The Random E46/ZHP Question Thread

[Newjack]

Sometimes, i get the itch for a different look, but feel like i’m just trying to justify it in the end...

but, is there any much point in upgrading from a stock, good condition style 135 wheelset to something aftermarket (vmr, etc) besides looks?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Apex Arc 8's in 245/40/17 oh my god boy howdy shuckem up

The weight savings were huge. Stock ZHP style 135's look great. I think they define the ZHP in the most obvious way and when they are clean and fresh its extremely "Ultimate Klass" looking.

With that being said, ditching the 135's for Arc 8's was the best decision I ever made. Square setup is ez mode for handling and getting even wear. The weight savings per wheel was insane and you really, really, notice a difference when accelerating. The car just feels so much more nimble and agile. Its like having a 300lbs person in the passenger seat vs just you in the car. Nothing has really changed as far as power, torque or stiffness of the suspension, but the weight distribution is huge. Not to mention wheel weight plays a bigger role in how the car handles than extra weight you might have in the trunk.

You can't go wrong with either choice, but as far as enjoyment out of a set of wheels I absolutely love my Apex wheels and will be getting another set.

[papa_g]

The PO of my 05 ZHP vert apparently hit a parking lot curb and badly gouged the right underside of the M-Tech bumper. It also broke the splash guard/fender liner (which I replaced) and broke off the splash guard attachment point on the bumper. Car still looks great since none of this shows visibly from the front, but it's under there, so it's on my list of parts I'll eventually want to change. Any recommendations for best sources?

In researching the cost of replacement bumpers (51117893060 $560 at Turner), I found an interesting image on RealOEM for the bumper. It shows that my damaged piece as a removable part (item 16)? Am I seeing this wrong? I'm not seeing that on other sites. Was there a time when this came as a replaceable part? RealOEM doesn't list a part number for item 16, just shows it separately from the bumper (item 1).

Thats funny, my PO did the same thing, except he claims that the front two tires were slashed, and the front side ended up falling onto the curb it was above (which i find suspect, because these cars are too low to go over any curb lol). Anyway, one of the splash guards was so broken it actually fell off on the trip home from San Francisco. Ended up replacing both splash guards, only to find that there are attachment clips that don't seem to go anywhere. Turns out the attachment points on the bumper broke off as well. Now the splash guards kinda wobble back and forth. Not too bad though. I don't see myself replacing the bumper unless something bad happens. I say just leave it if everything is more or less stable and no one can see it!

[Yelkos]

[QUOTE=pedro2u;557401]The PO of my 05 ZHP vert apparently hit a parking lot curb and badly gouged the right underside of the M-Tech bumper. It also broke the splash guard/fender liner (which I replaced) and broke off the splash guard attachment point on the bumper. Car still looks great since none of this shows visibly from the front, but it's under there, so it's on my list of parts I'll eventually want to change. Any recommendations for best sources?

I have looked at www.khoalty.com for M-Tech bumpers
great prices just not sure about fitment and quality.
anyone have any experiance with them??

[pedro2u]

Thanks ZHPizza. I guess the term I needed for searching was "splitter" ECS stills sells them, but now my ebay searches with "spliiter" are finding lots of images of them and they look like $@%& to me. Plus it appears they would just hide the part that I really need to replace anyway.

Yelkos - thanks for the Khoalty tip. Much cheaper, but I'd anyone with experience/feedback on fitment/quality?

[pedro2u]

papa_g - this is at the bottom of the list of items I'd do anyway. I bought the car in October and it almost immediately went into storage. So I might have put 500 miles at most on. So your approach seems to be the best. Drive it for a while this spring and see how many things I hit before I take the plunge and replace it!

NH winter is almost over........... So it will be coming out of the darkness in the next 2-3 weeks. Can't wait

[Sheepdog84]

You can't go wrong with either choice, but as far as enjoyment out of a set of wheels I absolutely love my Apex wheels and will be getting another set.

Curious, in your experience, if since the Apex wheelset would be lighter, if the “crashiness” of the ride feel over uneven surfaces and bumps would increase, in comparison to the 135’s?

That’s one of my main hangups with upgrading... i’m still running stock suspension, fwiw.


Apex’s might be worth looking into down the road... but i also appreciate keeping the ZHP as close to “stock” looking as possible.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[johnrando]

I've read tons of posts complaining about Khoalty's customer service and the fitment. I've also read many that say they are just fine. But given that it's not overwhelmingly positive, I would personally not buy from them.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Newjack]

[QUOTE=Yelkos;557415]

The PO of my 05 ZHP vert apparently hit a parking lot curb and badly gouged the right underside of the M-Tech bumper. It also broke the splash guard/fender liner (which I replaced) and broke off the splash guard attachment point on the bumper. Car still looks great since none of this shows visibly from the front, but it's under there, so it's on my list of parts I'll eventually want to change. Any recommendations for best sources?

I have looked at www.khoalty.com for M-Tech bumpers
great prices just not sure about fitment and quality.
anyone have any experiance with them??

I've read tons of posts complaining about Khoalty's customer service and the fitment. I've also read many that say they are just fine. But given that it's not overwhelmingly positive, I would personally not buy from them.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I have a Khoalty Mtech II front bumper. I doubt anyone that has seen my car would be able to tell. Fitment is spot on and its identical to the original, just get it painted and its worth the price.

[Newjack]

Curious, in your experience, if since the Apex wheelset would be lighter, if the “crashiness” of the ride feel over uneven surfaces and bumps would increase, in comparison to the 135’s?

That’s one of my main hangups with upgrading... i’m still running stock suspension, fwiw.


Apex’s might be worth looking into down the road... but i also appreciate keeping the ZHP as close to “stock” looking as possible.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know what you mean by "crashiness"? As in tramlining? Like the car wants to follow the curvature of the road and require more hands on the wheel to hold it in line? Yeah this happens, but only because I increased the width of my front tires from stock 225 to 245 up front. More grip in the front means more tramlining.

Does it bother me? No, not in the slightest. I can't say I have ever noticed it outside of the first week of driving when I was super in tune with the differences from a stock setup. I did go with 17's instead of stock 18's, so the ride is slightly softer when hitting bumps which I actually appreciate a lot when driving in the city.

[Sheepdog84]

I don't know what you mean by "crashiness"?

Ahh my apologies. I mean, how bad are repercussions you receive while driving... as in, if you hit a big bump/pothole, how much feedback do you receive in the driver’s seat... Worse, or better?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk