peter's canadian imola ZHP project

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Originally Posted by slater

for which location?

peter

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Just curious of which sway bar bushings you went with. I was thinking of buying the Hotchkis rebuild kit for mine but now you brought to my attention poly.

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Originally Posted by slater

probably not until mid-october. i'm getting the rest of my drivetrain/suspension refresh done beforehand, along with the M3 front bar, because i'd like to see the difference the rear bar makes by itself after installing the M3 front bar...

although, i will have a seriously enhanced suspension and drivetrain at that point, so it will be hard to tell what the M3 front bar did. :)

peter

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I think a lot of us are patiently waiting to see how you like the bits you've chosen for your refresh Peter...no pressure or anything! :thumbsup

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Originally Posted by QC_ZHP

Just curious of which sway bar bushings you went with. I was thinking of buying the Hotchkis rebuild kit for mine but now you brought to my attention poly.

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oh, sorry - i guess i could have figured that out. :)

i bought whiteline (AU company) 20mm poly bushings for the rear bar i just bought.

for my 26mm M3 bar bushings, and a set of 18.5mm for the OE rear bar, i went with these....they looked interesting, with the 'para-aramid' bit and i liked that they were actually made in the US:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fits-BMW-Fro...1b443a&vxp=mtr

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Originally Posted by NoVAphotog

I think a lot of us are patiently waiting to see how you like the bits you've chosen for your refresh Peter...no pressure or anything! :thumbsup

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ha! i'm feeling the pressure in other ways - it's 4th week of september, temps are dropping and i want this project done! we've been away a lot, busy with family stuff and i've been completing a lot of house projects as we're thinking of putting our house up for sale. i have a big work project this weekend, and i am hoping to start the ZHP work next week, and do a few hours each night. i've got a 10-day window so i hope i can get it all done in that timeframe...

peter

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Originally Posted by slater

here's a pic from the night before we left - bonus points if you can ID the black car in the driveway across the street. :)

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Is it too late for bonus points? ;) Cayman S?

SC

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Originally Posted by ecrabb

Is it too late for bonus points? ;) Cayman S?

SC

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it's actually a Cayman R, but nice try! :cheers

peter

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Originally Posted by slater

it's actually a Cayman R, but nice try! :cheers

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Sonofa... I thought that might have been a stripe down the side, but it also looked like reflections on the rocker. Needed moar resolution.

SC

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Originally Posted by ecrabb

Sonofa... I thought that might have been a stripe down the side, but it also looked like reflections on the rocker. Needed moar resolution.

SC

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yep, but that's why i said "bonus points." ;)

peter

phase "1" of my fall work is complete and i have some miles on it. phase "2" is starting this week.

phase 1:
- AKG FCABs
- 26mm M3 front swaybar w/ poly bushings
- M3 engine mounts (lemfoerder)
- new pre-cat O2 sensors
- stett intake boots
- oil change
- fumoto valve
- general front end inspection


we had a road trip to VT/CT/NYC this past weekend for a family visit and a wedding, so i logged about 27hrs of total driving and got a good impression of these particular parts. some don't need mentioning, so i will evaluate some of the bigger items:

- AKG FCABs: install was a snap and the front end is tighter than it was previously (was using different poly FCABs). no NVH increase that i can distinguish.

- 26mm M3 front swaybar: a little bit less roll up front, steering feels a tad heavier and 'more substantial', which i like. turn-in is a bit better but this likely is in conjunction with the AKG FCABs, and the poly bushings i installed with the bar. install was cake.

- M3 engine mounts: two thumbs up. my old mounts were softer, for sure - but not destroyed. engine noise is a tiny bit louder, which is great, and surprisingly shifting is much improved (i expected little change with the engine mounts, but great change with the trans mounts - which will be installed this week). much better on/off throttle response, less drivetrain movement. no increased NVH. install was easy.

- O2 sensors: the stutter i was having between 2500-3000RPM is still there, albeit reduced. i think i need to have the DME flashed. install was a breeze with my O2 sensor socket. FYI i picked up two 'amazon warehouse deals' O2 sensors that were the correct bosch part #'s, for about $50/each. ;)

- stett boots: lower boot fits fine, upper boot sucks. i had to trim it to fit only 'OK' with my aFe intake, and there is still a kink in the upper boot. not pleased with the fitment at all. even with the OE airbox, fitment would not be good - as no matter what orientation i had the upper boot in, the MAF-end was never in the correct location/angle, for the OE airbox or my aFe. i would love to see a better aftermarket solution for these.


phase "2" will include bilstein PSS coilovers, LSD, etc. excited for this. will post pics, install comments and driving impressions as well.

:cheers

peter

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Originally Posted by slater

- M3 engine mounts: two thumbs up. my old mounts were softer, for sure - but not destroyed. engine noise is a tiny bit louder, which is great, and surprisingly shifting is much improved (i expected little change with the engine mounts, but great change with the trans mounts - which will be installed this week). much better on/off throttle response, less drivetrain movement. no increased NVH. install was easy.

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Interesting you say no NVH because the M3 mounts in my car introduced noticeable NVHm, thought it was only at idle.

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Originally Posted by az3579

Interesting you say no NVH because the M3 mounts in my car introduced noticeable NVHm, thought it was only at idle.

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did you install anything else at the same time? how were your old mounts?

peter