The Barbara Chronicles

[Olaf 3317]

PS:  You realise your Touring has not just a song, but an entire theme album?

https://open.spotify.com/album/1QYq1fGyMvbGtvEla84FtC?si=S1ZvsXLrS3anxWUo986lmQ

[Vass 830]

14 hours ago, Olaf said:

I've just caught up with your project @Vass, very impressed.  I like that you're going M54B30, and 5 speed.  The extra torque of the 3.0L really makes a difference over the M54B25.  I plan on refreshing the suspension on my e46 touring (last done about 8 years ago with Sachs OE and ///Msport ARBs) with Konis and Msport springs, and in future a 5 speed conversion.

Subscribed!

Thanks mate!

Would be keen to hear your thoughts on those suspension setups. That's one aspect I haven't touched upon yet but will need a refresh further down the line. Current setup is a bit random, Bilstein B6 on the front with Monroe shocks on the back on what I'm assuming are stock springs. Will see what state those are in once I drop the subframes. Ride quality wasn't great but a whole bunch of bushes were shot as well, original control arms and all so is a combination of factors. Something dodgy going on with the strut mounts too with them not sitting quite flush up against the tower and the dimples broken off for some reason. 

Already have brand new ones and will be putting on new control arms as well so will see. The donor car also came on a set of Vogtland lowering springs that I might try out at some point. Not sure if how much different the sedan version would be from the touring?

11 minutes ago, Olaf said:

PS:  You realise your Touring has not just a song, but an entire theme album?

https://open.spotify.com/album/1QYq1fGyMvbGtvEla84FtC?si=S1ZvsXLrS3anxWUo986lmQ

Hahah nice, have just made it my soundtrack for the next hour or so of wrenching. Funnily enough, that cover photo also bears an uncanny resemblance to the current state of the paintwork in places.. 🥲

 

[Eagle 1662]

1 hour ago, Vass said:

Thanks mate!

Would be keen to hear your thoughts on those suspension setups. That's one aspect I haven't touched upon yet but will need a refresh further down the line. Current setup is a bit random, Bilstein B6 on the front with Monroe shocks on the back on what I'm assuming are stock springs. Will see what state those are in once I drop the subframes. Ride quality wasn't great but a whole bunch of bushes were shot as well, original control arms and all so is a combination of factors. Something dodgy going on with the strut mounts too with them not sitting quite flush up against the tower and the dimples broken off for some reason. 

Bit hard to tell from that angle but are the towers flat?. If someone has added reinforcement plates then the strut mounts wont be sitting hard up against the tower.

Pin is just for camber adjustment. You want to broken off to adjust camber (usually max neg). Hopefully they weren't trying to compensate for any mushrooming of the towers.

[Olaf 3317]

@Vass There's *definitely* different springs for 4 and 6 cyl, Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Touring.  Touring rear springs need a bit more beef, and Convertibles a bit more again - counteracting the extra weight.

You can get three or four different sizes of spring pads.  Mine's on stock springs but one broke; I bought a pair from a wrecker but he sent 4 cyl coupe springs so it was too low at rear.  I found a pair with Orange tags (wagon standard) from a knowlegdable user on here, they've been good but have sagged a little, unsurprising as the car is 20 years old now and one assumes the springs are around that age.  The big improvement was the Msport ARBs - 24 and 19 (from memory?) and the style 194's - you get 20mm extra track with 245/40R17 at the back over the stock Msport rims... it really flattened it out and way less input from steering wheel for curves at touring speeds.  Still you've got those awesome rims, so 18" lushness.

I've replaced rear trailing arm bushes, I forget it we did subframe as well.  It's not a car you need poly bushes (anywhere) for IMHO.  

Re springs, @adro reminded me a while ago that Stretten - Mr M539 on youtube - mentioned that Msport equivalent springs he used on Project Cologne (his e46 touring).  I think they're reasonably priced sourced from Rock Auto.  I think I'd rather have these than my standard go-to H&R Sportsprings.

HTH

[Vass 830]

3 hours ago, Eagle said:

Bit hard to tell from that angle but are the towers flat?. If someone has added reinforcement plates then the strut mounts wont be sitting hard up against the tower.

Pin is just for camber adjustment. You want to broken off to adjust camber (usually max neg). Hopefully they weren't trying to compensate for any mushrooming of the towers.

