New member from TX!

[Phillips0417]

Greetings, fellow enthusiasts!

I'm Jason from Central Texas. Signed up here to aid in the hunt for another ZHP. I sold mine late last year and am in the market for another with more packages and amenities I want. So, I'll be posting a WTB ad as well, but wanted to introduce myself and give a little background.

I've had several E46's, and the ZHP is by far my favorite. We currently own an '06 E83 X3 with 140k on the clock and we've had it since 50k miles. Never done a thing to it other than preventive maintenance. Last production year with the M54 engine, that's why we chose it, it's just what I know. Absolutely fantastic car, superb in the snow and handles just as well. Snow you ask? There's no snow in TX! Well, we bought the car in Maryland, where my wife is from, where it was very useful. Not so much anymore but still a great car. My background in aviation and obtaining my A&P and pilots licenses helped me move back to central Texas to be a Propulsion Tech at SpaceX. We wanted to get out of the Baltimore suburbs and back to my roots in Texas, where life is lived just a little slower, and raise our son who is now 5.

My "toy" my wife calls it, is an '03 330Ci with a "little" work done. ;) It's twin screw supercharged and putting down well over 400whp.

Well, that's about it for now. I look forward to engaging in conversation, helping out and answering questions where I can and learning more yet! These sites are an invaluable resource to have and I thank you all for the help!

[Vas]

Welcome.

Any pictures of your previous zhp? Sold to an enthusiast?

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[Phillips0417]

Thank you!

Yes, sold to someone relatively local and searching for a well sorted and maintained ZHP sedan.

https://i.imgur.com/KKvVrgF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/kcqHjsO.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/X4KvCQs.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Uc7Eo31.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4eTbyre.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/e3kJ69O.jpg

[danewilson77]

Jason, welcome

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[Don Adolfo]

Welcome to the family Jason. Good luck in the hunt. SpaceX...wow! The future! Impressive. I am sure the A&P knowledge and skills somewhat translate and come in handy when working on cars. I have an aviation background, but that is all it is, background. I flew rotary-wing and fixed-wing in the Army. I have a fixed-wing ATP and Commercial rotary-wing license, but have not flown in ages. There’s nothing like strapping a machine to your back and controlling it in the air. Keep it up and enjoy it.


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[Vas]

I remember that car. Good luck finding the next one

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[Oli77]

Welcome, and good luck with your search.

[johnrando]

Welcome! GLWSearch.

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[fredo]

Welcome, sir. Austin TX here.

[Phillips0417]

Thanks guys! I'm in Waco. Need to finish building my profile.

[Reasoned1]

Welcome, Jason... I look forward to picking your brain about the twin-screw.

[3ZHP]

Welcome!

Good to see another Rocket Man here. I work as a Tooling Eng on SLS.


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[holyc0w]

I remember that car. Good luck finding the next one

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+1

Welcome

[Phillips0417]

Welcome, Jason... I look forward to picking your brain about the twin-screw.

Pick away! Are you considering going FI with a TS?


Welcome!

Good to see another Rocket Man here. I work as a Tooling Eng on SLS.

Thank you! Awesome work on the SLS!! Man it's gonna be HUGE! Was never so captivated by aerospace before seeing the shuttle launches and now we're launching from the very same pad!

[Reasoned1]

I am--keeping my eyes open for a sale. From what I've read, there's very little reason to consider anything but an ESS twin screw--stellar reputation for service and quality, low end performance (which really cinches it for me), high efficiency, and not a lot more money. The only thing I'm having trouble deciding is between TS1 and TS2. I don't track--just tool around having fun where there's little traffic and it doesn't get too hot, so I'm wondering if I need the intercooler? Consider your brain picked...

[johnrando]

Rob (sockethead) know a lot about those. Due to having an auto, not wanting to deal with an intercooler, and to save a bit of cost, I went with a Stage 1. The car ro me feels like it should from the factory, fast and responsive, but not crazy fast. If you REALLY want speed, go Stage 2 or more. I am satisfied with my Stage 1 but it doesn't blow me away.

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[Reasoned1]

That's interesting... The power/torque specs don't seem wildly different between the two. I'm more concerned about heat soak and unreliable output--that's what everybody theorizes about but never quantifies. Do you experience that?

[Phillips0417]

If you're considering a TS, I would go straight for the Intercooled TS2. Heat is detrimental to compressed air and can cause detonation. Water to air intercoolers are something like 20x more effective vs air/air. A colder plug is also recommended in hotter climates in addition to altered maps.

I have a larger intercooler on my TS3 and it's pumped with a larger pump and a reservoir.

[Reasoned1]

I appreciate and trust your first-hand recommendation and would go with the TS2 version based on it, but even your explanation falls short of describing a perceived (directly or indirectly) performance issue with the TS1 due to lack of the intercooler (particularly for my driving conditions). I would love to hear somebody respond something to the effect of "Don't get the TS1, because my northern, rural buddy got one to tool around with, and it would die on him after 30 minutes of spirited driving and at every stop light."

[Phillips0417]

You likely won’t hear that because the ESS TS is such a robust and well built system. My concern with a TS1 is heat soak and boost fade due to heat. I’d guess around 2psi loss on the warmest days. If you’re anything like me, you’ll become accustomed to the extra power and that will leave you wanting more. Fortunately, ESS already includes the provisions for the laminova cores in the manifold so you can fully upgrade to TS2 at a later date.

[Reasoned1]

If I wish to tear it all out and reinstall from scratch, right?

I'm just about ready to call it quits on performance mods now, and I'm old enough that I think I can content myself with not needing a wheelie bar, but if ESS Tuning comes through with a good sale, I'm going to pull the trigger. I'm just looking for a substantial, reliable power bump. The way John describes his TS1 sounds perfectly fine for me in terms of performance--I just want to ensure I won't be guessing how the car's going to behave.