BMW Z4 3.0si - 2003 (E85) Track car upgrades
Discussion
Hi. I have a 3L Z4 that I've taken on a few track days. I nw feel it's time perform a few upgrades to speed up my lap times and get a bit more out of the car. I've looked at coilover springs and a set of semi-slick tyres that I'll put on in the next few weeks or so. I'll also put some brakes from a 330 on there.
What else would you recommend? Is it worth adding an induction kit and a exhaust upgrade? I'm a novice when it comes to performance upgrades so any advice is welcome.
Thanks in advance.
What else would you recommend? Is it worth adding an induction kit and a exhaust upgrade? I'm a novice when it comes to performance upgrades so any advice is welcome.
Thanks in advance.
As someone with the same engine, forget trying to get any more power out of it cost-effectively. You'd spend £1.5-2k on car worth £3-4k to add ~20bhp. If you want it to sound a bit more rorty (for no negligible performance increase), add a RamAir foam cone and chop out the middle box (resonator) of the exhaust.
When I was looking into these (still not totally gone off them), the major track upgrades were coilovers and an M-Factory LSD. Being honest, these should be prerequisites for anything that's going to be driven hard on track, particularly RWD cars. You can expect to spend £1.5-2k on these, and they should (along with some decent pads and lines/fluid) make it a lot more usable and fun.
Weight saving doesn't come cheap either, with the only straightforward option being to bin the seats (bonus points if they are electric) in favour of a pair of buckets.
When I was looking into these (still not totally gone off them), the major track upgrades were coilovers and an M-Factory LSD. Being honest, these should be prerequisites for anything that's going to be driven hard on track, particularly RWD cars. You can expect to spend £1.5-2k on these, and they should (along with some decent pads and lines/fluid) make it a lot more usable and fun.
Weight saving doesn't come cheap either, with the only straightforward option being to bin the seats (bonus points if they are electric) in favour of a pair of buckets.
C70R said:
When I was looking into these (still not totally gone off them), the major track upgrades were coilovers and an M-Factory LSD. Being honest, these should be prerequisites for anything that's going to be driven hard on track, particularly RWD cars. You can expect to spend £1.5-2k on these, and they should (along with some decent pads and lines/fluid) make it a lot more usable and fun.
Weight saving doesn't come cheap either, with the only straightforward option being to bin the seats (bonus points if they are electric) in favour of a pair of buckets.
Thanks for the info. I did wonder. I'm on the case of coilovers and brakes. I thought about a LSD, I'll relook at this. Seems handling is the way forward. I have electric everything but still want to be able to use it on the road so reluctant to start stripping it out..Weight saving doesn't come cheap either, with the only straightforward option being to bin the seats (bonus points if they are electric) in favour of a pair of buckets.
Just about to take my fairly standard e85 3.0i z4 to spa for a trackday.... also keeping it ok for road driving. My advice:
Federal 595rsr for tyres, about 95 a corner. Best upgrade for a track car.
Brakes are a problem... larger discs will help, but decent high temp fluid is a must. I kept standard 300mm fronts, and ebc blues were not up to the job. Switched to PF08s instead, pricey but should last 8 trackdays.
I also took out the front fogs and removed the access panel. Standard z4 has no front brake cooling, so useful to get extra air into the wheelwells.
Finally do the sound generator mod, 2 minutes to remove a bit of foam. Free, effective and reversible if you dont like it!
If i had more funds id go coilovers or thicker ARBs... personally with decent tyres i dont think a slippy diff is required. Though a shorter diff would be nice, and theyre cheap off ebay.
Federal 595rsr for tyres, about 95 a corner. Best upgrade for a track car.
Brakes are a problem... larger discs will help, but decent high temp fluid is a must. I kept standard 300mm fronts, and ebc blues were not up to the job. Switched to PF08s instead, pricey but should last 8 trackdays.
I also took out the front fogs and removed the access panel. Standard z4 has no front brake cooling, so useful to get extra air into the wheelwells.
Finally do the sound generator mod, 2 minutes to remove a bit of foam. Free, effective and reversible if you dont like it!
If i had more funds id go coilovers or thicker ARBs... personally with decent tyres i dont think a slippy diff is required. Though a shorter diff would be nice, and theyre cheap off ebay.
brillomaster said:
personally with decent tyres i dont think a slippy diff is required
It's obviously horses for courses, but I can see a lot of merit in one. Regardless of how good your tyres are, you're going to struggle with traction out of slow corners on hard throttle without an LSD, simply because you'll be using half of the tyre area to create traction. Secondly, it will also make the car more adjustable with the throttle on the limit in faster corners, because you are able to push the car into a more stable oversteer when you are driving both wheels.Sure, you can have fun without one. But I could imagine reaching a car's 'performance ceiling' quite quickly.
Brakes first, second and third. Then a decent coil-over suspension kit with geometry setup for track use. With decent wheel control and moderate power, you can leave an LSD for later.
That's plenty to enjoy on track. Obviously fit decent tyres, but I wouldn't add too much grip personally. You'll loose to much adjust ability and it'll make the finding the inherent balance further away.
Enjoy!
That's plenty to enjoy on track. Obviously fit decent tyres, but I wouldn't add too much grip personally. You'll loose to much adjust ability and it'll make the finding the inherent balance further away.
Enjoy!
Gassing Station | Track Days | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff