Excellent video, Ive had my E86 3.0si for a year now and absolutely love it. Must-haves/dos for this car are ditch the runflats if it still has them, weighted gear knob, clutch delay valve delete, exhaust mod to enhance the sound, and most of all an LSD! It matches up well to its rivals, it feels much lighter and sportier than the 350z, nice cars but just so heavy and dont feel very fast at all. S2000 - amazing cars and more enjoyable on the boil or round a track but for a road car Id pick the Z4, the N52 is much nicer for day to day driving with bags of low down torque, where as the F20 is a bit flat below 5k.
Thank you!! Sounds almost (whisper it) Porschey.... just needs another thousand revs!! Should be some more updates shortly as things have been progressing well! 👍
I shall subscribe and watch these updates. I purchased 1x of these 9 months ago, though not really touched it yet. I considered and looked at a few other options, but ended up with the Z4C as it really floated my boat. Coming from fwd hot hatches mainly, its a welcome stable mate to my Clio 172.
What a terrific combination, I would imagine the 172 sets a high bar for handling!! Though I should imagine the Z4 feels very relaxed in a good way by comparison. 😊
We love a BMW project car, particularly when it’s powered by a classic 3.0 straight six. I really enjoyed your detailed feedback on the m140i. Looking forward to seeing how the Z4 comes along.
Thank you! I think things should start moving with the videos very soon, I have been reading, learning, planning, have bought a few bits and installed a few. I intend on sharing what I do. :-)
Thanks mate, hoping it’s a cost efficient way of getting most of the way towards the next level of performance (say, E46 M3), with a lower level of cost. Whilst being wrapped in a pretty little body. 😊
Great car. Looking forward to following your journey. We too have an E86 coupe in titan silver on 107k. Drives so well. What an engine. Think the kerb weight is around 1320kg.
Loving it Matt. I was pushing a couple of people toward these a few months ago. The 350Z is an interesting one as you say it weights 1500kg. The thing is the OEM seats, Cats, and stereo weigh about 120kg. so getting them to sub 1400 isn't hard at all. But yeah the lack of LSD is the thing with those non Ms and I was waiting for you to shout out about it.
Wow that’s great to know about 350s, mad how much weight there is needlessly in some cars… Weighed the seats in this one… 59kg for the pair… WTF! 😳 Re the LSD… if Mazda and Toyota can put them in the MX5 and MR2, BMW are arseholes for omitting them. No doubt it will be transformed with one! 👌
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS I'm not sure what's worse - not giving you an LSD or giving you a viscous LSD that's about 10% of an actual LSD so you need an LSD. Well, ATB diff just in case someone gets pedantic... They do sound the balls though. I'm not sure you remember Will's old E36 328 with a welded diff Matt. That sounded good too, And then we put oil in it and it sounded a whole lot quieter...
Stumbled upon this vid while looking for a bit of inspiration. These e86’s have been on the radar for a while now mainly to transform into a track/road capable car. I have other cars (bmw) but I’m looking for a semi powerful machine for my daughter to learn the craft of track driving. My f87 & 46m3 are worth a little too much for her to learn in especially on the Nordschlife….. You have a new subscriber and I for one will be watching how this project develops👍 FYI, Z4si has mainly e46 front suspension components, some rear 46 bits combined with some bespoke Z4 items. A bit of a hybrid. Comparing part numbers on real oem is one of my favoured past times. Beats talking to the wife 👀 Edit: I did think the engine note when you were giving it the beans sounded very Porsche ish . That’s a win 😎
I think that's a very lucky daughter indeed, what excellent parenting to share the passion!! I agree the e86 might be a nice compromise between still being fun and capable whilst not being deadly and expensive! What a great set of cars you have!!! I have read about the similarities with the e46 and am particularly interested in the rear suspension. Do you know if the rear springs and in particular damper stroke is shorter on the e86 than the e46?... Thanks for saying that about the engine note... I had thought it but hadn't dared say so!! Not quite as spectacular and needs some extra revs, but has a similar sound. :-)
I love to see more people appreciating these gems! I have one as my only/daily car and love it. Plan on doing a few mods as I am sure you are as well. There is a turn in development for a N52 that allows for running with just velocity stacks instead of a manifold. That should give a fair boost in power (not to mention that magical induction sound turned to 11). Also some super charging options out there. Its got enough tech to be comfortable, once the BlueBus is added as well. Cant wait to see where you go with it. Also! If you have the manual, dont forget to do the CDV delete. Makes it so much more predictable.
