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Matt’s Road & Track Coupe - Jun-25 update: bushes, brakes, air intake, oil cooler, lithium battery
- Thread starter Matt Scarbro
- Start date
Joycey said:
Glad to hear your experiences are positive, I was stalking your posts just the other day as I noted the use of your car, do you have a project thread of sorts anywhere.. .I didn't find anything?
1536Z4 said:Matt Scarbro said:
I agree I got mine powdercoated black . Great to see all the updates you have made
Just dropped back into your thread for a peep, agreed it looks far more at home! Tasteful.. 8)
Mustn't spent too long in your thread though... too many ideas...
Joycey said:
Wonderful, thanks for sharing, look forward to a read through... I'm sure there's lots I can learn!
Another brief update whilst I have a few minutes...
I couldn't get an LSD fitted without taking the opportunity to mate it to a shorter final drive, a modification I've made time and time again on modestly powered cars I've owned and have always loved the results.
Being a little older and lets say discerning in my tastes now, I really didn't want to ruin the car's usability and turn it into a buzz-box with really short gearing and the N52 has nice meaty power delivery rather than being peaky like smaller engined cars, so I settled on a 3.64:1 final drive for a modest change.
I bought a complete diff from an automatic Z4, gave it a wire wheel and painted it ahead of the trip to Birds for the Quaife, they then built the Quaife unit into this housing with the 3.64 crown wheel and pinion (no need to disturb the latter) and fitted it to my car, replacing the standard 3.46:1 open unit.
As I've already mentioned the Quaife diff is transformational and happily the shorter final drive has also made a lovely improvement. It has given the car just a touch, but noticeable, more pull at all revs, making it easier to drive, it feels like I've given the car an extra 200cc of capacity!
And when driving more quickly it nicely trims the rev-drop between gears, I'm not sure how different the performance is, but I like the feel, it sounds good dropping fewer revs and at the racetrack it will make it a touch easier to find an ideal gear for each corner.
Cruising comfort isn't materially impacted and I'm really glad I chose the 3.64, it feels an ideal ratio for the road and track compromise.
I couldn't get an LSD fitted without taking the opportunity to mate it to a shorter final drive, a modification I've made time and time again on modestly powered cars I've owned and have always loved the results.
Being a little older and lets say discerning in my tastes now, I really didn't want to ruin the car's usability and turn it into a buzz-box with really short gearing and the N52 has nice meaty power delivery rather than being peaky like smaller engined cars, so I settled on a 3.64:1 final drive for a modest change.
I bought a complete diff from an automatic Z4, gave it a wire wheel and painted it ahead of the trip to Birds for the Quaife, they then built the Quaife unit into this housing with the 3.64 crown wheel and pinion (no need to disturb the latter) and fitted it to my car, replacing the standard 3.46:1 open unit.
As I've already mentioned the Quaife diff is transformational and happily the shorter final drive has also made a lovely improvement. It has given the car just a touch, but noticeable, more pull at all revs, making it easier to drive, it feels like I've given the car an extra 200cc of capacity!
And when driving more quickly it nicely trims the rev-drop between gears, I'm not sure how different the performance is, but I like the feel, it sounds good dropping fewer revs and at the racetrack it will make it a touch easier to find an ideal gear for each corner.
Cruising comfort isn't materially impacted and I'm really glad I chose the 3.64, it feels an ideal ratio for the road and track compromise.
Bodyboarder
Active member
Hi Matt … where did you source your 3.64 diff from ? Been looking to do the same to my car but struggling to find one . Thanks
Matt Scarbro said:Another brief update whilst I have a few minutes...
I couldn't get an LSD fitted without taking the opportunity to mate it to a shorter final drive, a modification I've made time and time again on modestly powered cars I've owned and have always loved the results.
