gjm

I've got to ask - why not buy something designed for the E30 in the first place? If you got these for $5 and can do the work yourself then there's an economic argument, but that's about it. I don't like Scarles and don't rate them, but as has been said on another thread, they'll do coilovers - new - for about $1k.

With some of the rain we've had lately, they'd be very handy!

I believe someone hereabouts is already taking a good, long look at this. (Not me! Although that person did bring it to my attention. :) )

I've had some recent problems locating Konis at good prices. They do exist and would be my preferred solution. Bilstein B12s are a readily available kit ex-Germany. The part number is E90-20-004-04-22. Check prices here in NZ first.

Do any E36s or E46s, other than the wagons/estate cars, have a folding rear seat? In a sedan/saloon or coupe?

Bilstein B12 kit (Bilstein B8 shocks/struts and Eibach springs), or a Koni/H&R set-up.

Grip juice. Actually, you'll find a lot of places and strips actually do call it that. There's a few products available that work in different ways, but in the US (and probably here) they use something called VHT. It's sprayed on the area you'll be launching from, not the staging area, and when it gets hot, it's gets really sticky. It's very similar to a glue. It also means that your tyres will pick up and hold all sorts of crap when coming back from your run. There's another product called Tracbite which you apply to your tyres, not the track. That's a bit better - it softens your tyres (so be careful) but after a while your tyres should return to as they were. Best bet is to take a spare set of wheels to a drag strip and change them before driving home.

I forwarded your details to someone who might be able to help. He said he'll get in touch.

They've been spending a lot of time rubbering the track this year. It was completely resurfaced fairly recently which won't help. Of course, that may be incidental! I've not raced there. A friend ran 11.44s on a street bike last weekend though, so it can't be too bad.

Or one of those "I know what I've got" sellers?

I s'pose it must be 10 years ago now, but one of the motoring TV magazines did a comparison between the BMW M5, Holden Monaro and... Something else. This sort of comparison was popular at the time, featuring one or another of the GM group cars, often badged as a Vauxhall, eg VXR8. (Other cars that featured in these test were the Jaguar S-Type, whatever the contemporary hipo Cadillac was, and so on. The summary, when compared to the GM car? The M5 was typically the better car. But so it should have been given the substantial difference in price. More than one review reported that spending the difference in purchase price on the Vauxhall/Holden would probably see a very different outcome, certainly in performance terms. For an everyday car - the M5. It is 'the package'. If you want to tune it to do silly things... Is there a limit to the power that has been made from a GM small block? These days, a s/h M5 is a bargain. The perceived complexity marks it down, while the national pride and greater simplicity of the Holden means prices are holding up well. A Monaro in NZ costs quite a lot more than a Monaro in the UK at present.

Special order colour, US$82k of modifications, originally sold with a BMW 3-year warranty. At the asking price, buy the mods and get an 850 for free. eBay #322436127022

Unlikely to ever see something quite like this again! http://bangshift.com/bangshift1320/the-inside-scop-on-the-greatest-gearhead-publicity-stunt-ever/

<sigh...>

That's worth saving for most people, let alone racers. Do you have any details of which parts you used...?

Replaced the engine cooling fan on the 500SE. The old one had been over-tightened by some ham-fisted spanner monkey and had cracked the land the blades mount to. I doubt it would have gone anywhere, but it wasn't spinning true (which won't help the water pump) and besides, I like things to be right.

Most people don't realise that their car has somewhere to temporarily 'store' the filler cap while pouring fuel into the tank. The cap tether seems to be a common fail. They're rubber and the atmosphere they work in isn't conducive to a long life. That and regular pulling and twisting tends to mean an early demise.

Ronin... Isn't that the film about a Mercedes 450SEL 6.9?

No worries - thanks for responding. Sometimes there'll be someone heading this way.

Anyone got anything? Ours had a teensy tiny little leak which of course has become a little larger. WoF time next month... Not sure if it'll weld but thought I'd ask if anyone has something first. Not after anything fancy. Just solid.

I used to service the car I was loaned. Even got a couple of tyres changed once, although the garage did pay for them. I just did the leg work.

535i. Saloon or Touring - your call.

We've driven a Range Rover Sport which handled like a good, large sportscar. I suspect the difference between the RR Sport and it's less sporty brethren would be similar to that imparted by an MSport X5. The LR Discovery Sport was another thing entirely. Seemed to bring the best of all worlds into a single package. We can't afford one, but it's good to know these things.

Running costs for an X5 - fuel and servicing - needn't be prohibitively expensive and could easily be comparable to a 5-series wagon. Tyres is something I was thinking about this morning. A Michelin for an X5 in a stock size (255/55-18) runs to over $600 a corner, and would likely need replacing more often than they would on a 5-series. 19" tyres are over $700 and I stopped looking at that point. (20s and 21s are available if you want them.) I had a quick look at prices (same site, etc) for an E61. The 'vanilla' size for a 530i comes in at around $300 a corner - half the price of an X5 - and may last longer. They are a 16" tyre and a more likely appropriate 17" tyre (as found on the 530d) is around $350. Even a 245/40-18 Pilot 4 (no idea how good they are) is little more than $350.