Build and advice for Heidi

[Her name is Heidi]

Copy and paste from my introduction on the new member page.

I wanted to take the time to introduce myself as I am a new member to the ZHP Mafia, but a long time follower and owner.

I have been the lucky owner of a 2003.5 (May build date) Black over Natural Brown, 6 spd, slick top ZHP sedan since 2006. This was, and still is, my dream car when from the moment I purchased the car from an old man that didn't realize what he bought when he ordered the car. Therefore, I was able to purchase the car for a CRAZY good deal for the time and an even better buy when you look at today's prices. But I purchased the car over a M3 at the time because, like many of us, BMW did not make a M3 sedan in 2006 and a sedan was the most practical car for me heading to college. (Yes I did get this car for high school graduation but I was only able to afford/justify it due to receiving full scholarship to college via ROTC)

The present day state of the car is average, and with my first child on the way I want to keep the car as safe and reliable as ever. Therefore, I have started updating/modifying the car. I have been following the ZHP Mafia since it was first founded 6 years ago? but never thought to of joining until I started a "project". Now that I have started my project I need help and advice. There is no better place for both than the Mafia family. I am currently located in the Fort Bragg/Southern Pines, NC area and willing to meet up with any members close by.

A little about the car. As stated its a Black (paint is bad!) over Natural Brown 6 spd slick top sedan with 140,000 miles on the clock. All maintenance is up to date with the only major stuff left being a cooling system, clutch and brake overhaul. I just got done installing a full suspension upgrade with Bilstein B16 PSS10s and PowerFlex Bushing throughout the car. Therefore, my future plans are to update/upgrade the still original brakes, do some cosmetic maintenance and start down the power adder road with the usual tune/headers/exhaust/intake/LSD. Looking to track the car a little but mainly continue to drive the wheels off the car.

New questions that I would like some advice on:
As stated above I have gone with PSS10s with bushing throughout, but did not upgrade sways or install strut tower braces. Which leads to the first questions. Are sways really going to make big difference to the way the car will handle? Looking at Hotchkis kit off ECS. Will strut braces front and rear help prevent any issues like mushrooming or anything along those lines? and will they make a difference to the way the car will handle enough to justify the price for both strut braces and/or sways?

Final question for this first post: Brakes are next on the hit list with my OE brakes still hanging in there at 140K. I would like to go with StopTech ST40s up front, but are they really that much better, for the money, than good slotted rotors and great pads?

[Her name is Heidi]

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[Her name is Heidi]

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[BMWCurves]

New questions that I would like some advice on:
As stated above I have gone with PSS10s with bushing throughout, but did not upgrade sways or install strut tower braces. Which leads to the first questions. Are sways really going to make big difference to the way the car will handle? Looking at Hotchkis kit off ECS. Will strut braces front and rear help prevent any issues like mushrooming or anything along those lines? and will they make a difference to the way the car will handle enough to justify the price for both strut braces and/or sways?

Final question for this first post: Brakes are next on the hit list with my OE brakes still hanging in there at 140K. I would like to go with StopTech ST40s up front, but are they really that much better, for the money, than good slotted rotors and great pads?

I can't help with most of that as I've kept my car pretty stock. I would say if you want to try and prevent mushrooming up front, you should install the strut reinforcement plates (BMW part no. 51717036781). They're about $20.

As far as I know, sway bars can have a very significant impact in how a car handles. I personally plan at some point to increase the size of both the front and rear sway bars a small amount with an E46 M3 front sway bar and a 330Ci rear sway bar.

I'll leave the rest to other members.

[NoVAphotog]

Final question for this first post: Brakes are next on the hit list with my OE brakes still hanging in there at 140K. I would like to go with StopTech ST40s up front, but are they really that much better, for the money, than good slotted rotors and great pads?

BMWCurves hit the nail on the head. Should have done the Rogue Engineering rear strut mounts and the Genuine BMW Front Strut Reinforcement plates. Not to hard to add them after the fact though. Especially the front ones. Just lift that side, unbolt the strut and slide them in.

As for brakes. Based on my limited track/autox experience...I would say that upgrade is not worth it for the money. I have basic plain jane rotors up front with basic pads. I swapped in a set of Hawk HPS+ pads for my first track day along with fresh fluid. As a beginner that was more than enough, shit I have people that race saying plain rotors and upgraded pads are all you need. I would do headers/tune before a big brake kit for our cars...

