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the camera was mounted with a Hama suction mount attached to the rear side window with a wide angle lens.  I don't always use the wide angle,

The oversize tires were 285 30 18 on the front.  245 35 18 on the rear.  The 285s do not fit in the rear. 

Todd and I both tried the 275 kumhos and the rubbed a bit but we lived with it.  Bigger concern was that they are a considerably taller tire and for my taste the 330 is geared to tall already. 

I've used the stock endlinks to this point.  The ones Matt is using sound interesting.  I'll have to look at them.  I know I had a bad experience with my 325is with the racing dynamic heim joints.  They wouldn't last more than 3 autocrosses before the ball would rip out of the socket.  They made the bar respond more quickly but the car was twitchy.  Going back to the stock rubber mounts let the bar load more progressively which worked better for me.

 

bob clark:

I've used the stock endlinks to this point.  The ones Matt is using sound interesting.  I'll have to look at them.  I know I had a bad experience with my 325is with the racing dynamic heim joints.  They wouldn't last more than 3 autocrosses before the ball would rip out of the socket.  They made the bar respond more quickly but the car was twitchy.  Going back to the stock rubber mounts let the bar load more progressively which worked better for me.

 

The stock endlinks look like they would be pretty solid, with ball joints instead of rubber bushings.  The Ground Control links look pretty trick, but my experience with similar heim joints is they usually wear out on the street after a year or two, especially if you drive the car during the winter.  I haven't actually used the GC links, though.  Turner Motorsports has some adjustable links that look more like the OEM design, with rubber-booted ball joints that should be very reliable.  You can buy just one to eliminate preload or you can buy a pair.

Okay, I have attempted to compile the info I've learned from this thread, plus some info from other forums and other BMW folks.  Here is a summary of what seems to be the usual preferred setup for a DS E46 BMW.  These notes are somewhat specific to a ZHP car, but only as far as wheel size.  Let me know if anything is incorrect or incomplete. 

 

I'm personally on a budget (buying the car itself was a stretch), so I am not doing all these things.  I'm just getting some used BMW wheels and Kumhos and doing an alignment.  But perhaps I can eventually get some shocks and maybe exhaust too.

 

1. Wheels/Tires

·        245/35-18 Kumho V710 tires (or Hoosier A6 or BFG R1 or similar) on stock size wheels

      (For Hoosiers start at 45psi front 35 psi rear. For Kumhos?)

o       These cars are camber-challenged up front, and this may cause premature wear on the Hoosiers

·        Some folks have had some success with 275’s or 285’s front/245’s rear

 

Wheel Options:

·        BMW OEM Wheels

o       Used 18" OEM wheels in good shape usually run ~ $800 per set

o       Turner Motorsport has new OEM style 125 wheels for $220 each

§         These supposedly weigh ~25f/26r lbs.

o       Style 32 may be the lightest OEM 18” wheel

§         Reportedly 20/21 lbs.

o       Stock ZHP wheels are style 135, ~ 28/29 lbs.

·        CCW custom lightweight wheels $2200 per set, if you have the funds

·        Wheel notes:

o       Stock ZHP wheel size is 18x8, ET47 front, 18x8.5 ET50 rear, 5x120 bolt pattern

o       SSR GT2 wheels came in stock sizes, but no longer available

o       No other standard aftermarket wheels available in the right sizes and offsets

o       Can mix wheel brands front/rear to get the right sizes

o       TRMotorsport makes a great 18x8.5 for the rear, 18.5 lbs, $300 ea.

o       Most 18x8 wheels have +40mm offset, which is 0.7mm beyond legal limit.

§         Some folks machine off the 0.7mm extra to be legal

 

2. Alignment

·        Max "slop" camber up front (probably around -1.2)

o       Driving out the upper strut locator pins is legal per TSB

·        About -1.5 degrees camber rear, less if you want the car to rotate more

·        0 toe all around

o       or a little front toe-out to improve turn-in

o       or a little rear toe-in to improve rear stability

 

3. Front swaybar

·        H&R 27mm Front Swaybar

o       H&R has good bushings and you can buy only the front bar instead of a set

·        Ground Control or Turner Motorsport adjustable endlinks

o       Ground Control look beefier and high tech, but Turner’s OEM-style ball  joints with rubber boots would likely last longer

o       Stock endlinks are probably fine

 

4. Shocks

·        TC Kline double adjustable Konis (~$1600/set)

o       Full rebound all around, compression: 8F, 6R

·        For a budget, Koni single adjustables (~$800/set)

·        Some use Koni singles up front and doubles rear

 

5. Brake pads

·        Hawk HPS pads front, HP+ rear is a popular combo

·        OEM  pads work well, but may get some fade with multiple drivers on a hot day

 

6. Exhaust

·        Catalytic converters are in the exhaust manifolds, so a header-back system is legal and can save a lot of weight

·        Bimmerhaus offers a single 3” header-back exhaust that saves ~40 lbs and can use any muffler you want, but probably pretty loud on the street/highway.  A Supertrapp would allow tuning for street and competition.