Thanks for the info, CDV is gone, thank god! Hated it on my last Z4!… Really interesting on the intake options, it’s that an ITB kit being developed? Loooove ITBs… though I suspect the budget won’t stretch quite that far on this car! 😅
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS It actually keeps Valvetronic! So no ITB's but it has the same effect. Since Valvetronic controls valve lift, the valves act as the throttle. On the N52, the main throttle body is full open during normal operation anyway. In a way it is even better, since with ITBs there is still some vacuum pulled in the port. With Valvetronic there is none.
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS They go by 22RPD. Ive seen some forum posts by a guy with the username Raimund. He is working with 22RPD to test on his car and even has some videos here on RU-vid.
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS For the price of them just enjoy it for what it is. If necessary do the usual preventative maintenance ( electric waterpump and routine servicing stuff) and just appreciate what you have. I’m onto my fourth. 1st 2.5si, 2nd 3.0si Coupe, 3rd 3.0si Coupe, 4th M Coupe. All brilliant in their own ways
My suggestions: 1. go for light motorcycle lithium battery, 15kg weight reduction 2. go for light wheels and square tyre set up 225/40/18 or 235/40/18 3. m140i brake calipers fit plug & play with Z4m discs, so much more capability on track. This upgrade is not needed for the road use, stock brakes are good with proper pads and compound discs. 4. go for good suspension with 2 degree front and rear camber. 5. replace engine mounts with engine mounts from Z4M 6. mechanical LSD give the car more rotation and grip
Love the list, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! Great minds think alike on a number of the items!! Re the brakes, I’ll try with factory sized brakes initially, with spicy pads for the track, mostly expecting to have to go bigger, but hoping not to… If I do go bigger I’d really like to retain the standard discs as they are A LOT cheaper than the //M discs. Very interesting re the engine mounts, I suspect they’re a really nice compromise and improvement, without the horrible vibrations of poly mounts. Will have a look and see if I can find them!
In terms of new cars not being pretty - Toyota seem to be the daddies when it comes to pretty sports cars atm. The Zupra & the GR86 are lovely IMO. You’re also right re: the S54 in the Z4M, it is indeed an iron block. An old boat anchor of a thing.
Fantastic car...had mine 5yrs. Stock standard...fitted PS4s. 110k kms on the clock. 2 services around GBP100. Only 1 problem...aircon gone on me, and part not even available in Germany, and it's summer in Cape Town!!
Great purchase! If it was me, I’d start with a thorough service, a new slightly uprated clutch (Kevlar) with a lightweight flywheel. Some light seats and a custom exhaust (quiet) as the bmw exhaust is very heavy to remove some weight. New poly bushes, Bilstein coilovers, lsd, and a remap not for power as such but to slightly increase the Rev limit and sharpen the response. Short shifter would top it off, and just enjoy it as an ‘enjoyable fast road car’ that’s fun to drive rather than as a track car with associated compromises.
A man after my own heart with that list, any particular reason for the clutch and flywheel being an early recommendation, had been on my radar but perhaps something I’d considered down the line.. I’ve had the seats out (28.5kg each!!) so had noted that as relatively easy weight loss, but good to learn of the exhaust too. Are there certain sections that are heavy or does the whole thing need to go? Very much aligned with you about not ruining it!! 😊
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS it may be a personal thing but a simple slightly uprated clutch like a stage 1 Kevlar replacement just hooks up more positively giving a nice quick gear change without the issues of paddle clutches and the light flywheel will transform the straight six, much more responsive and better acceleration in the lower gears. I’m not too sure but is a clutch delay valve in these, that’s a simple modification to improve drivability by deleting the CDV. I think to be fair all bmw exhausts are nicely made (for the aligned OEM purpose) but as a result they are just very heavy. As I said I’d get a system fabricated with a large silencer but thinner wall thickness and less weight but maybe only marginally louder than stock. I’m very much into fast road cars, they are actually harder to get right than track cars IMO. You want to reduce weight but keep it civilised and liveable ie remove stock sound deadening and replace with lighter alternative from Dynat etc etc Source alternative lighter (ideally smaller) OEM steering wheel etc etc. A lighter batter would be a good call in this as they can have very heavy units in them. You basically have to look at what the manufacturers do to improve existing models and keep them road legal. Ie remove interior and find areas where you can add stitch welding and reinforcement to reduce chassis flex without the need to have a cage on view. You know all of this sort of stuff anyway, I’m excited to see how the car develops and how you can improve the actual driving experience eg (gear change feel - new bushes, steering feel - smaller diameter wheel to improve steering response by effort required to move the wheel, pedal positioning - are they all in line or can they be adjusted by simple extension or weld to a different position to aid with heel and toe) I find it very interesting improving aspects of fast road cars people neglect.
