peter's canadian imola ZHP project

[ELCID86]

I've got the tools too... but I don't have the balls.

Y'all need Teraphantom....


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[slater]

finally, work on Phase 2 is commencing!

yesterday i got the car in the air, and installed the front bilstein PSS coilovers, reinforcement plates, and new rubber brake lines. the build quality of the bilstein PSS is astoundingly good. stainless bodies, excellent instructions and technical data included, plus of course everything needed to install. very pleased so far. i also cleaned as much old crusty bearing grease as possible from the stock top mounts and repacked them with new bearing grease, and coated the adjuster ring threads on the bilsteins with anti-seize (extra insurance).

i then moved on to removing the exhaust, which was no problem until i got to the downpipe/header unions... one bolt snapped off (no big deal), and the other three nuts came off - all requiring vice grips because their shape was no longer hexagonal. :) ahh, rust. anyway - these unions will not separate! i've pounded with a plastic hammer, jiggled the exhaust at the tips (it's fully unbolted and sitting on a jack right now at the muffler)... it will not separate. any tips???

once the exhaust is off, then out comes the driveshaft, rear springs and shocks, handbrake cables, and then the entire rear subframe assembly. fun!

pic below of new shiny parts.

peter

[anandoc]

Awesome!! Now you can help do my struts and shocks if money permits next year :)

Goodluck on this phase 2 of your project. Don't feel shy to share more pics as you work along.

[QC_ZHP]

Looks so shiny and new. Good work

[slater]

Awesome!! Now you can help do my struts and shocks if money permits next year :)

Goodluck on this phase 2 of your project. Don't feel shy to share more pics as you work along.

i will try to take some pics along the way - likely of shiny new bits because everyone likes to see that stuff. :)

no problem on your struts and shocks! just let me know when you're ready.

peter

[NoVAphotog]

SO SHINY. SO CHROME!

22218

[Rovert]

Why does everybody who has these amazing abilities live so far away. I could borrow some of you for a few days or a few weeks. LOL

[slater]

SO SHINY. SO CHROME!

LOL. did you like that movie? i was underwhelmed... i thought it was dumb.

as an aside, that actor in your GIF was in another movie recently that was excellent - "warm bodies" - check it out!



Why does everybody who has these amazing abilities live so far away. I could borrow some of you for a few days or a few weeks. LOL

haha. i really don't even have time for my own projects, which is why they take so long. also, as i get older i take way more time on stuff as i spend time cleaning, inspecting, triple-checking, etc.

peter

[NoVAphotog]

LOL. did you like that movie? i was underwhelmed... i thought it was dumb.

as an aside, that actor in your GIF was in another movie recently that was excellent - "warm bodies" - check it out!




haha. i really don't even have time for my own projects, which is why they take so long. also, as i get older i take way more time on stuff as i spend time cleaning, inspecting, triple-checking, etc.

peter
Best movie of 2015 for me. Bought it on Blu-ray.

Sent from an HTC One

[slater]

update on Phase 2: had about 4 days of no progress due to everyday life stuff, and replacing a battery and alternator in a friends' 1996 honda civic, which took about 6hrs. battery was 5mins. alternator... forever. tight packaging and one seized bolt that made the job a pain in the arse. however, my friend is happy and that makes me happy.

as for the ZHP, i am still stuck on getting the exhaust off. have spent an hour on it since i posted the pic above, no dice. going at it with a MAPP gas torch tonight, will hopefully pound the studs out at that point.

peter

[alexandre]

update on Phase 2: had about 4 days of no progress due to everyday life stuff, and replacing a battery and alternator in a friends' 1996 honda civic, which took about 6hrs. battery was 5mins. alternator... forever. tight packaging and one seized bolt that made the job a pain in the arse. however, my friend is happy and that makes me happy.

as for the ZHP, i am still stuck on getting the exhaust off. have spent an hour on it since i posted the pic above, no dice. going at it with a MAPP gas torch tonight, will hopefully pound the studs out at that point.

peter

These studs are a total nightmare. I tried to pull the exhaust when I did my shift bushings and ended up just working around it because they were so seized.

If possible I'd just go to a muffler shop to take it out and drive home with slightly loose studs... Worth the 15 min of shop time lol.

[slater]

alex... these studs ain't goin' nowhere, man. MAPP gas did not work. i'm halfway through drilling them out, but the uppermost one is impossible to get to. i have one side free - the other is the impossible one. i am going to cut through the pipe about 10" downstream of the flange, and then i can remove the exhaust. once i am done with the entire project i will bring the car to my friends' shop and have him weld it back together since he can weld stainless. it's just not worth me spending hours and hours on my back not getting anywhere!

peter

[Vas]

Those studs are a pita. I had to battle them once before.

[slater]

Those studs are a pita. I had to battle them once before.

yep. did you replace with stainless hardware? if so, how is that holding up?

i will be replacing with some zinc-coated hardware i've got in inventory already, most likely. i hate rust. so bad.

peter

[slater]

picked up a set of CLEAN Style 68's with very nice michelin pilot sport AS/3's tonight. got a great deal on them!

peter

[BMWCurves]

Nice, I love style 68s

[Vas]

Sweet

[az3579]

picked up a set of CLEAN Style 68's with very nice michelin pilot sport AS/3's tonight. got a great deal on them!

peter

Nice! What did you pay, if you don't mind me asking?

[slater]

Nice! What did you pay, if you don't mind me asking?

389 + 793 / 6 + 704 * 12 / 6 - 1702 * 5 = x

peter

[danewilson77]

:rofl

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

[danewilson77]

We got a real life wise guy here in the Mafia.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

[cakM3]

nice grab Peter!

[az3579]

389 + 793 / 6 + 704 * 12 / 6 - 1702 * 5 = x

peter


Judging by the answer to that, I'll take it as a "don't ask"...

[slater]

We got a real life wise guy here in the Mafia.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

:cheers



nice grab Peter!

thanks charlie!



Judging by the answer to that, I'll take it as a "don't ask"...

try your mad math skills again, the equation does give the correct answer. :)

peter

[BMWCurves]

If PEMDAS has taught me anything, the answer is -6580.83


389 + 793 / 6 + 704 * 12 / 6 - 1702 * 5 = x
389 + 793 / 6 + 8,448 / 6 - 8,510 = x
389 + 132.167 + 1,408 - 8,510 = x
1,929.167 - 8,510 = x
-6,580.833 = x


You got paid $6k to take those wheels?

[az3579]

If PEMDAS has taught me anything, the answer is -6580.83



You got paid $6k to take those wheels?


This.

[slater]

dudes, i guess i'm a simple man. forget your fancy formulas. just go one number at a time, left to right.

peter

[danewilson77]

$500....

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[slater]

$500....

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

ding, we have a winner!

peter

[Rovert]

Holy!! When you put them on can you tell us what you think of those tires? My friend is trying to decide PSS or just PS A/S. If the A/S has as much dry/wet grip as a Conti DW, then he may just get A/S for the extra tread life.

[slater]

Holy!! When you put them on can you tell us what you think of those tires? My friend is trying to decide PSS or just PS A/S. If the A/S has as much dry/wet grip as a Conti DW, then he may just get A/S for the extra tread life.

apparently there are 2 different versions of the PS A/S 3... different speed ratings.

if this is for year-round vancouver use, i would say go for the A/S 3, although yeah, i have not driven on them yet - but i've heard they are the best A/S tire out there (curious to see how they are, because generally i hate A/S tires).

i LOVE the PSS. best street tire ever.

peter

[az3579]

dudes, i guess i'm a simple man. forget your fancy formulas. just go one number at a time, left to right.

peter


But that's not how order of operations works! lol

[Rovert]

I have high hopes your AS3's won't be too mushy!! When will you ride on them??

And yes it'll be for my friend's 135i since our winters are rather "warm".

[slater]

I have high hopes your AS3's won't be too mushy!! When will you ride on them??

And yes it'll be for my friend's 135i since our winters are rather "warm".

cool. i hope to have the car out of the garage in a week, but then again, i hoped to have it out last weekend... too much stuff going on, have not had a chance to work on it. hopefully before the snow flies. :)

peter

[slater]

subframe OUT!

got this done yesterday:

- removed driveshaft; found flex disc and carrier bearing in surprisingly good shape, but i will replace them since i have it out
- dropped entire rear end; this was pretty easy, actually.
- drained trans and discovered a trans selector shaft seal leak, which i had thought was the trans output shaft seal leaking. will investigate further, but i ordered a replacement seal yesterday
- removed CDV
- inspected the rear floor for cracking, found none

i am filling the rear floor tonight. this weekend i will dismantle the rear end, wire-brush the subframe bolt/stud areas as they are lightly rusting, then will prime and spray with rubberized undercoating. i will do the same for the subframe itself. then replace all bushings (a mix of OE rubber and spherical), and re-assemble the rear end with 3.46 helical LSD and 20mm rear swaybar, yeah!

i also didn't realize how flimsy the rear lower control arms are - i may reinforce them while they're out.

peter

[az3579]

So you're doing all this - looks like this car's a keeper for ya, eh?
I know you previously said you don't typically keep cars that long. I think it's growing on you. :)

[BMWCurves]

Nice work! Who makes the LSD that is going in?

[slater]

So you're doing all this - looks like this car's a keeper for ya, eh?
I know you previously said you don't typically keep cars that long. I think it's growing on you. :)

oh yeah... i've had it for 20 months now, no plans to sell. :)



Nice work! Who makes the LSD that is going in?

MFactory.

[NoVAphotog]

Nice work! Who makes the LSD that is going in?

MFactory :thumbsup

Looking forward to Peter's thoughts on many of his changes! :roundel

[ELCID86]

Nice work Peter. I'm impressed. I know Dan is loving his 3.46 M/F LSD and I'm sure you will also.

[Rovert]

Gonna be lots of ZHP drifters soon. [emoji12]

[slater]

Nice work Peter. I'm impressed. I know Dan is loving his 3.46 M/F LSD and I'm sure you will also.

thanks shawn! yep, looking forward to it!



Gonna be lots of ZHP drifters soon. [emoji12]

LOL. i'm doing the LSD primarily for winter use and the odd dry road tail wag... ;)

[ELCID86]

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[anandoc]

- drained trans and discovered a trans selector shaft seal leak, which i had thought was the trans output shaft seal leaking. will investigate further, but i ordered a replacement seal yesterday

peter

That's awesome work Peter!! I also had the same leak and I got it fixed at Toronto Auto Transmission. Took them about an hour and a total of $140 to fix it.

[Rovert]

LOL. i'm doing the LSD primarily for winter use and the odd dry road tail wag... ;)

That's why I bought my current car. Just in case it snows here. LOL

Are you reinforcing the subframe? I'm trying to outweigh pros and cons of epoxy vs welding vs epoxy and a few quick spot welds in the middle of the plates so they don't melt epoxy. I keep reading about subframes still ripping apart. But not sure if it's because they're just HPF. Haha

[slater]

That's awesome work Peter!! I also had the same leak and I got it fixed at Toronto Auto Transmission. Took them about an hour and a total of $140 to fix it.

yep. looks like it requires a special tool to pull the old one out - i might make a tool to do it, or use a pick tool.



That's why I bought my current car. Just in case it snows here. LOL

Are you reinforcing the subframe? I'm trying to outweigh pros and cons of epoxy vs welding vs epoxy and a few quick spot welds in the middle of the plates so they don't melt epoxy. I keep reading about subframes still ripping apart. But not sure if it's because they're just HPF. Haha

LOL. yes, i am reinforcing/filling the floor cavity, not the subframe. to me, it is the most logical approach (it's the same as the BMW-approved method).

my car is not going to be drifted, doing burnouts, etc. i'm just doing it for peace of mind. and i'm curious how it effects the feel of the rear end, because i've heard of other folks saying it feels much more 'connected' and 'tighter' after that cavity is filled.

peter

peter

[Rovert]

Hmmm maybe that's what I need. I don't thrash on slides in the dry. In the wet I may but I try hard not to shock the chassis with a pendulum. I'm pretty easy with the car.

Can't wait for your review once it's done!

[Vas]

Torque is what destroys the rear floor.

[slater]

Torque is what destroys the rear floor.

any kind of load that will twist the rear subframe will contribute, but yes, most of it is from fore/aft twisting.