 

7. Other

·        Schroth street  harness or CG-lock to keep you in your seat.

o       Optional bolt-in harness bar or connect Schroth to rear seatbelt anchors

·        K&N drop-in air filter element?  Any real benefit?

 

 

BadBrad:

Driving out the upper strut locator pins is legal per TSB

This is news to me, can anyone confirm? (I'm getting aligned tonight!)

K&N drop-in air filter element? Any real benefit?

I've seen tests that showed the stock BMW filter flows better than any of the aftermarket ones. K&N would be for longevity only.  

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DS #313 | the rolling couch of doom | La-Z-Boy Racing

Regarding tires: BFG R1s do not come in 245/35-18.  I've been using 245/40s after having rear fit issues with 265/35 R1s.  Note both R1 sizes I've sampled are large for their spec section width, and more importantly as far as clearance goes, they are essentially "section-width-wide" out to the tread face.  The 245/40 R1 is about 260mm section width.  I gave up about 3.7% on gearing using the 245/40, but my goal was a tire that would last at least a whole season of multi-club events with two drivers at each event (Hoosiers won't even come close to that goal).  They have worked out well, especially at really hot events, and my local club mostly uses airports, so the gearing change hasn't been an issue for me.  At the moment, they have about 120 runs on them including 7 at a very long, high-speed course at the BMW Performance Center, and they are still working mostly (PAX'd second overall Sunday out of 104).

 Shocks:  I bought Koni SAs from TC Kline and got their externally adjustable rears.  It is a lot easier to adjust the rears when you don't have to remove them.

Chuck

 

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2001 BMW M5
2003 BMW 330i ZHP 6MT
2006 BMW 330i ZSP 6MT
2001 Audi S4 sport 6MT
1996 Volvo 850R wagon

bob clark:

Todd and I both tried the 275 kumhos and the rubbed a bit but we lived with it. Bigger concern was that they are a considerably taller tire and for my taste the 330 is geared to tall already.

 Ahh yes, that's why I switched as well, well maybe the Hoosiers will last a little longer in 275...
 

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DS #313 | the rolling couch of doom | La-Z-Boy Racing

So what are good starting pressures for the 245 Kumhos?

 

murph1379:

BadBrad:

Driving out the upper strut locator pins is legal per TSB

This is news to me, can anyone confirm? (I'm getting aligned tonight!)

 

Yes, you can knock out the pin.   It won't gain you much, but every little bit helps. 

JerryLamb:

Yes, you can knock out the pin.   It won't gain you much, but every little bit helps. 

Sweet, I already had more front camber than the other guys an Nationals... (not that it helped my driving at all!) 

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DS #313 | the rolling couch of doom | La-Z-Boy Racing

OK, I've run the A6 285 30 18 on the front of the 330 but since I like the feel of the Kumhos I'd like to try the 285 30 18 Kumhos but I've been told that I won't be able to seat the bead.  However I thought I heard someone at Nationals say he had no problem.  Anyone with first hand experience fitting oversize Kumho 710s?

JerryLamb:

murph1379:

BadBrad:

Driving out the upper strut locator pins is legal per TSB

This is news to me, can anyone confirm? (I'm getting aligned tonight!)

 

Yes, you can knock out the pin.   It won't gain you much, but every little bit helps. 

 

So how do you knock out the pin?  What are the best tools, and how do you do it?

 

From BMW about the camber pin(s).

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Matt Murray

I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes. I will surely learn a great deal today.

Page two

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Matt Murray

I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes. I will surely learn a great deal today.

BadBrad:

So how do you knock out the pin?  What are the best tools, and how do you do it?

 

I suppose you could whack it with a hammer. 

Alternately, you could install it incorrectly and tighten down the bolts until it pops out.  Unfortunately I did this before I knew it was legal to remove the pin and had to buy a new mount to remain legal. 

Use a punch and a hammer to knock the pin down.  It is not supported from the bottom -- just pressed in.  There is open space below the pin and it just falls down there, where it stays. 

bob clark:

OK, I've run the A6 285 30 18 on the front of the 330 but since I like the feel of the Kumhos I'd like to try the 285 30 18 Kumhos but I've been told that I won't be able to seat the bead. However I thought I heard someone at Nationals say he had no problem. Anyone with first hand experience fitting oversize Kumho 710s?

Why would the Kumhos be any different than the Hoosiers? If anything I'd think the Hoosiers would be harder, since they're wider.  

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DS #313 | the rolling couch of doom | La-Z-Boy Racing