Yeah they look pretty straight, can't note any deformations. But yeah doesn't sit quite flush. Would be great news if that's the reinforcement plates in there. Nearly tacked a set onto one of the orders but stopped short as it would have taken it over $1k and didn't want to risk duties.

2 hours ago, Olaf said:

@Vass There's *definitely* different springs for 4 and 6 cyl, Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Touring.  Touring rear springs need a bit more beef, and Convertibles a bit more again - counteracting the extra weight.

You can get three or four different sizes of spring pads.  Mine's on stock springs but one broke; I bought a pair from a wrecker but he sent 4 cyl coupe springs so it was too low at rear.  I found a pair with Orange tags (wagon standard) from a knowlegdable user on here, they've been good but have sagged a little, unsurprising as the car is 20 years old now and one assumes the springs are around that age.  The big improvement was the Msport ARBs - 24 and 19 (from memory?) and the style 194's - you get 20mm extra track with 245/40R17 at the back over the stock Msport rims... it really flattened it out and way less input from steering wheel for curves at touring speeds.  Still you've got those awesome rims, so 18" lushness.

I've replaced rear trailing arm bushes, I forget it we did subframe as well.  It's not a car you need poly bushes (anywhere) for IMHO.  

Re springs, @adro reminded me a while ago that Stretten - Mr M539 on youtube - mentioned that Msport equivalent springs he used on Project Cologne (his e46 touring).  I think they're reasonably priced sourced from Rock Auto.  I think I'd rather have these than my standard go-to H&R Sportsprings.

HTH

Aye cheers, will need to dig into that. Msport height is probably as low as I'd want to go anyway. Did a bit of digging for springs just now but struggling to find any that are specifically Touring ones, and especially Msport as well. RealOEM wouldn't give me proper part numbers either for some reason. Problem for another day.

 

Intake manifold is now off but really struggling for access on the exhaust side, and the bolts I can get to seem pretty stubborn and are at weird angles, so I'm a bit afraid of stripping or breaking the studs. Plus the steering rack and engine mounts are in the way so getting the headers off would have been an exercise in gymnastics anyway. Original plan was to lift the head with the engine still in, just to get it to the machine shop quicker, but don't want to risk any damage so might just go ahead and drop the engine-transmission and take the head off then. Bit more effort but would have to be done eventually anyway.

One thing I'm really hoping to avoid is disconnecting the AC system. Probably should have planned ahead and have it drained of gas prior but ohh well. Will have to come up with a way to suspend the compressor and condenser to one side somehow. Really hoping it's doable. Guess I'll find out.

[Eagle 1662]

Kinda looks a little deformed on the RHS of that picture, seems to bulge up a little?. Eye level like my photo you can  clearly see. You can see the black reinforcement plate in the second photo also. Your doesn't appear to have it from that photo.

Engine and transmission out the front after dismantling it is by far the easiest way. A\C condenser and lines etc should have enough slack to swing out of the way once pump is unbolted and rested on something, then get it tied back to something with bungy cords.

 

 

[Vass 830]

19 minutes ago, Eagle said:

Kinda looks a little deformed on the RHS of that picture, seems to bulge up a little?. Eye level like my photo you can  clearly see. You can see the black reinforcement plate in the second photo also. Your doesn't appear to have it from that photo. 

Yeah you might be right actually. Was kinda looking for something more pronounced but can make out a wee kink if you look for it. Remember seeing a ShopLifeTV video on it and there the whole tower looked like the surface of the moon. 

Left side tower actually looks a bit worse. 

Not sure if it's at a level I should start beomg concerned about. I assume reinforcement plates will settle them out a wee bit?

[Olaf 3317]

I used reinforcement plates because they were available, factory part, seemed like a good idea - I thought "oh if the factory are making these and they're readily available, must be mitigating a risk?  I'll have some of them."  I think the ones I used for the rear weren't factory.  I used Meyle HD rear shock mounts, and I think lemforder everywhere else (though I used Meyle HD for wishbones and front LCA bushings).  HTH.

[Eagle 1662]

1 hour ago, Vass said:

Yeah you might be right actually. Was kinda looking for something more pronounced but can make out a wee kink if you look for it. Remember seeing a ShopLifeTV video on it and there the whole tower looked like the surface of the moon. 

Left side tower actually looks a bit worse. 