Being a little older and lets say discerning in my tastes now, I really didn't want to ruin the car's usability and turn it into a buzz-box with really short gearing and the N52 has nice meaty power delivery rather than being peaky like smaller engined cars, so I settled on a 3.64:1 final drive for a modest change.
IMG_6273.JPEG
IMG_6274.JPEG
I bought a complete diff from an automatic Z4, gave it a wire wheel and painted it ahead of the trip to Birds for the Quaife, they then built the Quaife unit into this housing with the 3.64 crown wheel and pinion (no need to disturb the latter) and fitted it to my car, replacing the standard 3.46:1 open unit.
IMG_6350.JPEG
IMG_6357.JPEG
As I've already mentioned the Quaife diff is transformational and happily the shorter final drive has also made a lovely improvement. It has given the car just a touch, but noticeable, more pull at all revs, making it easier to drive, it feels like I've given the car an extra 200cc of capacity!
And when driving more quickly it nicely trims the rev-drop between gears, I'm not sure how different the performance is, but I like the feel, it sounds good dropping fewer revs and at the racetrack it will make it a touch easier to find an ideal gear for each corner.
Cruising comfort isn't materially impacted and I'm really glad I chose the 3.64, it feels an ideal ratio for the road and track compromise.
I'm really keen to hear how you find this ratio diff, I do find with the current gearbox ratio 3-4 a bit long and often find myself struggling to find the right rev range cornering I basically run out, this diff might sit the revs better in relation to corner speeds.
Bodyboarder said:Hi Matt … where did you source your 3.64 diff from ? Been looking to do the same to my car but struggling to find one . Thanks
It was from eBay, I had saved searches and alerts on eBay and Facebook for a while, they do pop up. I paid £250 FWIW.
Joycey said:
I'll be sure to report back, if you're ever at Cadwell you're welcome to come and have a drive on the roads near me, I'm 20 mins away.
Expectation is that on track I'll wish it was shorter still, though I'm used to less meaty engines, so perhaps this will feel great...
I've been pushing on with the cars recently and we got out in my brother's K20 MR2 at Cadwell last week for a first shakedown since major work.
It was an encouraging run out for sure, with sub-optimal alignment and a shifter that isn't quite right, expectations were managed beforehand, but it was a riot nonetheless, the shift was actually OK if you were really positive with it, but required concentration. The engine was of course the star of the show, with the very short gearing adding real theatre and genuine pace.
We'll be out in this a fair bit, so if there's interest I'll share the odd vid on here too.
I made the decision that the beloved CRX has to go... three fun cars into two garage spaces doesn't go and frankly the CRX doesn't get used much... a sad case of an old car starting to feel old. Still great fun to drive, with a great engine and lovely pocket rocket handling, it just feels dated inside and is less appealing to drive than the others.
So I've been busy with sale prep on that and it's about ready to go now. I will be sad to see it go and no doubt regret it down the line, but you can't keep, nor drive them all.
Onto the good stuff in the Z4 and a nice opportunity that befell me...
Some chaps local to me have been building a terrific track Z4C and an engine failure and subsequent swap to a Z4M drivetrain, made the freshly refurbished rear subframe an a few other bits obsolete. So I swooped in and picked up the subframe and driveshafts for mine, along with some posh Millway bits that will find their way onto the car at a later date.
I have a good relationship with Powerflex and actually had the same subframe and diff bushes already in hand to replace on a yet to be bought donor subframe, happily I was saved all the effort! Alongside these bushes, I added some rear upper inner bushes, rear shifter bush and some sexy offset lollipop bushes, surprisingly the latter went in fairly easily with the vice, really nicely made parts!
I also bought some more Lemforder bearing bushes for the lower outer bushes at the rear, to replace the standard non-M rubber bush and some new track rods and ends for easy toe adjustment going forward.
I took the car to a friend's garage for all of the above to be fitted... I've done my time on driveways under subframes and diffs, so it was not an appealing prospect without a lift!
