AggieBlake's '05 ZHP school bus + track car - Maintenance and Mod Log

Good stuff! If you want more caster down the road, maybe consider the Z4M FCABs. They're rubber so you'll have that to consider over your poly ones, but I think they bump caster by about one degree.

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Originally Posted by AggieBlake

I like the looks of that Derek! The spacers are also getting you a bit extra track width, though it's probably insignificant. But anything helps! I'll have to add that to the list.

I think I'll do the brakes first though since that seems to determine what spacers should be run. I've got good fluid, but need to upgrade front rotors and pads sometime soon. That was a weakness during my track sessions. Not a "I'm going to hit the wall!" kind of weakness. But still left me feeling less than fully confident in the car. When that's done, I'll know more about what I should do with spacers.

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Originally Posted by AggieBlake

First alignment

Alright, I finally got the car in for an alignment with a really quality local shop. Here's the before and after. Car had ~140# ballast in the driver's seat and a full tank of gas. Turns out I didn't need much adjustment! I got the -1.5 degrees negative camber I wanted up front by popping the pins (I set the camber myself before going to the shop to validate my spec sheet). I set rear camber to -1 based on Peter and Derek's advice that it should be a little less negative than front (thanks guys!). Caster's a little less than I wanted, but not adjustable and really not that big a deal. Zero toe front for more aggressive handling. 1/16" toe in per side in the rear. I don't know why the sheet is saying 1/16 toe in per side and also 1/16 total... should be 1/8 total. Rounding error perhaps.

The car feels great on the street. Not twitchy, but very direct and responsive. It tracks well at all speeds. I'll keep an eye on tire wear. The real test will come on track next month.

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

Good stuff! If you want more caster down the road, maybe consider the Z4M FCABs. They're rubber so you'll have that to consider over your poly ones, but I think they bump caster by about one degree.

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Z4M FCAB is solid rubber vs liquid-filled rubber of the OE Factory ones. It also will give you about 1 degree of Caster. I'm currently at 6.0 IIRC.


Also good idea on the brakes.

I've gone through an interesting history with brakes.

1st setup: OE brakes
2nd setup: OE rotors/CoolCarbon Brakes
3rd Setup: Carbotech XP10/XP8 (front/rear) track pads
4th setup: BMWP 135i Front calipers Carbotech XP10/XP8 track pads. BMWPerf front rotors.
4.5 setup : Cooling ducts from Bimmerworld, titanium brake shims, BMWP 135i Front calipers Carbotech XP10/XP8 track pads. BMWPerf front rotors.
Current Setup: Bimmerworld Ducts,Stoptech ST40 front calipers/Slotted Front Stoptech rotors, XP12/XP8 brake pads, M3 rear calipers + Rotors.

All used ATE Type 200 Brake fluid.


My recommendations (whether you want it or not hahah)

Stick a solid track pad + SS lines and you will be golden for awhile. I didn't have issues with my 3rd setup but I just wanted prettier calipers from the 135i. Turns out it was a bad idea for a track oriented vehicle and I eventually gave up on salvaging the calipers to go to a proper setup. If SPEC E46 guys can run stock calipers you can too. I think if you are cooking them at that point, some cooling ducts will help aid in that area.

great stuff, blake! glad you are liking the alignment. i need to revisit my toe settings.

derek's right about the SPEC E46 guys - i think the stock calipers are OK, the rotor size is definitely good especially compared to cars of similar weight. good pads, fluid, ducting will help a ton.... and perhaps those brass caliper bushings would be a good idea - i've been wondering about those.

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Originally Posted by slater

great stuff, blake! glad you are liking the alignment. i need to revisit my toe settings.

derek's right about the SPEC E46 guys - i think the stock calipers are OK, the rotor size is definitely good especially compared to cars of similar weight. good pads, fluid, ducting will help a ton.... and perhaps those brass caliper bushings would be a good idea - i've been wondering about those.

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Brass guides would be great for pedal feel. There is a bit of maintenance on the guides that will require some lube. If you are doing track days with pad swaps, this guide maintenance is negligible.

I have brass guides in my TDI because the stock pedal is utter garbage so the upgrade was a welcome addition.

Yup, good stuff

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Installed refinished OEM M# strut bar

The special collared nuts I needed for this job finally arrived. For those of you looking for these in the future, don't buy them new! They're at least $10 + shipping. I found a set of 6 used on eBay for $13.50 shipped, and they were in great condition. Install is easy. Leave the car on the ground so the struts won't move on you when you remove the nuts (friction holds the strut in place). The passenger side brace requires a good bit of "massaging" to get it under the positive jumper terminal. The special collared nuts, as you can see below, serve two purposes: they engage the strut mount studs below the level of the strut bar brace, allowing you to get plenty of thread engagement; they locate the braces accurately on the studs (there's a good bit of play without them).
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Added blue loctite and torqued 6 brace bolts and 4 cross-bar bolts to 18ft-lbs with the help of this friendly mechanic.
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Here's the finished product. Not a fancy bar, but very functional. And it certainly looks much better refinished than when I received it. The car feels marginally tighter in street driving, but the true test will be on track. Overall, well worth it.
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Very nice AB.

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Looks great Blake! :) You are on a fast pace on new mods :D

Nice

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CRRRAAAAAPPPPPPPP. Vase shattered and fell on my foot two weeks ago. 9-stitches and superglue held things together, but it turns out the tendon to my big toe was severed clean through. Surgery's scheduled for Tuesday morning, and then I'll be in a stiff boot for 6 weeks which means... no driving a manual. I took my wife out tonight to teach her to drive the ZHP so I can drive her minivan... for the next 6 weeks :crying

Worst part: I had finally finished all my mods and maintenance and was signed up for an HPDE weekend May 21-22. Had to cancel it.

Such is life. The good news: I've got a great surgeon and should have no problems getting movement back into my foot. Lord willing I'll be able to make a late June HPDE instead.

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