I Think I've Found my Zed

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sat 20 Apr, 2013 14:19

As some of you know, I've been searching for a Z3 for a few months now. Initially, my criteria was 2.8L minimum. Then I raised the requirement to facelift models only. Then, I lowered the engine requirement to 2.2L minimum. I looked at the specs and the 2.0L with 150hp was just not enough for me.

Then I drove a 2.0 today.

I was very surprised by the engine. It was fairly torquey and pulled all the way to redline. I was expecting a much more lethargic experience. I'm sure at higher speeds the 2.8L+ and even the 2.2L will start to show it's true strengths over the 2.0L, but for what I am going to do, I find that the 2.0L will be more than enough. I've already got a higher powered sports luxury saloon for highway cruising, so the Z3 will be for the twisty German back roads and making my short work commute more enjoyable.

I won't get into the specifics of the car, because I want to surprise you all with the pics. It's a very nice car.

You all told me to just go and drive a 2.0L and stop speculating over whether it was enough engine for me. That was sage advice, and thanks. I was supposed to see another car with more power tomorrow, but this one ended up being 20 minutes from my house while the other one is hours away. It's also in better condition than the bigger engined car. Hopefully the price negotiations will go well tomorrow, but I won't let a few hundred get in the way of the sale.

Cheers!

('_')Z3 · Post by **('_')Z3** » Sat 20 Apr, 2013 14:45

Good luck with the negotiations tomorrow

assuming all goes well, welcome to the 2.0ltr club

Del · Post by **Del** » Sat 20 Apr, 2013 16:47

I thought you might be pleasantly surprised - good luck with the purchase/negotiations.

Brian H · Post by **Brian H** » Sat 20 Apr, 2013 17:47

Good luck tomorrow, get some pics up when you but it

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sat 20 Apr, 2013 18:51

('_')Z3 wrote:Good luck with the negotiations tomorrow assuming all goes well, welcome to the 2.0ltr club

Thanks! Hope to join it soon.

Good luck tomorrow, get some pics up when you but it

Will do. It's a nice one.

I thought you might be pleasantly surprised - good luck with the purchase/negotiations.

Definitely surprised. I thought it would be a slouch, but the owner let me push it a little bit and I was not expecting the nice torque and pull from the 2.0L that it had. I drove a 2.8L a couple of months ago and it was great as well, but I don't remember the difference due to the time elapsed between drives. If I drove them back to back, I'm sure I'd feel it. Either way, the 2.8L was a bit tattered, especially in comparison to the car I drove today.

snoops · Post by **snoops** » Sat 20 Apr, 2013 18:53

Pre facelift/facelift/engine size - none of it matters really, it's a Zed you'll love it...

Looking forward to piccies of your new pride and joy - hope negotiations go well

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sun 21 Apr, 2013 14:09

Handshake deal done today, which essentially locked in price and my intent to purchase. Would have paid for it on the spot in cash, but the seller is getting a new German TüV inspection (similar to UK MOT) on Tuesday. I have no issue waiting for that, since he'll be responsible for anything that comes up before I take possession. Hopefully, I'll be posting pics of the new ride by mid-week!

Woody1000 · Post by **Woody1000** » Sun 21 Apr, 2013 15:30

I recently had my 2.0 remapped and was surprised just how much more pull it had as a result, it knocks the BHP up a little but it was the torque I found most noticeable.

Good luck with your car

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sun 21 Apr, 2013 16:50

Woody1000 wrote:I recently had my 2.0 remapped and was surprised just how much more pull it had as a result, it knocks the BHP up a little but it was the torque I found most noticeable.

Good luck with your car

Thanks!

What else did you do before the remap? Intake, exhaust, etc.. Or did you just do the remap by itself? Who did the remap, if you don't mind me asking.

Pierrick · Post by **Pierrick** » Sun 21 Apr, 2013 20:53

Ok, so, we are tomorrow now... do you have the car then?? and some pictures!

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sun 21 Apr, 2013 21:17

Pierrick wrote:Ok, so, we are tomorrow now... do you have the car then?? and some pictures!

barbancourt wrote:Handshake deal done today, which essentially locked in price and my intent to purchase. Would have paid for it on the spot in cash, but the seller is getting a new German TüV inspection (similar to UK MOT) on Tuesday. I have no issue waiting for that, since he'll be responsible for anything that comes up before I take possession. Hopefully, I'll be posting pics of the new ride by mid-week!

Due to work and stuff, it will probably be Thursday or Friday before I take possession. I made a couple of requests for things he had to do on the car as part of the deal.

Pierrick · Post by **Pierrick** » Sun 21 Apr, 2013 22:46

Oh! Sorry! Didn't see that!

Good news then! I bet you can't wait until to have it! There is going to be some late night dreaming about the zed this week!

