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      08-23-2020, 09:05 PM   #1
jeebus87
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Project panda

Relatively new member to the E89 crew. I used to have an E86 for 4 years, then moved over to 911s, now I've added a z4 again. Picked up this 2009 35i w/ DCT about 3 months ago. ~125k miles but came with a thick stack of records from BMW of Austin. It was well taken care of without any issues or warning lights, and the price was right so I went for it.

I like to work on cars as a hobby so I hope to contribute some knowledge once I gain a better understanding of these cars.

Besides doing an oil change, I swapped out the brakes with M performance calipers and 2-piece rotors (370 mm), installed M sport bumpers and trim, and shoehorned in the "finest" carbon fiber rear diffuser chinese ebay has to offer. I also replaced the stock wheels with black M2 comps. I left the roof and mirrors black and wrapped the rest in 3M gloss white - first time working with vinyl. Fairly satisfied with it so far.

Here's a quick after/before and a shot of the front wheel/caliper/rotor:




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      08-23-2020, 11:37 PM   #2
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what a transformation. Love your work.
Where did you source the m performance calipers if you don't mind sharing.
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      08-24-2020, 12:27 AM   #3
jeebus87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ichiro View Post

what a transformation. Love your work.
Where did you source the m performance calipers if you don't mind sharing.
Thanks!

Found the calipers locally on craigslist. They can also be found every once in a while on the F30 or M2/3/4 forums.

I fitted them with the zimmerman 2 piece rotors and akebono ceramic pads. Stopping power is excellent. It's too bad the rear end has the electronic parking brake... not sure what to do back there just yet.
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      08-24-2020, 06:30 AM   #4
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Nice. Have you considered lowering it?
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      08-24-2020, 11:00 AM   #5
jeebus87
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Yes. Unfortunately the coilovers are on backorder.

Edit - coils shipped today!

Last edited by jeebus87; 08-24-2020 at 05:19 PM..
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      09-07-2020, 02:40 PM   #6
jeebus87
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Coils installed. Like them a lot. It was super easy to do all things considered - the kit does reuse the rear strut mount, otherwise everything else is included. So far no rubbing with the M2 comp wheels which is a relief. Have the coils on full comfort right now which makes for a surprisingly plush ride. Still need to dial in the height - likely another 5 mm or so lower in the front.

Also installed a CF lip spoiler which fit pretty well. Compared to the rear diffuser, this thing was much, much better.

After




Before








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      09-09-2020, 01:34 AM   #7
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hi,

looking very good, congrats

who makes the lip spoiler?

link please
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      09-09-2020, 08:59 AM   #8
jeebus87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tintoverano View Post
hi,

looking very good, congrats

who makes the lip spoiler?

link please
Here you go

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fits-09-16-...F/173122177007
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      09-09-2020, 10:19 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeebus87 View Post
thank you
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      09-09-2020, 01:02 PM   #10
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how do you like the BC coilovers? Any noise or issues in the short time you have had it

Im looking at them to be fitted in my car as well.
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      09-09-2020, 07:20 PM   #11
jeebus87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MachRc View Post
how do you like the BC coilovers? Any noise or issues in the short time you have had it

Im looking at them to be fitted in my car as well.
I haven't had the chance to really put them to the test yet but early returns are very promising.

I have them set on full comfort and even with the larger diameter wheels, it doesn't feel any firmer or more uncomfortable compared to stock.

There are no strange noises, even when going up and down curbs/driveways. The build quality seemed very solid to me so overall I would give them two thumbs up. I still need to get an alignment but I'm trying to dial in the ride height first. Dropped the front 5 mm today.
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      09-12-2020, 01:14 AM   #12
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What a difference lowering makes on our cars. That looks very nice. The carbon rear spoiler compliments the black roof and wheels.

I considered the BC Racing coils too but ended up ordering ST XA. I'll be installing mine next week if they arrive on time.
Any tips on making the installation easy? How long did it take you?
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      09-14-2020, 12:05 PM   #13
jeebus87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ichiro View Post
What a difference lowering makes on our cars. That looks very nice. The carbon rear spoiler compliments the black roof and wheels.

I considered the BC Racing coils too but ended up ordering ST XA. I'll be installing mine next week if they arrive on time.
Any tips on making the installation easy? How long did it take you?
It took me two days. Couldve done it in one, but the heat/humidity was too much to handle. Rear is easy, just make sure you have some trim removal tools to pry up the carpet in the trunk to get access to the rear shock mounts.

Rear: Remove wheel, place jack under the wheel hub, and gently support it. Remove the bolt for the shock. Gently lower the jack and remove it. You can use a pry bar *carefully* to remove the spring. It's not under much tension and I made sure of this before deciding to pry it out. Remove the shock by unbolting the rear mount in the trunk.

