It's gonna need a good bit of suspension/steering work to be ready for that. I'm hoping to tear into it after the new year.

 

And an exhaust?

 

Maintenance/repairs take precedence, but headers and a SuperSprint muffler are on my wishlist.

HOWEVER, if I'm already taking those parts off, it just makes sense to swap upgrades on instead

 

Just straight pipe it. Your other car makes no noise so it averages out.

 

Get to it. You're attending the Dragon trip again next year. You don't have a choice.

 

I feel like that is kinda set in stone at this point...
that was a good time and I didn't even get to enjoy it as much as y'all.

 

BMWs sound like absolute shit straight piped.

I'm definitely going. But something tells me the Tesla will still be more fun out there

 

LOL, no way.
Worrying about not making it home will seem familiar from this year, but for very different reasons next year.

 

 

 

That would just mean you're not driving the bitch basket hard enough.

 

If you are referring only to the insta-torque, then maybe.

Otherwise, no.

 

The Tesla already drives pretty good from the factory, though it does get unsettled on bumpy/rough roads, and I bet it's absolutely fantastic with the upgrades M has done.

Instant torque to all 4 wheels and all the weight in the floor is a hell of a combination.

 

You'd be surprised how well it handles with some decent tires and good suspension (plus some camber). The guys behind me were telling me that the car was flat through the corners.

Plus, I'm pretty sure I need to replace the steering rack in the Z. I can turn the wheel from 11 to 1 and nothing happens

The suspension feels good otherwise, but the front end definitely has something fucky going on.

 

^ Probably bushings and ball joints being shot. Another "feature" of older BMW's.

 

Yeah, but there's something to be said for the more analog car on a twisty road.

 

More than analog cars, what's even more thrilling is absolutely wringing the living shit out of a 200hp roadster vs using 40% of the capabilities of a 450hp EV.

 

Can confirm

 

fify

 

The Tesla felt so fast and handled so well.
Crack a window next time so I don't get queasy!

 

We had some good weather a few weekends ago, so I pulled the top off just to check the condition of the soft top and take it for a roofless drive (first time lol).



The top appears to be original, and it's in pretty good condition. However, the window is not:



The window zips in, though I've read it's kind of a bitch to replace. But a new window is $140, so I'll give it a shot. If it doesn't turn out well, I'll just replace the top itself - but this is low on the priority list.

We got some more decent weather about two weeks ago and I needed to wash off the grime from the cross-country trip, so I enlisted some help from my daughter. This was the main reason I bought the car - to share memories like this with her. She got bored after a few minutes though



On to the more exciting stuff - I've been eyeing a SuperSprint exhaust for a while now, but couldn't justify ~$800 for an axle back. Even the Black Friday sale at ~$600 was a bit much IMO for a muffler (I'm cheap). But then I found out that ECS has a Scratch & Dent section! They had two SuperSprint axle backs on there - one for $550 with pictures saying it was test fit but otherwise good, and another for $350 without pictures, saying it was test fit and has scratches, dings, and dents. So naturally that's the one I bought

It showed up a few days later, and after unpacking it I saw the extent of the damage:



That's it. One tip is ever so slightly out of round. I got a ball peen hammer and tapped it back into shape and threw it on the car. There were a few scratches on the body of the muffler but that's all hidden, so who cares.



Somehow I don't have a photo of the car from behind The exhaust note didn't change a whole lot. Most of the volume comes from headers or a mid-pipe (the resonator on these puts in work). Headers are on the list, but not near the top. Mainly because they're a bitch to install.

I also tossed on some clear front bumper lights, installed the glove box sag fix, the seatbelt guide fix, and a stubby antenna.



I've been looking for excuses to take it for drives before winter really sets in, and creating a list of things to replace. At the top of the list is a front end refresh:

- Lower Control Arms (purchased)
- Lower Control Arm Bushings (purchased)
- Inner & Outer tie rods (purchased)

And I need to see if the steering shaft coupling (little rubber puck) is in good shape. That should address the steering issues I'm dealing with, otherwise it's the rack

Then it's on to addressing the rear end (subframe bushings) and struts & springs. What's bugging me about this platform is the lack of rear alignment options. It's. based on the E30, and it shows. There are press in bushings for the rear trailing arm to get a little bit of camber/toe adjustment but from what I read, they suck. The other option is welding tabs onto the subframe so I can use eccentrics. This will likely be the route I go when I have the subframe out to do the bushings, I just need to find someone that can weld them on

 

Morgan's dream car.....

 

My 1:18 scale Z was red, thankyouverymuch.

 

Red is for Ferraris. I had a 1:18 Estoril Blue M Roadster

 

Belated Looks neat. Good to see you back in a car again.