 

Not sure if it's at a level I should start beomg concerned about. I assume reinforcement plates will settle them out a wee bit?

Yeah bottom one looks raised\distorted a little on one side but its certainly not bad. Plates may do it over time but a few whacks with some 2x4 and a hammer on that side will flatten that out easy. Then you put the plates in and forget about it.

[Vass 830]

3 hours ago, Olaf said:

I used reinforcement plates because they were available, factory part, seemed like a good idea - I thought "oh if the factory are making these and they're readily available, must be mitigating a risk?  I'll have some of them."  I think the ones I used for the rear weren't factory.  I used Meyle HD rear shock mounts, and I think lemforder everywhere else (though I used Meyle HD for wishbones and front LCA bushings).  HTH.

Yeah makes sense. Definitely on the shopping list. I also went all Lemförder for the bushes and shock mounts and got limiters for the RTAB's. The driveshaft guibo is the one Meyle HD bit I've got.

 

Today's progress report. Managed to get the headers off in the end, some bolts had better access from underneath. A whole bunch of repetitive strain but off they are, annoyingly tedious process that. Arthritis is fun.

Bot manifolds now off as well as the VANOS. Just the camshafts and a few coolant pipes left to tackle tomorrow. Might even have time left to retrofit some steering wheel controls on the daily.

[KwS 2425]

I cant comment on bmw specifically as it was a Toyota I used them in, but I had a set of Vogtland springs and really rate them. I used them with new shocks and the ride was great, and not too low. They generally have quite a good name. 

[Vass 830]

17 hours ago, KwS said:

I cant comment on bmw specifically as it was a Toyota I used them in, but I had a set of Vogtland springs and really rate them. I used them with new shocks and the ride was great, and not too low. They generally have quite a good name. 

Yeah not a complete unknown. I'll do some more digging into whether the sedan ones are compatible/optimal for a touring at all, or might just sell them.

Also on the suspension front, in one of the M539 videos he mentions using E90 X-drive strut mounts. They're flat at the top and are more compact, giving a bit of extra lowering up front. The rear wheels on all the E46's seem to sit in further inside the fenders than the fronts so seems like a clever way of slightly balancing it out. Already have a new set of original ones but might sell them and give these a go instead.

[Vass 830]

Cams off, head off, heading to the machine shop tomorrow. Both the cams had some not insignificant damage. Cylinder 2 cap on intake...

...and cylinder 3 cap on exhaust.

I think I could have potentially used the exhaust one on the 3L engine as well but the one on the donor engine looked to be in better shape anyway.

Another public service announcement to replace your plastic coolant pipes.

 

Both the pistons and valves were pretty crusty and caked up. As was to be expected after 225k km's I guess.

Looking nice and spacious in there now.

Will see what the machine guys tell me. If this head is also no good, I'm buying a Suzuki Swift.

[Eagle 1662]

She'll be right mate

[Vass 830]

Head does seem to be all good so at the shop now awaiting to be worked on.

Continued dismantling the rest of the engine in the meantime. Driveshaft now off, transmission cooler lines removed, gearbox all disconnected, AC pump now dangling off the side so just the mounts holding the engine and gearbox in.

Haven't touched the front end yet. Wondering if I can either lift the engine & gearbox out whilst tilting it up or maybe slide it back under the car and out without dropping the subframe. Should be a fair bit easier without the head and OFH sticking up. Would save a fair bit of hassle as I want to roll the shell out into the driveway to clear some work space.

Want to see if I can tidy up this wiring loom a bit. The O2 sensors are paired up with the auto gearbox connections in the same tube and connect into a whole spider's web in the fuse box. Will play around with the loom that came off the donor car to see what's safe to cut away and what not to touch.

Also, f**k these things straight to hell. Absolute devil's work. Any clever way of getting these off? Have spent stupid time already trying to pry them off but no luck, pushing the plastic tip in but still feel well stuck on. Considering carefully slicing it open with a rotary tool at this point.

[adro 1083]

Loving the updates, looks like things are taking shape. 

[Eagle 1662]

Don't usually give trouble, sometimes a bit of jiggling. Push and hold the white clip in while moving the line forward and back. Spot of penertrating spray may help if you think it's stuck.

