Easy and affordable performance mods...

[ecrabb]

OK, guys. I should be a week or ten days away from having a ZHP in my garage... '04 ZHP 6MT vert. 41,000 miles. Won't have a PPI until tomorrow, but the car appears to be neat and clean, and completely stock. I don't anticipate any issues.

With such low miles, I assume I won't need to deal with the usual higher-mileage issues like cooling system, VANOS, or DISA for at least another 10k miles, unless something needs attention just because it's 11 years old. If that's wrong, please advise. My thought was to wait until next spring or even spring '17 at around 50,000 miles and do cooling system, plugs, and anything else you guys think should be addressed. Thought about doing plugs anyway just because it's cheap.

Anyway, if there is no major maintenance due for awhile, I thought I could focus on a couple of performance tweaks for drivability, a minor bump in HP, and more importantly fun. I'll definitely drive the car for at least a few weeks and make sure everything is in order before I make any changes, but this is what I'm thinking for the near future:

- Shark Injector - $300 - Throttle response, smooth power, and snappier feel - ~4HP
- aFe Stage 2 ProDry S - $293 - Mostly for top-down in-cabin sound - 1-2HP if any
- Turner Power Pulley Kit - $250 - ~4HP

Total - $850

Figuring I'd just replace the accessory belt as a matter of course, and if I was doing that, figured I'd replace the composite pulleys with metal.

I've looked through lots of old threads and I don't recall reading anything definitive, but it seemed like 5-10HP wasn't out of line for intake, pulleys, and Shark. I know a header and exhaust would make for a bigger boost in performance, but I'm not interesting in spending that much money right now and I don't want to have issues with state emissions testing.

Anybody see anything wrong with my thought process here?

Thanks!!!

Cheers,
SC

[ecrabb]

Oh, also considering a strut brace... Especially with the vert. The Turner CF version looks pretty sweet.

Cheers,
SC

[TigerTater]

If your looking for hp increases per dollar your buying the wrong car. This is a fun spirited car..good for twistys. Headers are the most bang for the buck tbh 20-25hp. Pita to install but worth it. Your potential car is already 10+ years old. I would replace the cooling system for peace of mind so it doesn't grenade on you. Vanos could probably wait...although the gasket is most likely hard and brittle from age and heat exposure. My suggestion is maintenance, and drive it for a bit to figure out what direction you want to go. Good luck!

[UdubBadger]

cooling system for sure.

also a real tune over the shark tune hands down in my opinion. Eurocharged is not only cheaper but will retune for free if you get new mods.

[johnrando]

Makes sense as long as maint. is taken care of. I'd go Eurocharged over Shark myself.

[poke08]

What about headers + tune? Then I guess you could add an intake if you'd like.

[johnrando]

He did mention an intake, said he didn't want headers, and Eurocharged IS a tune. :biggrin

[poke08]

He did mention an intake, said he didn't want headers, and Eurocharged IS a tune. :biggrin

It's too early lol. Not sure how I missed that whole last paragraph

[johnrando]

lol

[UdubBadger]

Hahaha

[BMWCurves]

I always say maintenance first. At a bare minimum I would change out all the fluids (brake, diff, trans, engine, coolant). Personally, it gives me peace of mind that I don't have gunk whirring around in the motor or other ancillary parts, and I'd much rather have that first than performance parts.

EDIT: Not to thread jack but I read through a handful of threads on the Shark Injector where everyone sounded happy with its (very) modest performance, but it seems now everyone here suggests the $450 Eurocharged tune. What changed?

[UdubBadger]

I think most here would agree. Took me 2 years to get my M ready for the fun stuff.

[UdubBadger]

I always say maintenance first. At a bare minimum I would change out all the fluids (brake, diff, trans, engine, coolant). Personally, it gives me peace of mind that I don't have gunk whirring around in the motor or other ancillary parts, and I'd much rather have that first than performance parts.

EDIT: Not to thread jack but I read through a handful of threads on the Shark Injector where everyone sounded happy with its (very) modest performance, but it seems now everyone here suggests the $450 Eurocharged tune. What changed?