All went together beautifully and he took care to treat and protect any areas under the subframe that needed attention, he said it was a clean car though and didn't need much. It's so good to know the rear end has now been taken care of properly, from a maintenance standpoint mostly, but also nice to have taken out a lot of the OEM BMW slop at the rear alongside the addition of the LSD.
I'm glad to report that impressions are only positive... I had been very careful with choices so as not to add any material NVH, but was still a little nervous driving the car for the first time. I dare say the ride has actually improved a touch, not sure where this has come from in all honesty as nothing that came out looked very worn, but I'll absolutely take it!
It needs a thorough alignment, so I haven't driven it in anger, but I have also noticed the elimination of drivetrain shock from the rear when getting on and off the throttle at times, as well as what I think is slightly lighter steering when turning, perhaps from the caster increase, not something I'd really expected. One small negative that doesn't bother me, but worth noting, is you can hear the diff just a tiny bit now, with the poly bushes not soaking up as much noise, it's very faint though, you have to listen for it.
So a very positive set of upgrades, I can't wait to get it aligned and it will soon be time for a trackday!
Just to keep me on my toes, I've not got a lambda sensor error code that's popped up, so that will need taking care of...
It was an encouraging run out for sure, with sub-optimal alignment and a shifter that isn't quite right, expectations were managed beforehand, but it was a riot nonetheless, the shift was actually OK if you were really positive with it, but required concentration. The engine was of course the star of the show, with the very short gearing adding real theatre and genuine pace.
We'll be out in this a fair bit, so if there's interest I'll share the odd vid on here too.
I made the decision that the beloved CRX has to go... three fun cars into two garage spaces doesn't go and frankly the CRX doesn't get used much... a sad case of an old car starting to feel old. Still great fun to drive, with a great engine and lovely pocket rocket handling, it just feels dated inside and is less appealing to drive than the others.
So I've been busy with sale prep on that and it's about ready to go now. I will be sad to see it go and no doubt regret it down the line, but you can't keep, nor drive them all.
Onto the good stuff in the Z4 and a nice opportunity that befell me...
Some chaps local to me have been building a terrific track Z4C and an engine failure and subsequent swap to a Z4M drivetrain, made the freshly refurbished rear subframe an a few other bits obsolete. So I swooped in and picked up the subframe and driveshafts for mine, along with some posh Millway bits that will find their way onto the car at a later date.
I have a good relationship with Powerflex and actually had the same subframe and diff bushes already in hand to replace on a yet to be bought donor subframe, happily I was saved all the effort! Alongside these bushes, I added some rear upper inner bushes, rear shifter bush and some sexy offset lollipop bushes, surprisingly the latter went in fairly easily with the vice, really nicely made parts!
I also bought some more Lemforder bearing bushes for the lower outer bushes at the rear, to replace the standard non-M rubber bush and some new track rods and ends for easy toe adjustment going forward.
I took the car to a friend's garage for all of the above to be fitted... I've done my time on driveways under subframes and diffs, so it was not an appealing prospect without a lift!
All went together beautifully and he took care to treat and protect any areas under the subframe that needed attention, he said it was a clean car though and didn't need much. It's so good to know the rear end has now been taken care of properly, from a maintenance standpoint mostly, but also nice to have taken out a lot of the OEM BMW slop at the rear alongside the addition of the LSD.
I'm glad to report that impressions are only positive... I had been very careful with choices so as not to add any material NVH, but was still a little nervous driving the car for the first time. I dare say the ride has actually improved a touch, not sure where this has come from in all honesty as nothing that came out looked very worn, but I'll absolutely take it!
It needs a thorough alignment, so I haven't driven it in anger, but I have also noticed the elimination of drivetrain shock from the rear when getting on and off the throttle at times, as well as what I think is slightly lighter steering when turning, perhaps from the caster increase, not something I'd really expected. One small negative that doesn't bother me, but worth noting, is you can hear the diff just a tiny bit now, with the poly bushes not soaking up as much noise, it's very faint though, you have to listen for it.
