Just drove the BMW Z4 M (2008)

[iamwiz82]

Too stiff for old people, perhaps

It's much more forgiving than my old Miata. It's stiff, though.

 

[Doggiedog]

Nice.

I never realized the Z4 dash was so spartan. It makes my 3 dash look downright luxurious.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Nice.

I never realized the Z4 dash was so spartan. It makes my 3 dash look downright luxurious.

That's the upgraded dash with Carbon Leather too. Mine only has aluminum trim.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Nice.

I never realized the Z4 dash was so spartan. It makes my 3 dash look downright luxurious.

That's the upgraded dash with Carbon Leather too. Mine only has aluminum trim.

Wow. No digital readouts or anything! At least my car has a few.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: JMapleton

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: JMapleton
Cool car, but it's still a girl's car.

No, it really isn't. The Z4 definitely is, but no M car is a girl's car. I can vouch for this.

Dude you're the one who drove and it and apparently you're so proud you feel the need to post about it on the internet, ofcourse you're not going to admit it's a girl's car, it would take away from your op.

First off, I posted in The Garage, which is a forum for car enthusiasts, because it was a fun experience, and a forum is about sharing experiences. Am I ecstatic I drove it? You bet.

Am I "proud"? What would I be proud of? I had a good time, it's a cool car, and you're welcome to think what you like, but the M is not a chick car, I'm with you on the Z4, but the M, not a chance.

I came on here to share something, and it sounds to me like you want to detract just for the sake of it, jealousy, or whatever else you'd like to justify. I appreciate feedback but not with such spiteful overtones, intended or not.

Originally posted by: AdamK47
The weather looks great. Where do you live?

San Diego. Was a very beautiful day today, I am very happy about that.

Originally posted by: ballmode
on the forums i visit people say the suspension is too stiff, what did you think?

I don't think the suspension changes when you put it on sport mode, I think its just the traction control turns off. However, driving in regular mode, The car was very smooth, and very comfortable. The Mustang is a lot rougher, I need to get some new shocks for that thing. Being low to the ground though means that the M does feel some potholes in the road a little harder than a softer suspension car such as my Mustang at the moment. Also, because its low to the ground, scraping against the drive way might be a hazard which I was able to luckily foresee.

But overall, it's a sporty car, if you want a smooth ride all in all, the 750i is calling.

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Nice.

I never realized the Z4 dash was so spartan. It makes my 3 dash look downright luxurious.

That's the upgraded dash with Carbon Leather too. Mine only has aluminum trim.

Wow. No digital readouts or anything! At least my car has a few.

Very cool. I can't tell by the gear lever grip, is that an M3? It looks very nice whatever it is. :thumbsup:

 

[secretanchitman]

lucky...drove a regular Z4 3.0Si (255HP one i think) and it was fun to drive. i would imagine the M car is miles ahead of it!

 

[Doggiedog]

Very cool. I can't tell by the gear lever grip, is that an M3? It looks very nice whatever it is.

No. It's a 335i but I did get rid of that grip and got an M3 grip instead. The old one was kind of cheap, lightweight and tall. The new one is smaller, weighted and more substantial feeling.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Very cool. I can't tell by the gear lever grip, is that an M3? It looks very nice whatever it is.

No. It's a 335i but I did get rid of that grip and got an M3 grip instead. The old one was kind of cheap, lightweight and tall. The new one is smaller, weighted and more substantial feeling.

Ah very cool. Do you have the coupe or sedan?

 

[RichUK]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
3K RPM to pull away?!!! LMFAO! I'd hate to be your clutch!

No no, lol, not at all, not for pulling away. I'm saying for switching gears. You'd want a buffer of around 3k RPMs to actually reengage the clutch to avoid that extra-jerkiness.

Neutral -> 1st is me just slowly raising the clutch + applying power.

Eh? I'm really not getting this. You're slipping in 3k rpm per shift? So for example, in my theoretical car that luckily has 3k gear spacing, your changing at 6k rpm, and slip the clutch till it bites at 3k?

No...I dunno, I think you're misinterpreting what I'm saying. I'm saying that if you shift at a high enough RPM you can avoid some of that jerkiness that happens, but it's only a concern for lower gears/down shifting.

Also, I'm always easing up the clutch. I am likewise turned off by clutch burning.

Low speed shifting is a definite no-no. 5-6K for normal driving is really a smooth spot for me.

5-6k for normal driving? :Q

More like 3-4k. The Vanos kicks in at 4k rpm.

 

[RichUK]

Also, Aston Martin has the best interior design and finish IMO. My mate?s Aston Martin Vantage is so fucking nice.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: ballmode
on the forums i visit people say the suspension is too stiff, what did you think?

I don't think the suspension changes when you put it on sport mode, I think its just the traction control turns off. However, driving in regular mode, The car was very smooth, and very comfortable. The Mustang is a lot rougher, I need to get some new shocks for that thing. Being low to the ground though means that the M does feel some potholes in the road a little harder than a softer suspension car such as my Mustang at the moment. Also, because its low to the ground, scraping against the drive way might be a hazard which I was able to luckily foresee.