[Her name is Heidi]

NoVAphotog there are no signs at all of any issues with any of the towers just thinking about the long run. The same can be said for the front brakes. Just think and thought why not if it will improve the car for the rest of it's life. Currently think about StopTech slotted rotors, Hawk HPS+ 5.0 and SS lines. Plus if i need to rebuild any caliper the BBK would only be just out of reach...

I do want to do headers/intake/tune next all at one time. Not sure what full exhaust system I want to go with.

[bimmergofast]

Are sways really going to make big difference to the way the car will handle?


Yes. Do that.



Will strut braces front and rear help prevent any issues like mushrooming or anything along those lines? and will they make a difference to the way the car will handle enough to justify the price for both strut braces and/or sways?


Strut braces aren't going to make nearly as much difference as sways in handling. My experience has been that I couldn't really tell when I added, but after removing for maintenance it did feel ever so slightly looser. As for mushrooming, there are certainly claims that a front strut brace will prevent it, but don't know that there is really any way to prove it one way or the other. I went ahead and installed the reinforcement kit when I did new struts- was cheap and easy.

[Vas]

Welcome.

If your car is still on the original cooling system ( waterpump, thermostat, expansion tank, etc) that would be the first thing to tackle. Consider a cooling system overhaul before the colder months arrive so you wont have any issues during the winter.

Turner Motorsports has a good kit available that covers pretty much all of the cooling system. Just add the pulleys,belts and tensioner and you will have a robust cooling system

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-340196-complete-cooling-system-overhaul-package-1999-2006-e46-323i-325i-328i-330i/?pdk=AQEBAgEBAQEBAQ

As far as the brake overhaul. Consider a set of rotors and good pads/fluid/lines. Something along the lines of Brembo or Zimmerman for rotors and Cool Carbon Hawk or EBC or Hawk for pads. Then add fluid and lines.

I would not worry about the clutch unless you are having issues with it.

And in regards to the suspension, add the front reinforcement kit using the plates for the front and rear.

[Her name is Heidi]

Vas the car is running on the original cooling system. With that being said I am closely watching the system! At the first sign of any issues everything minus the radiator will be replaced unless the issue is the radiator. I truly think the brakes will go first because the fronts are the original brakes. I have budgeted for mostly everything so I am just replacing items as I go month to month depending on how much i'm driving the car and how much i'm home to work on the car. So as stated brakes/cooling/clutch are all original and on the hit list for replacement. As I replace things I want to upgrade them if there is a better aftermarket option.

Today's project is super easy and boring but needs to happen. I am replacing the fog lights and the lower front grill.

[anandoc]

Vas the car is running on the original cooling system. With that being said I am closely watching the system! At the first sign of any issues everything minus the radiator will be replaced unless the issue is the radiator.

I am sure you know what you are doing - but when the expansion tank blows up spontaneously, you will have seconds to react and might end up with a warped head in the worst case.

You mention in your first post that you want to keep the car safe and reliable - the cooling system scores last in the reliability checklist on the E46 platform. Forget brakes, forget suspension - you should really address the cooling system before anything if reliability is important to you.

[fw_fw]

I am sure you know what you are doing - but when the expansion tank blows up spontaneously, you will have seconds to react and might end up with a warped head in the worst case.

You mention in your first post that you want to keep the car safe and reliable - the cooling system scores last in the reliability checklist on the E46 platform. Forget brakes, forget suspension - you should really address the cooling system before anything if reliability is important to you.

+1.....without a doubt, refresh the cooling system, 140K on the original system is a time bomb waiting to go!!

[Her name is Heidi]

First of all, this is a great forum with great information and I really appreciate everything thus far.

Is the expansion tank the main issue with the cooling system? Again, I have no issues at all with cooling at this time but have learned over the years that the cooling system is known to fail often with our cars. Therefore, that is the first thing I check when driving the car. I do not drive it very much anymore. I'll look at replacing the expansion tank and brakes over the next few weeks. The brakes HAVE to be changed at this point.

