JOURNAL: 1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster [UPDATED: 6th May 2011]

[NeRo]

I've seen these gearknobs and yes they are heavy, but apparently make gear changing a lot slicker.

(Note any jokes about large or big knobs will be laughed at )

[pangster]

I've seen these gearknobs and yes they are heavy, but apparently make gear changing a lot slicker.

(Note any jokes about large or big knobs will be laughed at )

LOL!! - I'll let you know how I get on..

[pangster]

I managed to get the Storm Motorwerks handbrake cover and button fitted today - took about 10 minutes (a lot less than I was expecting) - the original leather handbrake cover gave very little resistance and just slide off with a little side to side twisting action:



Then it was just a case of fitting the new handbrake cover and button:











some wider shots:





Very happy with them!! - just need to get my custom gaitors sorted out now!!

[pangster]

I picked up a new aerial today. I've previously had a Honda S2000 aerial, Mangowalk aerial and the stock whippy aerial. The Honda and Mongowalk were both improvements over stock in the looks department - with the Honda definitely performing better. The Mangowalk was about as much use as a bent coat hanger.

Anyway, I was looking through RealOEM for some other bits and bobs and noticed that BMW now do a Sport Antenna - so decided to take the plunge and get it (p/n: 65202179726) - I picked it up today as well and have now fitted it - pics below:

BMW Sport Antenna (p/n: 65202179726):










Some pics of it fitted on the car:










Stock Aerial v Honda S2000:


Stock Aerial v BMW Sport Antenna:


The big benefit of the BMW Sport Antenna is that it's exactly the same length as the Mangowalk aerial - but this antenna actually pics up radio stations! LOL!

[pangster]

I've been thinking about changing my steering wheel for a while - I've currently got the M Tech wheel - which I like the look of and the only criticism I have of it is that it's a little thin. Whilst looking around for options I came across a chap on eBay who pads out the steering wheels and recovers them The best bit is that he can also do beige stitching for me to make it that little bit more unique and blend in better with the rest of the interior. He also does options for the leather - you can get perforated or smooth and I even considered getting the bottom section done in beige leather (like the individual wheels) - but thought it might be a little overkill, so settled on all black with beige stitching. If I want to add more colour later I can always get beige leather steering wheel tabs! LOL!

These pics should give an idea of how it'll look (exactly the same, except the stitching! ):

[pangster]

After LOTS of reading and deliberation - I eventually decided on my brake set up and ordered the pads and rotors (I already have the Goodridge stainless steel lines and brake fluid sitting here waiting to go on)..

Brake Pads:
In the end I decided to go for EBC Yellow Stuff pads



Rotors:
I went for Brembo discs all round - Brembo HC vented discs front:



And Brembo solid discs on the rear. I had considered getting the Brembo Max discs - but in the end after reading a lot of reviews thought they were more gimmicky than anything else.. plus they only did them for the front of my car?..

[pangster]

I've been looking at upgrading my brakes for a bit now - I'm at the stage where it's almost a necessity! LOL!..

I've read up a lot on various configurations and peoples reviews and opinions on different setups. I had initially considered getting a BBK (Wilwood currently do a very attractively priced set up) - but feel that I would be doing this for looks as opposed to any improved performance gains. So after a bit deliberation - I decided to go for the following set up:

BRAKE PADS:
EBC Yellow Stuff (interestingly enough EBC do not list Yellow Stuff pads for the 2.8 Z3 - but after a lot of cross checking/referencing - I managed to identify the following part numbers: front = DP41211R / rear = DP41289R) - interestingly enough they also come with 3M anti squeal pads:




BRAKE DISCS:
I decided fairly early on that I didn't want drilled or grooved discs - I've had these on other cars and again feel that these were more for show than for any perceived benefit I could gain from them - plus when you have as many spokes on your alloys as me - you can't really see them!! With the decision made to go for blanks/OEM style rotors, I had read some very good reviews about the Brembo HC (high carbon) discs. A nice feature of these discs is that they also come with EASY:CHECK dimples which show you when you're on the limit of thickness for the disc.




BRAKE LINES:
Surprisingly enough there was quite a few stainless steel options out there for brake lines - but I've used Goodridge before and have been happy with the quality and performance of them - so it was a bit of a no brainer.




Just need to get the car booked in now to get it all fitted!

[NeRo]

Any reason for wanting to upgrade the brakes? - are you going to track the car at some point?

[pangster]

Any reason for wanting to upgrade the brakes? - are you going to track the car at some point?

the pads/discs needed doing.. I think the discs are probably original and they're well down and there isn't too much life left in the pads either.. the set up I've went for should be comparable with stock - but much better for fast road driving and the occasional track session..

I'm also planning on doing Knockhill this year.. it'd be a shame to have spent all this money on suspension and brakes if it wasn't going to get a proper run out! I've kept my old lightweight alloys for just such occasions..

[NeRo]

I'm also planning on doing Knockhill this year..

FYI - BMWCC (Scottish Region) are well on with plans for a Knockhill Track Day

I'll publish details once everything has been confirmed