[az3579]

Torque is what destroys the rear floor.
The 323's and 328's that this affected a lot barely had enough power to start moving, let alone apply enough torque...

sent from my Droid Turbo

[Vas]

The 323's and 328's that this affected a lot barely had enough power to start moving, let alone apply enough torque...

sent from my Droid Turbo
Wasn't the metal weaker on those cars though?

[slater]

Wasn't the metal weaker on those cars though?

i think so, and less spot welds.

progress update for today - did not get a ton of time to work on the car, but:

- sanded down surface rust on rear floor (it was scattered and random, but i will spray it with self-etching primer, and then rubber undercoating)
- filled rear floor
- dismantled rear subframe: removed diff, unbolted control arms
- removed rear subframe bushings and diff mounts with awesome koch tools subframe bushing tool (will post pics later of it in use)
- removed powerflex poly RTABs and pressed in bimmerworld spherical RTABs (will post pics later)
- inspected rear control arm bushings - upper outers are shot (side-to-side play), the rest are actually in amazing shape - so good that i am electing not to replace them!


tomorrow's work: self-etch prime and undercoat the rear floor. sand, self-etch prime and paint the rear subframe, and install new poly subframe and diff mounts. replace upper outer control arm bushings. remove and reinforce lower control arms.

peter

[ELCID86]

Nice progress Peter.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[slater]

thanks, shawn!

here are some pics of the koch tools bushing tool in action; i removed all 4 subframe mounts and all 3 diff mounts in about 30min with this tool. the rear diff mount was the hardest, it was very much seized in place with rust. some PB Blaster and 10min of soaking later, it came out. :)

and yes, the subframe has some surface rust. it is getting wire-wheeled tonight, then etch-primed, then sprayed with 'rust converter', then painted with anti-rust paint (gloss black). i am using the same treatment on the rear floor, but rubberized undercoating in lieu of the anti-rust paint.

[slater]

...and here is a pic of the bimmerworld spherical RTABs installed. they were an extremely tight fit - i cleaned up the inside of the RTAB hole first, lubed the outer casing of the new sperical RTAB, then had to press it in with the koch tools bushing tool. then the outside cover went on, and blue loctite was used on the three mounting screws for the cover.

if this bearing ever dies, it can actually be pressed out of the black casing while remaining inside the rear trailing arm - pretty cool.

[Vas]

That is a different tool then I used when I did the diff bushings. Did you buy it or rent it?

[slater]

That is a different tool then I used when I did the diff bushings. Did you buy it or rent it?

i bought it - it's not cheap at $300USD (almost $400CAD for me).

there are other tools on the market for the rear diff bushings. this tool is marketed as an 'E46/E85 subframe bushing tool', however it does not take a rocket scientist to realize you can use it for just about any bushing, on any car - including the diff bushings. it's a phenomenal tool, i wish i had it 15 years ago when i started really wrenching on cars - it would've saved me a lot of time. which is the most valuable thing of all. so in that light - $300 is a bargain.

i might rent it out later.

[Vas]

Are you able to use it to press out the upper and lower outer bushings on the rear hubs?

[slater]

Are you able to use it to press out the upper and lower outer bushings on the rear hubs?

theoretically, yes. i will let you know tomorrow. :)

i'm only replacing the upper bushings (the sealed spherical bearings - or 'ball joints' as BMW calls them), as i inspected the lowers, and both upper and lower inner bushings, and they are all in very good shape - the inners were so good, that they deflected as little as brand new lemfoerders...

peter

[az3579]

i bought it - it's not cheap at $300USD (almost $400CAD for me).

there are other tools on the market for the rear diff bushings. this tool is marketed as an 'E46/E85 subframe bushing tool', however it does not take a rocket scientist to realize you can use it for just about any bushing, on any car - including the diff bushings. it's a phenomenal tool, i wish i had it 15 years ago when i started really wrenching on cars - it would've saved me a lot of time. which is the most valuable thing of all. so in that light - $300 is a bargain.

i might rent it out later.

Interestingly enough, my mechanic friend couldn't find this tool for purchase anywhere when we did my bushings, so he had to do it the old fashioned way: pain and suffering.

[ELCID86]

Peter. When you get a chance, a link to your tool supplier would be greatly appreciated!


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[slater]

Interestingly enough, my mechanic friend couldn't find this tool for purchase anywhere when we did my bushings, so he had to do it the old fashioned way: pain and suffering.

yep, BTDT, man. i actually have become quite proficient with removing bushings with a sawzall, but this is a much cleaner (and safer) approach.
link below for the tool.



Peter. When you get a chance, a link to your tool supplier would be greatly appreciated!

no problem, shawn! here it is:

http://www.kochtools.com/index.php?p=product&id=99

they were out of stock for most of the beginning of 2015, i finally received it over the summer.

[ELCID86]

Thanks. And to be clear it works on diff bushings?

This isn't needed?

22511


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[Vas]

Thanks. And to be clear it works on diff bushings?

This isn't needed?

22511


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

These are the two tools that I used to replace the diff bushings

http://www.kochtools.com/index.php?p=product&id=87
and
http://www.kochtools.com/index.php?p=product&id=27

[slater]

Thanks. And to be clear it works on diff bushings?

This isn't needed?


yep, it works! (did you see my pics i posted earlier?)

the only thing i 'added' was an aluminum spacer that was the correct size on the backside of the diff bushings - you could use a stack of 2-3 washers that are the correct diameter... because the tool i'm using did not come with spacers/plates for those bushing sizes.

those two items vas posted are great tools as well!

peter

[BMWCurves]

Nice work! I get anxious thinking about doing my own bushings and stranding myself in the garage, but maybe I'll do them myself next time around.

I'm excited to hear how your car feels once you get all these things installed and refreshed.

[slater]

Nice work! I get anxious thinking about doing my own bushings and stranding myself in the garage, but maybe I'll do them myself next time around.

I'm excited to hear how your car feels once you get all these things installed and refreshed.

LOL, if i did not have another car to drive, i would be approaching this very differently! a busy family and work schedule (which is normal), has meant the car has been in the garage for, i think, 3 weeks now. i'm a little anxious to drive it... :)

peter

[az3579]

LOL, if i did not have another car to drive, i would be approaching this very differently! a busy family and work schedule (which is normal), has meant the car has been in the garage for, i think, 3 weeks now. i'm a little anxious to drive it... :)

peter


Not driving it for 2 days would kill me. Stay strong!

[slater]

Not driving it for 2 days would kill me. Stay strong!

it's pretty bad... i find myself looking at buying another one so i can have two. :) i might or might not be picking up a 2003 M Sport steptronic on thursday... :)

peter

[cakM3]

it's pretty bad... i find myself looking at buying another one so i can have two. :) i might or might not be picking up a 2003 M Sport steptronic on thursday... :)

peter

love the progress Peter! I haven't touched my ZHP since Friday.... been driving my ///M the whole time :)

[ELCID86]

love the progress Peter! I haven't touched my ZHP since Friday.... been driving my ///M the whole time :)

The weather still nice there Charlie?

Peter, do tell more...?


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[slater]

Peter, do tell more...?

:ninja


will do later in the week, if it comes to fruition. :)

[cakM3]

The weather still nice there Charlie?

Peter, do tell more...?


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

We're getting lots of rain right now but that's much better than getting snow :p

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/10/1175620a30d85a722445af3690e812fe.jpg


Sent from my iPhone5S using Tapatalk

[anandoc]

it's pretty bad... i find myself looking at buying another one so i can have two. :) i might or might not be picking up a 2003 M Sport steptronic on thursday... :)

peter

Nice! You should have picked up Ayan's 2005 M-sport vert steptronic...but another friend of ours acted quickly! Details on the one you are looking at?

[slater]

Nice! You should have picked up Ayan's 2005 M-sport vert steptronic...but another friend of ours acted quickly! Details on the one you are looking at?

i'll spill the details if i end up picking it up. it needs some work, i'll just put it that way... :)

[slater]

progress update... last night i got this done:

- replaced CSB on driveshaft
- wire-wheeled rust off of rear subframe
- cleaned and degreased rear subframe
- primed rear subframe and parts of rear floor with 'rust converter' primer (cool stuff)
- removed and replaced one rear upper ball joint (caliper has to come off to facilitate use of the koch tools bushing tool); stupidly destroyed the other new one when installing... have to re-order. doh!

[alexandre]

Awesome. I'm going for this too, I ordered the parts a couple days ago. I need to do diff bushing bad and my guy told me it was only an extra 1.5 hour to pull the subframe and do the whole thing. I'm gonna look in the various reinforcements and see if it's worth doing. I'm also doing oil pan gasket, motor and tranny mounts, and cat replacement at the same time!

What was your old winter setup? is it for sale? [emoji4]

[Vas]

progress update... last night i got this done:

- replaced CSB on driveshaft
- wire-wheeled rust off of rear subframe
- cleaned and degreased rear subframe
- primed rear subframe and parts of rear floor with 'rust converter' primer (cool stuff)
- removed and replaced one rear upper ball joint (caliper has to come off to facilitate use of the koch tools bushing tool); stupidly destroyed the other new one when installing... have to re-order. doh!

Now where are the pictures? lol jk

As far as using the tool on the ball joints? Simple enough? Taking off a brake caliper from the hub is not difficult.

[slater]

Awesome. I'm going for this too, I ordered the parts a couple days ago. I need to do diff bushing bad and my guy told me it was only an extra 1.5 hour to pull the subframe and do the whole thing. I'm gonna look in the various reinforcements and see if it's worth doing. I'm also doing oil pan gasket, motor and tranny mounts, and cat replacement at the same time!

it's best to do everything at the same time, for sure - also, if you can work alongside your mechanic, that will save time and money as well. it definitely took me longer than 1.5hrs to remove the subframe, but i am doing it in my garage, on jackstands. and, i fought with the exhaust bolts (where it meets the downpipes) for 4-5hrs. everything else (driveshaft, etc) came apart nicely. when the subframe is out, definitely clean up the rust on the rear floor and protect it!

all of that little stuff takes time, but is worth doing. i think i have about 20hrs into the project so far, and i am almost at reassembly time. but i am going slow.



What was your old winter setup? is it for sale? [emoji4]

old winter setup? am i missing something? :)

i might have another set of winter wheels and tires available. waiting to see.



Now where are the pictures? lol jk

As far as using the tool on the ball joints? Simple enough? Taking off a brake caliper from the hub is not difficult.

LOL, sorry, no pics yesterday. :)

yes, the koch tool was easy but i used a bearing driver from a set i have on the backside to help push the ball joint out, because i didn't have anything the correct size in koch tools kit. but that worked.

when reinstalling, you have to be careful because a lot of the ball joint protrudes from the housing, and there is not a lot of room on the brake dust shield side, so i had to come up with some sort of 'receiver' to swallow that part of the ball joint as it is pressed in. and on the pushing side, i used a 36mm socket, it fits perfectly.

i'll try to get pics when i do the other three (installing them in the lower outer position as well), but it's going to be almost a week as i'm out of town from thursday until tuesday.

peter

[slater]

UPDATE -
last night, i got the rear floor self-etch primed and then sprayed with rubberized undercoating. i self-etch primed and then rust-resistant painted the rear subframe gloss black - this stuff dries to a really hard finish. might do a second coat today on the bad spots.

i also got up close and personal with the shift selector rod seal, which appears to be a major PITA. did not attempt to remove it yet, but rather press the new seal on top of the old one, and as this is apparently the 'trick' by BMW mechanics to keeping it properly sealed (rather than digging the old one out and replacing it). the seal is shaped in such a way that this should be possible, but no joy here with it.

i ordered 3 x rear lemfoerder ball joints, new rear camber adjustment bolts (both were pretty rotten), and 2 new exhaust-to-downpipe gaskets.

as of today i am away for 5 days, but when i get back i am going to press in all of the new subframe and diff mounts, and rebuild the shifter linkage, including modifying the rear bushing which appears to be a source of a lot of slop - see here for a pretty ingenious solution: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=893779

AND tonight i am hoping to pick up a 2003 330i M Sport steptronic w/ premium package. :)

peter

[ELCID86]

AND tonight i am hoping to pick up a 2003 330i M Sport steptronic w/ premium package. :)

peter

:waldo:happyspidey:roundel

[Vas]

Picked it up yet ?

