[niiCk]

Originally Posted by xtremelimit

Still unsure how low the BC's go so we shall see

Your car is coming along nicely!

If you got regular BC BRs, you may get a shock when you realise it doesnt slam the front, let alone lower it. People run into problems with BC BRs, where even at its lowest drop, the guard sits about the tyres. Your rears will be fine, they can drop low. Its just the fronts. BC BR Extreme drop kit is where its at!

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by niiCk

If you got regular BC BRs, you may get a shock when you realise it doesnt slam the front, let alone lower it. People run into problems with BC BRs, where even at its lowest drop, the guard sits about the tyres. Your rears will be fine, they can drop low. Its just the fronts. BC BR Extreme drop kit is where its at!

doin it wrong then!

i've got mine JUST tucking tire at 110-120mm front bumper height (middle to ground), and looking at how many threads are remaining, could pretty happily get it down to ~50mm at least.

[niiCk]

Originally Posted by flinchy

doin it wrong then!

i've got mine JUST tucking tire at 110-120mm front bumper height (middle to ground), and looking at how many threads are remaining, could pretty happily get it down to ~50mm at least.

whos doing it wrong? sure, there might be threads, but that doesnt mean you can use those free threads. Your shock insert will bottom out of the housing

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by niiCk

whos doing it wrong? sure, there might be threads, but that doesnt mean you can use those free threads. Your shock insert will bottom out of the housing

yes it does

they screw all the way into the bottom mount

they raised mine after initial install as it was so low

[_ink]

your PM inbox is full shane.

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by _ink

your PM inbox is full shane.

Not now it aint!

[niiCk]

Originally Posted by flinchy

yes it does

they screw all the way into the bottom mount

they raised mine after initial install as it was so low

what exactly screws all the way down to the bottom mount? doing it wrong then. Youre playing with preload not the actual high adjustment.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by niiCk

what exactly screws all the way down to the bottom mount? doing it wrong then. Youre playing with preload not the actual high adjustment.

you know how they adjust right?

the shock tube screws down into the bottom mount (to maintain shock travel)

http://boxerproject.com/images/boxer...oilovers_2.jpg

see the bottom collar? raise it to meet the top collar pair (spring preload), and screw the entire shock down into the bottom mount

that's how you lower them... (to the ground, at least, haha)

so in my case, there's still thread there to be screwed down into the lower mount, thereby lowering the car further.

[niiCk]

Originally Posted by flinchy

you know how they adjust right?

the shock tube screws down into the bottom mount (to maintain shock travel)

http://boxerproject.com/images/boxer...oilovers_2.jpg

see the bottom collar? raise it to meet the top collar pair (spring preload), and screw the entire shock down into the bottom mount

that's how you lower them... (to the ground, at least, haha)

so in my case, there's still thread there to be screwed down into the lower mount, thereby lowering the car further.

yep

[woosh]

Are you still after some drag racing rims?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Steel-Whe...-/221105194545

[froop]

Originally Posted by woosh

Are you still after some drag racing rims?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Steel-Whe...-/221105194545

Haha steelies. Not sure if they'd be any good because we have no idea on the offset. Good price though if purely using them for a set of drag wheels.

[woosh]

Originally Posted by froop

Haha steelies. Not sure if they'd be any good because we have no idea on the offset. Good price though if purely using them for a set of drag wheels.

Offset was in the listing... +25.

Anyway they just sold the last set.

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by woosh

Are you still after some drag racing rims?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Steel-Whe...-/221105194545

I did see those, but thought nah i cant put steelies on a bmw!

I bought some 17" e90 m sport rims that were off a new car:

[DR-JEKL]

Well I have finally installed my bmw performance exhaust and it has been a bloody epic job.

Firstly I wasnt happy with the finish of the exhaust in terms of aesthetics, so i decided to polish it. I swear I have spent 100 hours polishing the bloody mufflers to get a chrome like finish.

Then I decided to DIY install it, what a pita!!!

Started out by cutting the exhaust by using a grinder (with a cutoff wheel) then discovered that I couldnt get access to the top portion of the exhaust closest to the floorpan, grabbed the recipro and i couldn't find my bloody carbide blade for cutting metal/stainless. Another $15 later for a new blade, and grunting and cursing my gut under the car i finally hacked the oem exhausts off!

Doing this job solo isn't recommended, but as always i thought bugger it and done it on my own and its a bloody pain in the arse lifting the oem exhaust off (it comes off as a duel system and its quite heavy)

Decided to go for a blap without the mufflers on, and im really glad i didnt go with a straight pipe setup its insane how loud and boomy it is. At idle it sounds tough with a gtr like bassy idle, but around town christ it drones like a mofo and i seemed to have lost a lot of torque at low revs...

Installation of the exhaust was easier then removal, and is all bolted up and sounds a lot better then with the mufflers removed. At idle it doesnt sound anywhere near as meaty, but has a much tougher idle and a nice crisp growl going through the gears.

(I shall post up some pics shortly)

In summary though doing the installation solo with the car on car stands is just bloody hard work, it cost me 4 hrs of my own time and $15 for a recipro blade, i would have quite happily payed advan $100 to install it if they were closer

I have decided to get a local 'european' mechanic to install my o2 sensors tomorrow, so hopefully this resolves my occasional and intermittent stumbling issue and CEL's.

