15% cheaper at USD $144
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-33...Brace/ES10995/
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15% cheaper at USD $144
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-33...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).Quote:
Originally Posted by anandoc
Nice
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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.
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! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
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!
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...Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
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.
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
Must be nice to have it back and drive it.
:thumbsup :roundel :cheersQuote:
Originally Posted by slater
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by NoVAphotog
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Vas
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
does the coding really have to do with gear ratios? i would imagine it just has different values for allowed wheelspin and yaw values.Quote:
Originally Posted by az3579
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by slater
cool. yeah, with stickier tires, the DSC won't interfere as much - there's no need to.Quote:
Originally Posted by NoVAphotog
i just added some more comments in my post above in reply to you, re: the bilstein PSS.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by slater
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? :)
:roflQuote:
Originally Posted by slater
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)
i agree to a point - i think, mechanically, the relationship is the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by az3579
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.
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'..." :)Quote:
Originally Posted by az3579
LOL. you are welcome to come all the way across the continent if you wish! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
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.
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! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by slater
And measurements would certainly be much appreciated if you have time.
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
nice.....
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!
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.
Good stuff
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Awesome update. Glad you're loving it. What mods after another 233k ??
Tumbs, fone, TaT. ;-)
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
for sure - even with my more hardcore mode going on now, it's not spinning the tires like that. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Rovert
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.
haha. that's 233K KMs, so around 143K miles. no more mods for a looooong time - just maintenance and driving!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ELCID86
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rovert
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rovert
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?).Quote:
Originally Posted by az3579
Huh, sounds like a Canadian Portland, OR, weather-wise. I had no idea. Maybe being on the water helps keep the temps up.Quote:
Originally Posted by slater
yep. i am mega envious...Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
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! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Rovert
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.
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.
Thoughts after that time on the other PSS? :pQuote:
Originally Posted by slater
oh yeah! i was going to get to that. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by NoVAphotog
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
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.
thanks vas. how much stiffer are the M3 mounts?Quote:
Originally Posted by Vas
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by slater
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Vas
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.