carmudgeons.com  

Go Back   carmudgeons.com > Automotive Forums > Technical Superiority

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-07-2017, 01:43 PM   #341
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
Today I ordered new:
  • Kidney grills
  • Roundel (old one is faded and looks like shit)
  • Horns. Yes, plural. There are two separate horns - high and low pitch. The first died years ago; the second one is dying a slow death as we speak.

Well find out soon whether I can install all of the above without creating breaking anything.

JV: the car is still running fantastic. Still amazed at how strong it feels and smoothly it runs.
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2017, 08:16 PM   #342
equ
Alphanumeric
 
equ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Carmudgeonly Ride: 981S, 340i
Posts: 9,580
My "horns" died as well (see maintenance list). Roundel was stolen (in a condo garage!). I switched my grilles to black (that's on me).
equ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 12:16 PM   #343
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
It's been 3+ weeks so I thought I'd post some thoughts.

Short version, it's great. I drive it most days and am very happy with the decision to keep it.

LSD: I'm really impressed with how well it works. Stopped at a 90 degree corner, put it in first gear, turn wheel and floor it. The car just goes with no drama. After 14 years of one-tire-fire I'm still not calibrated to the idea that this is even possible. I'm really curious to see how it does in snow, and whether I will feel the desire to keep the wagon.

Engine: smooth and strong. No more 4k rpm dip, no more stalling on idle after getting off the highway. And I'm really liking the 3.15 gearing.

Shifter: I like it. At first I thought it might be too short, but I've been working on my posture (long story for another day) and I now sit more upright. In that position it's just the right height.

Shocks: this is the one thing I might change. The FSD shocks aren't bad but they're fairly soft and allow fairly rapid body roll. I can hear the voices of people who criticize that the E46 as too soft and disconnected, and somewhat agreeing with them. I've been too lazy to pull the trigger but at some point I'll send the Koni DA's away to be rebuilt and swap them on. They were a little harsh over bumps and potholes but they completely changed the personality of the vehicle. I'll keep the FSD's as backups and/or swap them on when I'm in the mood for a soft ride.

The bumper is still smashed and the driver's seat is fubar. I'm continuing to search ebay for replacements.
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 12:20 PM   #344
bren
lawn boy
 
bren's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: e46m3, f25x3,C5 Z06, C4 Vette, 06 CTD Ram, and a trailer
Location: Maryland
Posts: 14,029
Quote:
Originally Posted by rumatt View Post
The FSD shocks
My father has the FSD with Eibach springs on his 325. It is definitely still softer than I'm used to coming from the m3, but maybe a set of springs would be enough for you - and cheaper than rebuilding shocks (at least cheaper than it cost to have my DA's rebuilt.)
bren is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 12:24 PM   #345
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
I thought about springs, but figured that shocks are important either way.

Now I'll probably end up doing both

I'm not sure I'm excited about lowering the car. Is it crazy low?
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 12:44 PM   #346
bren
lawn boy
 
bren's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: e46m3, f25x3,C5 Z06, C4 Vette, 06 CTD Ram, and a trailer
Location: Maryland
Posts: 14,029
Quote:
Originally Posted by rumatt View Post
I thought about springs, but figured that shocks are important either way.

Now I'll probably end up doing both

I'm not sure I'm excited about lowering the car. Is it crazy low?
It's lower than stock for sure. From my recollection the front is a little lower than I think it should be, but it's not like e46fanatics low. The fender gap is gone, but the tire isn't stuffed or anything. I'm sure you can find plenty of internet pics.

We also added the awd front strut reinforcement plates which did raise it a tad.
bren is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 12:53 PM   #347
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
Oh and I forgot to mention: I added a hair of toe in in the front. About 1/4 turn of one control arm. I like it better. The original alignment was 0 toe front and I was sensing a little bit of a dead spot or play on center.

I have a hypothesis on why, but I'll explain it in another thread once I have more data points to support my theory.
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 01:08 PM   #348
Josh (PA)
Hello.
 
Josh (PA)'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Carmudgeonly Ride: '09 X3, '11 328xiT, '11 135i C, '17 c2, '19 X5
Location: Downingtown, PA
Posts: 5,512
what % do you drive this vs the cayman now?

We sent both girls off to school (at some point I'll close out the drama discussion from summer in the parenting thread) and the wagon got fixed from the accident. Since then, my wife or i have driven it every day to work and the X5 hasn't moved. It's such a pleasant little car.
__________________
Josh (PA) -
'19 X5
'17 991.2 C2 Cab
'11 135i Convertible
'11 328xiT
'09 X3
Josh (PA) is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 01:55 PM   #349
John V
No more BMWs
 
John V's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8
Location: Glenwood, MD
Posts: 14,753
Quote:
Originally Posted by rumatt View Post
I thought about springs, but figured that shocks are important either way.

Now I'll probably end up doing both

I'm not sure I'm excited about lowering the car. Is it crazy low?
I'm sorry you don't like the shocks. I liked them on my ZHP, but that had slightly stiffer springs, so maybe that was the difference. Strano put lowering springs on the white 330 I sold him. It's not that much lower than stock, looks good, and it's definitely a bit firmer. I think he has it on Koni Sports (yellow SAs).

If you are interested give him a call...

I'm still okay with you bringing the car back to do more work on it once I wrap up (once I start?) the white car. Bumper, seats, etc. The winter is usually a lull for me as far as projects.

John
John V is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2017, 03:45 PM   #350
rumatt
Mugwump
 
rumatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3
Location: NY
Posts: 17,475
Not your fault at all. I wanted to try them. Only one way to find out.

Maybe I should talk to Strano, but I have a feeling I know what he'll say. I'd like to control the body roll more (which the Koni's did fabulously) but while keeping high-speed compression within reason for small bump compliance. Stiffer springs would just make things less complaint, so I should just stick with what I know.... I'm guessing.

I was considering SA's vs DA's (DA rebuild costs a little more than new SA's) but the Koni rebuild guy claimed that the compression rates on the SA's are somewhere in the middle of the range of a DA compression adjustments (!?) and the DA has better overall valving. So I might as well stick with DAs.

Regarding the bumper and seat... sounds great, except I'm having trouble finding anything reasonably priced. No heated, sport seats have come up on ebay. And no bumper covers < ~$600. I'll keep looking.

Worst case I guess I could buy the M-Tech 2 bumper, and get just a new seat cover and the heater internals.

Last edited by rumatt; 08-23-2017 at 04:02 PM.
rumatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:43 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Forums © 2003-2008, 'Mudgeon Enterprises - Site hosting by AYN & Associates, LLC