I weighed my E89 N54 Z4 with a manual gearbox today on a set of scales typically used for corner balancing. To do a proper corner balancing you need to ensure the pavement is perfectly level. However, as I was not doing a corner balance and as my main goal was to learn the actual real world weight of my car I used a pretty flat surface but one that was not perfect. Of course, when driving rarely is one on a perfectly flat surface anyway so while it may not be the ideal surface for a corner balance it was good enough to determine the exact vehicle weight.
With 19" 255 mm tires in the front and 20" wheels and 285 mm tires in the rear and lightweight forged wheels the manual Z4 weighed in at 3,378. With a lithium battery and a few other tweaks I suspect the weight can be dropped closer to 3,300.
The weight in the front was 1655 and 1723 pounds for the rear.
The weight distribution was actually rather good for a front engine car with 48.9 on the front and 51.1 on the rear.
With a driver in the car (me) the weight distribution improved even further with 48.7 front and 51.3 rear.
I should have checked the balance with the hardtop stowed in the trunk as I'm sure that would have further improved the rear weight bias.
Still, those are pretty good numbers for a car with twin turbo straight six engine!
Car & Driver weighed the C7 Corvette and stated "Although Chevrolet claims a straight-up 50/50 weight distribution, our scales demonstrated a rearward weight bias, with 49.4 percent sitting over the front axle and 50.6 to the rear. That makes it and the C2 the only Corvettes to tip the scales to the stern."
The Corvette Convertible weighs 3,362, basically identical to the Z4 and my car's weight includes active suspension, extended leather, metal roof, etc. The Corvette actually has slightly smaller tires in the front.....245/19 front and the same 285/20" in the rear.
In other words, the manual gearbox N54 Z4 has a better weight distribution than the Corvette which is pretty impressive!
With some simple tuner mods the N54 motor puts out more than 400 hp while the corvette makes 455 hp. Their torque ratings are even closer. Of course, with more mods the N54 can deliver 500 hp
Interesting how performance has advanced. The Porsche 993 Turbo S made 425 horsepower and weighed around 3,373 pounds. A convertible E89 with a manual gearbox weighs the same as 993 Twin Turbo S and with easily added tuner parts makes the same power as the legendary Turbo S. Now if only the Z4 had the telepathic steering of the Porsche.
With 19" 255 mm tires in the front and 20" wheels and 285 mm tires in the rear and lightweight forged wheels the manual Z4 weighed in at 3,378. With a lithium battery and a few other tweaks I suspect the weight can be dropped closer to 3,300.
The weight in the front was 1655 and 1723 pounds for the rear.
The weight distribution was actually rather good for a front engine car with 48.9 on the front and 51.1 on the rear.
With a driver in the car (me) the weight distribution improved even further with 48.7 front and 51.3 rear.
I should have checked the balance with the hardtop stowed in the trunk as I'm sure that would have further improved the rear weight bias.
Still, those are pretty good numbers for a car with twin turbo straight six engine!
Car & Driver weighed the C7 Corvette and stated "Although Chevrolet claims a straight-up 50/50 weight distribution, our scales demonstrated a rearward weight bias, with 49.4 percent sitting over the front axle and 50.6 to the rear. That makes it and the C2 the only Corvettes to tip the scales to the stern."
The Corvette Convertible weighs 3,362, basically identical to the Z4 and my car's weight includes active suspension, extended leather, metal roof, etc. The Corvette actually has slightly smaller tires in the front.....245/19 front and the same 285/20" in the rear.
In other words, the manual gearbox N54 Z4 has a better weight distribution than the Corvette which is pretty impressive!
With some simple tuner mods the N54 motor puts out more than 400 hp while the corvette makes 455 hp. Their torque ratings are even closer. Of course, with more mods the N54 can deliver 500 hp
Interesting how performance has advanced. The Porsche 993 Turbo S made 425 horsepower and weighed around 3,373 pounds. A convertible E89 with a manual gearbox weighs the same as 993 Twin Turbo S and with easily added tuner parts makes the same power as the legendary Turbo S. Now if only the Z4 had the telepathic steering of the Porsche.