EC tune is only $300 through me using forum discount and is lifetime retunes on the car.

[ecrabb]

If your looking for hp increases per dollar your buying the wrong car. This is a fun spirited car..good for twistys. Headers are the most bang for the buck tbh 20-25hp. Pita to install but worth it. Your potential car is already 10+ years old. I would replace the cooling system for peace of mind so it doesn't grenade on you. Vanos could probably wait...although the gasket is most likely hard and brittle from age and heat exposure. My suggestion is maintenance, and drive it for a bit to figure out what direction you want to go. Good luck!

TLDR: I know the ZHP won't be a 0-60 car, but I'm not expecting that. I've driven lots of fun cars and I know what 235HP feels like.

Thanks. In case I didn't make it clear in my first post, I'm definitely not trying to turn the ZHP into a 0-60 monster or anything. I've driven lots of fast cars over the years. My old man has had lots of Corvettes, he still has the '87 Grand National he bought new when I was 17, and currently he's got a '12 CTS-V coupe that I've spent a little time in. There only a handful of cars that don't feel a little on the slow side once you tap 556HP...

So you know where I'm coming from, here's the handful of fun cars I've daily-driven since I was a youngin':
- 1983 Trans Am with WS6 and gatorbacks. 305 V8 CrossFire that was 175HP on a good day. Total dog by today's standards, but a blast. First fun car.
- 1991 Syclone. 280HP and AWD in a lightish package was a BLAST. 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. Handling... Not horrible, but not good.
- 1997 Grand Prix GTP. Supercharged 3.8. Automatic. 240HP, but 280lbft of torque. Pretty fun car, but FWD. And auto.
- 2003 Maxima SE. 255HP. FWD automatic. Not bad for a practical but sporty Japanese FWD auto, but it's a FWD auto.

Haven't had anything fun since. I switched to an SUV to cart around babies and home improvement supplies. ;) The point to all this rambling is that I have a good feel for what I want and I think around 250HP (give or take) is when things start to get fun in a normal mid-size car. Put that horsepower in a great-handling car, and now you're talking. That is the ZHP to me.

One of my dad's Corvettes was a 1985. 350 TPI. That car was 230HP. A couple of light mods put it in the 245HP ballpark. I put the ZHP right in the same ballpark performance-wise, which means it will be lots of fun.

I actually did drive a ZHP vert once that was sitting at the stealer a few years go. I probably commented on it somewhere. It was an AT with probably 80k miles on it if memory serves. To be brutally honest, I thought it was just a touch on the doggy side - especially from a stoplight. I can't say for certain having only driven the car for 20 minutes, but I suspect VANOS based on how people describe the effect here. Plus, it was an auto, which is a five-speed, yes? Regardless, I headed up the road and attacked a 270-degree on-ramp way faster than I should have in a car that I'd been driving for ten minutes, and I was ALL SMILES. It totally took me back to being 19 and driving my 83 Trans Am with WS6. That car was a dog by today's standards, but it was a blast. Because handling. I loved the feeling of that onramp in the ZHP so much, I went to next exit, turned around, and went back and did it again. Faster. SO. MUCH. FUN.

I'll be honest - my dream car is an E46 M3. I think 333HP is sort of just right in terms of a car that's perfect for my skill-level and desires. Unfortunately, the clean, unmolested, low-mileage M3's I'd love to have are in the mid-$20k's. I have other priorities at the moment, so I'm not interested in a $25k weekend car.

I've been dreaming about a ZHP for almost five years. So, while the ZHP may be a sort of stepping stone, if I love it as much as I think I will, I'll likely keep it for at least 2-3 years, if not more. So, assuming that any/all maintenance is up to snuff, I just want to do a couple little light mods for sound, drivability, fun, and just because it's a hobby and fun to tweak. Not looking to win any drag races. ;)

Sorry for the long post!

SC

[ecrabb]

EDIT: Not to thread jack but I read through a handful of threads on the Shark Injector where everyone sounded happy with its (very) modest performance, but it seems now everyone here suggests the $450 Eurocharged tune. What changed?


EC tune is only $300 through me using forum discount and is lifetime retunes on the car.

