I done did it now... A new toy!

[patsbimmer1]

So I got my coilovers installed last week.  No surprises, it's an easy install.  I've done a million sets of struts before and these are no different.  Every time I do an install like this it reminds me how much I need a lift!  

Anyways, on to the review!  My stock sport suspension had 84k on them and I was noticing the degradation in my handling.  These Bilsteins did not disappoint!  I took it for a quick shakedown after the install and immediately noticed the ride quality was phenomenal!  I'd describe it as slightly stiffer than the sport suspension but very compliant over bumps.  It seems to suck bumps up effortlessly but firms up when demanded to in a corner.  Body roll improved tremendously.  My wife knew I was putting new stuff on but had no idea I was lowering it again until she got in it and asked "Is this lowered again?".  The she began to tell me how horrible it was to ride in lowered cars... and then we drove about 50 miles.  She reluctantly admitted it actually rode well.  So it passed the wife test!  

I was concerned about rubbing with my upsized tires but I'm happy to say that with a 245/40r18 f and 265/35r18 rear with a 12mm spacer I have no rubbing!  I have the front on the highest setting and it slightly tucks and the rear is slightly off the highest setting.  It has room to go lower but I really enjoy not having to worry about scraping right now.  I'm an old man.  I don't have any photos with my camera right now so my shitty phone pics will have to do!

[KaiserRolls]

Old man Pat

[patsbimmer1]

This past weekend a buddy and I took a trip to Decorah, IA to visit Toppling Goliath Brewery for the release of their Naughty Temple beer then we hit up Pulpit Rock Brewery and headed to Dubuque from there to stay overnight.  Any chance I get to drive along the Mississippi I take it!  It rained most of the day on Saturday but we had a few spots where I was able to push a little in the corners and Sunday gave way to much drier roads.  I forgot my camera at home so I only have a few shitty cell phone pics.  After about 400 miles the car performed flawlessly which is a major accomplishment for any N54.  She needs a good wash after this trip (inside and out) but that's a small price to pay for a great trip.  

[Earl]

I'm glad it stayed together for you=) Any plans down the line for a lighter set of wheels?

[B C]

The suspension and rear body mods look phenomenal!  I love the stock wheels, ignore Earl's post.

[patsbimmer1]

Earl said:

I'm glad it stayed together for you=) Any plans down the line for a lighter set of wheels? 

Maybe next year but for now these wheels have really grown on me.  For an 18" wheel these aren't as heavy as they appear either.  They're roughly 24lbs for the front and 26 for the rear.  I can save an average of 5lbs per corner with a set of Apex SM-10's but I'm not that concerned about rotational mass.  Maybe if I get more serious about tracking the car or it becomes a track day only car but for now I'd buy wheels solely based on appearance and strength/quality with weight 2nd on my list.

[Jdesign]

Glad it passed the wife test and stayed together! Any plans to paint the diffuser and spoiler?

[suspenceful]

patsbimmer1 said:

Maybe next year but for now these wheels have really grown on me.  For an 18" wheel these aren't as heavy as they appear either.  They're roughly 24lbs for the front and 26 for the rear.  I can save an average of 5lbs per corner with a set of Apex SM-10's but I'm not that concerned about rotational mass.  Maybe if I get more serious about tracking the car or it becomes a track day only car but for now I'd buy wheels solely based on appearance and strength/quality with weight 2nd on my list.

Agreed, those are hands-down my favorite E9X wheels. One of my favorite OEM BMW wheels actually.

[patsbimmer1]

Jdesign said:

Glad it passed the wife test and stayed together! Any plans to paint the diffuser and spoiler?

The diffuser is going to stay black.  It's metal and I don't think it'd look great if it were painted body color.  For now it's spray painted a matte black.  I've debated whether or not to paint the spoiler but it's carbon fiber.  If I do paint it i'll end up selling this one and buying an ABS one.  I'd like to get a roof spoiler in carbon fiber so it'd almost be stepped if you looked at it as a silhouette.  To be honest, the spoiler was such a great deal that it was an impulse buy.  I thought I'd throw it on and see what happens.  If I don't like it then I can get rid of it and break even or make a couple bucks.

Snap said:

The suspension and rear body mods look phenomenal!  I love the stock wheels, ignore Earl's post.

Thanks Snap!

[patsbimmer1]

The turd burglar strikes again!  The starter took a shit while at Piggly Wiggly so I had it towed to my house.  On top of that I went into my wallet to tip the guy for not fucking up my car and I am missing a $100 bill and 3 $20's from my wallet.  Just icing on the cake today!

I stand by my claim that the e9x 335i's are highly unreliable.

[B C]

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-bmw-m3-8/

[patsbimmer1]

Snap said:

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-bmw-m3-8/

You know my weakness.

[Jdesign]

Ouch.

[patsbimmer1]

Buy a new Bosch starter, beat book time installing starter, attempt to start car... attempt to start car.... bad starter.

12v at the power wire and 12v coming from the signal when cranked but no crank.  Fuck.

[YoungCR]

That's a bummer  did yours come with a lifetime warranty?

[jc43089]

Check your grounds.

[B C]

This is not a good way to start the weekend

[Jdesign]

Damn. I would be not happy.

[patsbimmer1]

I got a replacement starter to throw in and I had the same issue.  I scanned it and had a bunch of CAS (car access system) codes and started freaking out.  I double checked my work, checked fuses, looked at wires for breaks then I thought about the ground strap so I used jumper cables from the battery ground to the block and voila!  She started right up.  I lifted the car and the ground strapped looked alright at first glance besides a little corrosion on the end... then I touched it and it crumbled.  I ran to Farm and Fleet and picked up an insulated cable and it's all good now!  I tested the old starter and it was bad but the first new one wasn't bad. The good news is I can do a starter on an n54 in about an hour now.

I'm wondering if the excessive resistance in the ground strap caused my starter to fail and if it had anything to do with my DME frying itself earlier this year.  Ibdo know that this thing feels so much more confident at start up now!

I should probably buy another under tray...

[jc43089]

Good deal, ground problems are tricky because you assume when you see power during testing all is good. Glad you figured it out.

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