Z3 2.2 titan silver time machine journal

[Davil]

So I bought my 2001 Z3 2.2 a month ago now. 50k miles. Absolute time machine. Showroom condition. Owned by an old chap for whom it was his pride and joy. But he got too old for it. Yes I probably paid too much but this car is now a family member and here for the long term.

 

[Davil]

After a couple of weeks though, I did get a little annoyed by a slight shudder from time to time. I figured that it’s an old car so the bushings may be a little old. So I found a good Indy specialist. They did say, oh, that’s “scuttle shake”. I wasn’t so convinced and got them to change the front bushings. Then do an alignment. It turned out the front wheels were at Marty Feldman toe settings. 1° left 4.5° right. An alignment combined with the new front bushings was a dramatic improvement. 80% better and quite acceptable. But still not perfect.

 

[Davil]

So. Next up. I wanted some fancier wheels. Those old 16” donuts have their charm but I wanted a retro wheel with some style.

So I went on a seemingly endless quest to find a BMW BBS style wheel fitting of the era. You can’t get the BMW ones anymore unless you buy 2nd hand. No thanks. I wanted 17s and not too wide.

Finally I ended up with AG M220 wheels, a bit like BBS RS, a lot like HRE 501, but still a recognised quality wheel. I ordered them from an Australian dealer with a great online store. They were delivered to my door in 3 days. Fitted balanced, flawless. Also great value.

However. I wanted BMW centre caps. I googled endlessly what BMW caps to get. So much conflicting info. In the end I held the caps that came with it next to my M2CS and they appeared to be the same size. So I just drive down to the local BMW dealer and bought 4 x 68mm BMW caps. Sure enough they fit perfectly. So. If this post ever appears in some poor soul’s Google search. Take it as Gospel that the 68mm caps fit just fine on the AG M220.

So I polished the wheels today then fitted them.

They are a 17x7.5 square setup ET40. 225/45/17 tyres. Let’s face it, the Z3 isn’t a tyre burner it’s a joyous cruiser. No need to over tyre it.

The outcome? Every little bit of shudder is gone. Perhaps the old 16s had hit some potholes in their time? Also, this combo is near 3kg lighter per corner. That’s a lot! Ride, handling and steering is massively improved. It’s uncanny. Also. Bloody hell it looks good.

Next update. Probably time for new shocks. I like the standard ride height and comfort. I also detest lowering springs having made that mistake in the past. Not sure if I will go Koni adjustable (which I have on another car and love), Bilstein 4 or Bilstein 6. Also probably a good time to replace rear bushings etc. as sure they are a bit vintage.

I absolutely adore this car. It is medicine for the soul.

 

[Davil]

Oh and one more thing. I love this 2.2 motor. It makes such a soundtrack and makes you think you are going really fast when you aren’t doing anything illegal. My other car is 0 to prison before you can blink. So I really do enjoy this a lot. Combined with the 5 speed. Yes it’s journey from 1st to 2nd but otherwise lovely. Extra bonus for great heel and toe pedal placement.

So creamy. So many little burbles and characterful noises. It’s from another era. I’m sure other owners would agree what a gem it is.

Did I mention that I love this car?

 

[Ianmc]

Do you like your car?

 

[Davil]

Do you like your car?

A bit.

 

[Philpatton]

I have the 2.2 as well and I love the car. The exhaust note is awesome, feels like you are flying along at warp 9 when in reality you are doing 70mph.
I also really like the engine noise when it starts up. Proper straight 6 rumble.
I changed all the bushes, front/rear arb bushes, lollipop bushes and a service using oem parts, which improved the car / ride no end.
I also did the brakes (discs and pads f/r) and caliper rebuild on all 4 brakes, which means she stops as she should, but also rolls on the slightest incline.
I got lots of support / advice from this forum, so don’t be shy in asking questions!
A great fun car that still turns heads.
Have fun, stay safe and enjoy!
P

 

[Davil]

I have the 2.2 as well and I love the car. The exhaust note is awesome, feels like you are flying along at warp 9 when in reality you are doing 70mph.
I also really like the engine noise when it starts up. Proper straight 6 rumble.
I changed all the bushes, front/rear arb bushes, lollipop bushes and a service using oem parts, which improved the car / ride no end.
I also did the brakes (discs and pads f/r) and caliper rebuild on all 4 brakes, which means she stops as she should, but also rolls on the slightest incline.
I got lots of support / advice from this forum, so don’t be shy in asking questions!
A great fun car that still turns heads.
Have fun, stay safe and enjoy!
P

Thanks! Yes, my plan is to change all the other bushes when the shocks get replaced. I had a poke around and the some of them look a little vintage. The old bugger is handling and riding really nicely at the moment though. In an old chap‘s driving joy sort of way. Just the new wheels and tyres, front bushings and alignment made a massive difference.

I think the old owner was a little leisurely. It keeps getting quicker and sounds even better every day. Blowing out a few cob webs. Quick is of course relative but the experience in how it gets there is the joy. What. A. Sound!

The other thing I love about this car. No CarPlay. I just tune the radio permanently to an 80s 90s station and go back in time.

And yes. Boy does it turn heads. Took my wife out the other day and we drove past a school oval and a group of little boys were pointing and cheering. Very funny. They‘d probably never seen anything like it.

 

[Ianmc]

I think the old owner was a little leisurely. It keeps getting quicker and sounds even better every day. Blowing out a few cob webs. Quick is of course relative but the experience in how it gets there is the joy. What. A. Sound!

I understand (but don't know for certain) that the car adapts its performance depending on how it is driven. In other words, if you drive like Miss Daisey, it will adapt its self accordingly and take a bit of "Irish tuning" to sort out - that's fun though!