peter's canadian imola ZHP project

[NoVAphotog]

oh yeah! i was going to get to that.


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.


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!

Love these thoughts Peter! Thank you for the excellent write up and feedback.

Bilstein PSS: Interesting. Sounds pleasing to the "change the car for the better" angel on one shoulder, but at the same time...Vas, "the OEM+ angel" on the other shoulder rises in volume a bit (Immediate message - "you ready for a stiffer ride, Daniel?" after your thoughts were posted). Curious for updates as you go along and maybe swap wheel/tires in the Spring (not going to be installing mine anytime soon with Winter coming and all) so plenty of time to sell them if I get cold feet on changing my car as I often do...

MFactory 3.46 Helical LSD: Completely agree with everything stated here. Single best thing you can add to these cars. In the words of BCS_ZHP the 3.46 just FITS the ZHP and the LSD is a bonus on top. Anyone on a budget should look into just the 3.46 Open as well. Incredible.

CDV Delete: I did do it sooner, almost within the first month I had the car. Can't say I REALLY noticed a difference...I'd have to drive one back to back to MAYBE tell, but...still good peace of mind knowing the clutch is just working as it should and my foot is modulating accordingly.

Shifter: Definitely an area I've thought about improving from the already excellent. Is double clutching something I need to practice...I remember NewJack going at it driving around and it just seems excessive...especially in regular around town driving at granny speeds. It's a catch 22 because the only time I could see being relevant is high speed shifting but I damn sure don't want to practice it then as uncoordinated as I am...could end up with an S54 swap...

Poly diff mounts: OEM+...M3/Z4M for me...

UUC black trans mounts: " "

[Vas]

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.

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.

I was thinking of picking up this kit from ecs tuning and rebuilding my shifter.Thoughts?
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-33...ter/ES2594076/

[BMWCurves]

All good stuff, thanks for following up with your impressions, Peter!

@Vas, do you have the part numbers for the E46 M3 engine and trans mounts?

[ELCID86]

I was thinking of picking up this kit from ecs tuning and rebuilding my shifter.Thoughts?
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-33...ter/ES2594076/

SSK.


Tumbs, fone, TaT. ;-)

[Vas]

All good stuff, thanks for following up with your impressions, Peter!

@Vas, do you have the part numbers for the E46 M3 engine and trans mounts?

They might be in one of my project threads. If not they are (2) Engine Mount 11812283798 and (2) Trans Mount 22322282340

@daniel you need somebody to keep your wild ideas in check. But install those PSS and quit honeydicking around. lol

[slater]

Love these thoughts Peter! Thank you for the excellent write up and feedback.

Bilstein PSS: Interesting. Sounds pleasing to the "change the car for the better" angel on one shoulder, but at the same time...Vas, "the OEM+ angel" on the other shoulder rises in volume a bit (Immediate message - "you ready for a stiffer ride, Daniel?" after your thoughts were posted). Curious for updates as you go along and maybe swap wheel/tires in the Spring (not going to be installing mine anytime soon with Winter coming and all) so plenty of time to sell them if I get cold feet on changing my car as I often do...

Shifter: Definitely an area I've thought about improving from the already excellent. Is double clutching something I need to practice...I remember NewJack going at it driving around and it just seems excessive...especially in regular around town driving at granny speeds. It's a catch 22 because the only time I could see being relevant is high speed shifting but I damn sure don't want to practice it then as uncoordinated as I am...could end up with an S54 swap...

Poly diff mounts: OEM+...M3/Z4M for me...

i hear you on the PSS - they are great. not too stiff. i've had plenty of horrid suspensions. these will be a lot softer than the BC Racing coilovers (you were considering those?). they feel OEM+ to me. no noise, no fuss, just good damping and a little bit more spring rate. i do want to test them out with my michelin PSS, but it's too cold out for those right now...

double-clutching - it is good for your transmission synchros if you rev-match properly (saves wear), and is an inherently smoother method of downshifting. if you can heel and toe, even better. i find i can't really "heel" and "toe" in the ZHP because of either the drivetrain tunnel or my size 11.5 feet, so i apply the brake with the ball of my foot and "roll" onto the gas with the outside of my foot, to accomplish the same thing. when you get the whole thing synchronized, it's art. and sounds cool. i've been doing it so long i don't even realize i'm doing it...

i HIGHLY recommend what i did with the shifter. it can be appreciated no matter what mods you've got on the car.

re: the OE diff mounts... we can't use the M3/Z4M ones as their diff 'mounts' differently (oooh... sorry... too many puns!) than ours does. not many options here; stock, different variations of poly (i chose ECS because they were the softest durometer), and solid aluminum.

I was thinking of picking up this kit from ecs tuning and rebuilding my shifter.Thoughts?
https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-33...ter/ES2594076/

that's the exact kit i bought. all of it was good, except for the delrin bushings needing to be shaved. i'd say, do it. you can shave them easily enough with a sharp razor blade (you're doing drywall so i know you've got one of those!), in a vise.

All good stuff, thanks for following up with your impressions, Peter!

no problem! i had to vent to you guys - my wife gets tired of listening to me talk about car stuff, so i just don't bother her with it anymore.