Woody1000 · Post by **Woody1000** » Mon 22 Apr, 2013 20:26

barbancourt wrote:
Woody1000 wrote:I recently had my 2.0 remapped and was surprised just how much more pull it had as a result, it knocks the BHP up a little but it was the torque I found most noticeable.

Good luck with your car
Thanks!

What else did you do before the remap? Intake, exhaust, etc.. Or did you just do the remap by itself? Who did the remap, if you don't mind me asking.

My car is fairly standard in terms of performance parts, just a sport back box on the exhaust and that's it, the remap was done by a guy on the .org forum called Grimstead, well worth it I guess with forced induction and other bits and bobs it would improve further but my days of "driving like you stole it" is a little passed me ! As long as I can get to 60mph in less than time it takes my wife to do it then I'm happy !! And she's got a 911 turbo but can't drive for toffee !!

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Thu 25 Apr, 2013 16:10

Car is getting dropped off tonight.

Pierrick · Post by **Pierrick** » Thu 25 Apr, 2013 21:38

Good news!
You should have it by now...

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Thu 25 Apr, 2013 21:40

Pierrick wrote:Good news!
You should have it by now...

Got it! Too dark for pics though.

miller1098 · Post by **miller1098** » Thu 25 Apr, 2013 21:42

use your flash cant wait

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 09:34

Mad Max · Post by **Mad Max** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 09:44

That looks awesome

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 09:51

Mad Max wrote:That looks awesome

Thank you, Sir.

Eventually, I'll get around to testing out the BBS LM replicas I have sitting in my garage from my E39 (RIP). They are 19 inch though, so I'm not sure how it will look or fit. The offset seems like it would be right though. I think they were originally made for a 3 Series because I had to use adapters/spacers. But as is, the car looks good, IMO, so I probably won't have too much impetus to change anything right away. The current wheels are RH Wheels (I think 2 piece) in 17 inch.

I did order a set of Storm Motorworks shift knob, e-brake cover, and lighter blank earlier this week though.

BladeRunner919 · Post by **BladeRunner919** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 09:55

That's very nice. The steering wheel's on the wrong side, of course!! I have a black car with Tanin red seats and, looking at this, I'm tempted to do the centre console in red to match too.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 09:58

BladeRunner919 wrote:That's very nice. The steering wheel's on the wrong side, of course!! I have a black car with Tanin red seats and, looking at this, I'm tempted to do the centre console in red to match too.

Thanks!

I always think the same thing when I see a right-hand drive car. Looks weird to my American eyes.

Del · Post by **Del** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 10:07

Very nice looking car - condition both inside and out looks very good. Personally, I like black alloys as they give a contemporary, aggressive/sporty look - easily reversed if trends change. I'm sure if they still made Z3s today things like black alloys would be an option.

BlackBeautZ · Post by **BlackBeautZ** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 11:34

Hi Bam

great new black zed there as you can see mine is blacked out totally and looks agressive.

Enjoy here

PCSAM · Post by **PCSAM** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 11:52

that's one nice tidy car you have mate ,,,,,,, it looks great . you will have fun tweaking it to your liking ....... I have a silver 3.0i and I have smoked it out . yours would look fantastic with a bit of smoking

Captain · Post by **Captain** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 12:01

Good looking zed you got yourself, worth the wait

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2

**Z3** · Post by **Z3** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 13:01

Certainly the best colour combo to have...it makes it go much faster than the other colours....

Pierrick · Post by **Pierrick** » Fri 26 Apr, 2013 20:55

Very nice!!! I love the inside, just the right amount of red! Superbe!
The extérior look good as well, but I don't like the black wheels!

Anyway, it is a very nice car! Enjoy!

snoops · Post by **snoops** » Sat 27 Apr, 2013 07:53

Wow, that looks amazing and mean

There are cars on here, despite their age, wouldn't look out of place in a car showroom alongside band new cars and I have no doubt new customers would be drooling over them.

For me BMW Z3's were CLASSIC the day they were made.

Enjoy your new pride and joy.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sat 27 Apr, 2013 08:37

Del wrote:Very nice looking car - condition both inside and out looks very good. Personally, I like black alloys as they give a contemporary, aggressive/sporty look - easily reversed if trends change. I'm sure if they still made Z3s today things like black alloys would be an option.

Thanks. You may see different wheels on the car soon, but I do like the black on black.

BlackBeautZ wrote:Hi Bam

great new black zed there as you can see mine is blacked out totally and looks agressive.

Enjoy here

You've got a nice Zed as well. Any more pics of it?

PCSAM wrote:that's one nice tidy car you have mate ,,,,,,, it looks great . you will have fun tweaking it to your liking ....... I have a silver 3.0i and I have smoked it out . yours would look fantastic with a bit of smoking

Thanks man. I may end up smoking it a bit. I usually don't smoke out parts on my cars, but I think it would work.

