Category: BMW Z4

BMW Z4 Cat-Back Exhaust – SuperSprint Sport Muffler

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Hey Guys and welcome back to the SimpleCarGuy Channel. About a year ago, I decided to upgrade the sound on my BMW Z4 and as the first step, I went with a SuperSprint resonator delete. It definitely made a difference and I got many more pop and burbles while driving, but OF COURSE, I wanted more. So, a few months ago, I ordered the sport muffler from the same company. I’m not sponsored by SuperSprint and I paid full price, the reason I picked them was because.. well, no one else makes stuff for this car. When I tool this muffler to a couple local shops, they all told me it would be 600-800 dollars to make the pipe between the muffler and the existing resonator delete pipe out of stainless steel. Since the pre-made stainless steel pipe was half the price from SuperSprint, I went for it. Unfortunately, it went on backorder and I had to wait a couple of months for all the parts to get here.

Finally, I have everything needed to have a full Cat-back exhaust on my BMW Z4. Meaning everything past the catalytic converter will be aftermarket and should sound much throatier and more aggressive. It will also allow me to start looking into some tunes in the future. Will the sound be worth the price? Let’s get all of this installed and find out together!

After getting the car up in the air as far as I felt would be safe, I still did not have enough space to cut the exhaust off with precision, so I went to my local shop to get it installed instead of proceeding on the driveway. Unfortunately, I couldn’t film as it was getting installed, but here is the end result! It looks great and cost me less than a nice dinner for two but now let’s see how it sounds. There are 3 different version of exhaust in this video. The first few clips I have stock exhaust, then you will hear resonator delete and finally full cat-back super sprint exhaust. Now would be a great time to hit that like button for YouTube algorithm and of course leave a comment down below letting me know what you think of the sound. Don’t forget, this a turbo 4 cylinder and not a V8!

5 Reasons to Buy a BMW Z4 E89

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Today I’m going to talk about 5 Reasons Why You need to pick up a BMW Z4 e89 right now!

  • I’ll start by talking a little bit about the driving experience
    • If you truly enjoy driving and a car to you is more than an appliance. You’ll enjoy driving a Z4 every time. You are fully engaged in the driving experience whenever you are behind the wheel of this car. You get the wind and the sun, the unique sounding inline 6 or even the 4 banger, a manual gear box and a sporty, yet comfortable handling car all in one. With its sporty ride, a fantastic feel of the road and a cool breeze blowing through your hair, it’s hard to say no. This is not a hardcore sports car, more of a Grand Tourer that can act sporty when you ask it to.
    • The engines put into these Z4s were mainly the N52/N54 which were incredibly strong/award-winning engines with adequate power and a beautiful sound out of the in-line 6. The N20 engine is not as robust, but the later models are not a bad choice.
    • Not to mention, the N54 Engines are easily tunable to over 400 HP and even more torque which equates to more speed and even more dynamic driving experience.
  • The next reason for me is the looks
    • One of the main reasons to get this car is because of the unique BMW design.  She’s a timeless beauty that seems to get better with age and always puts a smile on your face. Whether the top is up or down, you’ll love the shape and aggressive but sleek design. It looks great as a coupe, and even better as a roadster. To me, it’s the only convertible car that looks just as sexy as coupe as it does as a convertible.
    • The exterior design also seems to be aging very well, most people don’t believe it’s a 12 year old design. With that long hood, It has the looks of a (future) classic and allows you to sit all the way back almost on the rear wheels.
    • The Z4 will put a smile on your face every time you get in and drive it, even if it’s for a simple reason that every time you park, you’ll turn your head to look back and glance at the unique shape. It’s art on wheels with long, sexy and voluptuous curves. Never seizes to amaze me how much of a head-turner this car really is.
    • The interior is exclusive, refined with those rounded knobs and integrated leather. It definitely takes inspiration from the Z8. It may look a little dated now; especially, with the old looking radio, but at least it’s not like many current BMWs that look the same on the inside.
    • Fun fact: This is the first and I believe only BMW to ever be designed by a team of women designers
  • The Next reason is Exclusivity
    • BMW E89 doesn’t look like the rest of the cars, it is not a common sight; especially in the Midwest where I live. Which makes this car very unique and exclusive. Not only is it distinctive from other makes, it’s even unique in the BMW family as this is the only hard top roadster that BMW has made in recent history. This makes it a very special and exclusive looking BMW on the road.
    • I’ve always loved cars with long hoods like the Mercedes GTS or the Dodge Viper, so being able to afford a car with this exclusive feature was a great feeling and just added to the classy, sexy and aggressive look that the car projects.
    • And if you think about it, it’s also excusive because you can only take one other person with you, which will make your lady friend feel very special!
  • Next, let’s talk about the value and cost of ownership
    • I believe these cars will be appreciating in value soon. People are starting to realize what a cool car this is and good examples are now being kept in garages. To be clear, not every Z4 will go up in value. As an example, my Z4 has lots of miles, a replacement engine and doesn’t have all of the fancy options or the top spec engine, but they still sell for more than the KBB value.
    • These cars also tend to have better specs and technology compared to other roadsters in this price range. 
  • Now let’s take a look at the cost of ownership and how it compares to other cars like this
    • For being such a unique and fun car to drive, it surprisingly is not crazy expensive to run and maintain. The N52 and later N54 engines are some of the more reliable BMW engines. The n20 engine is a bit of a troublemaker, but parts aren’t expensive. To learn which models are best, check out my videos on BMW Z4 Problems to Expect.
    • You also get lots of technology, especially on the higher trims that you wouldn’t get in the less expensive cars like the MX-5, which makes this car more suited for a luxury daily driver or a fun weekend cruiser.
    • Not to mention it’s cheaper than a Porsche Boxster.
  • Speaking of the Boxster, let’s compare how the two cars stack up
    • I have noticed a lot of people comparing the Z4 with the Boxster. While I do not deny that a Boxster is a great car, I do think the Z4 represents a better car for the money.
    • It’s less expensive
    • It has a hardtop and it’s arguably a more reliable and easier to work on car. The engine and many other mechanical parts fit from many other BMWs, like the 3 series, which are plentiful.
    • It’s also rare compared to the Boxster and even cars like the SLKs and MX-5’s. You see those on the road all the time.
    • Not to mention it’s one of the few roadsters that fits a person over 6 foot tall. My taller friend couldn’t get into the SLK or Boxster but just fits in this car.
    • Of course, if we take a look at a Porsche 718 Boxster,  it most likely is a superior machine in every ways, but when it comes to looks; especially, with the roof up and down, and looking at the price, it’s a very hard sell at being twice as expensive.

