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      02-12-2013, 03:46 AM   #1
AsiaKid
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Modding Suspension or Dump for new car

Hi Guys/gals
so been doing a lot of healthy driving with the car lately and am hitting the speeds where i now see the limitations of the car.

At about 150KM+ the car twitches sometimes..I think i know why..the shocks are too soft (even on sports+) and when i do a slight turn the car rolls heavily on one side and almost makes the car take a sharper turn..i dunno how to explain it..but u have to put a firm grip on the steering wheel..cuz it gets quite twitchy at higher speeds and ur trying to finesse drive (does anyone else feel the same?)

I am thinking of either keeping this car and modding the junk out of the suspension (KWV3s + sway bars? + LSD)

or just changing to either a gtr for play or a used gallaro just to stare at...thoughts?

Anyone do a lot of tweaking on the suspension and find a good way to get the car to perform better. it rolls like a 5 series (i owned a f10 528i right before this)..it doesnt feel stable on speed.
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      02-12-2013, 06:12 AM   #2
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I think you are missing the point of the car if you are considering dumping it because it "twitches" at 150km. KMV3 set would help but honestly the reason to ever go that fast for any extended period of time would be almost zero, especially in tiny congested city of HK.

The pollution in HK os so bad i wouldn't own a convertible there to start with. Swap to a GTR.
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      02-12-2013, 08:59 AM   #3
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Sway bars and coilovers will help but to the level that you want is the question. That's about a $3k question to answer depending on what you decide.
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      02-12-2013, 12:28 PM   #4
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I've driven the GTR and Gallardo, as well as Z4 at the speeds you are describing and I didn't find the Z4 to be noticeably worse in terms of being "twitchy" or "rolling" at high speeds.

My gut feeling is that you are gripping the controls too tightly or are jerking the steering around and are contributing to the "instability"... Try relaxing your grip on the steering wheel and moving the wheel more gently?

Another thing is to check your alignment. Rear toe setting might have be out of spec.
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      02-12-2013, 01:52 PM   #5
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at 150kmph? Feels pretty planted to me.
150mph? Maybe a little bit of sway/float... but it's more road dependent than anything. Neither feels "twitchy".

Comparing a Z4 to a GTR or used Gallardo? What? How are these cars even in the same league?
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      02-12-2013, 08:06 PM   #6
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oh budget wise..same same..and i am thinking since i take it out for the weekends at nites to play around with..might as well go for pure performance car (GTR) or spend a bit more and just own a supercar once in my life.
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      02-12-2013, 08:24 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AsiaKid View Post
oh budget wise..same same..and i am thinking since i take it out for the weekends at nites to play around with..might as well go for pure performance car (GTR) or spend a bit more and just own a supercar once in my life.
Crazy (for me as a US resident anyway) that the GTR and Z4 are the same price.

I would have gone GTR instead of Z4 if budget was the same.

If Gallardo is on the table for you though.. that is a GREAT car. impressive that you are able to have one in HK!!
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      02-12-2013, 08:32 PM   #8
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Get the Gallardo and call it a day
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      02-13-2013, 01:56 AM   #9
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well the GTR would cost about 150,000 to upgrade to. but i would spend another 100-200K to tune. But the total to jump to gallardo is about 400K
so another 100K wud get me the gallardo.but would be a 2004/5 gallardo vs a 2008 GTR
BTW 8HKD = 1USD
yah..i am tempted by the gallardo for pure looks but performance..its = to z4..though gets there in a much sexier fashion
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      02-13-2013, 01:57 AM   #10
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forgot to add i would do 0 mods to the gallaro..except maybe a wrap and a front splitter change to get it more aggressive looking like the newer gallardos.
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      02-13-2013, 03:12 AM   #11
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Your alignment is definitively off.
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      02-13-2013, 07:33 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jannisa View Post
Your alignment is definitively off.
+1

I have been doing 250kmh in a Z4, and it is very stable (stock suspension, 18 inch, not adaptive). But I am sure it does not have the downforce of a lambo or GTR.

