Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Experience of the Z4 M Coupe

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #46
    Excellent read John, you didn't waste any time in getting stuck in eh!!

    Very impressed. Agree with Keith's post 100%, wish there were more like you on the forums.

    No doubt you will be keeping up the good work so will pop back to read and learn more.

    Comment


    • #47
      I wish you lived over here John so that you could do mine. I don't have the balls (or skill) to be able to do that.
      From Z3 MC to Z4 MC... glad to be back

      Comment


      • #48
        Originally posted by dalecan View Post
        I wish you lived over here John so that you could do mine. I don't have the balls (or skill) to be able to do that.
        I could possibly make myself available for an expenses paid trip to the USA

        It looks like you have a nice garage to work in. You should have a go at something relatively straightforwards so that you get your confidence and a sense of achievement. The Z4MC is a nice car to work on; there's quite a bit of room around most parts and it's mostly very logical how it's been assembled. If you'd like to have a go at any of the things I've done, I can talk you through it (Skype could help).

        I think having confidence of lifting and supporting the car safely is paramount, so that you are happy to get underneath the car knowing that you are safe. The Z4MC is superb for this because there's central lifting points at the front and rear so that you can put the car on stands under the side lifting points. If you take your time and have patience to do things right and use a good set of tools, you'll always succeed.
        /// Exdos ///
        "Men who try the impossible and fail spectacularly are infinitely superior to those who reach for nothing and succeed" --Napoleon Bonapart

        Comment


        • #49
          It's funny John, my first 6 years in the Army was as a vehicle mechanic (I even got my first class tradesman out of that). In my day working on a tank or landrover was easy, and nothing as complicated as the technology used today.

          I'm OK at suspension stuff and replacing sensors etc, and have done lots of stuff to my X-type (and that's a pain to work on), but it's a lot cheaper than the MC...............using a cutting and welding torch on my own car.................somehow I don't think so


          Needless to say at some point I will get around to changing the OEM suspension for something less harsh (although it's surprisingly better than my 350z which was rock hard in comparison).


          The previous owner of my house built it and was kind enough to give me a nice fully finished 2 car garage, but I am still collecting the appropriate tools; work is getting in the way.

          We're off on another camping excursion this weekend into the mountains (Lake Diablo) and I can;t wait to take the MC (the wife and dog will be following me the next day in the X3).
          From Z3 MC to Z4 MC... glad to be back

          Comment


          • #50
            Hmmmm a hole saw, zip ties, flexi, and a bit of a sink........given that your car will be a classic one day why go attacking it with an angle grinder?
            I'm all for making things better but why buy what was a approx 50k car and then do some of the mods on the cheap?
            I understand why you have done the suspension as they are a bit jiggly and become a little unsettled at times but the ride / steering is really not as bad as you make out. It's more that we have awful roads here in the uk.
            Having owned both I would say that BMW is not the kind of car manufacturer to go about making retrograde steps on the z4m, it's an extremely focused drivers car and it needs the right inputs to get the most out of it.
            I applaud you for doing it & the write ups have been very comprehensive, i just thought I would add my two cents.........
            Now where is my Dremel & the silicone gun?!

            Comment


            • #51
              Originally posted by McQueen View Post
              Hmmmm a hole saw, zip ties, flexi, and a bit of a sink........given that your car will be a classic one day why go attacking it with an angle grinder?
              I'm all for making things better but why buy what was a approx 50k car and then do some of the mods on the cheap?
              I understand why you have done the suspension as they are a bit jiggly and become a little unsettled at times but the ride / steering is really not as bad as you make out. It's more that we have awful roads here in the uk.
              Having owned both I would say that BMW is not the kind of car manufacturer to go about making retrograde steps on the z4m, it's an extremely focused drivers car and it needs the right inputs to get the most out of it.
              I applaud you for doing it & the write ups have been very comprehensive, i just thought I would add my two cents.........
              Now where is my Dremel & the silicone gun?!
              PMSL!

              I bet your most exciting mod has been fitting a stubby aeriel.

              The fun for me is devising relatively simple and cheap DIY mods which can produce provable gains but which require my proper understanding of the science of how things work.

              Yes, I've taken an angle grinder to a pair of exhausts but I've still got the original exhausts in OEM state in my store, which can be put back at any time.

              Yes, I've cut two small holes in two relatively cheap plastic parts which can easily be repaired/replaced, but, personally, I prefer to have functioning brake ducting whilst I own the car. I use cable ties and flexi-ducting so that all the bits and pieces can be easily removed so that the car could revert to OEM with minimal effort/cost/damage. Now, can you please tell me the better way of providing brake-ducting to a Z4MC?

              I simply disagree with you on the suspension and the steering. I live "in the sticks" and do most of my driving on relatively poor A&B roads, and the very stiff rear OEM suspension (with 19mm diameter wire springs) gives a very uncomfortable ride which makes my neck and shoulders ache. For me, that is totally unacceptable and I simply don't want to live with a car like that. The front of the Z4MC with OEM suspension is relatively too soft and pitches heavily on braking and lifts on hard acceleration which makes the steering very "floaty" and imprecise, particularly when overtaking on the heavily cambered roads that I normally drive on. If you find the Z4MC suspension good, then all I can say is that you must drive your Z4MC on better roads than me.

              As for your comments about the car being a classic one day as being a reason for not modding it in the way that I've done: it's been said before that trying to keep a car as a low mileage, unmolested vehicle is like refraining from having sex with your wife, just so that she'll still be nice and tight for the next bloke.
              Last edited by exdos; 07-09-2012, 10:53 PM.
              /// Exdos ///
              "Men who try the impossible and fail spectacularly are infinitely superior to those who reach for nothing and succeed" --Napoleon Bonapart

              Comment


              • #52
                I shouldn't worry, the Z4 will never be a classic.
                S54 Titan Silver metallic. Black leather, most factory options including sunroof, Becker Cascade and Becker Silverstone changer.

                Comment


                • #53
                  liking the reply john

                  Click here to email me

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Originally posted by exdos View Post
                    it's been said before that trying to keep a car as a low mileage, unmolested vehicle is like refraining from having sex with your wife, just so that she'll still be nice and tight for the next bloke.

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      Its not a saying i have heard before but one i dont think i will ever forget now!
                      2002 '52 S54 - Titanium Silver with 18" BBS LMs, AP Racing BBK, KW V3, H&R anti roll bars & ACS flippers (previously 2000 'X' S50 - Arctic Silver)

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X