Thanks for this exchange. I had exactly the same impression as BMWCurves, i.e. what changed. This helps.

OK, so several votes for Eurocharged. I'll do some more research on it before I ask any stupid questions. ;)

Header... Most of my resistance is cost-related. I'll be what, $1500 or so minimum if I pay somebody else to do the work? Plus, if you're going to do header, then you really should go to a more free-flowing exhaust to get all the potential gains from the header, right? So, unless I can find used stuff, we're talking $2500 ballpark for header and exhaust, right?

OK, back to maintenance... Maybe I should start a separate thread, but I'm all for making sure maintenance is totally up to snuff before doing performance stuff. OTOH, I don't like to be wasteful. Wasn't sure what really needed to be done on a 41k mile car.

- I think I will do plugs. It's cheap and easy. No good reason not to.

- Cooling system... I wondered about that. I can absolutely see belts and hoses and expansion tank - it's an 11-year old car and heat and degradation and all. But, do I need to do the radiator and water pump with only 41k miles on them?

Thanks for all the input, guys! I love this forum!

Cheers,
SC

[NoVAphotog]

Thanks for this exchange. I had exactly the same impression as BMWCurves, i.e. what changed. This helps.

OK, so several votes for Eurocharged. I'll do some more research on it before I ask any stupid questions. ;)

Header... Most of my resistance is cost-related. I'll be what, $1500 or so minimum if I pay somebody else to do the work? Plus, if you're going to do header, then you really should go to a more free-flowing exhaust to get all the potential gains from the header, right? So, unless I can find used stuff, we're talking $2500 ballpark for header and exhaust, right?

OK, back to maintenance... Maybe I should start a separate thread, but I'm all for making sure maintenance is totally up to snuff before doing performance stuff. OTOH, I don't like to be wasteful. Wasn't sure what really needed to be done on a 41k mile car.

- I think I will do plugs. It's cheap and easy. No good reason not to.

- Cooling system... I wondered about that. I can absolutely see belts and hoses and expansion tank - it's an 11-year old car and heat and degradation and all. But, do I need to do the radiator and water pump with only 41k miles on them?

Thanks for all the input, guys! I love this forum!

Cheers,
SC
No need to do the radiator. But water pump is not that expensive if you find a kit to purchase and definitely recommended. I replaced mine at 60k just not have to worry about it for another 60k! It usually comes with the Stage 1 refresh kits.

Sent from an HTC One

[UdubBadger]

No need to do the radiator. But water pump is not that expensive if you find a kit to purchase and definitely recommended. I replaced mine at 60k just not have to worry about it for another 60k! It usually comes with the Stage 1 refresh kits.

Sent from an HTC One

Agree with this fully.


As far as headers the Bimmerbrakes headers are about $700? Figure $400 or so install. Tuning for coding out SEL is an extra $150 on the EC tune but you get the max performance out of them too.

[ecrabb]

Thanks, guys! Maintenance stuff noted. Totally agree with the cooling-related stuff. Not crazy about dealing with the water pump, but I just did a radiator swap on my '07 H3 and it wasn't too bad. Messy, and not my favorite way to spend a Saturday, but not too bad.

So, I was looking at the Eurocharged thread, here:
http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?6248-Eurocharged-Performance-Tuning-Thread/page3

Somebody was talking about "to-dos" to make sure performance is up to snuff, and recommended:

Intake filter, MAF, Spark Plugs, O2 sensors, DISA, Diff fluids.. Just to name a few.

- Intake filter and plugs are cheap and easy. No-brainer.
- MAF sensor. OEM Siemens/VDO is $200. I'd be inclined to just inspect, clean, and reinstall if there are no obvious performance issues. 10 years old, but only 41k miles.
- Diff fluids. Not a bad job, and not expensive. OK.
- At $80/set, O2 sensors seem like a waste to change if there are no obvious performance issues. Again, 41k miles, and I remember one guy complaining one of his new sensors was bad. Assume it's a bit of a crap job, too... At least one under car, I assume.