[BMWCurves]

Definitely attend to your brakes if they're in need, but I'm in agreement with the other members: get to the cooling system sooner rather than later. Hoses burst, expansion tanks can break, thermostats can fail. If one item goes, the other components are not far behind. I've never experienced this issue in a 3 series, but I've seen the plastic inlet on the radiator burst twice on my father's 540i like clockwork every six years, leaving him stranded both times. Not something I'd want to have happen to my car.

You can go with a kit like Vas suggested from Turner. It's what's in my car. However, if I were to do it again, I would order individual parts through ECS Tuning and FCP Euro. Cheaper, and you have more control over the manufacturer of your parts. Parts are listed below:

Radiator (Behr) - 17119071518
Expansion tank (OEM) - 17117573781
Expansion tank cap (BMW) - E46 - 17117639022 (2.0 bar) or E30 - 17137639023 (1.4 bar)
Expansion tank mounting clamp (BMW) - 17111707777
Water pump (BMW) - 11517509985
Thermostat (Mahle) - 11537509227
Upper radiator hose (Rein/BMW) - 17127510952
Lower radiator hose (Rein/BMW) - 11531436408
Coolant temperature sensor/auxiliary fan switch (BMW) - 13621433077
Coolant level sensor (BMW) - 17137553919
Coolant (BMW, 1 gallon) - 82141467704

[anandoc]

Therefore, that is the first thing I check when driving the car.

It is almost impossible to check/monitor the cooling system parts for failure. The expansion tank may develop hairline cracks and go kaboom. The hoses would be very brittle by now and can burst. The belts would also be in a rough shape. The pulleys/tensioners would also be done by now.

Speaking of prone-to-fail parts, have you replaced the fuel pump? Those often fail by this time/mileage. There is a huge thread on E46F on this:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=929501

[Her name is Heidi]

All belts are new and the pulleys/tensioners have also been replaced. Fuel pump is also newer. Oil filter housing gasket has been replaced. And the maintenance list goes on. Checking the system is easy from my point of view you physically get you hands on the hoses IOT check for signs of failure and check the expansion tank for any signs of cracks/leaks. You will also notice any coolant pooling under the car if there is slow leak in the system.

All i'm saying is I understand the cooling system is known to fail with our cars and the system is on the list to be replace as preventative maintenance. Brakes just need to be replaced first and honestly I will mostly likely address cooling system and brakes at the same time. The car isn't seeing that many miles anymore, so knocking out multiple things are one time is what I'm trying to achieve.

I will ask is there any major benefit in going with a Stewart Performance Water Pump over an OEM pump?

[Her name is Heidi]

BMWCurves that is a great and very helpful parts list for the cooling system.

I will ask this question here again - is there any major benefit to going with a Stewart Performance Water Pump over an OEM one?

[holyc0w]

Possibly higher quality and service life with the Stewart pump, but the OEM pump is supposed to be good.

[BMWCurves]

BMWCurves that is a great and very helpful parts list for the cooling system.

I will ask this question here again - is there any major benefit to going with a Stewart Performance Water Pump over an OEM one?

Some people think so. Others argue against it. At a minimum, there's a general agreement that BMW fixed the water pump's composite material so it doesn't disintegrate like old ones used to. And as far as I recall, it takes about 3 replacements to get back the price of the stewart pump, so I have no issue changing the water pump every 60-80k at the current price.

[Her name is Heidi]

Some people think so. Others argue against it. At a minimum, there's a general agreement that BMW fixed the water pump's composite material so it doesn't disintegrate like old ones used to. And as far as I recall, it takes about 3 replacements to get back the price of the stewart pump, so I have no issue changing the water pump every 60-80k at the current price.

Good point


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[Sockethead]

Definitely get the front strut and rear shock reinforcements. Both of mine failed.
here's a couple of threads that I made on my experience that may help:
http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?17577-RSM-fail-X2

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?17346-This-is-why-shock-tower-reinforcement-plates-are-a-must

I replaced the coolant expansion tank. at around 80k I'm at 142k. That and the water pump are the only parts I replaced as preventative maintenance.
Other parts I have replaced upon failure were the Thermostat and the water pump. No need to PM the thermostat as when it fails, it fails open and it's pretty gradual.
I've replaced the water pump twice. the first time I replaced it out of paranoia. I replaced it with a Bosch metal impeller, mostly because of what I read online. It failed after 40k...bearing went bad and was making a racket. The second pump was OEM and that was a long time ago. I'm not replacing that until it fails. My car is supercharged and I ran underdrive pulleys for years. I've never had a cooling issue that made me think I needed the Stewart pump. I'm a big proponent of the composite impeller as I worked with pumps for over 15 years... the metal impellers wore out (erosion of the metal due to flow and chemicals) way before the composites. I should of pulled from my own experience the first time I replaced it

I pretty much agree with everyone else that, unless you're a hard core racer, A big brake kit isn't really needed.

[Her name is Heidi]

I'm looking to order upper and lower radiator hose, expansion tank, OE water pump and the smaller pieces for a mild cooling system overhaul this week. I am also going to order brakes but before i order the Turner Motorsports brake service kit I want to know if anyone has ever used UUC brake rotors. Link below. If I order the Turner kit I was thinking of going with either the slotted rotors or the Brembo OE blank rotors with Hawk HP pads. Thoughts?

http://store.uucmotorwerks.com/front-pair-of-oe-type-slottedplated-replacement-brake-rotors---34-10-1-166-071-p379.aspx

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-340194-complete-front-rear-brake-package-e46-330icixi/?pdk=AQEHAQM

[Vas]

Any updates?

[Her name is Heidi]

Yes sir, I have ordered and installed the brake overhaul kit from Turner Motorsports. Went with slotted rotors, HPS 5.0 pads, and SS lines.

Regarding the cooling system I went a little over kill. I went the full performance overhaul route which includes a Stewart Performance water pump, Mishimoto aluminum expansion tank, Mishimoto silicone hose kit and new thermostat. going to install Mishimoto silicone intake boots also. I am having my local shop install all the cooling parts within the next week or so.

Next on the list is going to be sway bars front and rear. Then hopefully power adders will come after that.

[anandoc]

Wow, thats awesome! Your cooling system will last longer than any other part of your car :)

[Vas]

Great to hear.

[Sockethead]

Could you ask your mechanic how the Mishimoto expansion tank install was? I heard some people were having fitment problems with the early versions

[danewilson77]

Wow, thats awesome! Your cooling system will last longer than any other part of your car :)
+1


Could you ask your mechanic how the Mishimoto expansion tank install was? I heard some people were having fitment problems with the early versions

Yes. Please do.



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[UdubBadger]

Nice! I was very happy with mishimoto cooling system on my Zhp


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[johnrando]

Nice


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[bcleaver]

A little late to the party as it looks like you've already pulled the trigger on some stuff but my 2 cents anyway:

Cooling overall: do this first, stewart part is maybe worth the difference in price, but this part of the system is nowhere to cheap out on

Strut tower bars: probably won't notice much performance difference, but front bar has potential to help prevent mushroom

Sway bars: yes, you'll notice a difference. Yes, it will be better. I'm not convinced the car handles better with a big rear bar, but front end grip is certainly enhanced with a big front bar (I love the 30mm M3 front bar and it bolts in to the 330)

Stoptechs: amazing brakes, but unless you're putting in serious track time I'd spend the money elsewhere like headers/tune

Car looks awesome. Nice upgrades so far.

[Her name is Heidi]

Need update everyone on the status of Heidi as a lot has happened since my last full post.

After my last post I was in the process of ordering parts for the cooling system and overhauling the brakes. Following a long road trip the car threw a check engine code and was running lean. Turns out the air mass meter was almost complete clogged up and needed to be replaced. I also was starting to have a rough idle that was pointing towards the Vanos system, so I had that rebuilt. As everyone can see I have been making some progress with the car. I still want to install sway bars and start addressing some interior issues (headliner has unglued...). A running list of how the car sits right is below:

Bilstein PSS10
Rear subframe welded reinforcement kit
Stoptech slotted rotors/Hawks HP Plus/Stoptech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stewart Racing Water Pump
Mishimoto aluminum expansion tank/non-m silicone hoses (top and bottom)
Thermostat assembly (Behr with housing)
Expansion tank hoses
Auxiliary fan switch
Heater hose
New Air Mass Meter
aFe drop in filter
Rebuilt the Vanos with Dr. Vanos this includes the following: valve cover gasket/timing cover gasket/double vanos rattle kit/double vanos seal kit

As far as the install the shop stated that they didn't have any issues with the new expansion tank during install and that the car is very clean with no leaks. I sure hope there are no leaks as I have replaced every gasket possible in that engine bay! After everything that has been done the car runs better than new in my book and I have been daily driving the car for 10+ years at this point. I am extremely happy with everything and the way the car is running. Very happy that I didn't sell/trade in the car. As stated I want to add sways/endlinks then look at headers/ECU tuning. Is there anyone on here running Active Autowerkes headers?
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[Her name is Heidi]

I DIY when I am able but I wanted to post some pictures of the car at Bimmer Performance Center as they did the heavy duty work
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[johnrando]

Good stuff

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[Her name is Heidi]

johnrando - What are your thoughts on the Magnaflow exhaust? Looking to do headers into a Magnaflow system or go with what seems to be the go to exhaust, UUC TSE3.

[BCS_ZHP]

Headers and UUC is loud, Rob had it and removed his UUC. Headers and Magnaflow are livable but still a lot more noise than stock. If you do headers and free up the restriction on the front end of the exhaust, you have to do the same to the rear end of the exhaust and improve the flow better than stock, it's a personal preference to how much noise you want/can take.

[johnrando]

I don't hv headers, but I did hv the TSE3. It is a bit loud (esp in a vert) but I liked it. The Magnaflow I hv now is a little mild but still btr than stock. I'd probably try to find something in the middle if I had to do it again. Not sure what that is, maybe the Eisermann?

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[Sockethead]

Yea you definitely don't want the TS3 exhaust with headers. I sold/traded San my TS3 for his stock ZHP exhaust and I'm glad I did. The stock ZHP exhaust actually flows quite well and I've been happy with the sound of it with headers...It's not that much louder than stock. I'd Install just the headers and see how you like it with the stock exhaust...if you like it, you save big $$by not replacing it.
I know Ryan (rkneeshaw) has Magnaflow exhaust on his car which is about the same setup as me (headers and ESS Tuning supercharger) he said it's pretty loud but tolerable for him... Not sure if he replaced from the headers back or it's just the muffler.

[Her name is Heidi]

... I'd Install just the headers and see how you like it with the stock exhaust...if you like it, you save big $$by not replacing it...

I agree and was planning on headers first then do the rest of the system. That's mainly due to my better half (my wife) not losing it over the cost of the whole system all at once. With that being said if the stock ZHP exhaust flows great with headers then I may just stop there. I honestly didn't know or think the stock system was free flowing enough for the performance gains of headers!

[Sockethead]

I know NickG was running his turbo kit on his ZHP with the stock exhaust and putting out 340hp at the rear wheels....

There is a significant torque gain with the headers and you will notice it the first time you drive the car... I guarantee you're going to like it

[Her name is Heidi]

I know NickG was running his turbo kit on his ZHP with the stock exhaust and putting out 340hp at the rear wheels....

There is a significant torque gain with the headers and you will notice it the first time you drive the car... I guarantee you're going to like it

Well the next can of worms is what headers to go with? Are Supersprints really worth $1500? Active Autowerke $600? or go the Bimmerbrakes route? Not really sure. Anything else out there for these cars? I really want a quality product that has good fit and finish more than anything else, so I feel the middle of the rode is the AA system but haven't heard anyone running them.

[Sockethead]

IMO, I'd never spend $1500 on headers. The Bimmerbrakes Gen3 headers are what I'm running. They are equal length headers meaning that all the pipes are the same length which is supposed to increase torque. I'm very happy with them although they are a bitch to install due to the routing of the pipes. The Bimmerbrakes gen1 headers and the AA headers both look to be much easier to install.

Here's my thread on my header install: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?18649-The-it-was-supposed-to-be-just-an-oil-pan-gasket-project/page3

[Her name is Heidi]

Does anyone know or have experience with Racing Dynamics and there headers? They look like Bimmerbrakes Gen3 equal length headers but haven't seen anything about them.

http://www.racdyn-usa.com/PROD/130+08+54+365.html

Also, is there anything to be said for using the same company for performance parts? Example: Active Autowerkes headers with an Active Autowerkes tune? Sure the company develops everything to work together but there are custom tunes out there. I know its hard to get much out of these engines so I maybe over thinking it...

[UdubBadger]

No, no advantage other then them possibly compensating in the tune for limiting favors on their products (theoretically speaking).

I know many people have been disappointed with AA tunes tbh, you have a few other great options to work from.


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