BMW Z4 sDrive 35i Tuning help - 400hp?

[Rockford]

Not sure the above is true really but everyone has their own experiences.

A 400bhp Z4 is not going to be a widow maker, keep TC and you'll be frustrated more than scared. Turn it off and drive ham fisted then yes will slide around but nothing uncontrollable.

I do agree that handling improvements should also be considered though, E89 is not the most dynamic.

[R.E92]

Big difference between a supercharged 5.0 in a go-kart and a lightly tuned turbo 3.0 in a barge

The Z4 is big, heavy and rammed with safety features. The traction control, stability control and E-diff do a good job at keeping it in order.

If you disable the traction control it lets you have some fun, but I always leave the stability control on.

[jan_tekin]

My Oner can handle it, can't see why the e89 can't It is a bit slippery this time of the year but that is to be expected

[ibroker]

I had a Cobra built for me in 2008 to my spec. It was 540hp with 500lbs torque. Eight months to build and I sold in after 3 weeks of ownership. It was harsh, unfriendly and a thug to be honest. I over cooked the whole thing with eyes bigger than the belly so to speak.

My Z4 is 393hp. Its been remapped and has a quad aftermarket exhaust system. No other mods to compensate and its beautiful.

Its only as fast as my right foot, and lets face it, in the UK your rarely going to get the car to its limits as the roads and the traffic wont allow. That said on the squirt past the odd bit of traffic or the occasional country road not blocked by George and Ethel in their Micra its a blast.

[nathannjay]

Thanks for the replies guys, yeah I did think those mods would be needed. I'm seeing some higher mileage 35i's on autotrader at the moment at the 70-80K range - what are your thoughts on this? What issues should i be looking for at these sort of miles? Do you guys have any horror stories for your own E89 Zeds?

thanks!

Nathan

I dont know exactly what is available for the Zed but i had my 1 series at 400bhp with a 200cell sports cat, the JB4 and BMS intake (also had some m3 suspension bits). Im not sure how the standard IC performs but you might no need to upgrade unless you plan on prolonged hard driving/track work.
Other things to consider
1) tyres - stickier tyres could increase performance without the need to increase power as much.
2) Exhaust - with the downpipe changed the car will get louder add a sports exhaust and it could be very loud especially on cold start. How loud do you want it to be?
3) Turbos will need changing at some point on all turbo cars. Increasing the power will most likely increase the wear even if its only marginally so the more mileage the car has the sooner they will need changing.

Sounds good to me - I'm into the 2nd week of ownership of the new 35i. Wow what a car! I'm very impressed with it so far.

I've only had 1 day of dry roads so I've been unable to really put the power down but so far so good. The car came with the standard Bridgestone RFTs but they have plenty of tread on so I won't be getting rid of these anytime soon. But I completely agree with your point about tyres, I'll probably look at getting Goodyear F1 Assym 2s all around like I had on my old Z - I was really impressed with the dry grip of these but I'm open to ideas to any alternatives that you guys have gone for.

In regards to turbos, what sort of lifespan would you expect from stock turbos used on the N54? The new motor has 60K miles on the clock, there doesn't seem to be any mechanical issues so far, but it would be great if you happen to know the typical life span of these - so I can prepare myself for a big bill haha!

Great to see there's a few cobra owners here!

[Maniac]

Don't forget to check with your insurers, if you don't and mash your car then you could be in serious doodoo.

[nathannjay]

Don't forget to check with your insurers, if you don't and mash your car then you could be in serious doodoo.

In regards to the non-RFTs or the tuning? I've had an insurance claim for my first Z (stolen and written off within 4 weeks of ownership ouch!!) so I know how difficult they can be!

[Rob s]

Thanks for the replies guys, yeah I did think those mods would be needed. I'm seeing some higher mileage 35i's on autotrader at the moment at the 70-80K range - what are your thoughts on this? What issues should i be looking for at these sort of miles? Do you guys have any horror stories for your own E89 Zeds?

thanks!

Nathan

Sounds good to me - I'm into the 2nd week of ownership of the new 35i. Wow what a car! I'm very impressed with it so far.

I've only had 1 day of dry roads so I've been unable to really put the power down but so far so good. The car came with the standard Bridgestone RFTs but they have plenty of tread on so I won't be getting rid of these anytime soon. But I completely agree with your point about tyres, I'll probably look at getting Goodyear F1 Assym 2s all around like I had on my old Z - I was really impressed with the dry grip of these but I'm open to ideas to any alternatives that you guys have gone for.

In regards to turbos, what sort of lifespan would you expect from stock turbos used on the N54? The new motor has 60K miles on the clock, there doesn't seem to be any mechanical issues so far, but it would be great if you happen to know the typical life span of these - so I can prepare myself for a big bill haha!

It depends on a lot of factors but id think somewhere between 100k-120k so you have a while yet id expect.