- Joined
- Oct 26, 2014
- Points
- 181
- Model of Z
- Z4 coupe sport.
Hi and welcome from me in Hertfordshire.RHA,Roy.
Grandpa Ripper
- Thread starter Grandparipper
- Start date
Hi and welcome from me in Hertfordshire.RHA,Roy.
Grandparipper
Regular Member
These in my picture are supposed to be the M wheels from 1998 or thereabouts. Wider in the rear, plus I put directional tires on them for the rain we get here. Result: No rotating of tires to spread the wear out evenly, but they look great and are easy to clean.
Speaking of rain, do not buy Dunlop Diarezza tires if you will ever see damp pavement. I had to toss my rears with 50% tread left because they scared me in any wet corner. The Goodrich G-Force Comp tires are incredible! Smooth, quiet, very grippy, and I have not been able to get them to slip yet! They are on the lower price end of the performance tire spectrum too! Fronts are next when my snow tires come off. Sweet!
My rear alignment (on the car!) was out of spec when I got it . It followed tire ruts and felt 'twitchy'. The dealership wanted to replace suspension parts until:
a) It went back into spec. or
b) My visa card hit it's limit....
This made ME twitchy! A company in California makes an adapter to weld onto the rear subframe so it becomes adjustable for toe-in. A local shop who deals in 3 series race cars installs them often and had a revised sub frame waiting on the shelf, painted and ready for me. They removed mine, transplanted my brakes, and I now have adjustability in the rear! It was about $1,000 US if I remember right. I am pretty sure the dealership bill would have exceeded this and still not been adjustable for the future.
Speaking of rain, do not buy Dunlop Diarezza tires if you will ever see damp pavement. I had to toss my rears with 50% tread left because they scared me in any wet corner. The Goodrich G-Force Comp tires are incredible! Smooth, quiet, very grippy, and I have not been able to get them to slip yet! They are on the lower price end of the performance tire spectrum too! Fronts are next when my snow tires come off. Sweet!
My rear alignment (on the car!) was out of spec when I got it . It followed tire ruts and felt 'twitchy'. The dealership wanted to replace suspension parts until:
a) It went back into spec. or
b) My visa card hit it's limit....
This made ME twitchy! A company in California makes an adapter to weld onto the rear subframe so it becomes adjustable for toe-in. A local shop who deals in 3 series race cars installs them often and had a revised sub frame waiting on the shelf, painted and ready for me. They removed mine, transplanted my brakes, and I now have adjustability in the rear! It was about $1,000 US if I remember right. I am pretty sure the dealership bill would have exceeded this and still not been adjustable for the future.
Even directional tyres can be "rotated" in a fashion. If like most Z's it starts to wear the inner edges of the tyres you can move the tyre to the other side of the car and turn it on the rim. I did this on my Z3 and it prolongs the life of the tyres.
Tony.
Tony.
Grandparipper
Regular Member
True Tony. Neither of these two brands has a different outside and inside (asymetrical) tread, so they could be removed, reinstalled, and rebalanced.
Thank you. It was too late for my back tires, the most expensive ones of course. Due to the toe being out, the inner edges were down to the wear bars, so the shop would not even rebalance them. They looked great from the outside to the center though! Some drifter needed to buy them and burn them up having fun!
Thank you. It was too late for my back tires, the most expensive ones of course. Due to the toe being out, the inner edges were down to the wear bars, so the shop would not even rebalance them. They looked great from the outside to the center though! Some drifter needed to buy them and burn them up having fun!
Grandparipper
Regular Member
I was told these are the 17 inch M wheels from the period. They are very easy to clean since your hands can reach into the open smooth areas. I think they are 7.5 inch wide in front and 9 inch in the rear, so they fill the wheel wells nicely. Back then, the 1.9 had smaller back fenders so people in the know could tell them apart. The wider flamks are a much more muscular look to my eyes. Plus the 2.8 liter 6 sings a prettier song, especially through the Magnaflow muffler. (The stock muffler was too quiet for a proper sports car.)
An upgrade induction filter helps with the sound too?
This one I fitted on my Z3 2.0
This the one I recently fitted on my Z4 3.0.
Tony.
Grandparipper
Regular Member
Thanks Tony.
Did it make more intake noise?
Does it actually help with performance or MPG in any noticeable way?
I was told that a cold air duct to the stock airbox was more helpful than this style of induction mod. I left mine alone as a result since it seemed to have a fairly direct cold air route up to the stock piece. I am interested in your insights.
Did it make more intake noise?
Does it actually help with performance or MPG in any noticeable way?
I was told that a cold air duct to the stock airbox was more helpful than this style of induction mod. I left mine alone as a result since it seemed to have a fairly direct cold air route up to the stock piece. I am interested in your insights.
I can only comment really on my Z4's Ramair kit. It has an open ended filter and that is pushed right up against the original cold air feed of the car from the factory,
This is the cold air feed duct from the factory which forces the cold air directly into the Ramair filter. Now, I appreciate that they will always draw some air from the outer circumference of the filter but this gives it the best chance of feeding cold/cooler air straight into the motor.
Tony.
ps. The only way I can improve on this is to create a bigger scoop behind the grille to collect more cold air into the ducting. Work in progress.
This is the cold air feed duct from the factory which forces the cold air directly into the Ramair filter. Now, I appreciate that they will always draw some air from the outer circumference of the filter but this gives it the best chance of feeding cold/cooler air straight into the motor.
Tony.
ps. The only way I can improve on this is to create a bigger scoop behind the grille to collect more cold air into the ducting. Work in progress.
Grandparipper
Regular Member
Pretty slick!
Add any noise, power, or MPG?
Add any noise, power, or MPG?