[slater]

Picked it up yet ?

yep, picked it up last night. 2003 330i M Sport, steptronic. 196K KMs (120K miles), TiAg on black leather, premium package. everything works (including A/C), has AL lights. all stock. 1 owner, all keys (including valet). has some rust in the rear quarters and some cosmetic issues, and needs new shocks, and a few other things, but otherwise runs well. new brakes.

i'm either going to fix the little issues and resell or i am going to part it out. lots of good stuff on here. pretty good value for $2500. i was honestly very surprised at the steptronic trans - it's one of the nicest autoboxes i've ever driven (that includes a porsche cayenne turbo S, too :) ).

peter

[BMWCurves]

Nice! I didn't realize you were planning to flip it/part it out, but for $2,500 (CAD?) that's a pretty good deal! Looks like it also has the Cold Weather Package since it has the headlight cleaners, but maybe packages are different up north. Still love the Style 68 wheels...

[slater]

Nice! I didn't realize you were planning to flip it/part it out, but for $2,500 (CAD?) that's a pretty good deal! Looks like it also has the Cold Weather Package since it has the headlight cleaners, but maybe packages are different up north. Still love the Style 68 wheels...

yep, $2500CAD. definitely flip or part out eventually as my wife goes a bit nuts when i start adding cars to the driveway... ;) we had just the ZHP for over a year, and then we got the odyssey from my mother-in-law, and now this M Sport - to be honest, i was looking at it for a friend as he was interested, but he ended up buying something else so i made an offer. the owner was an older guy, and very nice.

and yes, it has the cold weather package - i used the heated seats last night. :) and it has power lumbar! here's the option sheet:



Order options
No. Description
205 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

210 DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC)

226 SPORTS SUSPENSION SETTINGS

249 MULTI-FUNCTION FOR STEERING WHEEL

257 SIDE AIRBAG F RR PASSENGERS,DEACTIVATION

261 SIDE AIRBAG FOR REAR PASSENGERS

338 M SPORTS PACKAGE II

403 GLAS ROOF, ELECTRIC

431 INTERIOR RR VW MIRROR W AUT ANTI-D

441 SMOKERS PACKAGE

459 SEAT ADJUSTM., ELECTR. W. MEMORY

465 THROUGH-LOAD SYSTEM

481 SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER

488 LUMBAR SUPPORT DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER

494 SEAT HEATING F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER

495 3. HEADREST REAR CENTRE

502 HEADLIGHT WASHER SYSTEM

521 RAIN SENSOR

522 XENON LIGHT

534 AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING

548 SPEEDOMETER WITH KILOMETER READING

650 CD PLAYER

674 HIFI LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM HARMAN KARDON

692 CD CHANGER I-BUS PREPARATION

710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL

716 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE II

760 INDIVIDUAL HIGH-GLOSS SATIN CHROME

772 INTERIOR TRIM ALU BLACK CUBE

775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE

788 M LT/ALY WHEELS

818 MAIN BATTERY SWITCH

838 CANADIAN VERSION

896 DAYTIME LIGHTS FUNCTION

925 SHIPPING PROTECTION PACKAGE

[ELCID86]

Nice Peter.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[alexandre]

Wow excellent deal for 2500$!!

[anandoc]

This is awesome!! You going to create a maintenance thread for it if you decide to keep it?

[ELCID86]

Peter, sorry if I missed it, but did that tool work on the diff bushings also?


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[slater]

Wow excellent deal for 2500$!!

yeah!



This is awesome!! You going to create a maintenance thread for it if you decide to keep it?

i dunno. i've fixed some stuff on it already. :) but it does have quite a lot of rust, all in the rear half of the car.



Peter, sorry if I missed it, but did that tool work on the diff bushings also?

yes! i used a thick spacer a tad smaller than the diameter of the diff bushings (on the backside of the diff bushings) from a harbor freight bearing driver set that i hate (i think it was $30) because this tool did not come with those sizes.

peter

[ELCID86]

yeah!

yes! i used a thick spacer a tad smaller than the diameter of the diff bushings (on the backside of the diff bushings) from a harbor freight bearing driver set that i hate (i think it was $30) because this tool did not come with those sizes.

peter

Thanks. Placing an order now. Perhaps I will put it into the Mafia Rental Tool Program (MR. TP).

Can you do the Subframe Bushings without removing it from the car? And would this also work on the Trailing Arm Bushings?

[slater]

Thanks. Placing an order now. Perhaps I will put it into the Mafia Rental Tool Program (MR. TP).

Can you do the Subframe Bushings without removing it from the car? And would this also work on the Trailing Arm Bushings?

i think that's a great idea (for the rental program).

it will work on the RTABs provided you have a ~2.3" spacer on the backside to pull the bushing through. i bought one of these kits (http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piece-bearing-race-and-seal-driver-set-95853.html) which compliments the koch bushing tool and really allows it to be used for anything - it has a 2.322" bearing driver included, and is only $35.

hope that helps! i used the same kit from HF to help with the diff bushings too... so you can basically service every bushing on the car with the HF bearing kit and the koch tools subframe bushing tool.

peter

[slater]

update -

i was away for 5 days, but managed to pick up some additional lemfoerder rear 'ball joint' bushings and new lower eccentric bolts for the rear of the car while i was away.

put a second coat of anti-rust paint (gloss black) on the rear subframe today. busy tonight, but hopefully tomorrow night i can press in the new subframe and diff bushings, new 'ball joint' bushings, and get back to rebuilding the shift linkage. i can't get the dang shifter fork pins out! any sage advice from my fellow mafioso?

[Vas]

Man time flies

[slater]

Man time flies

um, yeah! it's been a month since i took the car off the road for this project!

[ELCID86]

Thanks Peter that's good news. I'll pick one of those up. Great work on your car.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[slater]

Thanks Peter that's good news. I'll pick one of those up. Great work on your car.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

thanks, shawn. progress is slow this week, i hurt my back somehow on tuesday and can't imagine climbing underneath the car at the moment. can barely bend over to tie my shoes.

[ELCID86]

thanks, shawn. progress is slow this week, i hurt my back somehow on tuesday and can't imagine climbing underneath the car at the moment. can barely bend over to tie my shoes.

Ouch. Really sorry about that. It's so weird how sometimes doing "nothing" will cause an ache or pain. I suffered from lower back pain for years. I hope this one is quickly healed--praying for you.

[slater]

Ouch. Really sorry about that. It's so weird how sometimes doing "nothing" will cause an ache or pain. I suffered from lower back pain for years. I hope this one is quickly healed--praying for you.

thanks shawn! much appreciated.

[slater]

well, the M Sport is going under the knife...

had a friend in mind to sell it to who is in need of a good commuter, as i just couldn't bring myself to dismantle it as it drives so well... so after some pain meds i decided to test out my back and went to jack up the M Sport tonight to have a gander at the RTABs and FCABs (ye olde 9 and 3 wiggle), and the dang jack just about went through the passenger side rear floor! after lifting it by the rear diff just to have a look underneath, i concluded that both passenger jack pad mounts are just gone, and that's not really easily repairable - at least, not worth repairing. driver's side is fine, however.

it just looks like water got into those cavities and ate them alive, because the rest of the undercarriage looks clean and tidy. such a shame. however, lots of good bits will come off to live in on in other cars... including my own! (M Sport sills and M dead pedal ;) ) the car only has 120K miles on it.

peter

[ELCID86]

Wow. Did that think sit in a long salt water bath!?


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[slater]

Wow. Did that think sit in a long salt water bath!?

the weird part is, moisture must have gotten into those cavities somehow - because it is really localized.

i called the shop that i use for A/C and tire mounting, they are good folks and do fabrication. i asked about the possibility for repairing these holes, and they said "everything is fixable", to which i replied, "for how much money?" :) so i may bring them to car to see what they say. i would rather sell it whole than part it out.

[slater]

update -

i have gotten a few things done... pics below.

- finished de-rusting/rust-converting/priming/anti-rust painting the rear subframe, and installing AKG poly subframe mounts, and ECS poly diff mounts (see pic)
- new ball-joint type sealed spherical bearings in upper and lower locations in rear hub (see pic)
- reinforced rear lower control arms, cleaned up and primed and anti-rust painted (see pic)... big thanks to my retired friend terry with the welder AND the steel stock!
- decided to replace the rear lower control arm bushings (inner) after more inspection (see pic of new bushings going in). rear upper inners are still good.
- installed ///M dead pedal and ///M door sills from the M Sport i just picked up. :)
- removed almost all shift linkage components; still fighting with the shifter fork pins, they are stuck in there and i gotta get creative.
- still fighting with the dumb shift selector shaft seal. going mental on it tonight.

once the above-mentioned seal and pins are out, major re-assembly can begin!

[johnrando]

Nice!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[slater]

update -

no pics tonight, will post some later this week.

- got the dumb shift selector shaft seal out and replaced
- replaced all bushings in the shift linkage; this included delrin fork bushings from ECS, which were WAY too long - had to shave them down about 5mm each. also inserted two o-rings into the front side of the bushing that goes on the rear of the shifter fork, and filled the cavity on top of them with RTV. i also replaced the shifter ball cup thingamabob, selector shaft joint thing, and also put TWO yellow washers on the rear joint where the selector shaft rod meets the shifter - this, coupled with the delrin bushings and o-ring + RTV mod makes the shifter feel out of this world. tight, no slop whatsoever (there was lots before). it is no longer a wet noodle, but a precision instrument.
- cleaned all bolts on my bench grinder (with the wire wheel)
- installed UUC black trans mounts
- installed new flex disc
- installed rear subframe and reconnected handbrake cables to lever in cabin
- installed rear suspension and preloaded inner control arm bushings (the outers and RTABs are all spherical now, so no preload required)

got both the old and new diffs on the bench to swap the input and output flanges, and realized i don't have a 30mm socket (i thought it was 32mm). doh. this puts a damper on things, as finding a 30mm socket around here means driving at least 45min each way to get one...

hoping to get that resolved tomorrow, and get the diff in along with the driveshaft, heatshields, and fill the trans up with new fluid (diff too). then i need to bleed the brakes and clutch line, install my new style 68s, set the ride height, and done! unfortunately it will be sans exhaust, as i had to cut it off the car - so i have an appointment next tuesday to have the exhaust stuff sorted out (welded back together, and old studs removed) at a good local shop. i would do it but i am DONE with those dumb studs. :)

happy thanksgiving, americans! (that includes me :) ). my wife is awesome and making a thanksgiving dinner for tomorrow even though we live in canada. :) i love her to bits.

peter

[anandoc]

Hey Peter, great progress! I am so showing up to Picton next spring for all my DIY needs :)

Happy thanksgiving to you and enjoy the turkey!

[johnrando]

Nice work. HTG!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[slater]

Hey Peter, great progress! I am so showing up to Picton next spring for all my DIY needs :)

Happy thanksgiving to you and enjoy the turkey!

haha, thanks anando. :)

you might want to wait a bit longer, we are contemplating a move to ottawa for next summer. we'll see what happens.



Nice work. HTG!

thanks john! you too!

[slater]

bought an ECS CF front strut bar - black friday deals. :)

[rguti153]

How much cheaper

[anandoc]

15% cheaper at USD $144

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Suspension/Strut_Tower_Brace/ES10995/

[slater]

15% cheaper at USD $144

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Suspension/Strut_Tower_Brace/ES10995/

and free shipping within the US (had it sent to my brother-in-law's place in VT, will have to wait until christmas to get it - no biggie).

[johnrando]

Nice

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[slater]

update -

getting super close to being done. tuesday night i got the shift fork pins out, and the old selector shaft seal out, as well as the shift linkage rebuilt. pics below...

tips and notes:

- shift fork pins: mine were stuck. had to pry them out from the inside edge of the pin, lots of initial force and then they 'popped', and once they were out about 8-10mm i could get some pliers on there and wiggle them out.