[Vass 830]

On 7/14/2022 at 12:33 PM, Eagle said:

Don't usually give trouble, sometimes a bit of jiggling. Push and hold the white clip in while moving the line forward and back. Spot of penertrating spray may help if you think it's stuck.

Got the bottom one off no trouble, top one I reckon is stuffed. Seems like the plastic isn't pushing those metal flaps out far enough so they're just jamming up against the ridge. I think I'll have to revert to violence but problem for another day.

 

Didn't get away without dismantling the front end after all. Tried tilting the gearbox back to get access to all the bolts and disconnect it but 3 of the 4 E14 bolts just wouldn't budge and there was no room to swing a breaker bar around. Meant a few extra hours of mucking about dismantling everything but out she came. The AC condenser got into some weird yoga poses along the way but all stayed intact.

Will be mating the harmonic balancer from this engine with the new rebuilt one to make the AC system work. The rest of the block and auto tranny are surplus to requirements if anyone is after any bits by chance.

Knocked the newly-made zero emissions vehicle somewhat back together and rolled her out the way. Not sure I'm a big fan of the new lowrider stance though.

Final tally as a 325 slug:

Onwards & upwards.

[Vass 830]

G'day team,

Sat down to do a bit of further research and fill in some areas I've yet to address, and make a list of parts I still need to order. Ran into a few areas I'm frustrated with / unsure on and would appreciate any sort of input some of the more experienced folk might be able to offer. Stuff I'm still yet do address / am grappling with:

• Transmission detent repair tools - about to put an order in for this set of custom punches to do the shifter pins and detents, unless someone has a lead on where I could borrow/buy one on these shores? Quite a specialised tool so unlikely that I'll need in more than once but then again, could be able to resell / borrow out / do some cashies if I do buy it.
• Transmission detent repair kit - have ordered every single bit in the kit except for the bloody covers for the shifter pins that have been on backorder / no longer available for months from every shop I could think to check. Only ones I could find were from this seller on eBay that are custom made and not an original part, which looks a bit different from the photos and I'm not too keen to trust. From having hooked the shifter linkage up, the lever does seem to lean to the right and the shift into reverse is far from smooth so definitely worth doing the detents. Shifter pins might be fine but figured I might as well do everything in one go and not have to drop the gearbox later on. To be held up by some tidy metal plug is damn frustrating.
• Timing & oil pump chains - leaning towards replacing all three. At under $150 I figure I might as well. Have read and followed a few rebuilds though where those were just reused without any issues. How much of a waste of money would it be or sensible to replace regardless?
• Power steering pumps - the donor car came with an LF-30, the wagon had an LF-20. The shaft on the LF-20 has a bit of play in and out with a wee clunk so not too keen to use that. When it comes to those two, I've read that the LF-30 is the beefier of the two, so supposedly more reliable, but then again was discontinued after only a year in production... What's the deal?
• Power steering pressure hoses - the silly thing is, the pressure hoses on the LF-20 actually look in good nick without even a bit of weeping (not yet anyway) and the ones on the LF-30 were so bad that I chucked them out straight away, thinking I'll get new ones anyway. That was before I checked their prices... FCP, ECS, Spareto etc only stock LHD ones, and BMParts quoted me $545 for one and $254 for the other... Brilliant. Will probably go the custom route as recommended in another thread.
• So I'm at a bit of a conundrum - do I use the LF-30 and make up custom hoses OR use the current hoses and get a new LF-20?
• Sensors sensors sensors - which ones are worth replacing preventatively and which ones should be left in the "as needed" category? I'm mainly thinking about the ones attached to the engine itself. Access to some of them is an absolute bastard with the engine in the car so I'm thinking I'll preventatively replace some of the most hard-to-get-to ones. But also would appreciate if people could chime in on which ones hardly ever give issues / are good with just a check over and a clean / definitely worth replacing. Rough list of ones I'm considering:
  • O2 sensors x 4;
  • Cam position sensors x 2;
  • Crank position sensors x 1;
  • Ignition knock sensor x 1;
  • Intake air temp sensor x 1 - cheap enough to replace;
  • Temperature sensor (OFH & cylinder head) - cheap enough to replace;
  • Oil pressure switch (OFH) - cheap enough to replace;
  • Oil level sensor - easy enough to replace during oil change, won't bother for now.
• Sensor brands - bit of a controversial topic, I know. Obviously best to stick with genuine / OE ones but then again, you could easily spend more than a grand on just the sensors I listed above. I also know there's reports of FCP falsely marking some brands as OE when they were not. Currently, they're listing VNE as the OE maker of cam sensors and VDO for crankshaft and knock sensors for example, both brands I'm not at all familiar with. A lot of these are also offered by other reputable OEM brands such as Hella at less than half the price. Hella is the OE maker of the oil level sensor for example so you'd assume they know their sh*t when it comes to sensors. I obviously don't want to skimp and get some dodgy crap but at the same time, maybe some of those sensors are simple enough that going for OEM over OE you wouldn't really be risking much?

Or am I just overthinking it?

[Vass 830]

Ohh, a few more I forgot:

• Brake pads - thinking of giving these Akebono ceramic pads a go (can actually get them cheaper from RockAuto). Ceramics can, admittedly, wear out the rotors quicker and don't grip as well in daily use, I've been discouraged from ceramics for a daily driver but none of the reviews flag those as issues and from what I've read I'm left pretty impressed, especially the low brake dust characteristic. Anyone have experience with these in particular or any other recommendations for pads?
• Steering coupling - have a few options here:
  • Stock replacement - again, all the usual suspects only stock LHD ones, am yet to properly look into where to get one locally and for how much.
  • Ireland Engineering urethane coupler - stiffer than stock but not sure if it's a great option still being so close to the exhaust.
  • CMP solid coupler - might be a bit overkill for a street car? Not sure how much harsher it would make the feedback, but an option to consider anyway.
  • Max Parts Shop solid U-joint - similar to above? More for track use rather than daily driver? The column spacer thing is an interesting option though.

[Eagle 1662]

You could just throw your gearbox in and see what its like?. My old E39 ZF box had 310,000km on the original detents so its not like they all have issues. Mine current one has a slight lean\stick coming out of 5th when dead cold but ive never experienced any shifting problems. I don't think dropping the box is much of an issue if its going to save me a un-needed expense but certainly a subjective thing.

If you can pickup a good used LF-20 and use the good hoses its probably going to save you a fair bit of money.  

If i had to rank them id say cam\ crank are probably the most common failures, followed by the MAF either hard or soft failure, most O2's have soft failed and are slow compared to new. Maybe the oil level sensors sometimes go but not really important. Never seen\heard any of the others fail and if they do its probably very rare and easy enough to ID or diagnose.

Just do the pre cat O2's, no point in post cat ones (flash with EU2 DME firmware to delete them and SAP if you have them) 

I did VNE cam sensors and intake air temp, VDO MAF and crank sensor and Bosch O2's, basically the performance related ones.  All same as originals and wouldn't use anything else myself for critical engine sensors, piece of mind they reading as intended and should have good lifespan. 

Running Akebono's. Don't have quite the initial bite like the OE semi metallics do but yeah much much cleaner. Havent really pushed them under hard driving though.

I just used the OE coupler as OE car and set and forget. Probably get you one trade price, think it was low mid $300. Didnt find any much cheaper overseas by the time shipping etc was added.

[Olaf 3317]

Akebono Ceramic:  very little dust and they last FOREVER.  Literally.  Mine have been on about 9 years, ~90k kms, same rotors, still tons of meat on the pads, and the slotted rotors are wearing very sparingly.   Downside is they have no initial bite like OE Textar/ATE etc, and they need to be warm.    Would not buy again, would not recommend.  Choose stopping over cleanliness!
Just buy the Hawk HPS and be done with it.  Reasonsable dust (nothing like OE), great braking performance.

In fact - next time, assuming my car retains M54B25, I'd just put Hawk HPS pads on with braided lines and wouldn't bother with the 330 brake upgrade, it's unwarranted.  In your case though, going with B30 I think the 330 brake setup is a wise precaution.  The HPS are great for street use, I hve them on my e60 and e30.

Steering Coupling:  Go genuine.  It'll last another 15-18 years, and you'll have no issues with increased NVH.   Why wouldn't ya?

Sensors:  VNE are excellent. ISTR it was VNE came off my e60 when exhaust cam sensors were replaced.

O2 Sensors:  I replaced all four, it purrs like a kitten now.  Bosch.  Discussed this with a BMW Master Tech (after I'd done it) and recounted what a difference it made to the running, responsiveness, and fuel economy;, he concurred and wondered why more people didn't do this.    Again, why wouldn't ya?  They're not expensive, and they're part of the DME control.

