peter's canadian imola ZHP project

[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.

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]

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.

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.

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 ()

[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'..."

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 ()

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!



i'm loving it.

peter