- selector shaft seal: forget picks, or even the $75 tool from BMW to get this $11 part out. i used a small flathead screwdriver, using this method, and it was out in 5 minutes - this was after 2-3hrs of trying with a pick set. here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkTzhZxBYaw

- shift linkage: i used ECS delrin shift fork bushings, which were too long by about 5mm each - had to shave them down to fit, but otherwise they work nicely. replaced the shift lever ball cage, the yellow plastic washers and clips for the selector shaft rod, the selector shaft rod joint, and the rear shift fork bushing - which i inserted two o-rings into the front side, and then filled with flexible RTV. the idea of this is to minimize lateral movement of the shift fork, but still allow axial movement (not that there is much in the shift fork movement). i also doubled-up the yellow plastic washers on the rear of the selector shaft rod, because with just one, there was still some lateral movement. inserting two there was tight, but removes slop. the result is a shifter that feels precise, and special. will try to post a video soon; if it can even convey the feel, i don't know. :)

- i also clean everything that comes out that is going back on the car, and use a PFTE lube for assembly unless it requires something heavier duty (like the shift lever ball cage).


once all that was done, i got this done over the last 2 days:

- UUC black trans mounts installed
- new flex disc installed
- rear subframe installed
- rear suspension installed, and bushings pre-loaded correctly (important for long bushing life, and non-binding suspension)
- swapped input and output shaft flanges from stock diff onto MFactory 3.46 helical LSD, and filled with pennzoil 75w90 synthetic GL-5 gear oil (will change in 1500km's after break-in period to motul 300 synthetic 75w90 GL-5 gear oil)
- installed MFactory diff
- installed subframe/driveshaft brace
- installed 20mm OE E46 vert rear swaybar and poly bushings
- reconnected handbrake cables (still need to fine tune)
- reconnected rear brake lines (still need to flush)
- installed bilstein rear springs and adjustable perches
- installed bilstein rear shocks with rogue RSMs
- reinstalled all trunk carpeting, etc


whew! items left to do:

- install driveshaft
- install heat shields
- fill trans with fresh fluid
- bleed brakes
- clean rotors with brake clean
- adjust handbrake
- put wheels on :)
- adjust ride height
- drive to fab shop for exhaust work (have an appointment for tuesday)


PICS -
first pic is everything that i removed that got replaced/upgraded. springs and some shift linkage bits are missing from the pic. second pic - the shift fork pins and selector shaft seal - good riddance! third pic - rebuilt shift linkage (minus selector rod bits), before it went in the car. note the rear bushing with o-rings (can't see them ;)) and RTV, and delrin bushings.

[BMWCurves]

Hot damn, that list is long. Nice work! Excited to hear how all of this maintenance and upgrades makes the car feel. Which Bilsteins did you go with?

[slater]

Hot damn, that list is long. Nice work! Excited to hear how all of this maintenance and upgrades makes the car feel. Which Bilsteins did you go with?

me too! :)

i went with Bilstein PSS... i wanted the PSS10 but i got a great deal on the PSS, buying directly from germany - they were half the price of the PSS10!

[BMWCurves]

Man, people are snatching up deals on Bilsteins left and right, congrats!

P.S. dope shop rug in the first pic.

[slater]

Man, people are snatching up deals on Bilsteins left and right, congrats!

P.S. dope shop rug in the first pic.

thanks, the CAD>EUR exchange rate at that point (last spring... can't believe it's been that long since i ordered them!) was too good to pass up...

LOL @ the rug. :) it was a child's 'racetrack' rug from ikea, and was in my son's room for a long time - he decided he didn't want it anymore (he's 8 now), so i put it in the garage. :) my garage is built out of a lot of 'found' objects - i am a huge advocate of recycling stuff where/when i can.

[slater]

FINALLY!

as of 1AM this morning, the car was on the ground again. the car now has all fresh fluids too. i drove it this morning, sans exhaust, to a trusted shop to have the exhaust welded back together and all 4 downpipe studs removed/drilled out.

it was raining, and the car hasn't been driven in over 5 weeks... but MAN it was good to drive it again. and it felt really, really good - not over the top in any respect, just balanced. it is currently sitting on Style 68's with michelin pilot sport AS3's, because it's only 43F out and i think it's too cold for the super sports. i think i have to raise the front up a bit, i eyeballed the height in the garage last night and of course it settled a bit after it's first drive.

the bilstein PSS feel a hair stiffer than stock, but much better body control. of course, my old dampers were tired - but not as tired as i was expecting when i removed them.

shifter is ballistically awesome. i think my wife will hate it.

i could not detect any whine from the poly diff bushings, but the lack of exhaust kinda made that impossible. :) the pops and burbles from the open headers sounded so good...

LSD felt good, very playful. i think i need to visit derbo's posts on recoding the DSC settings for the LSD.

can't wait to wring it out. more pics and a full maintenance/mod list recap coming later in the week. pic below is of shiny newness.... that rear swaybar is a 20mm bar from an E46 vert - got it for $60 shipped on ebay. :)

:cheers

[Vas]

Must be nice to have it back and drive it.

[NoVAphotog]

FINALLY!

as of 1AM this morning, the car was on the ground again. the car now has all fresh fluids too. i drove it this morning, sans exhaust, to a trusted shop to have the exhaust welded back together and all 4 downpipe studs removed/drilled out.

it was raining, and the car hasn't been driven in over 5 weeks... but MAN it was good to drive it again. and it felt really, really good - not over the top in any respect, just balanced. it is currently sitting on Style 68's with michelin pilot sport AS3's, because it's only 43F out and i think it's too cold for the super sports. i think i have to raise the front up a bit, i eyeballed the height in the garage last night and of course it settled a bit after it's first drive.

the bilstein PSS feel a hair stiffer than stock, but much better body control. of course, my old dampers were tired - but not as tired as i was expecting when i removed them.

shifter is ballistically awesome. i think my wife will hate it.

i could not detect any whine from the poly diff bushings, but the lack of exhaust kinda made that impossible. :) the pops and burbles from the open headers sounded so good...

LSD felt good, very playful. i think i need to visit derbo's posts on recoding the DSC settings for the LSD.

can't wait to wring it out. more pics and a full maintenance/mod list recap coming later in the week. pic below is of shiny newness.... that rear swaybar is a 20mm bar from an E46 vert - got it for $60 shipped on ebay. :)

:cheers

:thumbsup :roundel :cheers

So awesome Peter! Glad she is back on 4 wheels and (mostly) buttoned up!

In for more pics, thoughts, tips for install, and the car as it sits with ride height you go with.

Also, need to look into that coding for the LSD...not sure how it really can help though. Done plenty of driving so far with it and haven't noticed anything unusual...I turn it off when I want to have some fun or at the autox's...otherwise it launches and operates normally?

[az3579]

:thumbsup :roundel :cheers

So awesome Peter! Glad she is back on 4 wheels and (mostly) buttoned up!

In for more pics, thoughts, tips for install, and the car as it sits with ride height you go with.

Also, need to look into that coding for the LSD...not sure how it really can help though. Done plenty of driving so far with it and haven't noticed anything unusual...I turn it off when I want to have some fun or at the autox's...otherwise it launches and operates normally?

The coding portion would allow for more appropriate DSC settings for an LSD, though the one thing people forget is that the settings are meant for the M3, not the 330i with aftermarket LSD's and different gear ratios than the M3's 3.62.

[slater]

Must be nice to have it back and drive it.

that's an understatement. :) although now i have to wait for the exhaust stuff to be finished... but it is nice to walk out to the garage now, and it's empty. :)



:thumbsup :roundel :cheers

So awesome Peter! Glad she is back on 4 wheels and (mostly) buttoned up!

In for more pics, thoughts, tips for install, and the car as it sits with ride height you go with.

Also, need to look into that coding for the LSD...not sure how it really can help though. Done plenty of driving so far with it and haven't noticed anything unusual...I turn it off when I want to have some fun or at the autox's...otherwise it launches and operates normally?

if i am understanding the coding values correctly, it prevents the DSC + DTC from intruding so much. but now that i have the car done i will need to look into it more closely.

re: ride height - the rear is basically at stock height, the front is maybe 15mm lower. i will likely raise it up a bit - the fronts are currently about in the middle of the height adjustment, which, on these, is only 1" of threads. i'll give measurements on the perches if it helps give you some kind of baseline when you install yours - i was going blind so it was all guesswork. the rears i did adjust quite a bit, they are hard to get to and require removing the wheel and unbolting the rear shock.



The coding portion would allow for more appropriate DSC settings for an LSD, though the one thing people forget is that the settings are meant for the M3, not the 330i with aftermarket LSD's and different gear ratios than the M3's 3.62.

does the coding really have to do with gear ratios? i would imagine it just has different values for allowed wheelspin and yaw values.

in theory, with things the way they are right now, the DSC system should interfere less already with the LSD in place. i'll definitely be playing around with it.

[NoVAphotog]

in theory, with things the way they are right now, the DSC system should interfere less already with the LSD in place. i'll definitely be playing around with it.

That's what I was getting at. Really haven't noticed it with hard pulls. I noticed it this morning with the winter tires...but the super sports...nothing. Just power.

[slater]

That's what I was getting at. Really haven't noticed it with hard pulls. I noticed it this morning with the winter tires...but the super sports...nothing. Just power.

cool. yeah, with stickier tires, the DSC won't interfere as much - there's no need to.

i just added some more comments in my post above in reply to you, re: the bilstein PSS.

[az3579]

does the coding really have to do with gear ratios? i would imagine it just has different values for allowed wheelspin and yaw values.

Not necessarily gear ratios per se, I'm just saying that as with anything factory BMW, it's all designed to work as a system. If any single part of the system changes, then it's not optimal. In this case, you'd be using coding settings for a factory system that you do not have.

The coding thing may just be a placebo effect, and without actual testing with data, nobody can know the effects of it on a completely different setup than it's meant for. Personally I'd just leave it. If you're doing the kind of driving where traction control intervenes, then why is it on in the first place? :)

[BMWCurves]

shifter is ballistically awesome. i think my wife will hate it.

:rofl

Awesome you got it all done! I had that same feeling when I did my suspension refresh; I didn't realize how much slack was in the suspension until I got those parts replaced. Feels like a new car again.

In for more pics, notes about install, and free rides (:begging)

[slater]

Not necessarily gear ratios per se, I'm just saying that as with anything factory BMW, it's all designed to work as a system. If any single part of the system changes, then it's not optimal. In this case, you'd be using coding settings for a factory system that you do not have.

i agree to a point - i think, mechanically, the relationship is the same.

if you had an M3, and replaced your factory rear end with, say, a 4.10, how would that not be the same as what i've done? i'm not using a clutch pack-based LSD but the principles are the same.



The coding thing may just be a placebo effect, and without actual testing with data, nobody can know the effects of it on a completely different setup than it's meant for. Personally I'd just leave it. If you're doing the kind of driving where traction control intervenes, then why is it on in the first place? :)

haha. point taken. :) personally, i don't like the orange light on - it bugs me. BUT, i do want DSC working optimally for my wife, in the snow. so i will try different settings. maybe i'll stick with what it is now. i dunno. as they say in VT, "hard tellin' not knowin'..." :)



:rofl

Awesome you got it all done! I had that same feeling when I did my suspension refresh; I didn't realize how much slack was in the suspension until I got those parts replaced. Feels like a new car again.

In for more pics, notes about install, and free rides (:begging)

LOL. you are welcome to come all the way across the continent if you wish! :)

i'd love to drive it across the continent to BC and then down the pacific coast highway - that's a family roadtrip that is on the waiting list for me.

[NoVAphotog]

re: ride height - the rear is basically at stock height, the front is maybe 15mm lower. i will likely raise it up a bit - the fronts are currently about in the middle of the height adjustment, which, on these, is only 1" of threads. i'll give measurements on the perches if it helps give you some kind of baseline when you install yours - i was going blind so it was all guesswork. the rears i did adjust quite a bit, they are hard to get to and require removing the wheel and unbolting the rear shock.


Peter, sounds good. I knew these were not the type of coils to buy to lower and change the feel of the car all that much...which is why I bought them! ;)

And measurements would certainly be much appreciated if you have time.

[slater]

video time! well - a short one. :)

got the car back just after lunch today - i am so fortunate to have a repair and fabrication shop about 10min from my house that is run by really genuine, nice folks - and they just happen to be huge car guys as well. i brought them the car last week with the exhaust separate (i had to cut it off the car; one of the downpipe-to-exhaust flanges was so badly corroded in the stud/nut area that i could not get it free), and they re-welded the exhaust for me, were able to get the one flange free and make it reusable, and also pressed out the old broken studs and put new hardware (they sourced some stainless hardware) on for me.

so, instead of driving 10min home, i took an hour-long detour. :) this was really the 'first time' i got to really drive the car after all of the work.

first impressions:

- suspension: the rear is at stock height, but front is 5-10mm too low for my taste; i will raise it up. still, it actually rides very, very well and is not bouncy in the slightest. just firm and planted. it feels telepathic in nature, and very neutral.
- drivetrain: with just the M3 engine mounts in, it was definitely a bit louder and throttle response was better; with the locked down rear end and new very stiff trans mounts, it feels 'as one' - and combined with the new suspension in the rear, the rear tires just dig in and go. no slop, no side-to-side wiggle, no nothing - just go. and it feels amazing. putting the power down, shift, power again - no nonsense, no noise, no jolts, nothing - just smooth and solid.
- MFactory 3.46 helical LSD: wow. the gearing difference is subtle, but the traction is ridiculous. LOVING it. even with DSC and DTC off - if just hooks up and goes!
- shifter: oh my crappity crap crap... i've never felt a shifter like this. it just makes me smile ear to ear. wow.
- CDV delete: loving the clutch feel. take-off in 1st is way different, but much smoother.


overall - the car just has a completely different character. it is quite a bit louder, but i was expecting that - there is a lot more road noise transmitted into the cabin, but not much 'drivetrain' noise. one interesting thing is that the engine noise is a lot different than it used to be. i seem to have lost the more trebly, angry bees noise up top and now it's just all roar. hopefully the video below demonstrates.

