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      06-21-2013, 07:07 PM   #22
nicknaz
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Drives: C6Z
Join Date: May 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckB View Post
Was off line for a bit, but I went with the H&R springs and Sway Bars on the Active suspension, nice improvement, but a bit stiffer. On the advice of the folks who tuned my Z4, added 5mm front and 10mm rear spacers, this resulted in a major improvement in handling and a noticeably smoother ride. I have the 313 wheels and there was a bit of interference with the plastic wheel well liner, but was able to trim a bit off, and heat the outside edge to clear everything [took less than an hour]. The car drifts perfectly flat, and is very controllable at the limits of my Pirelli P Zero's. the front brakes were replaced with a set of E9x performance brakes [which BMW certified for the German T.U.V.], but left the rears alone. No big gain in braking, but a huge reduction in brake fade under sustained use [sustained use is 4 laps of the Ring at a very respectable pace].

I know a lot of folks don't care for spacers, but the bit of extra length to the wheel center line works very well to reduce shock travel and improve the ride and control. And yes, I was very surprise at the improvement and we are talking very small values here
That's very interesting, thanks! I would never have thought about spacers. Seems like the use might be dependent on the offset of the wheels used (i.e. different offset = no need ?)
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