SSK.

to be honest - no desire for a SSK after how mine feels. it's perfect! (and WAY cheaper )

They might be in one of my project threads. If not they are (2) Engine Mount 11812283798 and (2) Trans Mount 22322282340

@daniel you need somebody to keep your wild ideas in check. But install those PSS and quit honeydicking around. lol

LOL!!

[az3579]

Is double clutching something I need to practice...I remember NewJack going at it driving around and it just seems excessive...especially in regular around town driving at granny speeds. It's a catch 22 because the only time I could see being relevant is high speed shifting but I damn sure don't want to practice it then as uncoordinated as I am...could end up with an S54 swap...

Double clutching is unnecessary on this platform, and is very very tricky to do due to this laggy-as-hell throttle. The synchros are fantastic at doing their job. You should, however, learn to rev-match, because that will eliminate the shock the system gets when the clutch is let out.
So, rev-matched (single clutch) downshifts are plenty on this platform, and do sound amazing when executed properly. I've been doing this since I started driving at 16 and have never stopped. I attribute my clutch lasting this long to the simple fact that I rev-match every single downshift. 237k on the original clutch with no sign of slippage yet.

For "heel & toe" downshifts, I do what Peter does, which isn't really heel and toe at all. It's more like ball-of-foot and edge-of-foot. lol
Left edge of my foot on the brake while the right edge blips the throttle on the downshift. It's easier to modulate the brakes this way for regular in-town driving because you don't stab the brakes when doing it.

[NoVAphotog]

Double clutching is unnecessary on this platform, and is very very tricky to do due to this laggy-as-hell throttle. The synchros are fantastic at doing their job. You should, however, learn to rev-match, because that will eliminate the shock the system gets when the clutch is let out.
So, rev-matched (single clutch) downshifts are plenty on this platform, and do sound amazing when executed properly. I've been doing this since I started driving at 16 and have never stopped. I attribute my clutch lasting this long to the simple fact that I rev-match every single downshift. 237k on the original clutch with no sign of slippage yet.

For "heel & toe" downshifts, I do what Peter does, which isn't really heel and toe at all. It's more like ball-of-foot and edge-of-foot. lol
Left edge of my foot on the brake while the right edge blips the throttle on the downshift. It's easier to modulate the brakes this way for regular in-town driving because you don't stab the brakes when doing it.

BP, I do try and rev-match down shift where it's appropriate in my driving, I've been doing that since my first manual car back in hs...not a master, but MUCH better at that than double clutch...

This is usually me driving around town...

[Rovert]

I became used to double clutching all my shifts up and down which makes the gear lever slip into gears that much easier.

It also comes in handy when you're in a situation where the only way to drive an old broken manual car is to double clutch.

I thought I'd be out of practice from not driving with a man pedal but I find I subconsciously double clutch any manual transmission I drive nowadays.

Bringing up the synchro topic is the same as when oil changes are done at intervals faster than most change underwear. There likely is not much proof either way. It's all about justification.

So have fun driving however you want. There is no right/wrong way. The good thing is, most things that man breaks, man can fix with a little bit of $$$.

[BMWCurves]

They might be in one of my project threads. If not they are (2) Engine Mount 11812283798 and (2) Trans Mount 22322282340

@daniel you need somebody to keep your wild ideas in check. But install those PSS and quit honeydicking around. lol

Appreciate it, Vas!

Double clutching is unnecessary on this platform, and is very very tricky to do due to this laggy-as-hell throttle. The synchros are fantastic at doing their job. You should, however, learn to rev-match, because that will eliminate the shock the system gets when the clutch is let out.
So, rev-matched (single clutch) downshifts are plenty on this platform, and do sound amazing when executed properly. I've been doing this since I started driving at 16 and have never stopped. I attribute my clutch lasting this long to the simple fact that I rev-match every single downshift. 237k on the original clutch with no sign of slippage yet.

For "heel & toe" downshifts, I do what Peter does, which isn't really heel and toe at all. It's more like ball-of-foot and edge-of-foot. lol
Left edge of my foot on the brake while the right edge blips the throttle on the downshift. It's easier to modulate the brakes this way for regular in-town driving because you don't stab the brakes when doing it.

Yup, rev-matching goes a long way for the health of the engine. That version of "heel and toe" is what I do as well, and our cars are pretty well suited for it in terms of relative pedal depth under braking. It's fairly easy and very useful when you're hotfooting it in the bends. I assumed (probably incorrectly) that "heel and toe" comes from an era when cars had throttle pedals that hinged from the upper portion of the pedal box like the clutch and brake pedals, rather than our throttle pedals that hinge at the floor. I can't rotate my ankle enough to get enough force/torque to blip the throttle on the floor-hinged pedal in my car. I could in my C4 S4 though, loved the pedal setup in that car. At any rate, I learned to always "set up the car before the turn" i.e. be at your lowest speed and in the lowest gear you plan to be in so that you can accelerate through the turn without unsettling the car's balance/posture by having to shift or excessively modulate throttle, and heel and toe helps set that up.

BP, I do try and rev-match down shift where it's appropriate in my driving, I've been doing that since my first manual car back in hs...not a master, but MUCH better at that than double clutch...

This is usually me driving around town...

You race for pinks around town?