Boy oh boy... I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this car. I have absolutely NO regrets. It drives smoothly, it's quiet, it's refined... it MOVES as well. It's only got 235 horsepower, but it still puts out respectable acceleration compared to the higher-powered competitors. In theory, my S50 swapped E30 should be faster due to slightly more power and much less weight, but for some odd reason, the ZHP feels just as fast. Perhaps not as lary, but when I watch the speedometer, it seems almost exactly the same. I'm loving the 6-speed gearbox as well. On my road trip back from picking the car up, I averaged a good 34 or so mpg, averaging a speed that we shall just leave at "not so legal". I'm floored by this car, and it's nice to actually have working AC for once! I just wish they crammed an S54 in from the factory. I like the looks of the ZHP sedan, but the M3 coupe just doesn't do it for me in terms of looks.
Fantastic car there Botond!!!! I have the same feelings about the ZHP compared to the E46 M3 as you do. I would take a ZHP any day over an E46 M3. Now lets get you thinking. When I still lived in Philly, there was a guy in the local chapter who had a ZHP with an S54 in it! You seem to have this engine swap thing down. The second one is always easier!
Very Nice I love my ZHP too! I have found the electronic thottle to be a little frustrating at times so I now have an appt for a few Dinan upgrades - cold-air intake, free-flow exhaust and stage II software, which I'm told will modify the throttle lag. I'll update you after Sept. 17.
Have fun with your 'new' E46 ZHP. The E46 is light enough to feel nimble and quick, and it doesn't need 300 bhp to do so. I can tell you my 330i (ZSP. 5 speed) with Dinan stage III SW, Throttle Body, and CAI (aluminum downpipe) is outstanding, no lag in throttle response. A dream as a daily driver.
I have taken a nice spirited drive today with it and have to admit, there is a fair bit of throttle lag, and have experienced the infamous ZHP "dead zone" between 3-4k-rpm. It does move, but it doesn't feel fast, which doesn't give me the confidence to give it the beans when I need to. I guess it's just going to take a little getting used to, and a little bit more faith in the power. Unfortunately, I can't do much in the way of throttle response as it would take me out of my future plans of D-Stock at Auto-X. Currently it's an STX car, but that will change once I get some OEM springs installed.
Turns out the car is gonna be a better STX car than a D-Stock car. Andy Basham just coned his way out of winning nationally with a ZHP in STX. I guess once again mods are calling. At least the class allows an LSD, so I see one in my future...
Speaking from lots of experience over the past 5 years autocrossing the ZHP coupled with a few thousand dollars of Hoosier A6s and BFG R1s -- don't even think about D-stock if you are serious about autox'ing the car unless you are prepared to shell out huge bucks on tires. The reason is that even with the pins out up front, you can only get about -1.2 to -1.3 degrees camber, and even with a stock class legal very large front bar, the outside edges of Hoosiers can disappear within 15-18 runs. A6s quickly wear a diagonal edge between the sidewall and treadface, and within less than 20 runs or so, cords start showing. Kumho V710s will last a bit longer, perhaps 30 runs. Either of these two tires are required to have any chance of being competitive at a tour event or Pro Solo (245/35-18 all around). STX is more fun imo. My daughter and I have been running in STX now for the past year with the ZHP We took the D-stock setup (TC Kline Konis, Turner 27mm front bar, pins out up front, SSR wheels) and added just the rear Turner bar at this point. I've had rear 8.5"/255s up front for a few years now, so we're running Star Spec 255s all around. Enjoy the car (and STX ). Regards,
I finally got around to doing it. I think I picked out a pretty darned good pic... Do the 255's fit on the front 8" wheels no problem, or will I need another pair of 8.5's to put on the front? I'm looking at buying a separate set of track wheels with possibly Star Specs or Kumho Ecsta XS's (had these on my E30 track wheels and really liked them). I will probably end up with the XS' because they're a lot cheaper and work really well, but if the Star Specs are that good I'll suck it up and get those. Most of the wheels I'm finding are 8" and they're cheaper too, so if the 255's will fit, I'd rather use those. I heard of some people fitting them...
They should fit, but I've never actually tried it, but here's some data: 8.5 rears are 50mm offset, and like I mentioned, they fit FINE up front with no spacer, etc, with 255/35 tires. The backspacing of an 8.5"/50mm wheel is 6.22". The OE 8" front is a 47mm offset, so it's backspacing is 5.85". Hence there will be more strut to tire clearance with the 8" wheel, so it should fit with the 255 fine. The 255 will be a bit wide for the 8" wheel, but it nothing crazy imo from what I've used (and seen used) in autocross. I've run 265/35 all around on 8/8.5" wheels, and they worked great for autox (these were Dunlop Super Sport Race r-comps a number of years back) but were on SSR wheels which have 40 and 44mm offsets. Here's a pic of the car on the line with the 265s all around on 8/8.5 wheels:
Late to the party but nevertheless: Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice find! Congratulations, again. If I ever decide to acquire another E46 an unmolested ZHP is very high on the list.
Oooookay, so why has your 1987 dropped so abruptly from your lengthy list of vehicles???? (sold, wrecked, jilted?)
I was looking forward to seeing your ZHP this past Sunday. I'm pretty sure I'm going to Starbucks again this Sunday, should you decide to come. And the following weekend is the show/concourse at Autumn View Farm, an event not to be missed!
That's because despite sitting in my yard, it's no longer mine. My friend has paid me 50% up front for it, and will pay the rest as soon as he can. It will be his. And my list was never lengthy; it never exceeded one car! I was going to go, 'till I realized that auto-x was on that day. I couldn't pass up on that to get a feel for how my car will be at future events, and that day was the day I decided to dump some money into my first mod: a separate set of track wheels with tires that are worth a damn! The all seasons on it now are absolutely atrocious.