OK, the video - i engaged the clutch around 3200rpm, nothing fancy. there was about a fraction of a second of wheelspin around 3500-4000pm and the rest is just TRACTION. this is with DSC and DTC off, too!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4EoUDx5afk

i'm loving it. :)

peter

[Vas]

nice.....

[BMWCurves]

Sounds great! Glad it all came together and you're enjoying it. My fear after doing my suspension is that I would somehow have made it worse than before. It's not likely some schmuck like me knows better than the engineers at BMW, so I always have that feeling in the back of my head "maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't do this."

Congrats!

[Rovert]

I sometimes wish my car had a less aggressive diff ratio. It's a crapshow even with M track mode on and I go WOT from 2K. All it wants to do is burn rubber in the first two gears. LOL

The ZHP is for sure that ideal in between mode to have lots of fun like a Miata but not make a huge scene.

[johnrando]

Good stuff

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

Awesome update. Glad you're loving it. What mods after another 233k ??



Tumbs, fone, TaT. ;-)

[slater]

Sounds great! Glad it all came together and you're enjoying it. My fear after doing my suspension is that I would somehow have made it worse than before. It's not likely some schmuck like me knows better than the engineers at BMW, so I always have that feeling in the back of my head "maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't do this."

yeah, i can appreciate that. i definitely went a bit overboard. but i thought a lot about what i liked about the stock car, and what changes i wanted to make. i'm pleased so far, but i still need to get an alignment and then i will be able to tell.



I sometimes wish my car had a less aggressive diff ratio. It's a crapshow even with M track mode on and I go WOT from 2K. All it wants to do is burn rubber in the first two gears. LOL

The ZHP is for sure that ideal in between mode to have lots of fun like a Miata but not make a huge scene.

for sure - even with my more hardcore mode going on now, it's not spinning the tires like that. :)

oh, i am running those michelin pilot sport AS/3's right now. they seem pretty nice - lots of grip, nice balance. i like the PSS better under braking though.



Awesome update. Glad you're loving it. What mods after another 233k ??

haha. that's 233K KMs, so around 143K miles. no more mods for a looooong time - just maintenance and driving!!

[Rovert]

Can you give a review after a few more miles unless you already can feel it. AS3 vs PSS. Advantages/Disadvantages. My friend just ordered AS3's for his 135 M sport over PSS just for the little snow we get in Vancouver.

[az3579]

Can you give a review after a few more miles unless you already can feel it. AS3 vs PSS. Advantages/Disadvantages. My friend just ordered AS3's for his 135 M sport over PSS just for the little snow we get in Vancouver.

I don't even have to drive a car with AS3's to be able to compare. Night and day.

[slater]

Can you give a review after a few more miles unless you already can feel it. AS3 vs PSS. Advantages/Disadvantages. My friend just ordered AS3's for his 135 M sport over PSS just for the little snow we get in Vancouver.

sure, no problem. i have a 5hr trip to do today, i will leave some notes here tomorrow. so far, the PSS are much better under braking.



I don't even have to drive a car with AS3's to be able to compare. Night and day.

well, different purposes here. in vancouver, they get very little snow. but they get a lot of rain in the winter months. so the AS/3's could be a viable choice over winter tires. the average daytime highs in the winter are usually around 40-45ºF (right, trevor?).

[BMWCurves]

well, different purposes here. in vancouver, they get very little snow. but they get a lot of rain in the winter months. so the AS/3's could be a viable choice over winter tires. the average daytime highs in the winter are usually around 40-45ºF (right, trevor?).

Huh, sounds like a Canadian Portland, OR, weather-wise. I had no idea. Maybe being on the water helps keep the temps up.

[slater]

Huh, sounds like a Canadian Portland, OR, weather-wise. I had no idea. Maybe being on the water helps keep the temps up.

yep. i am mega envious...

[Rovert]

Last year I didn't really need my winters on for long. The rubber saw one day of snow. Maybe this year there will be more snow. I have still yet to feel how an LSD reacts in adversely slippery conditions.

[slater]

Last year I didn't really need my winters on for long. The rubber saw one day of snow. Maybe this year there will be more snow. I have still yet to feel how an LSD reacts in adversely slippery conditions.

get thee up to the mountains, trevor! :)

here's a pic of the current ride height, and Style 68's. 10mm spacers being used. this is just about the max height for the front bilstein PSS. one amazing thing about having a car with perfect weight distribution - you can actually set the perches to the exact same spot on both sides of the car, and achieve the same results! expecting that on something like, oh i dunno, an audi, is bonkers...

loving how it looks... and i shaved about 7lbs per corner in unsprung (and rotational) weight.

[slater]

trevor: spent 5hrs last night on the AS/3's and i have to say, they are pretty darn good. the ultimate grip levels are not as high as the PSS - and that makes sense - but for a tire marketed as an 'all season' (or 'no season' in my opinion ;)) tire, they definitely do not perform as such! ultimate grip is not excellent when cold - they require a lot more heat to get grippy, than the PSS. lateral grip is very good with good feedback - low sidewall flex and good turn-in; not as sharp as the PSS. braking is decent but not as good as the PSS. have not driven on them in the rain enough to give fair feedback. ride quality is very good. and, they are heavier than the PSS by a few pounds per tire. however...bottom line - if the PSS did not exist, i would use this tire! they do seem a bit pricier than the PSS on tirerack.com.

[NoVAphotog]

trevor: spent 5hrs last night...

Thoughts after that time on the other PSS? :p

[slater]

Thoughts after that time on the other PSS? :p

oh yeah! i was going to get to that. :)


BIG PICTURE UPDATE
last night on the way home, it just sort of hit me - i liked my ZHP before i started this project. and i really liked it for all of it's flexibility - it just did everything well. and i started accumulating parts over the last year for a 'refresh', which basically was going to turn it up a notch, but maintain flexibility.

well... the car turned out different than i anticipated. a lot different. it is louder, stiffer (more on that below), more communicative. it feels almost wrong to be my daily driver - and family car - and when i was mulling this all over last night on my way home, i realized that this is my dream car. yes! it's still getting good fuel economy, it's not too loud, it's not too stiff, it can indeed be driven by my wife... it is raw in all of the right places and just makes me smile ear to ear. it's COHESIVE. it's an experience. and i am so CONTENT with it that i kinda can't believe it! never have i been so content with a car. :cheers


MORE THOUGHTS
i got some highway time, twisty road time and city traffic time. here's some thoughts on some new bits:

- Bilstein PSS: wow. they are indeed stiffer, but not too much. i think the key part is that the dampers are SO fast to react - they really sharpen the cars' reflexes without killing you. the damping is a little too quick on really choppy surfaces, but still miles better than tired OEM dampers. but overall, the damping profile is so well-judged, i don't see why you'd spend the extra on the PSS10's.

- BW spherical RTABs: oh my crap. no more loading up in the rear as with the poly RTABs... if you go around a tight bend (like at large intersection, or a low-speed bend), especially on uneven pavement, and put the power down - no fuss, no "wait, WHAT do you want me to do?!" - it just puts it down with sublime "i've got this" attitude and goes. it feels... innate. and they're quiet.

- MFactory LSD with 3.46 ratio: love love love it. it makes the car intuitive, playful-yet-controllable. and the shorter ratio is present everywhere - the car feels so much quicker, especially in 2nd and 3rd. on the highway - 75mph is sitting at 2950rpm, and i averaged 30MPG at that speed, at 35ºF ambient temp. not bad! on the 50mph roads i was averaging about 32MPG at the same ambient temp.

- CDV delete: should've done this a long time ago. much better clutch take-up.

- shifter: best part of the car now? i dunno, perhaps. getting off the highway onto a tight exit ramp, double-clutch downshifting to 3rd, then 2nd... there is zero drivetrain or shifter slop. it's car-guy ecstasy.

- poly diff mounts: i do have some gear whine and more drivetrain noise transmitted into the cabin. it actually suppressed quite a bit after 5hrs of driving - i'm hoping it continues to calm down over time. i don't mind it at all, but my wife and kids might.

- UUC black trans mounts: the only bad spot. i don't know what the heck is wrong, but when i rev the engine at a standstill (in neutral or otherwise), i get vibrations. i didn't have these with the M3 engine mounts i installed just prior to starting the project, and the vibrations happen when stopped - so it's not anywhere else in the drivetrain. they did not fit so well, so i'm going to loosen them, and as UUC recommends, 'drive around the block' like that, let things settle, and then re-tighten. if they still vibrate... i'll try the rogue trans mounts.

i did read that a few folks who installed the UUC trans mounts had vibration that ended up being a broken DMF, which, hey, i might have. i have some chatter at idle and when i shut down the car - it's been there since i bought the car. so maybe the stiffer trans mounts are bringing that issue to light? i dunno. i'll see what it's like after i 'settle' the trans mounts.

bottom line - my car is awesome. it has a new character. it's my favorite car!

:cheers

[Vas]

I will share my opinion on the UUC trans mounts since I had both the red and then the black installed on my car. The red ones were really terrible with vibrations and passing the gearbox noise into the cabin. So I ditched those and went to try the black ones. Much better but still not great for a street car that is a daily driver. I think if everything is loud and stiff in the car, then it works as a complete package. However with some mounts being rubber and some being poly, it does not work that well.

So the final decision was to go with OE m3 mounts. They are an upgrade over the factory mounts but not overkill like the poly stuff. And now I am satisfied with them.

As far as the zhp from the factory, it is a great package and the car can be quickly turned into a different car with the help of the aftermarket parts bin. However IMO if you want to retain the zhp feel and upgrade parts to make the car better, using M3 bits and pieces is the way to go.

But glad to hear you like the way everything came together for you.

[slater]

So the final decision was to go with OE m3 mounts. They are an upgrade over the factory mounts but not overkill like the poly stuff. And now I am satisfied with them.

thanks vas. how much stiffer are the M3 mounts?

[Vas]

thanks vas. how much stiffer are the M3 mounts?

Let's just say that your wife will not hate you for installing them when she drives the car. I have the M3 engine and trans mounts installed on the wife's zhp and no complaints from her about noise or un-wanted vibration. And at the price point, you might as well try them out before you spend more money on poly.

But with the m3 trans mounts is is a nice improvement over the factory rubber units and they are enough to notice the change. Plus mid corner, you are able to shift into the next gear with more confidence since the rear of the trans is not flopping around. Plus gear shifts become more "crisp".

Btw how did you modify your shifter?

[slater]

Let's just say that your wife will not hate you for installing them when she drives the car. I have the M3 engine and trans mounts installed on the wife's zhp and no complaints from her about noise or un-wanted vibration. And at the price point, you might as well try them out before you spend more money on poly.

But with the m3 trans mounts is is a nice improvement over the factory rubber units and they are enough to notice the change. Plus mid corner, you are able to shift into the next gear with more confidence since the rear of the trans is not flopping around. Plus gear shifts become more "crisp".

Btw how did you modify your shifter?

i like how the UUC mounts feel, aside from the vibration when revving stationary. mid-corner shifting is perfect. i just don't want to lose any of that newfound crispness. :)

the rogue ones are $55USD, that's pretty cheap. i'll check on the M3 ones.

shifter mods:

- ECS delrin fork bushings (where it meets the trans); i had to shave these down about 5mm each to fit. happy with them now, was not pleased with them when i test-fitted them.
- new selector rod joint and pin (OEM)
- new selector rod yellow washers (x2 - there was no room for the one at the rod joint, so i used BOTH on the rear where it mates to the shifter - this made a nice difference. there was slop with just one yellow washer)
- new plastic shift lever cup and heavy duty bearing grease - i couldn't believe how sloppy the old one was. new one is tight.
- rear shift fork bushing: this is where the magic is. you need axial movement here, but not lateral movement. the stock bushing has a lot of lateral movement (and a lot of axial movement ;)). i inserted two o-rings into the void on the front of the bushing (where the shift fork enters), to alleviate the lateral movement, and then filled the void with flexible RTV. this allows minimal lateral movement, but correct axial movement. the shifter feels truly mechanical now. no jello.