Check your mods, and consider if it is really worth it to trade high speed stability for 4 wheel drive. I personally do not think driving fast is really that much fun. It just consumes a lot of fuel. And nor are high left/right/braking G forces really. But going sideways is! And for that you should avoid 4 wheel drive and center-engined cars. Because if you are an average driver like me, you wont be going sideways in a GTR or Gallardo unless you are about to crash. In a Z4 the limits are much more manageable and its very well balanced for both fun and comfort.
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      02-14-2013, 02:44 AM   #13
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hey,, im sure ur alignments are off, my Z has no problem with speed at 150km, i often go over it even in hk, (so wen ppl say to u u cant do over 150km that often in such a small city, they are WRONG!!!!!!!!)

i had a long thought before i bought my Z, gtr is good, fast ard easy to drive, and pretty safe, we had a few of these within our grp, but maintenance is a bitch, i seen many gearbox brake downs before, thats y most my fds change to a 996/997 turbo.

gallardo, for looks yes, but performance wise, i tried wiv my fds once on number highway and on the way in airport, unless its super straight and over 200km, the z is pretty much same as gallardo, above 200km then the gallardo takes the lead, but on other smaller roads like shek o or stanley, Z is the winner, no doubt, and the egear isnt reli made for everyday drive, u hit traffic in nathan road ur car cud be smoking (thats from past experience), so these r wt u shud consider.
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      02-14-2013, 02:47 AM   #14
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one more, for the GTR, dun u think thats its everywhere in hk already? and u dun reli see a heavy mod Z here at all, so modding ur Z is probably more unique in hk area
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      02-14-2013, 03:11 AM   #15
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will take alignment in for check then retry again.
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      02-15-2013, 09:34 PM   #16
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One thing I like about my Z4 is how planted it feels at high speed! Much better than a 135i for example. And that is with the stock RFT tires too! I would check alignment and tires too.
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      02-16-2013, 03:20 AM   #17
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gonna agree with Asiakid here. kinda twitchy after 160+kmh. Might possibly be a HK thing and how our roads are built. My z doesnt row or sway that much after the springs and the sway bars and the 285 tires in the rear but still twitchy is twitchy. Just feels like a sudden moment of control and then a sudden moment of floatiness if you catch my drift.
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      02-16-2013, 03:53 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nkc View Post
gonna agree with Asiakid here. kinda twitchy after 160+kmh. Might possibly be a HK thing and how our roads are built. My z doesnt row or sway that much after the springs and the sway bars and the 285 tires in the rear but still twitchy is twitchy. Just feels like a sudden moment of control and then a sudden moment of floatiness if you catch my drift.
To me it sounds more like a feature of running 20" wheels. I went out to pull a few curves at high speed yesterday, and it feels very planted to me. It doesn't corner as flat as my previous E91 with lowered sports suspension, but its definitely not floaty either. If anything it likes to power over-steer at little if you go near the limits at high speed.

In anycase, if you drive fast, remember to put the roof down to lower the center of gravity.

Btw, how about a Z4 meeting in Shenzhen someday?
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      02-17-2013, 05:07 AM   #19
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My Z 35i DCT is somehow pretty loaded (ESS Stage2, KWV 3, 313 BMW performance wheels 135/19" front, 265/19" Rear)... I live in clear water bay and the roads here are great for driving fast and cool twisted corners.. No issues with stability; no swaying, no over/under steering and the car is surely prettier than a GTR... Now the Gallardo is a pretty car but I surely won't exchange my Z for one (specially a 2004/2005 one)...
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      02-17-2013, 07:11 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Land_Shark View Post
My Z 35i DCT is somehow pretty loaded (ESS Stage2, KWV 3, 313 BMW performance wheels 135/19" front, 265/19" Rear)... I live in clear water bay and the roads here are great for driving fast and cool twisted corners.. No issues with stability; no swaying, no over/under steering and the car is surely prettier than a GTR...
At low speeds I would agree but once you go over 180 it gets a little sketchy. Im not condoning these speeds but the highway coming out of Route 3 and Tai Lam towards Yuen Long is just too beautiful to pass up WOT. I drive on Tai Mo mountain quite a bit and no problem there since its just all sharp cornering and rarely any extreme high speeds.

I think we have enough decent z4's in HK for a meet, what do you guys think?
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      02-17-2013, 07:13 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asbjørn View Post

Btw, how about a Z4 meeting in Shenzhen someday?
Hi asborn, its unlikely that we'll be able to have a sz meet with our z4's from hk since we'll need the cross border plate and I doubt any z4 in hk will put a plate on that car.
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      02-17-2013, 07:59 PM   #22
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We surely should arrange for a meet... I am in... HK though and not Shenzhen. I do not have a China plate and not really interested in having one
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