Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    93

    Suspension refresh

    Hi guys,

    I am pretty new here but have been lurking since last fall.

    Purchased my first ZHP a little over a month ago, 86k on the clock.

    The previous owner replaced the the rear struts already and he said his mechanic inspected the front and they were fine. However, with some recent road work on my street there are some bigger holes that I ride over slowly and I have determined that the front struts need to be replace too.

    He put yellow bilsteins in the rear and I think I am going to go with Koni yellows in the front. I pulled the front wheel off to inspect bushing and everything looks fine. In the infinite wisdom of this board should I replace the fcab bushing as well? Seems like it is not much work to go back in later when they are worn, all bushings and rubber look really good in there.

    BTW this is a Cali car so minimal exposure to elements.

    Thanks for input mafiosi!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    22841
    Posts
    9,921
    Have the fcab bushings been done before? At that Mileage if they are original then they are due for a replacement.

    Also I would match the front struts to the rear shocks so they match.

    His - 2004 Imola Red / Alcantara 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

    Her's - 2005 Black Sapphire Metallic / Black Leather 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Posts
    807
    Quote Originally Posted by Vas View Post
    Also I would match the front struts to the rear shocks so they match.
    +1, I can't attest to bilsteins but I can say that Koni yellows are pretty damn stiff, so seeing as how many potholes you have in your area you might be replacing them in the near future(hopefully not).


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    2004 BMW 330i TiAg ZHP/// 6MT(purchased from forum 6/06/16);
    KONI Yellows | Akebono Brake Pads | ECIS cold air intake system;
    Hotchkis Sport sway bar | ECS Tuning Carbon Fiber front strut brace
    Vibrant Performance Muffler | Coby Wheel Tri-Stitch steering wheel & shift boot
    Michelin PSS | Blizzak WS-80

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    93
    The street condition is temporary.

    I had noticed some others had mismatched struts to no ill effect, I could always swap out it if creates an negative or unstable condition. Does anyone else have input on mismatched struts?

    To be honest, the previous owner had done some things to the car, but the front suspension looks 100% original. I know in the rear he only replaced the struts.

    I am also concerned about the cooling system, but everything looks to be in tip top shape.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    VA/DC
    Posts
    14,445
    If the cooling system hasn't been done do it before summer. The ET is probably the most vulnerable part but do all the pulleys and pump while at it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    93
    Thanks Shawn, I was planning on doing some cooling system work in May, I only drive around 50 miles a week most weeks. But I have a back-packing trip coming in early June and will be driving through the hot central valley and don't want any issues.

    My wife has an Audi A7 which we use for joint trips. She loves her Audis, they just aren't that fun to drive

    Great GT car though.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Fairfax Station, VA
    Posts
    2,806
    Visually, sometimes you can't tell if the FCABs need to be replaced or not. Had to replace my wife's ZHP FCABs at 40K miles even though they looked fine. Here's a way to check: jack up the front corner of the car, grab the front wheel at 3 & 9 o'clock positions, rock it/wiggle it, the play should be minimal. If there's a good bit of play, FCABs need to be replaced. Also while wheel is off the ground, grasp it at 12 & 6 o'clock positions, wiggle it, should be zero play. If any, your ball joints need to be replaced.

    Bruce
    21 GMC Sierra - mine
    16 X5 M-Sport - wife
    11 M3 - 1st son
    04 Tundra - 2nd son
    17 X1 M-Sport - daughter

    Former (mo/yr sold):
    15 335xi M-Sport (8/18)
    11 335is (8/17)
    11 X5 AW/blk (11/15)
    04 330xi blk/gray (7/15)
    06 ZHP SGM/blk (6/15)
    08 335xi blue/blk (4/15)
    04 ZHPci MB/blk (2/14)
    04 ZHPcic IR/Alc (10/13)
    01 540iT anthra/blk (7/13)
    04 ZHPci TIAG/blk (9/12)
    03 540i M-Sport (9/12)
    01 325ci (3/12)
    02 325iT 5MT (10/11)
    05 ZHPci (7/11)
    03 330cic (2/11)
    00 323ci (10/10)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    10,243
    Whatever suspension rubber that is original from the factory I would wager is due to be replaced. I replaced my FCABs and RTABs preventatively almost two years ago. They only had 50k miles on them but they were ready to be replaced. Age is as just as big a factor as mileage if they're original.

    As for shocks/struts, I can't speak to mixing and matching. I can say I really like my Koni Sports (Yellows) and I find they have a very good balance between ride comfort and performance where I have them set. If you want some more info you can read my 50k mile suspension refresh thread: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...miles-10-years

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