[NoVAphotog]

oh yeah! i was going to get to that. :)


BIG PICTURE UPDATE
last night on the way home, it just sort of hit me - i liked my ZHP before i started this project. and i really liked it for all of it's flexibility - it just did everything well. and i started accumulating parts over the last year for a 'refresh', which basically was going to turn it up a notch, but maintain flexibility.

well... the car turned out different than i anticipated. a lot different. it is louder, stiffer (more on that below), more communicative. it feels almost wrong to be my daily driver - and family car - and when i was mulling this all over last night on my way home, i realized that this is my dream car. yes! it's still getting good fuel economy, it's not too loud, it's not too stiff, it can indeed be driven by my wife... it is raw in all of the right places and just makes me smile ear to ear. it's COHESIVE. it's an experience. and i am so CONTENT with it that i kinda can't believe it! never have i been so content with a car. :cheers


MORE THOUGHTS
i got some highway time, twisty road time and city traffic time. here's some thoughts on some new bits:

- Bilstein PSS: wow. they are indeed stiffer, but not too much. i think the key part is that the dampers are SO fast to react - they really sharpen the cars' reflexes without killing you. the damping is a little too quick on really choppy surfaces, but still miles better than tired OEM dampers. but overall, the damping profile is so well-judged, i don't see why you'd spend the extra on the PSS10's.

- BW spherical RTABs: oh my crap. no more loading up in the rear as with the poly RTABs... if you go around a tight bend (like at large intersection, or a low-speed bend), especially on uneven pavement, and put the power down - no fuss, no "wait, WHAT do you want me to do?!" - it just puts it down with sublime "i've got this" attitude and goes. it feels... innate. and they're quiet.

- MFactory LSD with 3.46 ratio: love love love it. it makes the car intuitive, playful-yet-controllable. and the shorter ratio is present everywhere - the car feels so much quicker, especially in 2nd and 3rd. on the highway - 75mph is sitting at 2950rpm, and i averaged 30MPG at that speed, at 35ºF ambient temp. not bad! on the 50mph roads i was averaging about 32MPG at the same ambient temp.

- CDV delete: should've done this a long time ago. much better clutch take-up.

- shifter: best part of the car now? i dunno, perhaps. getting off the highway onto a tight exit ramp, double-clutch downshifting to 3rd, then 2nd... there is zero drivetrain or shifter slop. it's car-guy ecstasy.

- poly diff mounts: i do have some gear whine and more drivetrain noise transmitted into the cabin. it actually suppressed quite a bit after 5hrs of driving - i'm hoping it continues to calm down over time. i don't mind it at all, but my wife and kids might.

- UUC black trans mounts: the only bad spot. i don't know what the heck is wrong, but when i rev the engine at a standstill (in neutral or otherwise), i get vibrations. i didn't have these with the M3 engine mounts i installed just prior to starting the project, and the vibrations happen when stopped - so it's not anywhere else in the drivetrain. they did not fit so well, so i'm going to loosen them, and as UUC recommends, 'drive around the block' like that, let things settle, and then re-tighten. if they still vibrate... i'll try the rogue trans mounts.

i did read that a few folks who installed the UUC trans mounts had vibration that ended up being a broken DMF, which, hey, i might have. i have some chatter at idle and when i shut down the car - it's been there since i bought the car. so maybe the stiffer trans mounts are bringing that issue to light? i dunno. i'll see what it's like after i 'settle' the trans mounts.

bottom line - my car is awesome. it has a new character. it's my favorite car!

:cheers

:thumbup :roundel

Love these thoughts Peter! Thank you for the excellent write up and feedback.

Bilstein PSS: Interesting. Sounds pleasing to the "change the car for the better" angel on one shoulder, but at the same time...Vas, "the OEM+ angel" on the other shoulder rises in volume a bit (Immediate message - "you ready for a stiffer ride, Daniel?" after your thoughts were posted). Curious for updates as you go along and maybe swap wheel/tires in the Spring (not going to be installing mine anytime soon with Winter coming and all) so plenty of time to sell them if I get cold feet on changing my car as I often do...

MFactory 3.46 Helical LSD: Completely agree with everything stated here. Single best thing you can add to these cars. In the words of BCS_ZHP the 3.46 just FITS the ZHP and the LSD is a bonus on top. Anyone on a budget should look into just the 3.46 Open as well. Incredible.

CDV Delete: I did do it sooner, almost within the first month I had the car. Can't say I REALLY noticed a difference...I'd have to drive one back to back to MAYBE tell, but...still good peace of mind knowing the clutch is just working as it should and my foot is modulating accordingly.

Shifter: :thumbsup Definitely an area I've thought about improving from the already excellent. Is double clutching something I need to practice...I remember NewJack going at it driving around and it just seems excessive...especially in regular around town driving at granny speeds. It's a catch 22 because the only time I could see being relevant is high speed shifting but I damn sure don't want to practice it then as uncoordinated as I am...could end up with an S54 swap... :shifty

Poly diff mounts: OEM+...M3/Z4M for me...

UUC black trans mounts: " "

[Vas]

i like how the UUC mounts feel, aside from the vibration when revving stationary. mid-corner shifting is perfect. i just don't want to lose any of that newfound crispness. :)

the rogue ones are $55USD, that's pretty cheap. i'll check on the M3 ones.

shifter mods:

- ECS delrin fork bushings (where it meets the trans); i had to shave these down about 5mm each to fit. happy with them now, was not pleased with them when i test-fitted them.
- new selector rod joint and pin (OEM)
- new selector rod yellow washers (x2 - there was no room for the one at the rod joint, so i used BOTH on the rear where it mates to the shifter - this made a nice difference. there was slop with just one yellow washer)
- new plastic shift lever cup and heavy duty bearing grease - i couldn't believe how sloppy the old one was. new one is tight.
- rear shift fork bushing: this is where the magic is. you need axial movement here, but not lateral movement. the stock bushing has a lot of lateral movement (and a lot of axial movement ;)). i inserted two o-rings into the void on the front of the bushing (where the shift fork enters), to alleviate the lateral movement, and then filled the void with flexible RTV. this allows minimal lateral movement, but correct axial movement. the shifter feels truly mechanical now. no jello.

I was thinking of picking up this kit from ecs tuning and rebuilding my shifter.Thoughts?
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Drivetrain/Shifter/ES2594076/

[BMWCurves]

All good stuff, thanks for following up with your impressions, Peter!

@Vas, do you have the part numbers for the E46 M3 engine and trans mounts?

[ELCID86]

I was thinking of picking up this kit from ecs tuning and rebuilding my shifter.Thoughts?
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Drivetrain/Shifter/ES2594076/

SSK.


Tumbs, fone, TaT. ;-)

[Vas]

All good stuff, thanks for following up with your impressions, Peter!

@Vas, do you have the part numbers for the E46 M3 engine and trans mounts?

They might be in one of my project threads. If not they are (2) Engine Mount 11812283798 and (2) Trans Mount 22322282340

@daniel you need somebody to keep your wild ideas in check. :) But install those PSS and quit honeydicking around. lol

[slater]

:thumbup :roundel

Love these thoughts Peter! Thank you for the excellent write up and feedback.

Bilstein PSS: Interesting. Sounds pleasing to the "change the car for the better" angel on one shoulder, but at the same time...Vas, "the OEM+ angel" on the other shoulder rises in volume a bit (Immediate message - "you ready for a stiffer ride, Daniel?" after your thoughts were posted). Curious for updates as you go along and maybe swap wheel/tires in the Spring (not going to be installing mine anytime soon with Winter coming and all) so plenty of time to sell them if I get cold feet on changing my car as I often do...

Shifter: :thumbsup Definitely an area I've thought about improving from the already excellent. Is double clutching something I need to practice...I remember NewJack going at it driving around and it just seems excessive...especially in regular around town driving at granny speeds. It's a catch 22 because the only time I could see being relevant is high speed shifting but I damn sure don't want to practice it then as uncoordinated as I am...could end up with an S54 swap... :shifty

Poly diff mounts: OEM+...M3/Z4M for me...

i hear you on the PSS - they are great. not too stiff. i've had plenty of horrid suspensions. these will be a lot softer than the BC Racing coilovers (you were considering those?). they feel OEM+ to me. no noise, no fuss, just good damping and a little bit more spring rate. i do want to test them out with my michelin PSS, but it's too cold out for those right now...

double-clutching - it is good for your transmission synchros if you rev-match properly (saves wear), and is an inherently smoother method of downshifting. if you can heel and toe, even better. i find i can't really "heel" and "toe" in the ZHP because of either the drivetrain tunnel or my size 11.5 feet, so i apply the brake with the ball of my foot and "roll" onto the gas with the outside of my foot, to accomplish the same thing. when you get the whole thing synchronized, it's art. and sounds cool. ;) i've been doing it so long i don't even realize i'm doing it...

i HIGHLY recommend what i did with the shifter. it can be appreciated no matter what mods you've got on the car.

re: the OE diff mounts... we can't use the M3/Z4M ones as their diff 'mounts' differently (oooh... sorry... too many puns!) than ours does. not many options here; stock, different variations of poly (i chose ECS because they were the softest durometer), and solid aluminum. :)



I was thinking of picking up this kit from ecs tuning and rebuilding my shifter.Thoughts?
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Drivetrain/Shifter/ES2594076/

that's the exact kit i bought. all of it was good, except for the delrin bushings needing to be shaved. i'd say, do it. you can shave them easily enough with a sharp razor blade (you're doing drywall so i know you've got one of those!), in a vise.



All good stuff, thanks for following up with your impressions, Peter!

no problem! i had to vent to you guys - my wife gets tired of listening to me talk about car stuff, so i just don't bother her with it anymore. :)



SSK.

to be honest - no desire for a SSK after how mine feels. it's perfect! (and WAY cheaper ;) )



They might be in one of my project threads. If not they are (2) Engine Mount 11812283798 and (2) Trans Mount 22322282340

@daniel you need somebody to keep your wild ideas in check. :) But install those PSS and quit honeydicking around. lol

LOL!!

[az3579]

Is double clutching something I need to practice...I remember NewJack going at it driving around and it just seems excessive...especially in regular around town driving at granny speeds. It's a catch 22 because the only time I could see being relevant is high speed shifting but I damn sure don't want to practice it then as uncoordinated as I am...could end up with an S54 swap... :shifty


Double clutching is unnecessary on this platform, and is very very tricky to do due to this laggy-as-hell throttle. The synchros are fantastic at doing their job. You should, however, learn to rev-match, because that will eliminate the shock the system gets when the clutch is let out.
So, rev-matched (single clutch) downshifts are plenty on this platform, and do sound amazing when executed properly. I've been doing this since I started driving at 16 and have never stopped. I attribute my clutch lasting this long to the simple fact that I rev-match every single downshift. 237k on the original clutch with no sign of slippage yet.

For "heel & toe" downshifts, I do what Peter does, which isn't really heel and toe at all. It's more like ball-of-foot and edge-of-foot. lol
Left edge of my foot on the brake while the right edge blips the throttle on the downshift. It's easier to modulate the brakes this way for regular in-town driving because you don't stab the brakes when doing it.

[NoVAphotog]

Double clutching is unnecessary on this platform, and is very very tricky to do due to this laggy-as-hell throttle. The synchros are fantastic at doing their job. You should, however, learn to rev-match, because that will eliminate the shock the system gets when the clutch is let out.
So, rev-matched (single clutch) downshifts are plenty on this platform, and do sound amazing when executed properly. I've been doing this since I started driving at 16 and have never stopped. I attribute my clutch lasting this long to the simple fact that I rev-match every single downshift. 237k on the original clutch with no sign of slippage yet.

For "heel & toe" downshifts, I do what Peter does, which isn't really heel and toe at all. It's more like ball-of-foot and edge-of-foot. lol
Left edge of my foot on the brake while the right edge blips the throttle on the downshift. It's easier to modulate the brakes this way for regular in-town driving because you don't stab the brakes when doing it.