The VANOS and DISA I'm not sure about. That's about $500 worth of stuff from Dr. VANOS. I realize some rubber may be getting hard or brittle, but damn...

Does the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" maxim ever apply with any of the maintenance stuff? The cooling system I totally get because if the water pump fails on the interstate at 90 on a warm day, it might not be pretty. But, does the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" maxim ever apply with any of the maintenance stuff, or do a lot of you guys just do everything prophylactically irrespective of cost and mileage if you don't know the car's history that well?

Thanks!

SC

[ecrabb]

As far as headers the Bimmerbrakes headers are about $700? Figure $400 or so install. Tuning for coding out SEL is an extra $150 on the EC tune but you get the max performance out of them too.
Definitely interested in the Eurocharge tune, but not so much in the headers. Don't want to deal with the emissions headaches. Salt Lake City gets very smoggy because of the valley, so they don't mess around. Headers with a custom exhaust with cats would be fine, but then we're talking way too much money. I'll ask around, but I'm guessing it's not in my future.

Thanks!

SC

[ecrabb]

Oh... The BMW dealer where the car is currently in for airbag recall was coy about service records. They said they couldn't give me any service records because it would expose private previous-owner information? They said they could answer specific questions about stuff that was done, but couldn't print anything for me. Is that true or were just being difficult?

Damn, sorry for the 101 questions!

Thanks, guys!

SC

[Ssparrow]

As others have said, definitely do cooling system overhaul. As far as vanos/disa. You could get the G.A.S. Rebuild kit for about 90 bucks and then go head and do the beisan vanos seals and rattle kit. Which will run you about 60 bucks each. That's what I did and it wasn't too bad of a job at all. Just time consuming. Ps I'm from Utah as well :thumbsup

Edit: when I bought my car I didn't really have too much info on maintenance that has been done to the car so I replaced everything just as a piece of mind. Granted my car has twice as many miles as yours (106k)

[danewilson77]

Pedal box and suspension.

[JB3]

I'm thinking biggest bang-for-buck is LSD with steeper gearing, headers + tune.

BTW that mileage is ricockulous. Consider me jealous. :roundel

[johnrando]

I was just going to add, given what you said earlier about the feel of the car (performance), get a Pedal Box or a Sprint Booster... they remove the throttle lag and the car feels so much quicker. The PB is more adjustable that the SB. (Of course, do the actual performance stuff first).

[ecrabb]

As others have said, definitely do cooling system overhaul. As far as vanos/disa. You could get the G.A.S. Rebuild kit for about 90 bucks and then go head and do the beisan vanos seals and rattle kit. Which will run you about 60 bucks each. That's what I did and it wasn't too bad of a job at all. Just time consuming.
Awesome. Thanks for that info. Given the low mileage on the car, it makes much more sense to me to spend a little more time and just replace aged parts in newer assemblies than to replace everything with rebuilt assemblies at much higher cost.


Ps I'm from Utah as well :thumbsup
Nice! We'll have to meet up at one of the local events at some point. I'm hoping I have my car by next weekend.


Edit: when I bought my car I didn't really have too much info on maintenance that has been done to the car so I replaced everything just as a piece of mind. Granted my car has twice as many miles as yours (106k)
Makes a lot of sense. I don't disagree with any of what you guys are saying; I just probably won't be in a big rush to do everything right away.

Thanks!

SC

[ecrabb]

I'm thinking biggest bang-for-buck is LSD with steeper gearing, headers + tune.
The LSD really is interesting to me. Probably a next-year type project, but definitely interesting, both from an acceleration standpoint, but also the sideways-around-the-corner action. I can afford to take a little hit on fuel economy with deeper gears because this car will be primarily a weekend/nice weather car. Only problem would be shorter first and second gear, so a little more rowing around town, I'd imagine. What's a 6MT doing speed-wise at the typical 1-2 and 2-3 shifts?


BTW that mileage is ricockulous. Consider me jealous. :roundel
I know! When I started looking seriously this spring, I was figuring on an 80,000-mile car or maybe a 65,000-mile car if I was lucky. I never figured on finding a 41k mile car. So damn excited.