Fit the m arbs, milvs for a bit more power, headers are a bit tricky because of the steering shaft, defo get a front strut brace and the m lower chassis brace. E90post is good for more info.
Brill, thanks for the pointers, will check out E90 post! Will look into the braces too, have you done these? Is there a noticeable difference? I’m following BDS’ development on their valvetronic arms with interest as an alternative to MILVs, will be a while before I search for more power though, need to get it handling right and ensure everything is happy and reliable on track.
Great cars, I've got a manual coupe here in Aus (very rare less than 30-40 manual coupes here) and by far the best bang for buck mods would be loosing the run flat tyres, wider wheels and BC BR coilovers.
I’ve owned another manual (was the wrong colour though - black) and have owned an auto (~150 of those here). I’ve seen one or two others on the road here in Adelaide over the years.
Great purchase! I’m excited to follow along with what you do with this 🙏🏼 I’m currently looking for this exact model for myself. Do you mind me asking how much you managed to pick this up for? And what sort of mileage would you recommend staying under with these engines as far as you’ve seen?
Hi Ryan, I was looking for cars at the lower end of the market with sub-120k miles, I think they still have lots to give at this point and there are lots about with 150, even 180k+ , very promising indeed. I think a history of being actively maintained is important as there are quite a lot of bits that could need replacing if not, it would be fairly easy to spend proper money on making a less good car better, as opposed to spending more on a better car in the first instance. The car I bought is quite unique and a bit of an educated punt... I will cover it in a vid, but it was recorded cat B write off in 2011 as it was recorded as flood damaged. The reality was that it was driven through standing water, suffered engine failure, but hadn't actually been flooded, with history to support. So I had a good look at the car and history and bought it at 90k miles for much lower than market price for a non-cat car. The resale value isn't too much of an issue for me as I plan to use it more on track down the line. A very strange one for me as I typically don't touch cat cars... I think so far it was worth the exception.
Great video mate. Enjoyed watching that. I just got a Z4 coupe - How good does it sound once you take the foam out?! I came into this once selling my S2000, so I totally agree with all your thoughts on that. I RIP'd my engine, about a year before I sold it, and the costs and anxiety's in regards to that are a major reason why I got into this too. It's also much easier to live with for real life and popping to the shop. Don't regret it so far!
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS reminds me of the f20 vtec characteristics abit tbh with the foam out. Such an addictive sound. Nothing low down and then all hell breaks loose up top. Best of both worlds :) as you said, if these were 90’s cars and Japanese they’d be worth way more nowadays I think
Great looking car! Congrats. Wouldn’t mind jumping into this thing. Let me know if you would like to meet one day and jump into my M2 at the same time. Regards
You already have it for some time. Can you give me a short feedback about the car and the possibility as a track car. I am thinking to go the same route as you are because I don’t want to spend a fortune on it. Thanks
Drove Z4M when they were new at Road Atlanta and some good back roads…with motons. You sit on the rear axle with a long hood, potent machine but the feeling was always a bit odd. Should make a good car for what you are after.
