adds two buttons so not sure it spoiled the looks greatly?
I drove my race Caterham on the road for seven years so am all for stripped out fun, but one some of the longer, winter journeys I could have cried I was so cold, wet and uncomfortable! Take a look again at an M, you might be surprised how basic they are compared to more modern cars?
Sorry for the off topic.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with the M. Wow, driving a Caterham for seven years in all weather is hardcore! I tip my hat to you sir.
I like the M, but I'm kinda put off by threads I've read about high maintenance costs. The bearing thread for instance. £2,000 at 70k miles, and general wear and tear seem to make it a bit of a money pit to keep up to scratch. All I really want from my car is a bit more power. I reckon the supercharger will deliver that and get it around the 5.5 sec mark. That way I get to keep the very basic steering wheel.
sixspeed said:
So I know it's been a while, but the engine is nearing completion of build and I've had a bunch of photos through that I thought I'd share. Some might say these are a little... knackered.
It's probably a miracle it didn't go sooner tbh.
Still, the block is all looking nice now!
Should be back together early next week (just waiting for a few shims for the valves that the guys didn't have in stock), then fitted up and hopefully collect the following week. Been a while now. Looking forward to getting back into it and back on track!
... oh and if I gave you the bill for the rebuild work, your eyes would water. To me its worth it as I've had 10 years in this car, and plan to have another 10 or more. Ok, i've thrown an upgrade or two in there at the same time, but just the bare rebuild costs alone are probably a good 3-4 times the cost of the shell swap work on an otherwise healthy engine. Doing these as preventative maintenance is a no brainer tbh, and I will be more vigilant in the future. I know I said to myself that I'd probably do them over the winter anyway, but I wonder if I really would have... At least it has been taken out of my hands now!
Was the crank ok then? What bearings and bolts have you gone for?
Any signs of wear on the cam followers?
Bet you can't wait!
Any signs of wear on the cam followers?
Bet you can't wait!
LostBoy_84 said:Was the crank ok then? What bearings and bolts have you gone for?
Any signs of wear on the cam followers?
Bet you can't wait!
Crank needed grinding but wasn't toast. Think a conrod needed replacing, but thankfully they had one that could be matched and balanced with the existing. Went with new Schrick cams and BMW motorsport followers, so these have been replaced although the originals were fine. New oil cooler (uprated), oil pump, shells are OE since the jury is out on whether coated provide any benefit...
Will need running in for a few hundred miles when I've got it back, but we're back at the 'Ring for DN17 on the 2nd May, so got to get some miles on in the next few months!
Wow.....Them are fooooooked,and looks like the thrust end have been splattered..
Glad its all coming together...
i didnt realise that you could get OEM bearings once the crank had been ground...
I know a few companies were grinding and widening the journal to stop the bearing spin and wear...Obviously using non OEM bearing shells to compensate.
Glad its all coming together...
i didnt realise that you could get OEM bearings once the crank had been ground...
I know a few companies were grinding and widening the journal to stop the bearing spin and wear...Obviously using non OEM bearing shells to compensate.
Viren said:
Geoff Steel Racing are doing the engine build.
Cams will be tuned. I've spoken to Randy already at Epic Motorsports in the US after he supplied me the Alpha-N tune for the Evolve airbox, and he is good to provide me an update to the software to cater for the new cams. I'm going to get some dyno time to fine tune things once its fully run-in.
Don't be too queezy mate, the rod bearings are just a renewable part, its really not the massive hassle that its made out to be, just as long as you get to it before it lets go. There is a reason BMW won so many awards for this engine, it really is that good.
Bearing life depends on previous usage, and you will know by the general condition of the car if its had a hard life or not. Dont over think it. Live life, have fun
Bearing life depends on previous usage, and you will know by the general condition of the car if its had a hard life or not. Dont over think it. Live life, have fun
Liverpool