2010: A year of mods! Eisenmann update P2

[gannet]

Looks great

The headlamps really do make a difference

Think Id stick with the prefacelift bumper if it was me

[cj10jeeper]

Hey PawnSacrifice - you're making real progress anfd the mods look very impressive.

See you've benn bitten by the bug that has afflicted me for many years...

[sammyz]

Some really good stuff I take it you don't have replacing the wheels at the top of your list? Usually the wheels arethe first thing people look to change

[GAZA62]

Headlights look so much better but remember keep it simple keep it clean

[PawnSacrifice]

Thanks for all the kind words

Looks like you went a bit dark with the rear light spray, having used it on my rear lights maybe you could have done less layers so more orange shone through.

You're spot on... I'm planning to take them off and for re-tinting. Cutting it back with ascetone isn't delicate enough.

Think Id stick with the prefacelift bumper if it was me

Am thinking that more and more now the lights are on. I originally was after a facelift bumper as I wanted to put a wrap (carbon?) on the bottom rail and the facelift bumper is cut in nicely.

Hey PawnSacrifice - you're making real progress and the mods look very impressive.

See you've benn bitten by the bug that has afflicted me for many years...

Thanks... it's odd, I've been buying bits for a while now but not done anything with them in case I went M, would have been a good garage sale So, now the mods are going to be coming thick and fast - well, over the next few months. I hope! Oddly I was straight in there with my motorbike but had never considered touching the Z4... the rest is a familiar story. Enjoying it immensly!

Some really good stuff I take it you don't have replacing the wheels at the top of your list? Usually the wheels arethe first thing people look to change

Cheers. Wheels are definitely on the list. I had wanted to make more use of my current tyres, although there's a lot of tread so I'm now thinking I'll just take them off and sell. The 103s are going to be re-shoed as winter wheels. Not sure what colour to go with next and have been watching your wheel threads with great interest! It's amazing what a difference the lights have made, the way mine looks now am thinking I may actually stick with silver on my car. Otherwise it'll be gunmetal, I've already spoken to Lepsons.

[Mr Whippy]

Personally I prefer the dashes of orange on my silver car, otherwise it'd look black and white

Nice work doing it though, very impressive to be able to just get your hands dirty and achieve these changes cheaply and effectively!


What wheels will you be going for... 107/108 or something different?


Dave

[Mafoo]

I'm on the fence with changing the front lights. Clear deffo does seem the way forward and yours do look the dogs. However on Amber does suit some colours (sterling grey for one).

Your rears are an excellent mod. Really cleans up the rear

[PawnSacrifice]

Personally I prefer the dashes of orange on my silver car, otherwise it'd look black and white

Nice work doing it though, very impressive to be able to just get your hands dirty and achieve these changes cheaply and effectively!

What wheels will you be going for... 107/108 or something different?

Dave

I like the B&W look But I know where exactly you're coming from. It's been great doing these bits myself!

Going with the standard M wheels. Only thing I'm not too sure about is how the offset will look on the car. Have seen pics which I like, but can be different the in real world, so that remains to be seen. Trying to decide whether to get them done in gunmetal; Beedub's gunmetal CSLs on a silver M look great IMO Not sure if the effect would be the same with 224s

I have a little time to make my mind up - due to differences in weight and grip I don't want to change wheels until I've finished collecting data... which actually hasn't properly started yet. I'll then do some acceleration / braking tests once I have swapped them. Not expecting any difference, but I am enjoying this

[PawnSacrifice]

A little later than anticipated, I am back with my next update.

I have always enjoyed the fact that the Z4 has a slight edge to it. I love the engine - the 2.5 is a peach. However sporty the exhaust note lacks an edge, well, for my taste. I like the sports car sound, it contributes to a more visceral experience. So, I want a sportier exhaust.

My prerequisites, more noise, obviously. Paradoxically, something quiet. At least, enough to use on motorways (spend altogether too much time on motorways) and have a trip to Europe this summer.