Yes it’s an odd driving position in the car relative to most isn’t it, I think it feels fairly natural having had an S2000 when I was young and also plenty of exposure to kit cars (caterhams/westfield types) that are even more extreme! Motons sound very nice indeed… suspect they’d be a little out of my budget! 😅
I wouldn't say that the M is better in every way. I test drove both before buying the si coupe. You definitely feel the extra weight over the nose in the M, and the stock spring rates make no sense. I also thought the M steering would be significantly better since it's hydraulic, but I didn't find it had much more feel than the EPS rack in the si. There's also significantly less trunk space in the M because of the housing for the battery. I think the si coupe is a more cohesive package. I agree that all that's needed in terms of sound is removal of the foam. I went one step too far and swapped the muffler for a Magnaflow unit, and the drone on the highway was unbearable, so I went back to stock. I also read in the other comments that you removed the CDV which is a good improvement. I have slowly modified mine for canyon carving and light track duty over the past 5 yrs, so I think my experience may be helpful to you. A good set of coilovers and camber plates would be the first step. I have the Bilstein PSS9 and love them but I have also heard great things about the KW V3. I'm currently running 3* camber front and 2.5* camber rear with 10* toe in all around. I like these alignment settings, but the camber does run through PS4S tires quicker than I'd like. I would also recommend a square wheel and tire setup, because these cars come from the factory with quite a bit of understeer. I'm currently running 255 square on 18x9"et30 and the handling is very neutral with plenty of grip. Keep in mind you do need at least 2.5* of front camber to run this setup. I would also recommend a front sway bar. I have the H&R adjustable one and it does the job. Unfortunately the M one isn't a direct swap and it caused some issues for me, so I recommend going for one that's specifically built for the si. Contrary to what you would think, it's the front sway bar and not the rear that needs to be stiffer. This is because of the Macpherson strut design. A stiffer front sway improves the camber curve under load and maximizes your contact patch. I found the stiffer rear sway completely unnecessary and left it on it's softest setting. The stock brakes do just fine on track with track pads and high temp brake fluid. You can upgrade to 135i or 335i calipers with Z4M rotors but replacement rotors are 3x more expensive. I rebuilt my calibers with brass guide pin bushings and SS brake lines. I would recommend sticking with rubber bushings if you enjoy the road refinement that BMWs are known for. My next upgrade will be a Wavetrac LSD. It's not a particularly powerful car and it has lots of grip with the open diff so it hasn't been at the top of my list but I'm excited to get it done this year. I've toyed with the idea of a shorter final drive, but I enjoy the highway cruising RPM too much to mess with it.
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to provide some comprehensive information and your experiences, some really valuable information there for me! I think much is in line with what I've read and gleaned so far, but thank in particular for explaining regards the ARBs and the strut design, crucial for me as I'm 'used to' double wishbones with Hondas and then Miatas. Does adding a thicker bar promote understeer at all or is it counter intuitive in these cars? And has bump steer been any more pronounced or the car felt less planted over bumpy roads with the thicker ARB? I suspect there is a nice improvement to be found for me with a readily available and sensibly priced aftermarket front bar, I just don't want to jeopardise it on our very poor road in the area that I live. Great to hear that the brakes should be up to the job, especially having used them with 255s, I am banking on this and have upgraded similarly - to be discussed in a vid before long. One thing I haven't done yet was the brass guides, I was waiting to see if the brakes could cope before doing this. Initially on track I intend on using a 225 square tyre setup, hoping to find the limits a little lower and be able to tune the balance before adding substantial grip, but cost also plays a part. On the road I'm of the mind that I don't need any more than a 225 front or rear, but will likely go 235 or 245 with a 40 profile to gain some additional comfort and longer gearing (there might be a 3.64:1 diff in the garage waiting to go in).
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS Of course, it's my pleasure. I love watching Z4 coupe content on RU-vid, but there isn't much out there. So thank you for making videos of this amazing car :) Macpherson strut design has such a poor camber curve that you need static camber and front bar to correct it and get proper mid-corner grip. I'm sure there's a point at which a stiffer front bar would cause understeer but I haven't reached that point with my H&R front bar on the stiffest setting and rear bar on the softest setting. I found that lowering the suspension caused bump steer, not stiffening the bar. However, if you lower the suspension, stiffening the bar will exacerbate the bump steer. At stock ride height the bump steer isn't increased by the stiffer bar in my experience. I run my PSS9s at the max ride height and I still wish they went a little higher for proper suspension geometry. After installing the stiffer front bar, I felt more immediate turn-in and better weight transfer. If you are worried about the bumpy roads in your area, sticking with the stock springs and dampers isn't a bad idea. Combining the stock springs and dampers with a stiffer front bar effectively increases your spring rate without any of the discomfort that comes with stiffer springs. It's a sweet setup, and if I wasn't tracking it I would have stock springs and dampers with a front bar and camber plates. That said, you're probably due for a damper refresh. Just getting fresh dampers makes a world of difference whether they are stock or aftermarket. I think that bigger discs would help with heat dissipation for running laps at the track, but I would start with brake ducting first if you're getting heat soak. I don't think there's any point in changing the calipers unless you want to upgrade to the Z4M discs or a proper BBK. I think you have a smart approach. I started with a 225/40r18 square setup to dial in the cars balance. You do get a little rub in the front with a 40 profile tire but it's no big deal. I will say that once you get everything dialed, 255/35 feels amazing on this car. Interesting, you are the first person I've seen talk about installing longer gearing, seems like everyone wants acceleration. Kudos to you for knowing what you want out of your car.
