Is Stock N54 Fast? -2010 BMW E89 Z4 Track Review

Ruisi Circuit: A 1.3-kilometer racetrack located in Beijing, China, known for its emphasis on curves.
Leaderboard: We've got 203 lap records on our leaderboard, all set by our unique driver, the guru. With his super power for quickly adapting to any vehicle, he consistently achieves maximum lap times for each car.
About Vehicle Modification and Wear: To ensure the authenticity and objectivity of our channel, most of the test vehicles are provided by our audiences. Consequently, some cars undergo significant modifications, improving lap times, while others might have severe tire wear or be too old, impacting their performance. We disclose these details in the video.
Levels of Modification: We classified 4 levels for mods.
- Level 0: Includes factory-standard cars and those with only tire, brake, and "mood" part replacements. As many older cars have discontinued tires and rare brake pads, we allow minor tire upgrades.
For example, upgrading from original tires to PS4 for a Civic or from PSS to CUP2C for an M2C is acceptable. However, upgrading a Civic to CUP2C tires counts as a modification.
- Level 1: Light modifications, including tires, wheels, suspension, brakes, intake/exhaust systems, and ECU. Modifications to the engine and gearbox internal structure are not allowed, nor are R-Comp tires. This category is the most common for entry-level modified cars.
- Level 2: Moderate modifications, such as internal engine forging, larger turbos, cylinder expansion, or transplanting non-performance engines. Transmission system modifications, like LSD + larger final drives, are permitted. Thermal-melt tires are allowed.
- Level 3: Race-level modifications. There are no restrictions here. This includes professional race cars, performance engine transplants, sequential gearboxes, and altered suspension structures.
- Level -1: Typically refers to using tires of lower specifications than the original factory standard, such as on an A45, or carrying a passenger (additional weight).

[@donsirsimon]

you dont really need to go for 600hp with these cars, but i wouldnt keep them stock either... some little tweaks make a huge difference...
First powerwise i think a stage 1 tune atleast is a must. It adds +60hp to it with no extra mods.
This is ok for a couple of pulls, but after that oem intercooler starts to heatsoak and you do notice some loss of power. let it cool a bit and it pulls hard again...To keep the power constant add an aftermarket intercooler to it... 5inch... they are plug and play and keep intake air temps at higher boost pressures low.
Now you make same uprated power all the time with no wierdness... and can even run intercooler specific stage 1+ fmic tunes.. that will up the boost and power bit more.
From there on you could go catless downpipes to get a bit more out of it.
Suspension of the z4 is more GT like... It has more comfort oriented fluid filled bushings or softer rubber bushings... to sharpen it up a bit you basically do what M does to BMW-s:
Replace front control arms with M3 control arms from e9x M3...you get solid rubber bushings and balljoints for more precision and also some extra nagative camber at the front.
Rear trailing arm bushings are soft... upgrade them to something stiffer. add bushing limiter spacers
Z4 has 2 bushings in the rear hub /trailing arm where two control arms get bolted on.. one of them is a balljoint but the second one is a softer rubber bushing for more comfort... Swap that rubber bushing out with a balljoint. E46 m3 has both of them as balljoints... z4 rear suspension is very similar to e46...
Finally get some good coilovers for it ... KW v3... and good tires like PS4S...
and now you have a car that makes near 390hp with no heatsoak, with more grip than stock and way more precise handling than stock. With V3 adjustable coilovers you can adjust rebound and compression separately which means you can fine tune the behavior of the car... reduce understeer , increase rear grip etc.
Also as this car is a convertible you can aid handling by lowering the roof to the boot for lower center of gravity. This car handles better with a roof off IMO.
Anyway this is how i have set up my 35i.

[@KeyboardRacerCult]

Thanks for sharing your insightful modification thoughts! Really cool to see how you set up your 35i!
By the way, our channel mostly features cars from our audience (including this E89), which brings a lot of variety. Speaking of mods, I've had an M4 myself and did a few experiments with it to check out its track capabilities. We've got a series coming up called "M4 Evolution" where I dive into this stuff. It's going to be pretty interesting to see how different mods play out on the track.
Stay tuned for the series if you're interested, and thanks again for your input. It's always awesome to connect with fellow car enthusiasts! 🚗💨

[@a1234ddf]

I’m not him, i came from JDM 😂. I already think my 35i handles good stock. Sounds like you know something.. I might as well copy your suspension setup for a even better handling experience…

[@Krezo200]

Good video
I just bought my sixth z4

[@MVMann98]

Great videos, i could def see ur channel taking off! Very to the point which I like. Ive been looking at e86 z4's specifically the 3.0l non M version, but those are pretty rare and aging. I do like a lot about this car, but could see myself being dissapointed by its more GT car charachteristics as opposed to the more focused e86. Nonetheless the engine does seem amazing and the car would make for a great daily. Just wish they had a fixed hardtop and it was significantly lighter. Still in search of the perfect FR as a daily. Keep up the great videos!

[@KeyboardRacerCult]

First off, a massive thank you for your comment and support. It's comments like yours that fuel our passion for creating unbiased, objective track reviews!
And agreed, the E86 Z4 is a gem. Personally, I lean towards the E86 over the E89 too, and I hope you find a great one!
For an ideal FR daily, personally, I would consider the F82/F83. With some mods, it can surpass a 992s (we will make a series of F82 mod episodes to prove it). If you're looking within the Z4 lineup, the new G29 is also quite impressive. In our head-to-head tests, the lap time difference between the Z4 and the Supra (both stock condition) on a one-minute track was less than 0.5 seconds