But overall, it's a sporty car, if you want a smooth ride all in all, the 750i is calling.

Sport Mode only re-maps the throttle fuel relationship. There are no other changes in the M. The non-M's also have their steering ratio modified, but the M has hydraulic power steering

Originally posted by: RichUK
5-6k for normal driving? :Q

More like 3-4k. The Vanos kicks in at 4k rpm.

The Z4 M's transmission makes low RPM shifting extremely jerky.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: RichUK
Also, Aston Martin has the best interior design and finish IMO. My mate?s Aston Martin Vantage is so fucking nice.

Yes, Aston Martin is the best compromise between the speed of a bmw and the luxury of a mercedes, I have found.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Very cool. I can't tell by the gear lever grip, is that an M3? It looks very nice whatever it is.

No. It's a 335i but I did get rid of that grip and got an M3 grip instead. The old one was kind of cheap, lightweight and tall. The new one is smaller, weighted and more substantial feeling.

Ah very cool. Do you have the coupe or sedan?

Sedan. The coupe is nice but I have kids.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: RichUK
Also, Aston Martin has the best interior design and finish IMO. My mate?s Aston Martin Vantage is so fucking nice.

Yes, Aston Martin is the best compromise between the speed of a bmw and the luxury of a mercedes, I have found.

They're gorgeous cars, but I don't know that there's much point in bringing up Aston Martin in a discussion about cars that cost 1/4 the amount. An Aston SHOULD have a stunning interior given what the car costs.

 

[Jahee]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: ballmode
on the forums i visit people say the suspension is too stiff, what did you think?

I don't think the suspension changes when you put it on sport mode, I think its just the traction control turns off. However, driving in regular mode, The car was very smooth, and very comfortable. The Mustang is a lot rougher, I need to get some new shocks for that thing. Being low to the ground though means that the M does feel some potholes in the road a little harder than a softer suspension car such as my Mustang at the moment. Also, because its low to the ground, scraping against the drive way might be a hazard which I was able to luckily foresee.

But overall, it's a sporty car, if you want a smooth ride all in all, the 750i is calling.

Sport Mode only re-maps the throttle fuel relationship. There are no other changes in the M. The non-M's also have their steering ratio modified, but the M has hydraulic power steering

Originally posted by: RichUK
5-6k for normal driving? :Q

More like 3-4k. The Vanos kicks in at 4k rpm.

The Z4 M's transmission makes low RPM shifting extremely jerky.

You drive to 5-6k before shifting in every gear?

 

[TehMac]

4k is the minimum. I usually switch gears in the Mustang around 3k, but it's a 5 spd, so I imagine the way the gears are meant to be changed has something to do with it.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: TehMac
4k is the minimum. I usually switch gears in the Mustang around 3k, but it's a 5 spd, so I imagine the way the gears are meant to be changed has something to do with it.

That is quite the opposite of my car. My turbo kicks in around 1500RPM and max torque is around there too. I usually shift a little after 2000RPM.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: TehMac
4k is the minimum. I usually switch gears in the Mustang around 3k, but it's a 5 spd, so I imagine the way the gears are meant to be changed has something to do with it.

That is quite the opposite of my car. My turbo kicks in around 1500RPM and max torque is around there too. I usually shift a little after 2000RPM.

Your turbo kicks in at 1.5k??? I'm not surprised, BMW has done a great job reducing turbo lag, it sounds like they just about eliminated it.

Is the turbo stock?

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: JMapleton
Cool car, but it's still a girl's car.

fail

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: TehMac
4k is the minimum. I usually switch gears in the Mustang around 3k, but it's a 5 spd, so I imagine the way the gears are meant to be changed has something to do with it.

That is quite the opposite of my car. My turbo kicks in around 1500RPM and max torque is around there too. I usually shift a little after 2000RPM.

Your turbo kicks in at 1.5k??? I'm not surprised, BMW has done a great job reducing turbo lag, it sounds like they just about eliminated it.

Is the turbo stock?

Yes, it's stock. I have no plans on changing anything since I bought the car and hope for it to last a long time. The 335s initially had a very responsive turbo but they introduced turbo lag with one of their new software upgrades. There is a huge outrage over it on the BMW forums. A lot of people are asking for their old firmware back but haven't been able to get it.

 

[TehMac]

Odd that BMW would reintroduce turbo lag. And how does the firmware get upgraded like that, you'd think it'd be a voluntary process. Does the firmware update get transmitted by satellites or something?

Also, be careful cornering with that turbo now, you don't want the turbo catching up with you at the wrong time.

 

[HannibalX]

Cool car. I like the coupe version. Jeremy Clarkson thinks it's a American, girl's car so the lemmings proudly display their master's words here on AT, as usual.

 

[TehMac]

I think JC thought that about the Z4, but he was impressed with the M, if I recall. I know Richard Hammond certainly was.