Thank again for the further information on the front of the car, I clearly need to do some reading on MacPherson strut setup! It sounds like it might be worth me trying a 27mm E46 M3 cabrio bar, they are readily available and fairly cheap (sub-£100) here as a starting point, so I can feel the difference for myself. I would love a hollow front bar for the weight loss and rigidity increase, but difficult to justify the money. A sneak peak into a video not finished yet, but I have KW V2 coilovers on my car now, that I suspect are broadly similar to your Bilsteins. I'm currently very slight lower (maybe 5mm) than Sport springs ride height, but had already been considering raising a touch to try it out, given your experiences it sounds like that might be a good plan. My personal impression with the coilovers so far is that the rear springs are a little too stiff (most likely to avoid bottoming out at the ring where these kits are developed), which means that at the lower rebound settings, the damper doesn't control the spring well enough. So I have to run the dampers at a mid setting, where everything feels just a little harsh. I am considering trying a standard Sport rear spring or something like an Eibach Pro-Kit rear spring, along with the KW dampers, too see if that allows me to run the dampers softer. I could then quickly swap in the KW springs and platforms for track use. Regards the gearing, I have bought a subtly shorter final drive diff, to have an LSD built into, to modestly improve acceleration and help find the right gear for each corner at the track, so will choose a taller tyre for the road so as to return the effective gearing to as it is now for cruising, it should also improve comfort a little too. 😊
@@KevinJohnstone-hx7kz there are a few supercharger options for big increases, or for more modest but material increases I would speak to BDS Motorsport if you’re in the UK. They do a few nice packages at various price points. I would love to do their ‘stage 3’ package in this car! 👍
Thanks for the pointer, I can imagine it would be terrible on run flats, thankfully came on Uniroyal Rainsports. Not my first choice, but perfectly fine as a road tyre. Nice to not have to buy a full set of new tyres because someone has fitted budgets!! 😊
Thank you! I haven't weighed it yet as a friend has our corner weight scales to set up his racecar at the moment. Will do when we get them back though 👍
The funny part about the RX8 is that rotaries get only marginally worse MPG when you're revving them out, so you might actually get acceptable fuel consumption on the track 😂 It's one of the reasons why the 787B race car managed to win Le Mans, it didn't have to stop as much for refuelling as the competition did.
Z4m too hard, steering always felt a bit odd, the engine was nice and damn it was pretty. Got the 3.0 si now, much more drivable, lovely engine, still looks good.
Interesting to hear a few people with experience of both championing the Si as well as the M. The factory suspension of the M seems to come in for criticism in particular. Thanks for sharing.
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS I think as a younger man the m was fine, but other than some aesthetics, the si suits me better in my 30s, maybe that's a factor as well! Looking forward to more videos!
I think it comes down to what we enjoy about cars… I’m more willing than most to sacrifice straight line and outright pace for a more enjoyable drive and one of the things I find hardest to overcome in this regard is mass. Hopefully the Z4 is a nice compromise between say an NC MX5 and heavier, faster cars like the 350z and E46 M3. 🤞
Had both . 350z diff is useless. Car always feels like a bus slow or at speed. Z4 is one of most enjoyable chassis with couple bits on , i sold my m3 and kept z4 over it .
I've not seen that in the information I've found about N52s so far, they seem to be generally regarded as very reliable. Fingers crossed for no such bad luck here!! 🤞
This is such good input thanks, I notice it when editing the vids and put it down to spending my days in Teams meetings watching others on camera rather than looking into the camera directly - it crosses over into recording on the phone quite clearly! I find it quite alien not looking at a screen but am trying to address and we'll see how I get on!!
@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS The E86 3.0Si is a master piece, beautiful combination of engine, looks and ride. The M just doesn’t command the extra WOW to justify its self. Other M’s do however. Especially with the age of the Z4’s now, with needed repairs, it’s easier to justify upgrades when buying parts.