Captain wrote:Good looking zed you got yourself, worth the wait

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2

Definitely glad I bought it. On the first drive, had quite a few people just staring at it.

**Z3** wrote:Certainly the best colour combo to have...it makes it go much faster than the other colours....

Need all the help I can get with the 2.0L engine. lol.

Pierrick wrote:Very nice!!! I love the inside, just the right amount of red! Superbe!
The extérior look good as well, but I don't like the black wheels!

Anyway, it is a very nice car! Enjoy!

We'll see how it looks with the 19 inch BBS LM reps off my old 5 Series.

snoops wrote:Wow, that looks amazing and mean There are cars on here, despite their age, wouldn't look out of place in a car showroom alongside band new cars and I have no doubt new customers would be drooling over them.

For me BMW Z3's were CLASSIC the day they were made.

Enjoy your new pride and joy.

Thanks, always wanted a Zed. This one in particular looked very mean and that is why I liked it even more.

XVar · Post by **XVar** » Sat 27 Apr, 2013 08:40

If I remember correctly the E39 wheels have a much lower offset than those of the Z3, so fitment could possibly be an issue. Can't hurt to try though.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sat 27 Apr, 2013 09:03

XVar wrote:If I remember correctly the E39 wheels have a much lower offset than those of the Z3, so fitment could possibly be an issue. Can't hurt to try though.

Yep, but they came with 20mm (if I recall correctly) spacers when I bought them. I was actually mad because the seller didn't say that the wheels would come that way, and I bought them brand new. I think that they are ET40, so I think that is the correct offset for the Z3? I'm more worried about them mating to the hub flush.

XVar · Post by **XVar** » Sat 27 Apr, 2013 10:31

The standard Z3 wheels are between ET35 and ET45 depending on which wheels they are, so ET20 + 20mm spacers will indeed take them to correct offset (or close enough, within 5mm). Why wouldn't they sit flush with the hub?

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Sat 27 Apr, 2013 13:17

XVar wrote:The standard Z3 wheels are between ET35 and ET45 depending on which wheels they are, so ET20 + 20mm spacers will indeed take them to correct offset (or close enough, within 5mm). Why wouldn't they sit flush with the hub?

Different center bore sizes. 74.0 mm (E39) vs 72.5 mm (E36). I think they are E36 fitment though, but I'm really not sure. I have to go down to my cellar and look how the wheels were made, but there are spiders there and I'm scared. haha. I think it's a problem only if fitting E36 to E39, but not vice-versa.

Seriously, I'm going to go down there and check.

As far as offset, I thought the stock offset for the Z3 was ET41, and since the wheels I have are ET40, that is right in spec. The 20mm spacers I had were to fit the E39. The wheels are not ET20 + 20 mm spacer, they are ET40.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Wed 01 May, 2013 04:16

I'm enjoying the car so far...

Weather has been worse than I had hoped so not a lot of top down action. Drives great most of the time, but this car takes A LOT of concentration to drive compared to my luxury sedan. lol. It tramlines and the wheel violently jerks on certain road imperfections. On a flat road, it runs smooth and tracks straight. But anything can set this car off in a fit and it's unpredictable.

One does not simply... walk into Mordor... or drive a Z3.

I have been reading up and I'm going to try the polyurethane front lower wishbone bushings. No, I will not call them "bushes" just because I am on a UK website.

I also may go for a Strong Strut brace.

Oh, and I fitted the Storm Motorwerks shift knob, e-brake, and cigarette lighter blank today. Very nice parts and great service from Bilal!

BladeRunner919 · Post by **BladeRunner919** » Wed 01 May, 2013 07:06

barbancourt wrote: I have been reading up and I'm going to try the polyurethane front lower wishbone bushings. No, I will not call them "bushes" just because I am on a UK website.

I think that's a good idea (changing the bushes, not the use of americanisms!

). Definitely helped with tramlining on my car. When I went to change them I did also discover that the wishbone balljoints were in pretty poor shape too - unless you know that the wishbones have been replaced at some point, I'd suggest just swapping them anyway - they're not expensive and you may as well just get the front end properly sorted, including getting the tracking done after the swap, all in one go.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Wed 01 May, 2013 08:31

BladeRunner919 wrote:
barbancourt wrote: I have been reading up and I'm going to try the polyurethane front lower wishbone bushings. No, I will not call them "bushes" just because I am on a UK website.
I think that's a good idea (changing the bushes, not the use of americanisms! ). Definitely helped with tramlining on my car. When I went to change them I did also discover that the wishbone balljoints were in pretty poor shape too - unless you know that the wishbones have been replaced at some point, I'd suggest just swapping them anyway - they're not expensive and you may as well just get the front end properly sorted, including getting the tracking done after the swap, all in one go.