In conclusion, It’s just an amazing car, a great combination between Sportiness and Luxury. Enough modern features and tech giving you the best of both worlds, a beautiful convertible and a sexy coupe.  If you can afford the 35s or 35is then definitely go for those models for the great sounding, silky smooth straight six engine. If you cannot, the smaller engines are still a great buy as you will love looking at it, driving it, and love how you look in it.

Is BMW Z4 the best daily driver?

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If you are anything like me and like cars, you can’t make yourself drive a boring, slow car to work every single day without loosing your mind. This puts a lot of pressure on what to get as a daily driver and I think I have found the perfect one! Without spending a fortune, you can have a very cool and practical looking 2 door car as your daily driver!

Your daily driver doesn’t have to be a dreadful driving experience and you should enjoy some power and excitement every time you drive. Let me show you WHY the BMW Z4 works so well as a daily driver!

Since most commuters drive all on their own, you don’t need more than two seats. One for you and one for your laptop or a briefcase, it’s perfect.

BMW Z4 is low, feels fast even in traffic but you must be able to get in and out as it’s not as easy as it looks since the seating position is quite low.

Another great reason to get a BMW Z4 as a daily driver is that you get to practice your manual driving every time you are in traffic and the use those skills to go on the track and do some spirited driving there.

It can fit a suitcase and plenty of groceries as well as you and your passenger very comfortably, It’s an enthusiast car, so it’s only practical for a sports car. You can’t expect to go on a Costco trip and bring back a month worth of groceries, but it works well for most everything else.

Another reason BMW Z4 is a great daily driver is because it’s economical. Even though this is a sports car, you can get around 22mpg in the city and 34mpg on the highway but you still get around 240 HP to play with each time you drive.

It’s also very versatile, when it is nice and warm outside, you get to use the car as an awesome convertible cruiser and just enjoy the sun and great weather. Once it gets cold outside, you you gotta do is swap to some winter or all season tires and you have a very competent sports coupe to drive around.

If you worry about the ride quality for you daily driver, BMW Z4 offers a decent enough ride on OEM tires and even more so on non run flat tires. So if you want the best comfort, going with a good regular tire on the 17 inch wheels will do wonders. Now, if you are like me and enjoy the look of the car just as much as the ride quality, you can go with 19 inch low profile sticky tires for the summer and enjoy every minute of driving. With the regular tire and traction control off, you can also have lots of fun in the winter by sliding (controllably and safely) around corners.

What I also love about having a BMW Z4 as a daily driver is that you start taking less direct way home to enjoy your drive even more! You want to go on the smaller roads, not take the highway and just enjoy your time with the car every time possible.

As a perk of having only two seats and not a lot of cabin space, the interior the cabin warms very quickly as there isn’t much space to heat up

Last and probably most important for a lot of people, the BMW Z4 is as reliable as any BMW 128, BMW 228, BMW 328, BMW 428 or BMW 528 as they have the same engine and if you pay any attention on the roads you can see how many people actually drive those cars on the daily bases.