peter's canadian imola ZHP project

[ELCID86]

eh?

Take off.

[slater]

Sorry to run your thread off the rails a little bit, Peter, but I do enjoy some harmless Canadian/American banter.

LOL, it's cool! being AmeriCanadian i'm on both sides of the fence.

staying on-topic... got a cylinder 6 misfire code today. car was running like it was on 5 cylinders (as it was ).

got home, pulled the coil packs and plugs. installed new plugs (had them on the shelf ), swapped cylinder 6 coil pack with cylinder 1, started it up... no misfires. dead plug! never had that happen before (always a coil pack).

[Sockethead]

Last time I had that happen, new plugs fixed it for me too

[ELCID86]

Glad you had the parts in stock. I've not seen a plug die like that before.

[slater]

Last time I had that happen, new plugs fixed it for me too

cool. are you running stock plugs?

Glad you had the parts in stock. I've not seen a plug die like that before.

me either, it was weird. i'm using NGK BKR6E. i've been using this brand and type of plug (performance copper) for over a decade now, no issues until now.

[slater]

so i thought, since it has been 6 months already on this overhaul (time flies), that i would do a little recap of how stuff is working out, if i would do anything differently, etc...

i've added new strut mounts, and the 18x8.5" ET38 apex ARC-8s and 245/35/18 michelin PSS, and 3mm rear spacers since the post below. i'm mostly over the fence on the feel of the 'square' setup - my winter setup is squared, but this new setup is utilizing 245's up front, so that's way different. the on-center feel is not as good with them, but i'm also replacing my steering coupler and full tie rods soon (and new swaybar endlinks), so we'll see how it feels after that...

- 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.

still happy with these. they are awesome.

- 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.

still quiet! still awesome.

- 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.

to be honest, the LSD goads me a bit. i find myself turning DSC and DTC off more frequently and i want to hang the rear end out a lot more. i do, however, want to try derek's suggested DSC coding tweaks (using a hybrid of ZHP/M3/CSL settings) for when i turn just DSC off, so i can get a little more slip out of it. happy to leave the stock DSC/DTC 'on' settings for when my wife drives the car in the wet.

- 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.

this has held up very well - the rear shifter rod bushing mod has gotten a tiny bit softer, but still feels great. i drove alex's car recently and he has the BMW Performance shift lever (aka 'euro' shift lever), and i really liked that - it was a subtle reduction in throws and notchy-ness that i would really like.

- 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.

i changed the rear diff fluid after 1000km with motul 300 GL-5, and it actually helped quiet the diff noise down a tiny bit. it's still there a little, enough to notice but not enough to bother me (and that says something!).

- 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.

after lots of troubleshooting i've deduced that this is indeed my DMF going bad. it's going to be replaced sometime in the next year with a SPEC 20lb steel SMF, and either the SPEC street or E34 M5 clutch + PP (both kits have a sprung hub clutch disc). will probably do next spring at tax return time if it can hold out that long.

bottom line - my car is awesome. it has a new character. it's my favorite car!

i still feel the same way - i had 1.5hrs in the car last night on mostly 50mph roads and it just is so nice to drive - it's exactly how i want it (minus the on-center steering feel and DMF rattletrap ). excited to drive this car til it's dead!

i replied to my own post. what a weird thing to do.

[slater]

upcoming to-do list:

ENGINE
- remove shark injector tune
- reflash DME with latest software
- reinstall shark injector tune
- GAS DISA rebuilt kit

SUSPENSION/STEERING
- install new lemförder front swaybar endlinks, tie rod assemblies and steering coupler
- alignment with more negative camber front and rear (aiming for -1.5ºF and -1.0º rear; currently at -1.25ºF, -0.75ºR)
- PS fluid flush

BRAKES
- new zimmermann rotors and stoptech sport pads

BODY
- wash/wax/detail
- replace broken RF lower fender liner (has been broken since i bought the car...)
- re-aim headlights

MISC (road trip items for my kids )
- install E38 rear cupholder in leading edge of rear seat bottom
- install USB port and +12v charge port in rear storage cubby (on the back of the center console)

[Vas]

The zimmerman rotors are very nice. I got a set waiting to be installed with some stoptech street pads.

[slater]

The zimmerman rotors are very nice. I got a set waiting to be installed with some stoptech street pads.

cool. i've been using zimmermann rotors on audis for years - and the set of rotors coming off this car are zimmermanns... i buy the coated ones. they've always been good.

[cakM3]

upcoming to-do list:

BODY
- wash/wax/detail
- replace broken RF lower fender liner (has been broken since i bought the car...)

You have a good list to work on Peter! I was reminded by the lower fender liner... I have been living with my broken lower RF fender liner myself... I will replace mine this summer...