Power Steering Pump LF20:  Your car was spec'd with it, why wouldn't you continue with it?  Overthinking - quite possibly.  New or a good used unit (most have the same issues).  @Autoglym you've some e46 Power Steering experience, what do you recommend?  Was it the LF30 you found painful?

HTH

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by Olaf
updated braking description

[Vass 830]

Thanks for the replies guys! Some good points there.

15 hours ago, Eagle said:

You could just throw your gearbox in and see what its like?. My old E39 ZF box had 310,000km on the original detents so its not like they all have issues. Mine current one has a slight lean\stick coming out of 5th when dead cold but ive never experienced any shifting problems. I don't think dropping the box is much of an issue if its going to save me a un-needed expense but certainly a subjective thing.

Dropping the box is not really a job I'd want to undertake again in the near future. I've already ordered all the detents and shifter pins anyway (minus those bloody covers) so would rather address all that in one go and be done with it.

15 hours ago, Eagle said:

If you can pickup a good used LF-20 and use the good hoses its probably going to save you a fair bit of money.

7 hours ago, Olaf said:

Power Steering Pump LF20:  Your car was spec'd with it, why wouldn't you continue with it?  Overthinking - quite possibly.  New or a good used unit (most have the same issues).

The engine came spec'd with an LF-30 though, and that's definitely in better nick than the LF-20 I have. Plus if it is a stronger unit, I'd go with that instead. One of the pressure hoses is actually identical between the two so I'd be able to reuse that and would just need to get the other one. I think money wise getting a new hose for the LF-30 or getting a new LF-20 to match the hoses would cost roughly the same so I'd rather make sure the unit I'm going with is the better one of the two.

I've read reports of the LF-30 running higher pressure and the steering being a bit easier. Prior to dismantling I did notice the steering being a bit heavy, as well as a mate of mine commenting the same after borrowing the car for a while, so the LF-30 would assumedly make that better. Although it may have been down to the LF-20 being on its way out anyway.

15 hours ago, Eagle said:

Just do the pre cat O2's, no point in post cat ones (flash with EU2 DME firmware to delete them and SAP if you have them) 

Interesting. A point to consider. Do the post-cats really not influence anything else beyond emissions? I'm blessed by the absence of a SAP, luckily.

7 hours ago, Olaf said:

O2 Sensors:  I replaced all four, it purrs like a kitten now.  Bosch.  Discussed this with a BMW Master Tech (after I'd done it) and recounted what a difference it made to the running, responsiveness, and fuel economy;, he concurred and wondered why more people didn't do this.    Again, why wouldn't ya?  They're not expensive, and they're part of the DME control.

Cheapest I found just now is around $500 before shipping from Spareto for all four. Not sure I'd call it cheap but yeah, fair point, worth doing now as it's a bastard to get to later on. Might look into omitting the post-cats though as alluded above.

Add on another $300 for crank sensor, two cam sensors and ignition knock sensors. Actually not as bad as I'd feared. Too far down the rabbit hole to start skimping now.

15 hours ago, Eagle said:

Running Akebono's. Don't have quite the initial bite like the OE semi metallics do but yeah much much cleaner. Havent really pushed them under hard driving though.

7 hours ago, Olaf said:

Akebono Ceramic:  very little dust and they last FOREVER.  Literally.  Mine have been on about 9 years, ~90k kms, same rotors, still tons of meat on the pads, and the slotted rotors are wearing very sparingly.   Downside is they have no initial bite like OE Textar/ATE etc, and they need to be warm.    Would not buy again, would not recommend.  Choose stopping over cleanliness!
Just buy the Hawk HPS and be done with it.  Reasonsable dust (nothing like OE), great braking performance.

In fact - next time, assuming my car retains M54B25, I'd just put Hawk HPS pads on with braided lines and wouldn't bother with the 330 brake upgrade, it's unwarranted.  In your case though, going with B30 I think the 330 brake setup is a wise precaution.  The HPS are great for street use, I hve them on my e60 and e30.

Fair point on the lack of bite, will take that on board. The clean freak in me is still a bit stubborn and refuses to be swayed by that though. How big a difference is it actually? Like is it something you just get used to over time and learn to press the pedal harder, or did you genuinely feel unsafe in certain situations / have had a few close calls? Definitely don't want to be compromising safety but if it's 10-20% difference I could probably live with that. Don't see myself pushing the limits too hard anyway.