BP, I do try and rev-match down shift where it's appropriate in my driving, I've been doing that since my first manual car back in hs...not a master, but MUCH better at that than double clutch...

This is usually me driving around town...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXC2eoaw6Yw

[Rovert]

I became used to double clutching all my shifts up and down which makes the gear lever slip into gears that much easier.

It also comes in handy when you're in a situation where the only way to drive an old broken manual car is to double clutch.

I thought I'd be out of practice from not driving with a man pedal but I find I subconsciously double clutch any manual transmission I drive nowadays.

Bringing up the synchro topic is the same as when oil changes are done at intervals faster than most change underwear. There likely is not much proof either way. It's all about justification.

So have fun driving however you want. There is no right/wrong way. The good thing is, most things that man breaks, man can fix with a little bit of $$$. [emoji12]

[BMWCurves]

They might be in one of my project threads. If not they are (2) Engine Mount 11812283798 and (2) Trans Mount 22322282340

@daniel you need somebody to keep your wild ideas in check. :) But install those PSS and quit honeydicking around. lol

Appreciate it, Vas!


Double clutching is unnecessary on this platform, and is very very tricky to do due to this laggy-as-hell throttle. The synchros are fantastic at doing their job. You should, however, learn to rev-match, because that will eliminate the shock the system gets when the clutch is let out.
So, rev-matched (single clutch) downshifts are plenty on this platform, and do sound amazing when executed properly. I've been doing this since I started driving at 16 and have never stopped. I attribute my clutch lasting this long to the simple fact that I rev-match every single downshift. 237k on the original clutch with no sign of slippage yet.

For "heel & toe" downshifts, I do what Peter does, which isn't really heel and toe at all. It's more like ball-of-foot and edge-of-foot. lol
Left edge of my foot on the brake while the right edge blips the throttle on the downshift. It's easier to modulate the brakes this way for regular in-town driving because you don't stab the brakes when doing it.

Yup, rev-matching goes a long way for the health of the engine. That version of "heel and toe" is what I do as well, and our cars are pretty well suited for it in terms of relative pedal depth under braking. It's fairly easy and very useful when you're hotfooting it in the bends. I assumed (probably incorrectly) that "heel and toe" comes from an era when cars had throttle pedals that hinged from the upper portion of the pedal box like the clutch and brake pedals, rather than our throttle pedals that hinge at the floor. I can't rotate my ankle enough to get enough force/torque to blip the throttle on the floor-hinged pedal in my car. I could in my C4 S4 though, loved the pedal setup in that car. At any rate, I learned to always "set up the car before the turn" i.e. be at your lowest speed and in the lowest gear you plan to be in so that you can accelerate through the turn without unsettling the car's balance/posture by having to shift or excessively modulate throttle, and heel and toe helps set that up.


BP, I do try and rev-match down shift where it's appropriate in my driving, I've been doing that since my first manual car back in hs...not a master, but MUCH better at that than double clutch...

This is usually me driving around town...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXC2eoaw6Yw

You race for pinks around town?

[az3579]

I learned to always "set up the car before the turn" i.e. be at your lowest speed and in the lowest gear you plan to be in so that you can accelerate through the turn without unsettling the car's balance/posture by having to shift or excessively modulate throttle, and heel and toe helps set that up.



I'm a trail-braker myself. :)

[Rovert]

Trailbraking in Peter's car would feel so nice and direct! The time when you can trailbrake into apex and just about shat yourself with hardly any skidmark is the most perfect corner you can make. [emoji12]

[az3579]

Trailbraking in Peter's car would feel so nice and direct! The time when you can trailbrake into apex and just about shat yourself with hardly any skidmark is the most perfect corner you can make. [emoji12]

If you're shatting yourself while trailbraking, you're doing it wrong. lol

[BMWCurves]

I'm a trail-braker myself. :)

Also that :p

[slater]

love all this talk about double-clutching, rev-matching, heel-and-toeing, and trail braking. :) excellent. :)

car is going in for an alignment this afternoon. i've currently got it eyeballed at around -1.0º camber up front, and around -0.75º camber in the rear. the toe is clearly off, but i'm liking the rear end feel with the camber like this. might try it. and with all new bushings and eccentric bolts - should be easy to dial in. :) i had to pound the old bolts out of the old bushings, they were so rusted...

my wife and kids rode in it with me last night - first time since it's been back together. no complaints from anyone. :)

[slater]

got the alignment done today... i have to say, i am pretty pleased with myself for eyeballing it so close to where i wanted it.

i know my specs are way different than factory, but the car just turns in mega now. i really like the feel.

[anandoc]

Interesting, I had gotten my alignment done at the same place in March when I got my front end refresh done. I had gone for the "Sedan Low Ride Sports 18" wheels" spec (per the alignment sheet I have). I am guessing you managed to achieve the higher negative camber in the front due to the new struts etc?

Was it a grumpy older guy who did the alignment job? I found him to be quite 'interesting'...

[slater]

Interesting, I had gotten my alignment done at the same place in March when I got my front end refresh done. I had gone for the "Sedan Low Ride Sports 18" wheels" spec (per the alignment sheet I have). I am guessing you managed to achieve the higher negative camber in the front due to the new struts etc?

Was it a grumpy older guy who did the alignment job? I found him to be quite 'interesting'...

ha. yeah - steve is the guy. he's getting to know my OCD-ness - he's done 3 alignments on this car for me. :) i brought in written specs for him, we went over everything, and he came to consult with me mid-way through just to make sure i was happy with stuff. he was friendly today, i think all new bushings and bolts made things easier. :)

i have the stock top mounts, and set the front camber to it's max negative values when i installed the new front struts - the car is maybe 10mm lower than stock up front, that must be what is helping me achieve those front camber numbers. i think stock front camber spec is -0.8 degrees.

[slater]

i am ashamed to admit... i now have 4 sets of wheels and tires for the ZHP. how did that happen?!

- Style 135M's on michelin PSS (8/32" tread depth)
- Style 68's on michelin PS AS/3 (6/32" tread depth)
- 17x8 M5 reps on michelin X-Ice3's (215/50/17) (10/32" tread depth)
- 17x7 BMW steel wheels on bridgestone blizzak revo's (225/45/17) (8/32" tread depth)

i ran the X-Ice3's last winter, they were great. picked up the blizzaks for a song a few weeks ago, going to paint those wheels light gray and then put those on when the snow flies and try them out!

i need to thin my collection, this is embarrassing. :) i might actually sell the 135Ms because i really like the Style 68's on there. it's a shame though because the michelin PSS only have one season on them... they ain't cheap.

[BMWCurves]

It'd be a shame to sell the 135s.

How do you like the 17 inchers for ride comfort vs. handling?

[ELCID86]

Wow Peter you are a dead-eye on alignment!


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[Rovert]

Can I align my car with the same specs?

[slater]

It'd be a shame to sell the 135s.

How do you like the 17 inchers for ride comfort vs. handling?

i love them. i shaved around 7-8lbs per corner with the Style 68s over the 135Ms - and that's unsprung weight AND rotating mass. the car just feels 'eager' - hard to describe.

i know it would be a shame to sell the 135Ms, but i like the car so much with this setup, i don't see going back to them. i dunno, maybe i'll try them out again in the spring.



Wow Peter you are a dead-eye on alignment!

thanks. :) i didn't expect to be that accurate!



Can I align my car with the same specs?

absolutely, you should be able to get pretty close with the stock suspension. i have the stock front upper mounts, so no trickery there...

[slater]

washed, waxed and detailed the exterior...for winter... LOL. i am way behind, but thankfully it's not really winter yet! i love clean, shiny imola. sorry for the crappy pic quality - iPhone was handier than my nikon.

[ELCID86]

Looks great! Try to keep it that way ;-)


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[fredo]

Nice IR example. :thumbsup

[slater]

Looks great! Try to keep it that way ;-)

ha! once the snow flies, it's going to be dirty until spring. :)



Nice IR example. :thumbsup

thanks fredo! i'm actually thinking of getting some factory chrome grills. i like the BMW Performance ones, but they just look a bit too much on imola for some reason.

[slater]

good morning, sunshine!

(it's dusty already!)

[BMWCurves]

Beautiful. The paint looks like it's brand new from the photos. I reaaaaaally need to do something about mine, but there hasn't been a rain-free day here since November.


thanks fredo! i'm actually thinking of getting some factory chrome grills. i like the BMW Performance ones, but they just look a bit too much on imola for some reason.

nono I disagree with your opinion.

[az3579]

nono I disagree with your opinion.


Me too. Looks perfect on Imola.

[slater]

Beautiful. The paint looks like it's brand new from the photos. I reaaaaaally need to do something about mine, but there hasn't been a rain-free day here since November.

nono I disagree with your opinion.

hahaha...

re: the paint - good eye. :) i had it repainted last summer!



Me too. Looks perfect on Imola.

i almost think the matte grilles look better than the gloss black BMW Performance ones (which i have). but whenever i see stock chrome grilles on imola - like on guy's car - i really like it. and i'm not a chrome guy. weird!

another pic - man imola looks good when it's clean and waxed! (and fresh paint, LOL!)

[Vas]

Looks great

[anandoc]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23059&stc=1&d=1450461334



Thats a sexy ass ;)

[NoVAphotog]

hahaha...

re: the paint - good eye. :) i had it repainted last summer!




i almost think the matte grilles look better than the gloss black BMW Performance ones (which i have). but whenever i see stock chrome grilles on imola - like on guy's car - i really like it. and i'm not a chrome guy. weird!

another pic - man imola looks good when it's clean and waxed! (and fresh paint, LOL!)
I get physically ill when I see the chrome grills on Imola or in old pics of my car. The performance ones match the Shadowline trim. They go together like pigs in the mud. :thumbsup

Merry Christmas btw, Peter!

[Vas]

Bacon.....

[slater]

installed the latest OE bosch coil packs today.

[slater]

installed ECS CF strut brace last night. hard to say, but i think i notice the front end being a bit sharper.

also, the new coil packs seem to have cured my 2500-3000rpm stumble! engine feels a lot better overall - idles better, pulls harder. no flat spots.

going to mount the snows this weekend.

[NoVAphotog]

installed ECS CF strut brace last night. hard to say, but i think i notice the front end being a bit sharper.

also, the new coil packs seem to have cured my 2500-3000rpm stumble! engine feels a lot better overall - idles better, pulls harder. no flat spots.

going to mount the snows this weekend.

:thumbsup

The coils/bar...sweet!....mounting the snows...ehhh...maybe some slow snow drift videos so I can live vicariously through you guys with snow?

[slater]

:thumbsup

The coils/bar...sweet!....mounting the snows...ehhh...maybe some slow snow drift videos so I can live vicariously through you guys with snow?

LOL... we've got about 1" here and it's all ice. :)

[Rovert]

Perfect for sliding around at 2kmh!

[slater]

Perfect for sliding around at 2kmh!

well, the roads are clear. :) i've been pushing the limits of the michelin PS AS/3's - they are definitely not optimal around 0ºC - they are very greasy when cold. when warmed up they are OK, but like all all-season tires - they are a compromise. when it was 10ºC+ outside they were decently sticky. i would say avoid them for vancouver winter use - dedicated snows would be best.

i have some blizzak revo1's to try out this winter, picked them up recently. interested to see how they compare to the x-ice3's i still have. already though, the LSD is helping - my driveway is solid ice (we were away for 12 days so i was unable to clear it), and it digs in and goes at low speed without any DSC interference, and this is on the michelin PS AS/3's. curious to see how it does in regular snow use.

here's a pic of said snows, and the new strut bar. going to remove the sticker.

[johnrando]

Nice

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[BMWCurves]

I'm interested to hear how you like the ECS bar long term. I thought about it when it was on sale, but I think I'm going to hold out for the OEM M3 strut bar.

I love the steelies, they mean business.

[slater]

I'm interested to hear how you like the ECS bar long term. I thought about it when it was on sale, but I think I'm going to hold out for the OEM M3 strut bar.

I love the steelies, they mean business.

yeah, and they look great in silver - especially on imola. i'm going to run them with my 10mm spacers because they are skinny and high offset. should be interesting... mounting them tomorrow.

the ECS bar has decent build quality, but i'm not sure how stiff it is. a 1-piece steel bar would be a better choice, but those are hard to find - the mason engineering bar is perfect, but it's like $400.

