Sorting out the handling

[jeffers]

Hi All,

Following on from a previous thread, I'm trying to sort out the handling on my '08 Z4C. The wheel arch rubbing issue reported in the last thread was due to excessive play in the lollipops, which I have now sorted by replacing both lower control arms. I have also had the geometry redone.

Now that things have stopped rubbing I want to get the rest of the suspension/handling sorted. At the moment the car feels quite crashy over bumps and the front is eager to scrape speed bumps and the like, even at quite low speeds.

The car has eibach 'pro' springs fitted to it, whats the general opinion on these? They were fitted before I owned the car so have no basis of comparison to the OEM suspension. Does it lower the car significantly? I'm debating picking up a second hand set of OEM springs and seeing if that helps. Does anyone with a similar setup have issues? Or could someone provide a measurement from the front lip of the bumpber to ground level? I dont know if mine is riding lower that it should.

My other issue at the moment is a kind of oscillation that can be felt through the steering wheel at around 60-70mph. It's not tramlining or wheel balancing, it feels more like the EPS is trying to do something. I did read a thread on here a while ago with something similar but the consensus was it was either RFT or lollipops, both of which shouldnt be an issue on my car (new lollipops and non-RFTs).

All suggestions welcome
Jeff

 

[ben g]

Another thing to look at are the drop links and ARB bushes. I replaced the fronts on mine last weekend and the difference is night and day! The front end feels so planted now, whereas before it felt like a boat.

 

[Wildfire]

ben where did you get yours? I want to do the same on mine before the weather goes bad.

 

[ben g]

I bought them off eBay

Powerflex front ARB bushes (sport 25mm, se 24mm).
Meyle hd roll bar link arms.

Both are good quality products.

I've just bought Meyle link arms for the rear aswell as Superpro rear ARB bushes (19mm).

 

[Toe-side]

Front end oscillation.........how worn are the tyres?
If you have freshened the lollipops and checked tracking
Buy some fresh front rubber
I spent a small amount of time resolving this issue and it completely disappeared when I fitted new tyres. The Z is very very sensitive to front end tweaks..............too sensitive tbh
Check out the how to's for replacement of ARB'S and wishbones

 

[jeffers]

Bringing this thread back from the dead.. the tyres are a fairly recent set of Bridgestones with a decent amount of tread on them which seem to be wearing evenly. I took the car into my local garage today who gave the suspension a thorough check and they cant find anything, all the bushes etc are fine with no excessive play anywhere.

I'm thinking about swapping out the springs for something with a slightly higher ride height. The Eibachs may be fine for occasional use but for me they are a bit low for a daily driver. I dont fancy going back to OEM springs with their reputation for snapping so looking for a direct replacement for the standard or maybe ///M sized springs. As I understand it the Eibachs are 30mm lower than standard and the ///M springs are 15mm lower than standard. Are the ///M springs usable for a daily drive? Any recommendations for a non-BMW made replacement?

thanks again
Jeff