Front: A little more difficult because I didn't unbolt the tie rod so it required a bit of muscle to push it out from the wheel well. Support the wheel hub again with a jack. I removed the brake line and wheel speed sensor cables from their grommets. Remove the shock bolt at the wheel hub. Remove the nut from the sway bar link at the shock. Remove the front shock mount nuts in the engine bay. Lower the jack, and then push the strut down and out of the wheel well (takes some effort, but can be done). Remove the strut from the wheel hub - mine was frozen in place and required PB blaster and a 5 lb mallet.

Good luck, hope it goes well - feel free to PM if you have any other questions or get stuck.
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Last edited by jeebus87; 09-14-2020 at 12:19 PM..
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      09-14-2020, 12:59 PM   #14
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Did H&R springs the other day and as Jeebus noted, it's not a super hard job. Probably the piece that will be most annoying is removing the front struts from the knuckle. It's a bit of a weird setup and will need some brute force, as noted above. Ichiro, I'm super excited to see your setup when you get it and the feedback on how it handles/rides etc!!!
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      09-15-2020, 09:08 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeebus87 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ichiro View Post
What a difference lowering makes on our cars. That looks very nice. The carbon rear spoiler compliments the black roof and wheels.

I considered the BC Racing coils too but ended up ordering ST XA. I'll be installing mine next week if they arrive on time.
Any tips on making the installation easy? How long did it take you?
It took me two days. Couldve done it in one, but the heat/humidity was too much to handle. Rear is easy, just make sure you have some trim removal tools to pry up the carpet in the trunk to get access to the rear shock mounts.

Rear: Remove wheel, place jack under the wheel hub, and gently support it. Remove the bolt for the shock. Gently lower the jack and remove it. You can use a pry bar *carefully* to remove the spring. It's not under much tension and I made sure of this before deciding to pry it out. Remove the shock by unbolting the rear mount in the trunk.

Front: A little more difficult because I didn't unbolt the tie rod so it required a bit of muscle to push it out from the wheel well. Support the wheel hub again with a jack. I removed the brake line and wheel speed sensor cables from their grommets. Remove the shock bolt at the wheel hub. Remove the nut from the sway bar link at the shock. Remove the front shock mount nuts in the engine bay. Lower the jack, and then push the strut down and out of the wheel well (takes some effort, but can be done). Remove the strut from the wheel hub - mine was frozen in place and required PB blaster and a 5 lb mallet.

Good luck, hope it goes well - feel free to PM if you have any other questions or get stuck.
Thanks for the write up, it seems very straightforward
I just hope I don't run into any seized bolts.

I'm still waiting for my coilovers to be delivered, they just cleared customs
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      09-15-2020, 09:13 PM   #16
Ichiro
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Quote:
Originally Posted by proboner View Post
Did H&R springs the other day and as Jeebus noted, it's not a super hard job. Probably the piece that will be most annoying is removing the front struts from the knuckle. It's a bit of a weird setup and will need some brute force, as noted above. Ichiro, I'm super excited to see your setup when you get it and the feedback on how it handles/rides etc!!!
Yeah, the front seems to be a bit awkward with e9x cars as well with whom we share similar front end components.

I'll post some pics and review once I'm done installing, aligning and driving it for a bit.
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      09-18-2020, 08:17 PM   #17
jeebus87
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Here are the torque specs for the swap in case anyone else finds it useful

Front:
Shock bolt at wheel hub: 81 Nm
Front strut mount nuts under hood: 34 Nm
Sway bar link at strut: 58 Nm

Rear:
Shock absorber to wheel hub: 165 Nm
Rear strut mount nuts in trunk: 14 Nm
Strut nut: 24 Nm
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      10-13-2020, 10:55 PM   #18
jeebus87
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Dialed in the ride height and going to take it in for an alignment soon. I love driving this thing!

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      10-14-2020, 06:36 PM   #19
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Looking sweet. I'm so tempted to do a big brake upgrade for the fronts after seeing it on yours.
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      10-14-2020, 10:54 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ichiro View Post
Looking sweet. I'm so tempted to do a big brake upgrade for the fronts after seeing it on yours.
Ichiro, where are your ST coilovers at!?
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      10-14-2020, 11:17 PM   #21
jeebus87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ichiro View Post
Looking sweet. I'm so tempted to do a big brake upgrade for the fronts after seeing it on yours.
How did the coilover install go?

The BMW "BBK" upgrade is a great idea!

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      10-15-2020, 12:08 AM   #22
Ichiro
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Quote:
Originally Posted by proboner View Post
Ichiro, where are your ST coilovers at!?
I just posted a review in here:
https://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1766611
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