 

Quick thread update since I've been slacking:

Z3:
I've purchased A LOT of parts over the past ~2 months:

• TC Kline Coilovers (Koni based struts)
• Vorshlag Camber Plates
• Weld in camber and toe adjustment plates for the rear subframe
• New front LCAs and bushings (aka lollipops)
• Inner and Outer Tie Rods
• Rear Subframe bushings
• Trailing Arm Bushings
• E-Brake shoes and springs
• Wheel bearings front and rear (2025 maintenance item)
• Clutch and Single Mass Flywheel (since I'm dropping the trans anyway)
• Short shifter
• DSSR aka Dual Shear Selector Rod (the factory unit is single shear and flexes)
• 034 Motorsports Street Density motor & transmission mounts
• Detent kit for the transmission
  • This is a known issue on the ZF 5 speed; the detents wear, which makes it difficult to find certain gears. 3rd and 4th is nearly impossible to find at the moment, so I haven't been driving it much (it's also been cold & rainy).
• Headers
• Mechanical fan delete parts (it's pointless and they tend to blow up, taking out the cooling system
• Tons of cooling parts
• Fuel filter
• Subframe reinforcement (2025/26 maintenance item)

All in all, I've got more money tied up in parts than what the car cost, but the majority of these parts won't need to be replaced for quite some time. Some of them were backordered since mid-January, so I haven't started working on it yet - which is ok. It's been cold in the garage

I've got the work broken up into phases:

1. Drivetrain, Transmission, Shifter and Exhaust work
2. Cooling System Refresh
3. Suspension & Brakes

Thankfully the backordered parts should ship today or tomorrow, and I should have them in the next week or two.

Model 3:
Some nerd stats -

• 19,831 miles travelled
• 6,970.8kWh used
• $1,023.44 spent on charging ($242.86 at Superchargers), though this is overstated as I have solar and home charging is usually free
• Repairs: $0
• Warranty work: The trunk spoiler was replaced in September 2023 in my driveway by Tesla's mobile service. The clear coat started to fail and Tesla acknowledged that there was a bad batch. $0 out of pocket.

I still love the car, and I'm really happy I bought it. Would I buy another EV? Absofuckinlutely, in a heartbeat. EV is the best daily driver, and I will die on that hill. But would I buy the same car today? Maybe. With more and more EVs hitting the market that use NACS (Tesla's charging standard), it's hard to choose Tesla over the others. Case in point, the Model 3/CRV replacement:

 

Nice update on the Model3. Cool about the reservation on the R2, would that be to replace the Tesla, or you’ll decide that in 2 years?

that’s a lot of part waiting on your attention good luck!!

 

Likely a CR-V replacement, as we'll probably be approaching or maybe even over 100k miles by that point and I am lacking confidence that the CVT will last. But who knows - a lot can change in 2 years.

And yes, it's a ton of work that I'm not exactly looking forward to, but the car needs it before I put any real miles on it.

 

Thanks for the update! I was wondering how the Z3 was doing.

Congrats on the future order.

 

So...doing the math, ~2.8mi/kWh. That's really good!

You really cannot beat the running costs of an EV. You drove 20k miles and spent $0 in repair/maintenance and an absolute pittance in "fuel" costs.

 

Yeah. I don't like that math one bit because it makes too much sense.
hmmm...Rivian, S2000 and Z06?

 

Yeah I was actually really surprised by the 2.8mi/kwh average. I expected more 2-2.25 with the way I drive

It's crazy how inexpensive these things are to operate. $1k in fuel would take us ~10k miles in the CRV, not including the oil change or other maintenance/wear and tear. And we average 32-34mpg in it. Comparing to the Golf it replaced, I could've gone 6500 miles on the same amount

The R3x looks cool as hell

 

Hi Morgan Thanks for the update.

The latest Rivians look fantastic

 

Input #5 needs INPUT!!!

 

More input?

I put about 4 miles on the Z this week

I still need to make the time to do maintenance. The suspension is shot and the shifter is getting worse each time I drive it.

 

@civicdrivr
@e30cabrio
Saw your twin this morning. Sadly, being loaded onto a flatbed. Made me think of you both

 

Sorry.

How else do you expect BMW to meet EPA MPG standards???

 

Looks like a more basic Z, was on the opposite side of the freeway, so I only got a glimpse. Same color, but with the luggage rack on the trunk .

 

Par for the course - I'm unbothered by it. I still love driving it and I know it'll be that much better once I'm done with it.



Ooof, those luggage racks are gross.

 

I just had my first drive with no stalling/issues (post new motor)