[slater]

it was 42F out this morning, and for one last hurrah, i mounted my 135Ms with michelin PSS to see how they felt with the new suspension (i've been running the Style 68s with michelin PS AS/3), using the 10mm spacers i've been running with the Style 68s. they definitely feel heavier on the car - the car feels more 'stable' on the road, but less nimble than with the Style 68s. clearly this is attributed to the 8lbs per corner heavier the 135Ms are. they do look great though! :)

i then mounted some 17" BMW steelies with 225/45/17 blizzak revo1's, because winter is finally coming here - tonight! i picked these up used recently to try out - i've always liked the BMW silver steel wheels, they just look very serious and business-like to me. they are 17x7 ET47, so very narrow and high-offset. i'm running them with 10mm spacers up front and 12.5mm spacers in the rear.

i also installed a new skid plate oil drain plug door - didn't have one before. loving my car!

[Rovert]

I don't think a front strut bar is a huge advantage other than prevention of tower mushrooming. I don't notice that much with my car versus my 330. But I know the S54 is a heavier engine. So maybe I'd feel it if I took it off my car.

[slater]

I don't think a front strut bar is a huge advantage other than prevention of tower mushrooming. I don't notice that much with my car versus my 330. But I know the S54 is a heavier engine. So maybe I'd feel it if I took it off my car.

it can't hurt, but the reinforcement plates from BMW are the right choice for strut tower protection.

[slater]

i'll cross-link this here since it does belong in my build thread... :)

CCAF Prototype #1:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?17175-combating-PCV-catch-can-freeze-ups-possible-solution&p=467211#post467211

[az3579]

Love the steelies. Can't say I've ever heard of Revo's before though.

Sent from my LG V10 on Tapatalk

[slater]

Love the steelies. Can't say I've ever heard of Revo's before though.

they're a few years old, i think sold predominantly up here in canada.

[NoVAphotog]

Ya gotta love how much wheels really do mean a lot for cars. Completely changes the character of the vehicle. The steelies are definitely the business. :p

[Vas]

17's are great for winter or track use. For a street car the 18's look better IMO. And this is after looking at two cars side by side.

[slater]

Ya gotta love how much wheels really do mean a lot for cars. Completely changes the character of the vehicle. The steelies are definitely the business. :p

they definitely are! i'm going to get some more miles on these tires and then decide if i'm going to keep them or not (i have a friend looking for some winter tires so they'll likely get these if i don't like them ;) ).



17's are great for winter or track use. For a street car the 18's look better IMO. And this is after looking at two cars side by side.

i agree that 18's look better. and i would run 18's if i could afford some apex ARC-8's in 18x8.5 ET45 trim (the exchange rate right now means that's almost a $2000 set of wheels for me - yikes), or BBS CH. that said, my car feels better with the Style 68s on it, so i will likely end up keeping those for summer use. they are the best looking 17's on this car, in my opinion.

[slater]

drained break-in gear oil from LSD and refilled with motul 300 75w90 GL-5. less whine!

[BMWCurves]

drained break-in gear oil from LSD and refilled with motul 300 75w90 GL-5. less whine!

From the car or the missus?

[slater]

From the car or the missus?

LOL!! :)

[slater]

mounted my 17x8 M5 reps with michelin x-ice3's on friday. i liked the steel wheel look, but these look better and the x-ice3's are better (and quieter).

CCAF system is working well so far.

received my NCSExpert/INPA/SSS/DIS/WinKFP cable today - looking forward to checking it out.

[ELCID86]

received my NCSExpert/INPA/SSS/DIS/WinKFP cable today - looking forward to checking it out.

I need to try installing that on my win10 laptop now that I have PA Soft up and running.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[slater]

I need to try installing that on my win10 laptop now that I have PA Soft up and running.

that would be a good idea. i'm installing it on a 10-year old IBM laptop running XP... ;)

[anandoc]

received my NCSExpert/INPA/SSS/DIS/WinKFP cable today - looking forward to checking it out.

Awesome! Let me know how the setup goes. It was very straightforward (albeit a little time consuming) for me.

[slater]

Awesome! Let me know how the setup goes. It was very straightforward (albeit a little time consuming) for me.

yep, it was easy.

[ELCID86]

yep, it was easy.

No conflicting resources, etc? (I got that last time but also had VW Vagcom SE installed).


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[slater]

No conflicting resources, etc? (I got that last time but also had VW Vagcom SE installed).

nope, i also have VAGCOM installed too. :)

it is pretty slow, though - my coding laptop is an IBM ThinkPad T43, which is pretty old. 1.5GB RAM, Intel Pentium M 1.5GHz. 60GB hard drive. :) PASoft/BMWScan 1.4 runs fine.

i may install it all on my work laptop, which is much newer and runs Windows 10 (and is 64-bit). the drivers for my PASoft/BMWScan cable did not want to install on that thing, though. i need to iron that out.

[az3579]

i may install it all on my work laptop, which is much newer and runs Windows 10 (and is 64-bit). the drivers for my PASoft/BMWScan cable did not want to install on that thing, though. i need to iron that out.

I've got the trick for that. :)

[slater]

I've got the trick for that. :)

sweet. i may go that way then.

[slater]

<haiku>

today the tail was out

limited slip diff brings joy

using rubber fast

</haiku>


;)

:cheers

[BMWCurves]

Reminds me of this Top Gear interview with Ian Wright, starting at 6:15 (not the crashing part but the "yeah you do, baby" mentality):

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2oou0g

[johnrando]

Awesome Slater!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

He's a poet too!


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[slater]

I've got the trick for that. :)

got this working last night - good to have BMWScan working on a newer laptop with a brighter screen. :) (and with the rest of the coding tools!) now to get a new battery as my current one lasts about 30min.... and an SSD while i'm at it. :)

...AND reflash my DME! :cheers



He's a poet too!

LOL. i do my part. :)

[az3579]

got this working last night - good to have BMWScan working on a newer laptop with a brighter screen. :) (and with the rest of the coding tools!) now to get a new battery as my current one lasts about 30min.... and an SSD while i'm at it. :)

...AND reflash my DME! :cheers


Sorry, been super busy - glad you got it figured out.

[slater]

Sorry, been super busy - glad you got it figured out.

i think i spoke too soon... worked once, then after a reboot, it didn't work again. getting a 'hardware not ready' message after clicking 'continue' in PASoft. hmmm.

[BMWCurves]

i think i spoke too soon... worked once, then after a reboot, it didn't work again. getting a 'hardware not ready' message after clicking 'continue' in PASoft. hmmm.

I think I had that issue before. I plug in the scanner, attach it to my laptop, turn on the car, and then run PASoft. Try that. If it doesn't work, I'm not sure. It's not the most stable software I've ever encountered.

[slater]

I think I had that issue before. I plug in the scanner, attach it to my laptop, turn on the car, and then run PASoft. Try that. If it doesn't work, I'm not sure. It's not the most stable software I've ever encountered.

oh, ya, i know the sequence well. ;) i've been using it on my old XP laptop for 2 years now. this issue is on my newer laptop, running Windows 10 (x64). i'll figure it out.

[BMWCurves]

Ah, gotcha. Good luck

[slater]

today: oil change, and finally installed my OEM homelink module.

[ELCID86]

today: oil change, and finally installed my OEM homelink module.

Homelink is a nice feature.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous

[BMWCurves]

Homelink is a nice feature.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous

I have it through an E90 rearview mirror retrofit, definitely nice to have.

[Vas]

Great job

[slater]

Homelink is a nice feature.


Great job

yep, and thanks. it seems like a silly project when i have a perfectly fine, working garage door opener on the visor - but this one is just cleaner and tidier. :)

also played with tire pressures more and found a good balance for my x-ice3's and bilstein PSS. 40psi cold (this was at around 40ºF ambient).

[fw_fw]

yep, and thanks. it seems like a silly project when i have a perfectly fine, working garage door opener on the visor - but this one is just cleaner and tidier. :)



Also safer, as a normal garage door opener can just walk off and give someone free entry into your house. Always prefer Homelink built-in for that reason alone!

[ELCID86]

Also safer, as a normal garage door opener can just walk off and give someone free entry into your house. Always prefer Homelink built-in for that reason alone!

Very true.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous

[slater]

Also safer, as a normal garage door opener can just walk off and give someone free entry into your house. Always prefer Homelink built-in for that reason alone!

good point!

[BMWCurves]

yep, and thanks. it seems like a silly project when i have a perfectly fine, working garage door opener on the visor - but this one is just cleaner and tidier. :)

also played with tire pressures more and found a good balance for my x-ice3's and bilstein PSS. 40psi cold (this was at around 40ºF ambient).

1. Yup, HomeLink is a great addition! Somehow it's easier than futzing with a separate garage door opener. Did you install yours in the roofliner between the sunroof controls and the BT mic?

2. Tire sizes? I'll put it in the inflation thread.

[slater]

1. Yup, HomeLink is a great addition! Somehow it's easier than futzing with a separate garage door opener. Did you install yours in the roofliner between the sunroof controls and the BT mic?

2. Tire sizes? I'll put it in the inflation thread.

1. yep! install was easy.

2. 215/50/17 (a bit taller than stock). i chose narrower last year because it's better for snow, and it was significantly cheaper than the 225/45/17.

[slater]

installed my Style 68s on saturday. forecast looks good and i am anxious. total time snow tires were on = 7 weeks and 5 days. shortest season in recorded history!! :)

[Vas]

Any pictures? Want to see how "low" your car sits

[slater]

Any pictures? Want to see how "low" your car sits

will try to snap some today for you.

in other news - ordered a set of 225/45/17 and 245/40/17 michelin PSS for my Style 68s today... $548 shipped!! :cheers

[Vas]

will try to snap some today for you.

in other news - ordered a set of 225/45/17 and 245/40/17 michelin PSS for my Style 68s today... $548 shipped!! :cheers

OE E36 M3 tire sizes :)

[slater]

OE E36 M3 tire sizes :)

OE E46 Sport package sizes too. :)

i'm running those sizes on the Style 68s now, tires are michelin pilot sport AS3's. they're decent tires. fronts have 6/32" left but the rears are down to 3/32" - hence the new set of PSS. :) will wear these AS3's out by may i assume - tail wagging seems to be the daily special around here lately... :cheers

[slater]

here ya go, vas. the front is adjusted as high as it can go. seems low to me. rear is a tad lower than stock, maybe 10mm.

and the car is dirty. reeeeeal dirty.

[Vas]

Still looks good being dirty.

As far as the height, I think it is fine and the wheel gap is even between the front and rear.

But when you compare the front now to stock, it is much lower.

[slater]

yeah, i wanted it a little bit lower in the front, but not this low. whatever. it is what it is. :)

one interesting thing to note today - i swapped my 10mm spacers in the back for 12.5mm spacers (installed in the pics above), and i can actually feel the 5mm of extra width back there when driving. the car is less neutral (more understeery) - it's a small difference, but still there. crazy.

going back to the 10's. :)

[ELCID86]

yeah, i wanted it a little bit lower in the front, but not this low. whatever. it is what it is. :)

one interesting thing to note today - i swapped my 10mm spacers in the back for 12.5mm spacers (installed in the pics above), and i can actually feel the 5mm of extra width back there when driving. the car is less neutral (more understeery) - it's a small difference, but still there. crazy.

going back to the 10's. :)

Wow. Who'd a thunk it...?


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous

[slater]

joined the GB for some of this goodness. :)

:cheers

25088

[Ssparrow]

Those things look good! I was very tempted to join that GB as well...

[slater]

there's still time! and it has already reached $200 off + free shipping - go for it! these suckers are 18.4lbs each - that's almost 2lbs lighter than my 17" Style 68s! woohoo!

[BMWCurves]

Nice! I'm sure you'll love them. Are you going with a square setup or staggered?

EDIT: I thought Style 68s were closer to 21 and 22 lbs front/rear.

[slater]

Nice! I'm sure you'll love them. Are you going with a square setup or staggered?

EDIT: I thought Style 68s were closer to 21 and 22 lbs front/rear.

they're about 20.5lbs front, 21lbs rear. on my scale anyway...

yep, square setup - 18x8.5 ET38.

i considered going 18x8.5 ET38 and 18x9 ET42, but that's effectively ET36 for an 8.5" wheel, which with a 255/35/18 tire at my camber settings, would rub - badly. so i'm going square with a 235/40/18 tire. might try out some koni yellows and stock springs with them, too... :ninja

[BMWCurves]

Giving up on your PSSs?