So a very positive set of upgrades, I can't wait to get it aligned and it will soon be time for a trackday!
Just to keep me on my toes, I've not got a lambda sensor error code that's popped up, so that will need taking care of...
Bodyboarder
Active member
Hi Matt …. If you don’t mind me asking how much were the front camber plates ? Seems a great simply idea !! Also how many mm thick are they ? Presume the thickness off them would translate into the same added ride height ? ( I’m not on adjustable coilovers )
Thanks
Thanks
1536Z4 said:You Jammy bugger
Just what I needed for the car! Saved me so much work!
Bodyboarder said:Hi Matt …. If you don’t mind me asking how much were the front camber plates ? Seems a great simply idea !! Also how many mm thick are they ? Presume the thickness off them would translate into the same added ride height ? ( I’m not on adjustable coilovers )
Thanks
Your assumption is spot on, I’m sorry I didn’t measure, though I would estimate 5-6mm. They’re £80 + postage for the +0.7* plates and £100 + post for +1.7*.
Minor updates as I nudge the car towards a trackday.
I tried the track wheels (with 225/45/17 tyres) on post latest tweaks and found a bit of contact, both on the join of the arch between the bumper and the lower inspection panel/blank in the front of the arch liner.
I’m hopeful removing the 5mm spacers and raising the ride high a touch with cure the former, for the latter I’m not really sure how to solve, though of course there’s an easy option of removing the blanks/covers whilst on track.
I’ll do some more trial and error on the road in the coming weeks, I might slightly elongate the camber slots too for a touch more negative camber.
I also send an oil sample to Millers, so that I could check that there’s no evidence of anything untoward going on in the engine. The main thing being no bearing metal in the oil, happily all was well, I’ll continue to test this maybe once or twice a year, it might just provide an early warning and prevent a costly failure!
Finally, we’ve just got back from an amazing three week and 3,250 mile trip around Europe, visiting loads of amazing places. The Z4 would have been wonderful for some of the trip, but for a trip of that duration the daily Civic was the more sensible choice… we completely filled the boot and back seats with luggage!
Anyway, my reason for mentioning is that we stopped in at the ring on the way home and part of the reason for the Z4 purchase was for a ring trip planned for my 40th… The Civic IS NOT a track car, but I still had sooo much fun, I simply can’t wait to return in the Z4! I feel like it will be really well suited.
I tried the track wheels (with 225/45/17 tyres) on post latest tweaks and found a bit of contact, both on the join of the arch between the bumper and the lower inspection panel/blank in the front of the arch liner.
I’m hopeful removing the 5mm spacers and raising the ride high a touch with cure the former, for the latter I’m not really sure how to solve, though of course there’s an easy option of removing the blanks/covers whilst on track.
I’ll do some more trial and error on the road in the coming weeks, I might slightly elongate the camber slots too for a touch more negative camber.
I also send an oil sample to Millers, so that I could check that there’s no evidence of anything untoward going on in the engine. The main thing being no bearing metal in the oil, happily all was well, I’ll continue to test this maybe once or twice a year, it might just provide an early warning and prevent a costly failure!
Finally, we’ve just got back from an amazing three week and 3,250 mile trip around Europe, visiting loads of amazing places. The Z4 would have been wonderful for some of the trip, but for a trip of that duration the daily Civic was the more sensible choice… we completely filled the boot and back seats with luggage!
Anyway, my reason for mentioning is that we stopped in at the ring on the way home and part of the reason for the Z4 purchase was for a ring trip planned for my 40th… The Civic IS NOT a track car, but I still had sooo much fun, I simply can’t wait to return in the Z4! I feel like it will be really well suited.
LawrenceW said:Fair play Matt, seems like you’re getting stuck into this game of life thingy
Haha, life has gone tits up a few times as it does, so it's nice when you get back to a good spot!