:jump

Waiting on the dealer that has the car right now to call me back. They were going to call a transport company they usually use to see if he could get me a deal on shipping. Didn't even ask - he just offered it up. It would be great if they could come back a little cheaper than the $1100 estimate I already have.

Cheers,
SC

[fredo]

On my e90, the dealer printed a report for me WITHOUT any info of the previous owners (I'm number 3). But they hesitated a little before saying ok.

[BMWCurves]

Once I purchased my ZHP I called over the the local dealer that had serviced the car and requested records. They just said they needed proof of registration of the car in my name and that was it. The printout of the maintenance records didn't have the PO's name, just a customer number.

I think it really just depends on the dealer and the state's privacy laws.

[rkneeshaw]

If I were you I'd focus on the fluids mainly. Its low miles but fluids still age.

I suggest doing your Turner Pulleys (you'll like them!) a stewart water pump, and the coolant flush at the same time. If you don't mind spending the money, do the thermostat at the same time too just so you won't have to worry about messing with coolant for a good long while. I'm at 105k on my motor and I haven't changed the expansion tank or radiator, I've never understood why, they just sit there, unlike the thermostat or waterpump which have moving parts. My thermostat went bad on me, and I did the waterpump proactively (I went with stewart, that thing is built like tank, high quality!).


EC tune is only $300 through me using forum discount and is lifetime retunes on the car.

Thats a great deal!

[ELCID86]

Cooling system (-radiator), fluids, suspension components (at least some of the bushings will need it by now), pedal box.

[BMWCurves]

If I were you I'd focus on the fluids mainly. Its low miles but fluids still age.

I suggest doing your Turner Pulleys (you'll like them!) a stewart water pump, and the coolant flush at the same time. If you don't mind spending the money, do the thermostat at the same time too just so you won't have to worry about messing with coolant for a good long while. I'm at 105k on my motor and I haven't changed the expansion tank or radiator, I've never understood why, they just sit there, unlike the thermostat or waterpump which have moving parts. My thermostat went bad on me, and I did the waterpump proactively (I went with stewart, that thing is built like tank, high quality!).



Thats a great deal!

My car has 50k miles and I did a complete cooling system overhaul including the radiator. I've never had an issue with the radiator in an E46 but I've always done it preventatively just as a precaution. I tend to do it because although it is a stationary part, the inlets and outlets are plastic and over time they will expand and contract through heat cycles and will eventually fail. My father's E39 has a similar radiator design and in his 17 years of ownership the plastic inlet has burst twice, both at around six years and 55k miles. It's possible the radiators are more robust in an E46, but after witnessing that twice at regular intervals I replace them preventatively.

[ELCID86]

^ not a bad idea "while you're in there.."
Maybe with that metal one recently posted.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[ryankokesh]

Has anyone mentioned the cooling system? I'd do that ;)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8861/17493862449_6437217bce_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sDSBQ6)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/sDSBQ6) by Ryan Kokesh (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryankokesh/), on Flickr

[danewilson77]

Has anyone mentioned the cooling system? I'd do that ;)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8861/17493862449_6437217bce_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sDSBQ6)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/sDSBQ6) by Ryan Kokesh (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryankokesh/), on Flickr
Is that you Ryan?

[ryankokesh]

Is that you Ryan?

Unfortunately, yes. It is. :facepalm

[danewilson77]

Is that you Ryan?
No way man nothing to :facepalm about.

It's just seth said one look, and I'd want to punch you in the face. I disagree however.

[ryankokesh]

No way man nothing to :facepalm about.

It's just seth said one look, and I'd want to punch you in the face. I disagree however.

Seth's a magician behind the camera. I don't look remotely that good in real life.

[UdubBadger]

I had the schmuck polarizer over the lens

[rkneeshaw]

Ryan, did that expansion tank burst, or is it just covered in evaporated coolant from a leak at the upper radiator hose? I wonder what the physics are behind an expansion tank failure, isn't it just a "catch can" for coolant?


I had the schmuck polarizer over the lens

lol!

