I would normally agree but the HOA did stop our old neighbor from painting her house neon purple.

Look, there is common sense crap like painting a house purple, and there is stuff like the bridges that are a big "wtf?"

Here are the main concerns the HOA has with driveway bridges (I think):

1) They can block the flow of drainage water if they are clogged with debris

2) They can look like crap if they don't blend in with the road surface

Concern #2 is easy enough. Get white for concrete or black for asphalt.

Concern #1 is more difficult. Yes, you could make it a rule that the homeowner must keep the bridge free and clear of debris at all times... but it could be hard to enforce. And even if everyone does a good job at keeping their driveway bridge clear of debris... what if they go on vacation or something? I dunno.

Hoa is the fourth reich

Back to the Ark Grip. A couple onboard videos from this evening. I did not realize that my license plate frame was vibrating... I'm going to have to shim it and get some more videos later. I probably kept the mic mounted a bit too high, too. Would like to do some WOT/Takeoff/Flyby vids with the camera stationary, so I'll be back out to record more video later.

You're Z would like great parked outside a neon purple house.

How do you like the Ark Grip exhaust? It sounds nice, how is the drone when cruising on the highway? I'm considering this exhaust because it supposedly drones the least and I like the sound better than the FI 18" resonated CBE.

I love it. No drone at cruise. It is very deep in regular driving when you are accelerating from light to light, but when you are actually cruising down the highway it doesn't drone. I'm very happy about that.

Looks like I've found my exhaust then! Sounds great in the videos, I was just worried about droning when cruising. Thanks for the feedback/vids

:tup: Glad I could help. It really is a great system. After the drone experience in my previous Z I'm really pleased with how this one turned out. I can get on the highway, relax, and listen to some music without having to deal with any uncomfortable drone. Heck, the tires are louder than the exhaust at cruise.

man that catback sounds great and perfect!!!

Just ordered! How was fitment? Everything lined up well?

Just read through your thread, love what you have done with your car. I've always liked the Ark Grip and I planned on getting that one once my Z comes in. Your videos really swayed me, I've heard it numerous times in videos, but yours are definitely the clearest to me. I'm gonna steal the spacers you use too, I almost feel like I'm ripping off your car since mine is going to be midnight blue too. Beautiful car though, I'll get some nice gunmetal wheels or something so I'm not ripping everything off your car lol.

picture of driveway...

I'll do you one better...

Haven't updated in a while, so here's what's new:

- I finalized my winter setup and purchased Michelin Alpin PA4s, 245/45/18 all around. Mounted on the base 18" wheels I bought from Masa.

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I have not tested them in any real snow yet, but in 1-2" of snowy slush they were really good. They are especially good in the dry when it's cold. Very grippy and responsive. It feels like driving on a high-performance all season tire. Hopefully we will get some meaningful snow soon so I can really give them a thorough test.

- I purchased new summer tires since my rears are just about done. Fronts still have life on them but I wanted out of the RE050As. I was going to go with the Super Sports but decided to give the Potenza S-04 a try instead. For $450 less than the Super Sports I figured it's worth a try. I went with 265/35 and 285/35. They'll be mounted in the spring.

- I bought Eibach sway bars. Well, technically they are a Christmas present and I don't get to open them until tomorrow. These two will go on the car in spring. Full stiff front, full soft rear.

- I bought Kinetix front upper control arms. Even though I am staying at stock ride height, I wanted to dial in more front camber. With these I hope to get to around -1.8 up front. I'll put these on in the spring when I do the sway bar install, then get everything aligned when I'm having my tires mounted & balanced.

:tup:

Feel free to throw a present under the deck....


Sent from Canadia

Made it to ZDayZ last minute...

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Ended up ditching the Kinetix arms, but have the S04s and Eibach sways on (full stiff front, full soft rear). The car was great with the front bar and 265s... more grip to play with up front. S04s were very good, pretty close to PSS, but I'm fast enough on the Dragon now (5th year) to where I can get pretty much all I can out of a regular street tire. I'd love to try it on something more aggressive.

Definitely need an oil cooler and a real diff.

Great shots!


TapaTalk for iPhone.

Have you considered running front eibach on stiff and oem rear bar? Lots of people on here like that setup.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

I might give it a try but the way I have it set now is pretty close to where I want. Always an option. One of these days I'm just going to disconnect the rear bar and give it a go.

:tup: :driving:

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

No issues with those tire sizes? I think they look great. Maybe next go around I should bump up the size...

Nope, they were perfect. Going 265 up front really helps.

Nothing new on the Z front, but yesterday my wife and I picked up her new car. It's a 2013 BMW 335i M Sport. It has the 8 speed auto and most of the options. One owner car, certified, in fantastic condition other than a bump on the bottom right corner of the bumper which will be repaired this weekend.

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Double trouble with the blue beasts!!

looks great!!!

How many miles does the bimmer has when you got it?
I love bimmers!
Im wanting to go back to my first love! But not now the Z is a keeper!
Btw its twin turbo the 335?

25k on it.

We averaged 37.5 mpg on the way home from North Carolina. Our average speed was 73 mph. Absolutely incredible.

This is my first BMW. I've only spent a few hours driving it but I understand what all the fuss is about now.

BMW = bring my wallet.....

It looks great Steve! My friend just bought a 435i and he loves it. My son finally sold off his '99 528i, but it was a money pit. Every part was a pain to get at and service, and everything cost a fortune. Drive them when they're new and in warranty, then trade them in before you have to service them!

Seriously? My Z only average 19 to 21!
Yup it wont be called " The Ultimate Driving Machine" for nothing!
Im still dreaming of an M3 someday when all is gray in my head!

It was a pleasant surprise. On a similar highway trip I did in the Z I averaged around 27 mpg.

That is why you don't own a bimmer you only lease them.

About:

BMW-bring my wallet thing

I do average 27mpg on the Z if i drive 60 miles and below which rarely happens anyway!

Having owned a Mercedes before... it's really not that bad. Mechanically they are very sound. If you have a sensor here or there, whatever, you just don't buy your Alexander McQueen pumps this month...

4 years, 50,000 miles free maintenance is nice. 10 year 100k powertrain warranty is great!

Rebuilt the front end suspension, replaced rear wheel bearings, replaced water pump and radiator, gave up on fried ABS computer... :icon14:

I'm sure yours is in top shape. My son was hard on his... :shakes head:

Beemer looks fantastic in that blue

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

A couple weekends ago I detailed the Z for the first time.

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Looks great dude!! Btw what product do you use to wax the car??

Thanks. It's got two layers of Adam's Liquid Paint Sealant and two coats of Adam's Buttery Wax.