Considering LS3 into Z4M...
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
From: UK Leeds
Considering LS3 into Z4M... Hi guys, Im fairly new on here and hail from the UK.
I have been planning a LS3 conversion into my BMW Z3M and I am almost ready to start - I have a new LS3 crate engine and T56 sitting in the garage. I was planning to start in a few months after the summer, and then take my time doing the conversion over the autumn/winter.
The more that I think about it though I'm feeling the money and time would be better spent doing the job on a Z4M (Roady or Coupe). I can sell the Z3M and get a good 3-year old motor for £10k more. The Z4M benefits from bigger brakes (345mm rotors), stiffer chassis, better rear suspension and diff. I can get a lot more money selling the S54 and 6-speed, and I dont have to do a brake upgrade, so it may only cost me £6k ($4k) more for a better car, which will handle the power better. The engine is standard LS376/480 spec.
Mechanically I see little difference in the installation. The front end on the Z4 is very 'E36'. It may be a little more difficult to interface with the electrics though (I assume the Z4 has CAN?). Am I missing anything obvious? Has a Z4 conversion been done before?
Cheers,
Mark
I have been planning a LS3 conversion into my BMW Z3M and I am almost ready to start - I have a new LS3 crate engine and T56 sitting in the garage. I was planning to start in a few months after the summer, and then take my time doing the conversion over the autumn/winter.
The more that I think about it though I'm feeling the money and time would be better spent doing the job on a Z4M (Roady or Coupe). I can sell the Z3M and get a good 3-year old motor for £10k more. The Z4M benefits from bigger brakes (345mm rotors), stiffer chassis, better rear suspension and diff. I can get a lot more money selling the S54 and 6-speed, and I dont have to do a brake upgrade, so it may only cost me £6k ($4k) more for a better car, which will handle the power better. The engine is standard LS376/480 spec.
Mechanically I see little difference in the installation. The front end on the Z4 is very 'E36'. It may be a little more difficult to interface with the electrics though (I assume the Z4 has CAN?). Am I missing anything obvious? Has a Z4 conversion been done before?
Cheers,
Mark
Haven't seen a z4 conversion yet. If you left the stock ecu in you MAY be able to adapt the ls3 stuff to read on the bmw gauges- coolant temp using a bmw sensor (still hooked up to stock), the trigger on most bmws is 60-2 (aka 58x for GM stuff) and you may be able to make the tach work. It's going to involve a lot of doing and trial and error, but I think it'd be well worth it. Aren't the Z4s much heavier than the z3s?