[ryankokesh]

Ryan, did that expansion tank burst, or is it just covered in evaporated coolant from a leak at the upper radiator hose? I wonder what the physics are behind an expansion tank failure, isn't it just a "catch can" for coolant?



lol!

Yeah, she blew on a dyno run. It's pressurized, so too much pressure and too old/brittle of plastic and kaboom.

[UdubBadger]

It was the end of the dunno run too... Lol

[Hermes]

Buy a code reader that can reset adaptations, that is your most important purchase.

Change plugs every 30k, so do it now.

Change all your fluids. Your mileage might be low, but your fluids are old.

[rkneeshaw]

Change plugs every 30k, so do it now.

30k? I changed mine "early" at 85k and they still looked good. Have you had problem with yours? I think the platinum NGK's spec'd for our cars are supposed to be 100k mile plugs

[ecrabb]

My car has 50k miles and I did a complete cooling system overhaul including the radiator. I've never had an issue with the radiator in an E46 but I've always done it preventatively just as a precaution. I tend to do it because although it is a stationary part, the inlets and outlets are plastic and over time they will expand and contract through heat cycles and will eventually fail. My father's E39 has a similar radiator design and in his 17 years of ownership the plastic inlet has burst twice, both at around six years and 55k miles. It's possible the radiators are more robust in an E46, but after witnessing that twice at regular intervals I replace them preventatively.

Your dad's experience sounds familiar. I replaced the radiator in my '07 Hummer H3 (Colorado/Canyon platform) a few months ago. The radiator is a three-piece design: aluminum main section with composite (aka plastic) top/bottom tanks. The whole thing probably doesn't weigh 20 pounds. The truck made it to about 57k miles before the radiator developed a hairline crack in the composite top tank. From reading the forums, the failure is extremely common, and always in the 50k-60k miles ballpark. Fortunately, it wasn't a catastrophic failure; it gave me a few weeks of dripping before I got it replaced. The dealer quoted me a grand to do it, so I did at home in the garage for about $400 in OE part, a jug of coolant, and a Saturday.

With only 41k miles on the car, I'll probably wait until next spring to do the cooling system overhaul. I know the car is going on 11 years old, but I'd be amazed if we put 5,000 miles on the car between now and when it gets put away for the winter. So, I can do it in the garage in Feb or March when it's still cold out and I don't want to be driving the car. Probably do the VANOS and DISA at the same time. Of course, this all depends on how the car looks and drives once I get it.

Thanks!

SC

[ecrabb]

30k? I changed mine "early" at 85k and they still looked good. Have you had problem with yours? I think the platinum NGK's spec'd for our cars are supposed to be 100k mile plugs

I agree. 30k is a very short interval to replace plugs. Back in the carb days, 50k or even 30k-mile plug changes wasn't uncommon, but these days spark plugs last a long time if there are no oil leak or ignition problems along the way that foul the plug.

OTOH, $40 and an hour or so means it's a pretty easy and inexpensive maintenance item. I was thinking of doing it once I got the car just because of how cheap and easy it is. I was thinking I'd at least pull one and see how it looks, but then I'd be 1/6 done with just replacing them. ;)

I do know that if they crack and let compression gases by, they can ruin boots and wires, or on these cars, the coil. I wouldn't imagine it's common, but then replacing a single coil probably costs almost as much as just replacing the entire set of plugs.

Cheers,
SC

[ecrabb]

Buy a code reader that can reset adaptations, that is your most important purchase.
I have some generic OBD-II reader I bought probably 3 or 4 years ago. I think it's just a reader, though. What's the recommendation for the best reader for this cars that can reset adaptations?


Change plugs every 30k, so do it now.
Was definitely considering plugs.


Change all your fluids. Your mileage might be low, but your fluids are old.
Agreed. Planning to see if I get somebody at the stealer to give me service records so I can determine actual age of all fluids. If any are more than a few years old or I can't determine age, I'll do it "fo sho".

SC

[ecrabb]

It was the end of the dunno run too... Lol

If your cooling system busts open on the dyno, that definitely becomes the "dunno" run. ;)

SC

[ecrabb]

Has anyone mentioned the cooling system? I'd do that ;)

:thumbup

SC