[froop]

I think the feeling of loss of torque is a psychological thing. Because the exhaust is so loud and obnoxious you don't rev it as hard hence the feeling of reduced torque. If you ignore the noise and step on the loud pedal the power will still be there.

Ask me how I know

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by froop

I think the feeling of loss of torque is a psychological thing. Because the exhaust is so loud and obnoxious you don't rev it as hard hence the feeling of reduced torque. If you ignore the noise and step on the loud pedal the power will still be there.

Ask me how I know

Your hyposis does have merit, but I took the car on a drive that I do daily in the car, and normally doing 60 km/h i can stay in 4th gear and climb the hill. With no mufflers i had to drop down a gear as it was bogging down.

But having said that upon startup i did have a cel pop up momentarily, then it dissapeared so perhaps the dme was still doing its thing (tbh at low revs it was an absolute pig)

but yeah every N54 owner should cut their mufflers off once in their life to hear the N54 at full noise

[froop]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

Your hyposis does have merit, but I took the car on a drive that I do daily in the car, and normally doing 60 km/h i can stay in 4th gear and climb the hill. With no mufflers i had to drop down a gear as it was bogging down.

But having said that upon startup i did have a cel pop up momentarily, then it dissapeared so perhaps the dme was still doing its thing (tbh at low revs it was an absolute pig)

but yeah every N54 owner should cut their mufflers off once in their life to hear the N54 at full noise

Hmmmm curious. What would be the reason for that? Lack of backpressure when the turbos aren't spooled? Did you notice any improvement in power in the midrange or top end?

Also, any videos/soundclips with the muffler cut off? =P

[blagz]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

Your hyposis does have merit, but I took the car on a drive that I do daily in the car, and normally doing 60 km/h i can stay in 4th gear and climb the hill. With no mufflers i had to drop down a gear as it was bogging down.

But having said that upon startup i did have a cel pop up momentarily, then it dissapeared so perhaps the dme was still doing its thing (tbh at low revs it was an absolute pig)

but yeah every N54 owner should cut their mufflers off once in their life to hear the N54 at full noise

How do you find the exhaust sound with the DPs? Any rasp?

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by froop

Hmmmm curious. What would be the reason for that? Lack of backpressure when the turbos aren't spooled? Did you notice any improvement in power in the midrange or top end?

Also, any videos/soundclips with the muffler cut off? =P

No idea dude it just drove like a pig at low rpm (pedal unresponsive)

It did seem to smooth right out after 3k rpm, and the roll on in between gear changes seem to improve. I had to push the clutch in like an old rotary as wouldnt you believe it there was a bloody cop out with his radar!

Nah i was in a rush to wack the bmw pe on before it got too late!

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by blagz

How do you find the exhaust sound with the DPs? Any rasp?

Hmm I haven't driven it much since the PE has been fitted, but there is a tad....

It certainly isn't quite now as even cruising its quite noisy...

[DR-JEKL]

Well the recently fitted O2 sensors & Vanos solenoids seemed to have fixed my stumbling type issues I was experiencing at low rpms (around 1500rpm)

I'm certain that it was due to the O2 sensors, and in hindsight when I had my AR Dp's installed I should have installed new sensors then. When you do a bit of research a few experienced forum members state that they only last around 50k miles, so if your car is >4 years old has >60k kays and you're installing some DP's I would recommend installing new O2 sensors then as unfortunately the DP's had to be dropped and then reinstalled (so essentially I payed to have my DP's installed twice in labour costs)

I had one of these babies arrive in the mail last week, which shall help with tackling the diy valve cover gasket install and removing the intake manifold for walnut blasting:





It's well worth the $, not just for a workshop manual but for the enthusiast as it contains a lot of general info regarding the vehicle also (almost like a sales brochure info on trim specs available, certain options, colours etc)

If anyone requires any info regarding torque specs etc let me know and i will email you a jpeg of the content required.

Since I'm a fussy owner on a few occasions coming to a stop in traffic sometimes its difficult to go from 2nd to 1st at low speeds. My tranny fluid was supposedly changed during the last major service at the dealer ~ 8k kms ago, but the redline D4 ATF fluid has been recommended as a great manual gearbox fluid upgrade over the bmw fluid, aiding in smoother shifts and great protection. This fluid meets the bmw mtf lt2 spec requirement, and whilst the redline D6 fluid can also be used (it has a lower viscosity) I decided to stick with the D4 as it ultimately provides more protection at high temperatures (i.e at the track or during spirited driving in our australian summers)

This fluid is only $11USD per quart and the MT only requires 2 quarts so I shall wack it in this weekend if I get the time and post some feedback.

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=51&pcid=9

[DR-JEKL]

Well I changed the tranny fluid on fri night, and i got around to driving the car today.

It hasn't made a great deal of difference in terms of smoother shifts, but there is a minute improvement. Having said that for the sake of 2 quarts of fluid its a small price to pay for a piece of mind.

If you plan on conducting a DIY tranny fluid swap, you will need 4 car stands (so the car is level when you have it jacked up, and a fluid pump/syringe: