Tim's Mystic Blue ZHP Coupe

[Galapolis]

First of all, respect for wearing down the HAWK pads. I understand that track driving really punishes brakes, but I've had mine for 1.5 years and not been easy on them and I still have like 75% life left.

As for the tires, I still think the 245 on 8" is the problem. I read on the M3 forums that running 245 on 8" on our cars actually reduces grip compared to 225 on 8". I'm sure the tires would do a lot better on 8.5" or 9" wide wheels. I know that E46 touring cars run 245 square on 9". Those 200TW also like much lower tire pressures. I run 34psi on my Indys, but I've had Autocrossers tell me they run their 200TW tires at 26psi.

[ZHPizza]

Oh yeah that is a lot of tire for an 8in wheel. Did you happen to mark the sidewall to see what kind of rollover you're getting? I do that for every autocross now and adjust pressures accordingly.

Also I can't remember have you used INPA to bleed the ABS units? Bubbles can get trapped in there and cause problems.

[t.er]

First of all, respect for wearing down the HAWK pads. I understand that track driving really punishes brakes, but I've had mine for 1.5 years and not been easy on them and I still have like 75% life left.

As for the tires, I still think the 245 on 8" is the problem. I read on the M3 forums that running 245 on 8" on our cars actually reduces grip compared to 225 on 8". I'm sure the tires would do a lot better on 8.5" or 9" wide wheels. I know that E46 touring cars run 245 square on 9". Those 200TW also like much lower tire pressures. I run 34psi on my Indys, but I've had Autocrossers tell me they run their 200TW tires at 26psi.

LOL it's not exactly a good thing. Yeah I did like 7 or 8 autox and quite a few runs in the mountains around the SF bay area with my stock pads and they're at ~75% life as well. It's actually insane how much the HPS has worn on track, no noticeable fade but I guess running a non-dedicated track pad just wears out extremely quick.

Hmmm interesting, I was expecting reduced turn-in response due to the slightly pinched sidewalls, but not reduced grip, especially not to the point where it'd be slower than the 340tw Contis at ~44 psi hot. Also odd how I seem to be quicker at autox, but slower at track, but again it's hard to gauge with autox since the track isn't consistent. Did they say why grip is lower? I'm still on the hunt for a 8.5" square setup but given how much I've spent in the past few weeks, need to save up.

Even if it's a bit slower, at least keeping things consistent now without much tire wear, I can still learn and see if I can improve from I guess what would be now my "new baseline" time with the RS4s. Unfortunately I think I only have 1 or 2 more track days left in the HPS pads before they have to go back to FCP for warranty, which is not something I can easily do on a budget given the closed border.

Oh yeah that is a lot of tire for an 8in wheel. Did you happen to mark the sidewall to see what kind of rollover you're getting? I do that for every autocross now and adjust pressures accordingly.

Also I can't remember have you used INPA to bleed the ABS units? Bubbles can get trapped in there and cause problems.

Yeah, I was down to ~28 psi hot and I still think I could have possibly lowered the pressures even more. I did use INPA to bleed the ABS, no bubbles were present

[t.er]

Ah, the joys of a used car. Got my new FCABs in today (Meyle HD) and found out the old ones were different left/right. Left was Meyle HD and was pretty solid still, right side definitely needed replacing and promptly puked oil when it ripped taking it off. Hmm, since it was oil filled I wonder if it was Lemforder? 5 minutes with a dremel on the centre metal insert and it was off, new FCABs slid on like butter with some dish soap.


My intention was to keep the old ones so I could press in Z4M FCABs into the old lollipops, but I'm not sure if IDs would be to the same tolerances left and right. I'm really in no rush though so I'll press the old ones out first and measure the bores to make sure the press fit will be more or less the same. Then whenever I happen to be in the US next I'll order the Z4M FCABs from FCP.


Left:





Right:





Also got my trunk organization dialed in. I was at autox yesterday and it rained very heavily. All of my stuff got soaked, including the cardboard box I have had in my trunk for 5 years, which fit perfectly in the little cubby above the battery tray.





Went to a local home hardware store and found a rice container that happened to fit perfectly in that spot. I also put adhesive-backed velcro strips on the bottom, so the box is pretty solid and won't slide out on spirited highway on-ramps. Only caveat is that the box is such a snug fit, that the trunk light on that side won't fit with the box. Also, my oil jug and spray bottles are too tall for the lid, which I was hoping to use when leaving my stuff outside on a rainy day at autox/track.





Then, I went ahead and got my alignment done. I’m not sure what’s up with this car though… after they aligned it, the steering wheel was canted to the right, and I still have a very slight pull to the left. So they shimmied the tie rods over a bit which centred the steering, but the ever so slight pull is there. Could just be the crown in the road, but I can do a very slow lane change with my hands off the wheel. Gonna live with it though, at least until the next suspension upgrade.

[t.er]

I had a small BBQ with a handful of friends at a park. I arrived much earlier than everyone else so I parked right by the lake, pulled out my camping chair, and chilled right by my car for about a half hour. Also made for some great pics:



Then my friend arrived with his 320i:



Then, this weekend I decided to restore my headlights, fix the rust on my trunk, and colour match my backup cam housing while the handle was out of the car.

First things first, colour matching the backup cam housing – I was planning on using some touch-up paint, then clear-coating with 2K clear at the same time as the headlights. Unfortunately it didn’t go as planned, since the touch-up paint did not self-level like I thought it would. So I’m just gonna leave it for now:





Next was the rust on my trunk. Why, BMW, did you install the plastic screw inserts before the trunk was painted? So of course, over the past 16 years, rust started forming.



Took the inserts out:





Sanded back to metal with a Dremel:



Metal-prep’d, then POR-15 painted the exposed areas:



New screw inserts back in:



Trunk handle gasket installed, to replace the one that was non-existent. Trimmed a small channel to allow for routing of the backup cam wire:



Also found a crack from the spot weld, to the trunk latch holes. Uuuuuuurgh more stuff to do, a problem for another time:



Lastly were the headlights, for reference this is why I’m swapping the lenses and refinishing them:



Started off removing them. Upon removal of the headlight washer fluid sprayers, I was showered in the face with windshield washer fluid. Great, just great…



Also yet again, another “joys of a used car” moment. Someone broke all the tabs off one of the covers and hot glued it in place:



2-part epoxied it back, hopefully next time the cover doesn’t come apart from the washer nozzle:



Below is more damage that isn’t seen when installed. Not sure how this damage was caused, but it’s quite extensive:



The donor headlight had a crack on the bottom that isn’t visible from the top, so I just stop-drilled the root of the crack and epoxied:





I started sanding the donor lense just to gauge how much work they would be, then chucked it into the oven:



Then swapped the lenses over:



After a bunch of sanding up to 800 grit, both sets of headlights are ready for paint:



Painting in progress. Everything was going well until bugs started landing on the wet paint. Uuuuuugh why would you want to land on a wet surface where the liquid slowly suffocates and paralyzes you. I'll have to see if I can get them off with a bit of polishing once cured. I also have very small run that's very hard to see, but it bugs me (ha) so I'll also wetsand that out.





Then, installed on the car. Can’t wait for nicer weather so I can wash it again and get better pics, these lenses will definitely pop:





Even the spare set turned out really nice, aside from the cracked lenses:



If anyone is looking to buy facelift coupe headlights and aren’t too fussy, let me know!

[Will]

Nice job on the lenses, they look great. What was the progression you used for sanding? Also, did you consider getting replacement lenses from Bimmer Jakes (link)?

[t.er]

Nice job on the lenses, they look great. What was the progression you used for sanding? Also, did you consider getting replacement lenses from Bimmer Jakes (link)?

Thanks! The donor lenses were heavily oxidized so I went from 400 -> 600 -> 800 grit wet sanding. The ones from my car weren't so bad, so I was able to get away with just 800 grit.

When I first started looking around for replacement lenses, I did come across Bimmer Jakes but they're asking way too much. The donor pair of headlights were significantly cheaper, and I can still sell them and recoup the costs (and hopefully make a small profit given the work I've done to them)

[johnrando]

Nice werk.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[t.er]

Nice werk.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

Thanks John!



Just sold the donor set for a good deal. The headlights are making my front bumper look worse than they already are lol

[sillieidiot]

can't see that picture you just posted.