For the exhaust I had two options, a custom job, something like CJ has done and MrWhippy is planning, but I lack their skills. Option 2, a direct fit factory box. I did a lot of research, and looking through the forum I kept seeing one theme regarding exhausts… "manufacturers A, B and C are good. There's Eisenmann too, great but too expensive." I quickly wanted Eisenmann. Then I bought the Performance BMW magazine for the Z4M CSL article, there was a small piece in the front about A-L Tuning offering 20% of Eisenmann and labour. Hurrah

I then had a look at the Eisenmann web site, they offer an array of back boxes for Z4s, I was interested in two. A direct replacement twin box or a two box (standard and t-pipe) quad system. There are three sound levels; Standard (OEM equivalent), Sport and Race. I contacted Eisenmann directly and was told that the Sport is similar to OEM but becomes progressively louder than the OEM up the rev range. Race, is just loud. The guy in Germany told me to forget it if I ever wanted to use the car for a long motorway journey. For the twin box setup the second pipe adds a little to the sound, but nothing dramatically different from the single box. It is primarily a cosmetic addition. At no time did anyone mention or were there any discussion about performance gains

I spoke to Mike at A-L Tuning (he worked on the Z4M CSL in PBMW - good guy and very patient with all my questions), he without being led he said the same about the sound levels. After some discussion I ordered the quad Sport box. Eisenmann hand build to order so there is typically a 3-4 week delivery time. In early February I handed over a cheque and went home to wait.

[PawnSacrifice]

There were a few problems; a delay in manufacturing pushed the lead time back and then scheduling issues once it arrived, Mike being in Bahrain (tuning very flash cars) and my snowboarding holiday (got my mojo back BTW). On Wednesday, seven weeks after ordering (not 3 months as I stated incorrectly in another thread), my car went in to have the exhaust box fitted. I dropped the car off with a camera, so Mike could take some pics.

The car on the ramp after the exhausts was fitted:


The main, LHS box:


Where the LHS box joins the pipes:


The RHS section:


And off the ramp, the tips:

Personally I think they look pretty sweet!

They did a great job. The only thing I wasn't happy with was the RHS cutout, the bodyshop had cut it too square. I'm going to sort that out myself. Mostly because I'm too fussy and too impatient. Have got some of it sorted with my little RotoCraft tool.

When I took the back bumper off this morning I got the following shot of what was underneath:


The picture below shows the bumper back on the car, both tips this time:


I still need to do some work to the RHS, but that is a job for next weekend… and maybe longer. I want to get this right, I'm going to take my time.

[PawnSacrifice]

What does it sound like? Hard to describe. It is very like the OEM but loader. There are a couple of points in the rev range where it can become a little boomy, mostly under load at 2,000RPM, but I think this is just the system bedding in. The system is louder than the standard without being brash and it cracks a little more on over-run. It's OEM but more so and thus far I am loving it. That said, run it at the right revs and it is very quiet. I can't fully explain what the system adds, it enhances what's already there and blends well with the rest of the car.

Overall, this has expensive, and I'd prefer not to say how expensive. I had to wait for ages and it doesn't add any value or performance to the car. In economic terms it was a colossal a waste of money. Would I buy one again, Hell Yes! Next German car I own is going to get the Eisenmann treatment as soon as I can afford it. Many won't understand this expense for an exhaust, but I love it and I love how it does what it does.

I took a couple quick video clips, the quality video and audio is poor, but it'll give you people what you want for now! First one, the obligatory camera pointed at the tips with a few revs.
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First time I tried this I forgot I masked the number plate and drove home.

Second clip I am including for fun, it didn't work at all! Just thought I'd share the lengths I've gone to to try and report on this. I taped my BlackBerry to the back bumper and went for a quick spin up the road. You'll head roar noise and wind.
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The one thing that I don't know yet is the steam distribution between LHS and RHS as it has been too damn warm. I'll get that when I can.

[Dreamer]

Looks really nice. The tips are just right, and the sound is pretty much as loud as you can go without edging into max power territory.
The cut away in the bumper doesn't look perfect but im sure that can be sorted.
Overall

[daveg]

Pretty brave with your Blackberry! Love the tips too and going to quad obviously looks much better.

Can you PM me the cost - working out my options since exhaust is my next project

[PawnSacrifice]

Looks really nice. The tips are just right, and the sound is pretty much as loud as you can go without edging into max power territory.
The cut away in the bumper doesn't look perfect but im sure that can be sorted.
Overall

Cut away is poor. I have sorted the left side of it, but need to fill the right and then sort the roll in. This is not, by any means, finished.

Thanks, Dreamer, am very please right now

Pretty brave with your Blackberry! Love the tips too and going to quad obviously looks much better.

Can you PM me the cost - working out my options since exhaust is my next project

Brave / stupid

Will PM in a sec.

[cj10jeeper]

PawnSacrifice - I'm impressed. I like what you've done and the thought that has gone into it.

Getting the bumper cover sorted will of course complete the job and make it look perfect from any angle. That of course is the subject of a project in its own right.