What did you do for your ZHP/ BMW / MINI today? #2

[JupiterBMW]

Yeah I still think it's some sort of hocus pocus crap, but it does work. Besides, if I ever wanted a free car wash, I'd lower one tire a bit until the light popped on and then bring it to the dealer for a free top up. They loved my ZHP and would often ask if I wanted it washed as well. Shady I know, but whatever.


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[Imola.ZHP]

Figured out that I should have done more reading on the OEM ski pass through before I went out and bought a rack- didn't realize the trunk has a piece you need to knock out in the middle, and it's done. Thought I read somewhere that the non-cold weather package cars had a totally different trunk divider. Found a couple of ski bags on ebay, so I'll be grabbing one soon for when I'm too lazy to throw the rack on.

Maybe you were confusing the cars that don't have folding rear seats? Like my car, no cold weather package (heated seats stand alone option) no folding rear seats, there is no knock-out or anything on my car, just a gray (trunk liner colored) wall/divider.

Dude, get nitrogen... I used to leave the ZHP parked for 2-3 months at a time and I would get home and on the first drive, no flat spots, no problems. To me, it is SO worth the $69 for the annual service at the dealer.

My car sits a lot too, not as much as yours did, and I've never had any flat spots, luckily work has a nitrogen generator, so we don't have to pay for nitrogen in our tires.

Yeah I still think it's some sort of hocus pocus crap, but it does work. Besides, if I ever wanted a free car wash, I'd lower one tire a bit until the light popped on and then bring it to the dealer for a free top up. They loved my ZHP and would often ask if I wanted it washed as well. Shady I know, but whatever.

You must trust your dealer more than I trust mine as far as car washes go, you do realize they pay their car washers nearly nothing to work there, what do they do when they drop whatever it is they are washing your car with on the ground by accident? Probably pick it up and keep washing, marring the clear coat with whatever contaminants they picked up off the ground. Or even perhaps brake dust or brake pad material from the wheels on the car they washed before yours. I always put two big signs on the car "PLEASE DO NOT WASH" when I take mine in for service. Maybe I'm crazy.

[stephenkirsh]

A lot of places have touch less car wash machines now

[Vas]

New center console and coby boots and armrest installed

[Pip]

Took out the exhaust cam shaft sensor to replace the o-ring and to my surprise the o-ring looks pretty darn decent. I think it might have only needed a quick torque to spec. Of course now that I have it out I'll replace with new because it wasn't easy and I don't want to go back in there.

Old o-ring (will show new o-ring when it arrives):

[fredo]

Dude, get nitrogen... I used to leave the ZHP parked for 2-3 months at a time and I would get home and on the first drive, no flat spots, no problems. To me, it is SO worth the $69 for the annual service at the dealer.

I will consider nitrogen, thanks for the idea. I try to drive the Mini at least once a month, so flat spots don't seem to be a problem for me. The tires were around 25-27 psi each (recommended value is 33 psi) after 3 or 4 months so I'm ok with that as well.

[Rovert]

Nitrogen is a larger molecule despite having a smaller atomic mass than oxygen. That's why it's easier for an oxygen molecule to wiggle through the rubber and escape which leads to an under inflated tire more so than nitrogen. As a tire is bearing the weight and slowly deflating without moving, the tire structure will flatten out and remember that.

With nitrogen, a tire that doesn't move for a long period of time will not deflate quickly thus significantly decreasing the chance of a flat spot.

Next, I wondered why a molecule with a smaller atomic mass is bigger than one that has one more proton. More protons (+) create a higher attraction for the electrons (-) surrounding them. Oxygen has 8 protons and Nitrogen has 7 so 8 protons pull the electrons in tighter creating a smaller molecule. That's science in as simple as I can make it!!

Another good thing with nitrogen filling is a significantly decreased injection of water vapor into the tire which creates much smaller pressure differences between a cold and hot tire versus filling up with an air compressor.

If you're good with checking and maintaining pressures while using your car and not storing it, I don't see any reason why regular air is seen as a death sentence from the marketing of nitrogen. Anyone storing their car or drivers who rely on consistent air pressures for balancing vehicle performance especially in racing would benefit from nitrogen.

[ELCID86]

Nitrogen is a larger molecule despite having a smaller atomic mass than oxygen. That's why it's easier for an oxygen molecule to wiggle through the rubber and escape which leads to an under inflated tire more so than nitrogen. As a tire is bearing the weight and slowly deflating without moving, the tire structure will flatten out and remember that.

With nitrogen, a tire that doesn't move for a long period of time will not deflate quickly thus significantly decreasing the chance of a flat spot.

Next, I wondered why a molecule with a smaller atomic mass is bigger than one that has one more proton. More protons (+) create a higher attraction for the electrons (-) surrounding them. Oxygen has 8 protons and Nitrogen has 7 so 8 protons pull the electrons in tighter creating a smaller molecule. That's science in as simple as I can make it!!

Another good thing with nitrogen filling is a significantly decreased injection of water vapor into the tire which creates much smaller pressure differences between a cold and hot tire versus filling up with an air compressor.

If you're good with checking and maintaining pressures while using your car and not storing it, I don't see any reason why regular air is seen as a death sentence from the marketing of nitrogen. Anyone storing their car or drivers who rely on consistent air pressures for balancing vehicle performance especially in racing would benefit from nitrogen.

Thanks for the explanation T. I'm a regular air guy, I guess mostly out of convenience and the fact I'm a cheapskate. It does mean I have to fire up the compressor in the garage on a regular basis. Colin needed about 15 lbs in one tire yesterday (the rest were all ok) and my wife said there TPMS had been alerting her 2-3 tires were low due to the cold temps we've been having.

So if you do go nitrogen, can you top it off with a regular compressor or is that defeating the purpose by mixing the two? (I may have asked this before).

[ELCID86]

Removed my 15mm rear spacers to avoid scraping with the winter tires.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[squashman702]

Maybe you were confusing the cars that don't have folding rear seats? Like my car, no cold weather package (heated seats stand alone option) no folding rear seats, there is no knock-out or anything on my car, just a gray (trunk liner colored) wall/divider.

My rear seat doesn't fold. Un-Velcro the leather flap behind the arm rest on the upper portion of the back seat, and peel back some of the insulation, which is perforated, bet you have the spot to knock out as well. I'll have to cut the rear portion of the liner once I get the ski bag/trim, but I'd bet your car has the metal portion to knock out as well.

Today, took it to NTB to get my leaky snow tires figured out, had corrosion around the bead like I suspected. Got that ground down and the tires rebalanced.