I'm fairly sure he was referring to the poly bushes Aaron, there does seem to be some saying that they have creaks and groans from them when they've been on a while and had some use.
Tony.
Looking for a Z (Now found & Built!)
- Thread starter Aaron MacQ
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Tony.
It’s more likely old bones than the bushes creaking. As for the groaning well maybe they ran over a cat...
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Ah, soz.
No, never had any issues but can see why the two piece rotating bushes, such as the front control arm could squeak. However, if they did, they'd just need some fresh copper grease applied and that would only take a few minutes with a jack and a socket set.
If the rear swing arms dried out, that might take a bit more effort, but the rest are static and I've never had any issues on any of my cars, and they're all polybushed.
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
I need to find a cheaper hobby!
So, hot in the trail of acquiring the beige interior roll hoops earlier in the week, I went on eBay to see what the going rate for the OEM mesh wind deflector was and see if there were any beige tonneau covers about...
Unfortunately (for my credit card) there were two covers so I made a few cheeky offers around the regular forum member-to-member rates and lower ebay selling prices in the past month. Unsurprisingly, both were rejected, but then I spotted one of the sellers had a wind deflector for sale too, so sent him a wee PM and struck a deal on both items.
Whilst basking in the satisfaction of acquiring a few more items from my Z wish list, I seem to have got carried away, and spotted a relatively cheap set of 386M's (F20 M Sport 18's). Sure, I already have a set for the 1er (pic below), but it's nearly christmas and they look awesome on the Z, so why not....
So, hot in the trail of acquiring the beige interior roll hoops earlier in the week, I went on eBay to see what the going rate for the OEM mesh wind deflector was and see if there were any beige tonneau covers about...
Unfortunately (for my credit card) there were two covers so I made a few cheeky offers around the regular forum member-to-member rates and lower ebay selling prices in the past month. Unsurprisingly, both were rejected, but then I spotted one of the sellers had a wind deflector for sale too, so sent him a wee PM and struck a deal on both items.
Whilst basking in the satisfaction of acquiring a few more items from my Z wish list, I seem to have got carried away, and spotted a relatively cheap set of 386M's (F20 M Sport 18's). Sure, I already have a set for the 1er (pic below), but it's nearly christmas and they look awesome on the Z, so why not....
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Having just looked up the prices of tyres and factoring in the cost for a refurb, I appear to have jumped the gun a little...
Sure, stuff's only expensive the day you buy it.
Every other day, it's FREE!
Sure, stuff's only expensive the day you buy it.
Every other day, it's FREE!
Slow down @Aaron MacQ - you’re gonna break the bank!Having just looked up the prices of tyres and factoring in the cost for a refurb, I appear to have jumped the gun a little...
Sure, stuff's only expensive the day you buy it.
Every other day, it's FREE!
Good luck with the work ahead of you!
My motto's always been that the banks have billions I haven't borrowed yet and the loans are life insured so why not?? JIM
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Well, the hoops arrived, well packaged and as described, so dropped them off at my dads and tasked him with cleaning them up...
Not looking too bad at all (obviously this is only half way...)
Missing a few clips but looks like they're only a few quid to replace from BMW anyway.
Not looking too bad at all (obviously this is only half way...)
Missing a few clips but looks like they're only a few quid to replace from BMW anyway.
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Some people...
So, the 386M's, arrived today, except... they were e82 261's and in shocking condition!
Actually, I quite like them, and the issues are mostly paint related, but I feel a bit cheated.
Have messaged the seller to see if it was a genuine mistake, and maybe get the 386M's from the photo, but Santa isn't impressed with this particular ebay elf.
So, the 386M's, arrived today, except... they were e82 261's and in shocking condition!
Actually, I quite like them, and the issues are mostly paint related, but I feel a bit cheated.
Have messaged the seller to see if it was a genuine mistake, and maybe get the 386M's from the photo, but Santa isn't impressed with this particular ebay elf.
I have to say I prefer his wheel for the Z3, it’s more curved and dished and fits nicely with the era without being too modern and not obviously a 1 series rim.Some people...
So, the 386M's, arrived today, except... they were e82 261's and in shocking condition!
View attachment 70800 View attachment 70801
Actually, I quite like them, and the issues are mostly paint related, but I feel a bit cheated.
Have messaged the seller to see if it was a genuine mistake, and maybe get the 386M's from the photo, but Santa isn't impressed with this particular ebay elf.
With a nice bright shadow chrome (not too dark to let the curves show) it will look very nice.
Or even a bright silver should look great.
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
He's got back to me to say that 'someone put the wrong pic on', but has offered to arrange a courier and refund. Fair enough, although they are sitting right in front of me, and only a refurb away from looking great...
I don't think they have the same presence as the 386's, and it was a bit of an impulse buy, but i've done a quick mockup to compare...
386M's
261's (pic stolen off the web, and turned green for effect)
On a plus, the 261's are easier to clean, and i do already have a set of 386's!!!
Mmm, what to do.......
I don't think they have the same presence as the 386's, and it was a bit of an impulse buy, but i've done a quick mockup to compare...
386M's
261's (pic stolen off the web, and turned green for effect)
On a plus, the 261's are easier to clean, and i do already have a set of 386's!!!
Mmm, what to do.......
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Decided to keep the 261's, although not decided whether they'll make it to the Z3 or become new winters for the 1er.
Anyway, more Z goodies just arrived.
Doesn't look like they've ever seen much use, and are in perfect condition.
Anyway, more Z goodies just arrived.
Doesn't look like they've ever seen much use, and are in perfect condition.
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Well, happy new year to all you Z'ers.
Enjoyed the break from doing anything at all over the holidays, but yesterday I started on the Z, getting busy with all my new bits..
At this stage, I just want to get the suspension swapped over so I can decided whether or not to return the old Apex stuff.
Anyway, simple job, just to swap the Powerflex top mounts...
Sorry, didn't take many photos of the removal, but it only takes a few mins.
Jack, the rear (both sides), remove the lower shock bolts and support the swing arms, undo the top and drop the shocks out.
Then lean on the brake disk/hub and the spring should slide out.
Pop in the new KW/ST springs...
Swap the top mounts...
Shove them back in the car...
Bolt up the lower (hand tight), then torque them once the cars on the ground....
Same on the other side...
Stick some wheels on (oops wrong wheels... nevermind)
Take it for a spin....
Pleased to say, the 'knock' has gone. As suspected, it was just an internal valve noise, that after fitting the polybushed top mounts, was transferring to the cabin. Didn't bother me at all, but my dad moaned a bit and hey, we bought the Apex stuff before we knew just how special this car would be, and since ST was my go-to kit for the M3, I couldn't think of anything better to treat the Z with...
I did intentionally put the 386's on as they have a really high 52mm offset and are only 8" wide (still on 245 tyres mind) and I wanted to see how it sits. The previous style 18's were 8.5" and 41mm offset. Both are using an additional 15mm spacer (26mm / 37mm respective effective offsets)
It's not bad, but as you can see, the style 18 fronts (7.5" wide/ 41mm - 3mm spacer offset) is much more flush.
I'll wait till I get the rear camber sorted before deciding if we'll go with the 261's I got recently (currently away for refurb and some new rubber) or look for some more 386's, or even just stick with the originals (which is my own long term preference anyway).
Reason for waiting is that after the camber reduction, I'm not sure if it will pull the bottom of the wheel in, or push the top out, so can't be sure at this stage what size of spacer would be required.
Anyways, that's all for now. Hope to get the front coilovers swapped over in the new few days, then can start with the rest of santa's treats.
Enjoyed the break from doing anything at all over the holidays, but yesterday I started on the Z, getting busy with all my new bits..
At this stage, I just want to get the suspension swapped over so I can decided whether or not to return the old Apex stuff.
Anyway, simple job, just to swap the Powerflex top mounts...
Sorry, didn't take many photos of the removal, but it only takes a few mins.
Jack, the rear (both sides), remove the lower shock bolts and support the swing arms, undo the top and drop the shocks out.
Then lean on the brake disk/hub and the spring should slide out.
Pop in the new KW/ST springs...
Swap the top mounts...
Shove them back in the car...
Bolt up the lower (hand tight), then torque them once the cars on the ground....
Same on the other side...
Stick some wheels on (oops wrong wheels... nevermind)
Take it for a spin....
Pleased to say, the 'knock' has gone. As suspected, it was just an internal valve noise, that after fitting the polybushed top mounts, was transferring to the cabin. Didn't bother me at all, but my dad moaned a bit and hey, we bought the Apex stuff before we knew just how special this car would be, and since ST was my go-to kit for the M3, I couldn't think of anything better to treat the Z with...
I did intentionally put the 386's on as they have a really high 52mm offset and are only 8" wide (still on 245 tyres mind) and I wanted to see how it sits. The previous style 18's were 8.5" and 41mm offset. Both are using an additional 15mm spacer (26mm / 37mm respective effective offsets)
It's not bad, but as you can see, the style 18 fronts (7.5" wide/ 41mm - 3mm spacer offset) is much more flush.
I'll wait till I get the rear camber sorted before deciding if we'll go with the 261's I got recently (currently away for refurb and some new rubber) or look for some more 386's, or even just stick with the originals (which is my own long term preference anyway).
Reason for waiting is that after the camber reduction, I'm not sure if it will pull the bottom of the wheel in, or push the top out, so can't be sure at this stage what size of spacer would be required.
Anyways, that's all for now. Hope to get the front coilovers swapped over in the new few days, then can start with the rest of santa's treats.
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N
N4LLY
Guest
Most excellent !
If there was an award for thread of the year 2017. Winner is right here
If there was an award for thread of the year 2017. Winner is right here
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Haha, thanks. It's all about giving back to the next generation of enthusiasts.Most excellent !
If there was an award for thread of the year 2017. Winner is right here
Anyways, got the front suspension swapped on Sunday morning. Fairly straight forward.
Cant beat a few hockey pucks to protect those jacking points...
Wheel up...
Wheel off..
Stand under the lollypop...
Jack the other side so the wheels just off the ground (releasing any tension in the anti-roll bar!)
Remove the ABS and brake pipe from the holder and undid the 3 hub-to-strut bolts.
Wind down the coilover to release any spring tension...
Support the hub assembly...
Undo the top, and ....
Plonk it on the floor...
Remove the top mount and swap the the new ST's...
Then reverse the process, and do the other side....
One problem I did hit, the ST shock is slightly taller than than the Apex, so when I tried to align the strut to the hub on the first side, i had to prise it up a bit since the anti-roll bar was effectively pulling the hub up at the same time. A little bit awkward, but no biggie...
The other side, slid straight in as it was already at the right level.
Anyway, he initial ride height was embarrassingly high, so didn't take a completion photo, but the old kit can now go back for refund and I'll be back to the Z in a few days to get the height back to where it was.
Laters...
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Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Another day, another delivery....
What am I up to...? Even I don't know!
Anyway, collected my 261's from the refurb guy, with some fresh Eagle F1's.
Actually, these look tasty!
Only problem is... ET 47 (front) which doesn't clear the coilover spring platform and ET 52 (rear) which just looks stupid on a widebody Z3, even with a 15mm spacer. So, I'm going to need at least 10mm (front) / 30mm (rear - not the bolt-through type!) spacers. Anyone got any first hand horror stories of 30mm spacers snapping?
What am I up to...? Even I don't know!
Anyway, collected my 261's from the refurb guy, with some fresh Eagle F1's.
Actually, these look tasty!
Only problem is... ET 47 (front) which doesn't clear the coilover spring platform and ET 52 (rear) which just looks stupid on a widebody Z3, even with a 15mm spacer. So, I'm going to need at least 10mm (front) / 30mm (rear - not the bolt-through type!) spacers. Anyone got any first hand horror stories of 30mm spacers snapping?
Why not the bolt through type on the rear - if you don't mind me asking?Another day, another delivery....
What am I up to...? Even I don't know!
View attachment 71737
Anyway, collected my 261's from the refurb guy, with some fresh Eagle F1's.
Actually, these look tasty!
View attachment 71738 View attachment 71739 View attachment 71740
Only problem is... ET 47 (front) which doesn't clear the coilover spring platform and ET 52 (rear) which just looks stupid on a widebody Z3, even with a 15mm spacer. So, I'm going to need at least 10mm (front) / 30mm (rear - not the bolt-through type!) spacers. Anyone got any first hand horror stories of 30mm spacers snapping?
I run up to 25mm spacers (hubcentric with extended bolts / stud conversion).
According to the massive internet debate the wheels will have fallen 16times, my scrub radius would give changed and need HGV like space to make a u turn and generally the car will be ruined.
But when Porsche do it at the factory it it’s amazing...
Don’t want to sound cynical but first hand experience it’s been fine. I can see how it can go wrong when non hubcentric are used/incorrect bolts used. Operator error will do that!
According to the massive internet debate the wheels will have fallen 16times, my scrub radius would give changed and need HGV like space to make a u turn and generally the car will be ruined.
But when Porsche do it at the factory it it’s amazing...
Don’t want to sound cynical but first hand experience it’s been fine. I can see how it can go wrong when non hubcentric are used/incorrect bolts used. Operator error will do that!
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
30mm extended bolts puts a lot of strain in a bolt, with no support other than at the thread and seated end. I've seen a 'cheap' bolt (regular non-extended) snap before after it was over-tightened many times over a number of years and since none of the big brands like Eibach/H&R/KW etc would make a bolt-through spacer over 20mm, I'm happy to follow that lead.
Anyway, the wheel-to-spacer-to-hub type make much more sense as the relatively weak bolt lengths are kept much smaller, but you do see so many 'stories' of issues with bigger spacers, but in my view, they're nearly all some plonker trying to widen his track to extreme amounts. I on the other hand only want to widen the track by around 19mm (currently already 15mm), which would still be well within the wheel bearing tolerances (the only component to actually take any stress from track widening). The other 11mm, is purely offset correction since the wheels are ET52 and that has no affect whatsoever on handling.
I've never used such a big spacer, and I can't see why it could cause an issue if fitted correctly, but the mind does wonder...
Sorry - I misunderstood your original question. I thought you meant bolt on hub adapters. Thanks for the comprehensive response.