New to the forum and ZHPs.

[charter21p5]

Hello!
I picked up a 2004 ZHP last week. Really enjoying the car.

The car has 120k miles on it. Dealership maintained... all records etc. I bought it from a private party.

http://www.minnesotafish.net/e46-2.jpg

[Vas]

Welcome.

Great looking sedan.

Where are you located?

[fredo]

Welcome, sir ! That ZHP looks good. :thumbsup

[slater]

welcome, and congrats! i love TiAg... i would almost rather have TiAg than imolarot...

[charter21p5]

Thanks. I am in Raleigh NC.

[ELCID86]

Willkommen.

[hcbeck2689]

Thanks. I am in Raleigh NC.

Nice! I'm in Wilmington. Actually passing through Raleigh tonight and stopping to get an exhaust from CL seller.

I'm pretty sure I used your car for a comp 2 weeks ago to get my insurance to raise the price on payout.

If it's the one I'm thinking you got a nice whip. Shoot me a pm if your interested in a CAI. I could take mine off my car when I go by car lot and give it to you for $20.

[BMWCurves]

Welcome! Good looking example of ZHP you have there.

Any maintenance or modification plans in the short term/long term?

[san]

Welcome!


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[3ZHP]

Welcome!


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[Oli77]

Howdy from KY, very sharp car.

[charter21p5]

Thanks! I didn't expect all the responses... Great to be part of a very active forum. hcbeck2689 I sent you a PM. I am not sure what the plans are for this car. So far driving it stock is a lot of fun. I find I want to drive it just to drive it!

I am researching to find out what some decent mods would be IF I were to move away from all stock OEM. My research tells me Dinan is probably not the best route for this car. I would be interested in a supercharger... However I am very pleased with the stock performance. The only thing I do have planned for this car is to replace the drivers side window regulator, the front window lower trim and put new tires on the car. I was planning on putting Michelin PSS's on however I found a very good deal on bridgestone tires which will keep the car on the road until I determine what brand / model tire I am going with for the longer term.

I am replacing the driver's door window regulator on Sunday and I also ordered a wiper arm remover so I can get to the lower front window trim. The parts are here I just need the tool.

I do have one issue with the car which I haven't identified root cause. It seems after the car warms up there is a bit of stuttering on acceleration up to around 4k. The stuttering or very subtle delay in acceleration isn't consistent however it is frequent. I am aware of the 4k dip SIB (DME firmware update) which maybe be related... I plan on checking the plugs out this sunday as well.

Do you guys recommend bosch plugs for these cars?

[slater]

I do have one issue with the car which I haven't identified root cause. It seems after the car warms up there is a bit of stuttering on acceleration up to around 4k. The stuttering or very subtle delay in acceleration isn't consistent however it is frequent. I am aware of the 4k dip SIB (DME firmware update) which maybe be related... I plan on checking the plugs out this sunday as well.

Do you guys recommend bosch plugs for these cars?


spark plugs and coil packs going bad would make the engine run poorly all over the RPM range. the stuttering could be the DISA valve, hot-side O2 sensors, or possibly a vacuum leak - do you have a check engine light? is the stuttering all the way to 4000RPM, or more like 2500-3000RPM? if the latter, the DME update should fix it.

i don't have the DME update (yet - it's on my to-do list), but i do have the shark injector and my car does not have the 4K dip.

for plugs, i would stay away from bosch (QC issues). NGK makes the OEM plugs for this car (platinum - BKR6QUP i believe is the stock plug). i use NGK BKR6E, which is a copper 'v-power' plug - it only lasts 20K miles max, but copper is a better conductor than platinum so it gives better performance and better fuel economy. they last 1/4 of the time that platinum plugs last, but then again they are 1/4 of the cost too. :) plugs take 15min to change, i'm happy to do it for better performance and fuel economy.

i would definitely advise enjoying the car stock first, and then seeing where you want to change things. the michelin PSS are the best street tires, period (in my opinion ;) ).

[johnrando]

Welcome!

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[BMWCurves]

That all sounds good charter, Peter (slater) covered your concerns pretty well.

As for mods, there are many that are OEM+. Some options:

A small ECU tune such as EuroCharged or Conforti Shark Injector. I have the Shark Injector and enjoy it, but its alteration to the driving experience is pretty mild and would not suggest purchasing it at its full price of $350.
Pedal Box or Sprint Booster to improve throttle response. I'm fine without it, but others swear by them.
New shocks/struts. Konis and Bilsteins are common options, or coilovers, although they are more expensive. I went with Koni Sports (yellows) and it improved stability and performance, while also managing to make the ride more compliant and comfortable. Several other members have the same set and like them.
Replace the suspension bushings. The two big ones are front control arm bushings (FCABs) and rear trailing arm bushings (RTABs). A relatively cheap but good upgrade are bushings from a Z4M. I have them and they've made my car's turn in feel more enjoyable and the rear feel more planted. Many members have this setup and like it.
Cold air intakes (CAI) are common "upgrades" as well. You can get some by aFe, Dinan, BMW Performance, GruppeM. Don't expect any real world performance improvement from them but members here will swear by the sound of the GruppeM.
Exhaust or mufflers. Members here seem to like UUC's Corsa exhaust, but it's expensive and hard to come by used. Others opt for just mufflers. A recently popular muffler around here is Vibrant Performance. You can read about it and hear some videos here: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/search.php?searchid=2124882
Wheels. One of my favorite "upgrades" on my car. The stock style 135 wheels from BMW are HEAVY, about 28.5 lbs a piece. They are gorgeous wheels, but they weigh a ton. I swapped them for some Apex ARC-8s which weigh about 17.2 lbs, but you could even move to Style 68 BMW wheels and shed ~6 lbs per wheel. You can see my discussion on the topic here: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16922-Apex-ARC8-17-quot-vs-18-quot-Offset-and-Tire-Size-Questions
Short shift kits. There are several brands. A lot of people have gotten the BMW Performance shifter which is a relatively cheap kit with not too aggressive shortening of throws. I picked up the UUC Evo3 kit. Customer service was not great, but once I eventually had it all sorted, I love it. Very expensive, but very short and notchy throws like I want.
Audio - there are a lot of differing opinions. For me, I just wanted an auxiliary input. BMW makes a kit that's ~$35. You can replace the entire head unit with a full screen unit from Eonon, Avin, or Dynavin as well that look relatively OEM.
Reinforcement plates/mounts - I would highly suggest you get the strut tower reinforcement plates from BMW. They're $20 and will help prevent mushrooming in the front strut towers. If you do replace your rear shocks, I would also suggest Rogue Engineering's reinforced rear shock mounts.
Rubber - you've already mentioned this, but tires have a huge impact on how a car performs and feels. I have Continental ExtremeContact DW tires that are pretty quiet, comfortable and have great summer performance and very good cold weather/wet performance. Others swear by Michelin PSS tires. There's a wide range.
Remove the clutch delay valve (CDV). This one is very common as well. There's a little valve that narrows the volume of hydraulic fluid to the clutch. BMW's thought process I believe was that this would minimize clutch wear, but the downside is that it makes modulating the clutch much more difficult. People remove it and like the improved clutch pedal feel.
Steering wheel. People that like their alcantara wheel but want it rewrapped since it's probably gross and beyond repair by now tend to seek out Coby Wheel, an affiliate here. It's $200 or so, but everyone that's used him swears by him. I like alcantara but didn't want the maintenance so I went with a mixed leather/perforated leather steering wheel by DCT Motorsports for about $350. Others buy the OEM E46 M3 wheel. Several options.


That's by no means an exhaustive list, but just some ideas to get you going.

[brettbimmer]

Welcome to the Mafia. Car looks great!

[danewilson77]

Love it.

Welcome

TiAg :drool

S7 Edge, out

[charter21p5]

BMWCurves thanks for the very informative write up! I will keep it for future reference. I do have a couple of questions for you all...

Two non-related topics:

1) I was trying to find 93 non-ethanol fuel here in NC however the highest grade I can find is 90. What are your thoughts on running either 90 non-ethanol or 93 corn fuel? What fuel additive should be used?

2) I might need shocks soon... Are bilstein sports and upgrade versus the OEM shocks in ZHPs?

Thanks in advance!

[Vas]

BMWCurves thanks for the very informative write up! I will keep it for future reference. I do have a couple of questions for you all...

Two non-related topics:

1) I was trying to find 93 non-ethanol fuel here in NC however the highest grade I can find is 90. What are your thoughts on running either 90 non-ethanol or 93 corn fuel? What fuel additive should be used?

2) I might need shocks soon... Are bilstein sports and upgrade versus the OEM shocks in ZHPs?

Thanks in advance!
Get on the Koni sale while you can.

[ELCID86]

Get on the Koni sale while you can.

+1. Go yellow.

[charter21p5]

Get on the Koni sale while you can.

I don't know much about Koni. All of my bmws have had bilstein HDs or sports.


Thanks for the great welcome and info everyone.

Very glad to be part of this group and really enjoying driving the zhp.

[Vas]

I don't know much about Koni. All of my bmws have had bilstein HDs or sports.


Thanks for the great welcome and info everyone.

Very glad to be part of this group and really enjoying driving the zhp.
Koni yellow are great shocks. And at the current price of roughly $500 for shocks that are adjustable you can't go wrong

[charter21p5]

Thanks again everyone for the welcome and a big thanks BMWCurves for the excellent write up. I am working through the items requiring repair before I decide on what to "upgrade".

I have completed a few repairs since joining the forum. The car had a bad driver's side window regulator, required new plugs, the lower front window guard was in bad shape, the cabin air filter housing upper and lower require replacement, the cabin filter was way overdue on replacement!, the front tires were rotted, the car had a stutter on acceleration, the front brakes are very close to requiring replacement, oil change was 7k miles ago, and the car required a connection option for the iphone!

I replaced all the afore-mentioned items, excluding brakes, and updated the DME to the latest program / encoding, changed the oil (castrol synth 0w40 euro formula) and added a magnetic oil plug. I had original code on the DME and at around ~2600 - 3000 rpm I noticed a stutter on acceleration. I put in new NGK plugs "hoping" they would resolve the issue since the 22k mile rated plugs were overdue for replacement however the DME update ultimately fixed this very annoying stutter. The plugs definitely helped smooth out the engine. Thanks slater for the info on the DME update.

I also did notice a performance improvement after the DME update. The car is quicker and overall is very responsive. Prior to the update the car did seem a bit sluggish. I programmed / encoding every system including the radio. Everything went well however I did experience some issues with the latest radio update where post update when changing the time the digits do not move during the adjustment.

I also added the aux port and mounted it in the ashtray. The aux port was well worth the $35 as pandora now streams in the car! :) Thanks BMWCurves for the info.

I replaced the drivers side window regular and today I heard the passenger side snap crackle etc. The drivers side regulator was fairly easy to replace and took approximately 20 minutes.

I have to put a new set of brakes on soon. I am leaning towards OEM rotors and using either brembo, hawk or cobalt pads. The dusty BMW pads are good however I am tired of cleaning the front wheels every week. Any advice here is appreciated, non track / daily driver car.

I was thinking of putting on a new CAI such as one made by AFE however after reading several threads where they dyno'd the E46s post a CAI upgrade and the HP gain was nominal. You guys already pointed that out, I was out doing my homework as well. :)

From a performance upgrade perspective I am more thinking instead of replacing headers, adding a K/N filter, shark tune and possibly a 3.46 diff.

I need to do a bit more research before modding anything. The car is a lot of fun to drive stock around town and I don't have any plans on making it a track car.

Thanks for all the great advice and tips on improving the car.

[Vas]

Go with the Zimmermann rotors. Fcp euro currently has deals on brakes. Check it out

[BMWCurves]

Glad to have helped!

If I didn't have my current BMW Performance rotors (really not necessary for the price, but hey, it's a sunk cost at this point), I would go with Zimmerman or StopTech probably. OEM would be fine though. I like my Hawk HPS 5.0 pads. Low dust, good performance, different feel from BMW's pads.

People who got a 3.46 w/ LSD seem to be very satisfied with the added traction and added acceleration. Plenty of people have gone that route, and I would love to do it once I have the funds (with a 3.38 ratio probably).

Not sure where you're located, but headers can be an issue if you live in a state with annual emissions tests. Just a heads up.

[ELCID86]

Loving my 3.38 M/Factory LSD.

[NickZHP]

BMWCurves thanks for the very informative write up! I will keep it for future reference. I do have a couple of questions for you all...

Two non-related topics:

1) I was trying to find 93 non-ethanol fuel here in NC however the highest grade I can find is 90. What are your thoughts on running either 90 non-ethanol or 93 corn fuel? What fuel additive should be used?

2) I might need shocks soon... Are bilstein sports and upgrade versus the OEM shocks in ZHPs?

Thanks in advance!

Why not just run 93 premium fuel?

[charter21p5]

I did make the decision to run 93 10% Ethanol fuel.

I replaced the stock air filter with a K/N filter and recently put all new Bridgestone - Potenza S-04 Pole Position tires on the car. They were $70 off at Costco and cheaper than I could find anywhere in town. They seem like decent tires however after I burn through a set of these I plan on switching out to Michelin PSS.

[Vas]

I liked the s04. Not sure if it's worth going to the pss

[330i Lover]

Another titanium! :headbang

[charter21p5]

I posted a help request thread: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?18796-4K-Dip&p=500773#post500773

I am plagued by the 4k dip!

Thanks in advance.

[charter21p5]

I posted a help request thread: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?18796-4K-Dip&p=500773#post500773

I am plagued by the 4k dip!

Thanks in advance.

I updated this thread with very good news!

[Whammy]

Welcome to the group! Nice acquisition!