Just read up some reviews on the HPS. Quite a few people reporting terrible noise and squealing, not even too long after installing. Plus they look to be twice the price. Will do a bit more digging.

15 hours ago, Eagle said:

I just used the OE coupler as OE car and set and forget. Probably get you one trade price, think it was low mid $300. Didnt find any much cheaper overseas by the time shipping etc was added.

7 hours ago, Olaf said:

Steering Coupling:  Go genuine.  It'll last another 15-18 years, and you'll have no issues with increased NVH.   Why wouldn't ya?

Fair point. All those alternatives would seemingly work out to less than $300 though so worth a consideration. Again it's a give and take as to what degree would they harshen up the steering feedback...

[Vass 830]

Another few points I forgot about earlier. This is basically turning into a to-do list of sorts:

• Braided brake lines - will be refurbing the calipers so might as well throw on new brake lines as well. Can get stock ATE rubber hoses for $75 or go with SS braided lines for around $200. Kinda leaning towards the OE rubber ones as I don't see this car as a track day regular and reading up about steel lines being prone to breaking off at connection points. Again, would depend on the degree of improvement in brake pedal feel which I can't really chime in on. Thoughts?
• ARP head studs - still fretting a bit over re-torqueing the head so low-key considering a stud conversion, which I've read distributes the load on the threads in the block more evenly and reduces the risk of them pulling. Not cheap but cheaper / less hassle than pulling the engine back apart and getting helicoils / timeserts in case a thread does pull. Have checked the ARP website but it doesn't have an M54-specific head stud set listed. Have seen other vendors offer them though. Unsure whether it's not listed due to being out of stock or if they've never offered it. Have emailed them with a query.
  Have read some reports of people using M52 sets on M54's and the studs pulling due to a shallower thread depth so not keen to go down that route.
• Touring Msport springs - struggling to find the right springs for my model. As far as I know, the US market never got a Touring in ZHP / Msport variant so having no luck with recommendations on FCP. Have also tried looking up RealOEM for the correct part numbers but it's blanking out on springs for some reason...
  
  The topic was touched upon elsewhere I believe but are Touring springs actually different from Sedan/Coupe ones? You'd assume so but FCP, RockAuto, Schmiedmann etc don't seem to make any distinction, at least not a very clear one, so I'm well confused as to what to get.

[Olaf 3317]

1 hour ago, Vass said:

Cheapest I found just now is around $500 before shipping from Spareto for all four. Not sure I'd call it cheap but yeah, fair point, worth doing now as it's a bastard to get to later on. Might look into omitting the post-cats though as alluded above.

[snip]

Fair point on the lack of bite, will take that on board. The clean freak in me is still a bit stubborn and refuses to be swayed by that though. How big a difference is it actually? Like is it something you just get used to over time and learn to press the pedal harder, or did you genuinely feel unsafe in certain situations / have had a few close calls? Definitely don't want to be compromising safety but if it's 10-20% difference I could probably live with that. Don't see myself pushing the limits too hard anyway.

Just read up some reviews on the HPS. Quite a few people reporting terrible noise and squealing, not even too long after installing. Plus they look to be twice the price. Will do a bit more digging.

Fair point. All those alternatives would seemingly work out to less than $300 though so worth a consideration. Again it's a give and take as to what degree would they harshen up the steering feedback...

I can't remember where I bought mine from FCP, Amazon, Rockauto, Schmeidmann. ISTR around $400 at the time.

If HPS are found noisy, ("terrible noise and squealing"), they didn't bed them in correctly (Read: suffering from stupidity).  Have a read of my e30 project thread - I followed the Hawk Performance Bed-in procedure for the pads, and the Zimmermann bed-in procedure for my (new) rotors, and they're quiet and work brilliantly.  Same with e60, except I put them on with new Genuine BMW rotors.  

About the Akebonos:  "would not recommend" should do you.  That morning that you've not applied them a few times, and then need to stop in a hurry will be your moment of regret.  I'd recommend ATE or Textar and an Auto Glym wheel brush instead of the Akebonos, if you're not convinced by Hawk HPS.  Amazon often have competitive pricing on Hawk HPS.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Olaf
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