Thanks. When I change the bushINGS

, do you recommend the normal style polyurethane upgrades, or the eccentric ones. I've been reading that the eccentric bushings increase the castor to similar specs as the ///M and improve anti-tramlining effects.

BladeRunner919 · Post by **BladeRunner919** » Wed 01 May, 2013 08:41

barbancourt wrote: Thanks. When I change the bushINGS , do you recommend the normal style polyurethane upgrades, or the eccentric ones. I've been reading that the eccentric bushings increase the castor to similar specs as the ///M and improve anti-tramlining effects.

I put Powerflex normal bushes

into my 1.9. I can't really comment on the use of the eccentric ones and what the effect would be.

Del · Post by **Del** » Wed 01 May, 2013 09:00

The dreaded tramlining!!! As far as I am aware most non-Z3M owners go for the normal polyurethane bushes. the important thing seems to be that they are solid like the M ones - whereas the non-M ones are hollow top & bottom. Some report they cure/diminish the tramlining others report no difference. There seems to be a link between this mysterious tramlining and larger wheels – the general trend seems to be that those with say 16 inch wheels report it less than owners with 17/18 inch wheels. Some people claim it’s all down to tyre pressures! Certain tyres seem to help or make matters worse and certain tyres, as they wear down, seem to worsen the situation. If you find a 100% cure you’ll be able to sell it to us all and become a millionaire.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Wed 01 May, 2013 09:08

Del wrote:The dreaded tramlining!!! As far as I am aware most non-Z3M owners go for the normal polyurethane bushes. the important thing seems to be that they are solid like the M ones - whereas the non-M ones are hollow top & bottom. Some report they cure/diminish the tramlining others report no difference. There seems to be a link between this mysterious tramlining and larger wheels – the general trend seems to be that those with say 16 inch wheels report it less than owners with 17/18 inch wheels. Some people claim it’s all down to tyre pressures! Certain tyres seem to help or make matters worse and certain tyres, as they wear down, seem to worsen the situation. If you find a 100% cure you’ll be able to sell it to us all and become a millionaire.

Thanks. I've got 17 inch wheels on mine.

It is quite disconcerting. I'm not an aloof driver by any standards, but I feel like I must pay absolute 110% attention to all steering feedback at all times. I'm sure i'll get it sorted. Where is Edd China when you need him?

BladeRunner919 · Post by **BladeRunner919** » Wed 01 May, 2013 09:27

Del wrote:the important thing seems to be that they are solid like the M ones - whereas the non-M ones are hollow top & bottom.

I do think that's the important point. Even new oem bushes allow so much movement - why a component that contributes to the correct suspension and steering geometry is so 'wobbly' by design is quite beyond me.

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Wed 01 May, 2013 10:55

Tramlining is partly the condition of the bushes etc...the main cause is the almost square X of the Zeds...the length vs width of the wheel positions isn't the best set-up for a car. They really should have made the chassis a couple of hundred mm longer and increased the boot storage with that addition. Tyre pattern can contribute to the effect in my experience. Harder tyres seem to make matters worse vs softer tyres...not referring to pressure here...again, this is a subjective observation. I found the V pattern on tyres were more prone to the problem than the paralell grooved tyres with cross cuts for water movement as in the F1's. But ultimately the issue is the Z3 is almost as wide as it is long in the wheel base.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Wed 01 May, 2013 11:31

Southernboy wrote:Tramlining is partly the condition of the bushes etc...the main cause is the almost square X of the Zeds...the length vs width of the wheel positions isn't the best set-up for a car. They really should have made the chassis a couple of hundred mm longer and increased the boot storage with that addition. Tyre pattern can contribute to the effect in my experience.

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

barbancourt · Post by **barbancourt** » Thu 02 May, 2013 17:07

Ok...

So, I've had a week to drive the Zed now and the more I drive it, the better it gets. I actually do not think it has a tramlining issue. I think what it has is a little bit of play in the steering while at center position and a little bit left and a little bit right. What happens is that when I hit a bad spot in the road, it will follow it and require more of a correction than I would like. I must have been having a bad day the day I said it was tramlining, because since then the car has been pretty civil and a pleasure to drive. I swear I didn't make it all up though. That first day I really drove it around, it was darty and unruly. Maybe I'm just getting used to it now.

I had the TüV (MOT) inspection done and everything checked out perfectly. I think that I'll try the polyurethane bushings in combination with a Strong Strut front brace to tighten up the front a little bit. I don't think it absolutely needs it, but I want to push it harder and I want that extra bit of precision.

I have to take some pics of the Storm Motorwerks parts. They look and feel great while driving.