Z4 shift lever

[BS87]

I've driven both in an E30, and i cant tell a diff between the Z3 and Z4, only that i like the Z3 better bcause the Z4 is a little too short for me.

[Inspar8r]

I remember an old thread on E3S that discussed that the Z3 shifter was smoother compared to the Z4 shifter. Anyone can compare the two? I plan on getting the M Roadster's since it is lower than the Z3, but a tad taller than the Z4 which I heard might be a bit too low for some.

Anyways anyone got the gist over the Z3 compared to the Z4?

Yes.

I had both. The Z3 is like a hacksaw-cut stock e30 lever. A TAD bit smoother. No notchiness at all. Throw is barely changed from a stock, cut shifter.

The Z4 is VERY precise, shorter and feels tighter. It is very notchy. Throw is very short as well

Notchy to me is a sign of performance, i like it notchy. Every shift is deliberate.

[M42Technik]

I had both. The Z3 is like a hacksaw-cut stock e30 lever. A TAD bit smoother. No notchiness at all. Throw is barely changed from a stock, cut shifter.

The Z4 is VERY precise, shorter and feels tighter. It is very notchy. Throw is very short as wel...l

Thanks for that quick run down between the two. Now I hear the M Roadster one (the one I plan on getting) is just as low as the Z4, but as smooth as the Z3, which seems to be the best of both worlds for me. I don't think anyone has the gist between these two as well? ;) Thanks for the info Nick.

Oh and hot car. :D

[Jay Stock E30]

I had both. The Z3 is like a hacksaw-cut stock e30 lever. A TAD bit smoother. No notchiness at all. Throw is barely changed from a stock, cut shifter.

The Z4 is VERY precise, shorter and feels tighter. It is very notchy. Throw is very short as well

Notchy to me is a sign of performance, i like it notchy. Every shift is deliberate.[/quote]

I just installed what I was told was a z3 shift lever. The change was huge. Assuming that it is a z3 lever.

What determains the through of the shift lever is not how tall the lever is from the pivit point but how long the rod is between the bottom of the pivit point and where the shift linkage mounts. The lever I have brushes the drive shaft..so the shift through cannot be any shorter. Above the pivit point is aprox the same as the e30 lever.
the z3 lever is on the left (installed) and the stock is on the right

[Bryson]

Jay Stock e30, if your shift lever is about to brush the driveshaft, it's most likely an m roadster lever.
In no way is the M roadster lever as smooth as the Z3 lever, not even fucking close.
if you use the M roadster lever and you want it to be smooth and shift into gears with one motion (it takes two, one to shift out to neutral, one into the next gear), you're going to have to bend the lower selector rod, which will also bring the shifter towards the rear of the car (which is needed anyway) and you'll have to have a better bushing that attaches to the tranny to eliminate slop. I'd also recommend something to hold the two pieces of the shift lever together solidly, because the rubber between them can flex.
mis-shifts are all too common when driving hard with the m roadster lever.
Stu said that it wasn't too notchy with an m42 tranny though
edit: i've driven with all Z3 variant levers in an e30 (1.8=lame,2.8=perfect,M=overkill)
hth

[Rob]

Notchy to me is a sign of performance, i like it notchy. Every shift is deliberate.

fuckin a, 'smooth' is for pussies.

[randomtask37]

sounds to me that most of this is personal preference, and that the z3, z4, and m roadster shifters are all fine shifters... depending on what u want.

[Jay Stock E30]

Jay Stock e30, if your shift lever is about to brush the driveshaft, it's most likely an m roadster lever.
In no way is the M roadster lever as smooth as the Z3 lever, not even fucking close.
if you use the M roadster lever and you want it to be smooth and shift into gears with one motion (it takes two, one to shift out to neutral, one into the next gear), you're going to have to bend the lower selector rod, which will also bring the shifter towards the rear of the car (which is needed anyway) and you'll have to have a better bushing that attaches to the tranny to eliminate slop. I'd also recommend something to hold the two pieces of the shift lever together solidly, because the rubber between them can flex.
mis-shifts are all too common when driving hard with the m roadster lever.
Stu said that it wasn't too notchy with an m42 tranny though
edit: i've driven with all Z3 variant levers in an e30 (1.8=lame,2.8=perfect,M=overkill)
hth

humm interesting..thanks for the info.

[M42Technik]

...ou'll have to have a better bushing that attaches to the tranny to eliminate slop. I'd also recommend something to hold the two pieces of the shift lever together solidly, because the rubber between them can flex.

Damn more than I expected to do with the M roadster shifter. What would you reccomend for a bushing replacement and something to hold the two pieces together? Also, is it pricey to install this, even with bending the selector rod? I can't do it myself, so...

anyways, thanks for the valuable input.

[E30_boy]

I just installed The Z3 2.8 shift leaver on my 325is and it feel much better over stock. The only problem I have had so far is that the shift rod that conects to the tranny is slighty touching the driveshaft in second gear when you pull it to the inside. I plan on moding the shift rod a little to clear the drive shaft.

[E30_boy]

Z3 or Z4? whats better overall?

[Erick]

Z3 or Z4? whats better overall?

It's really up to the driver. The Z4 3.0 will give you the shorter shift and add that notchiness that most people like. However if you dont want the notchiness then you can always stick with the Z3 stuff.

[Jand3rson]

After seeing the pics of Chris's Z4 lever and actually shifting Ken's, I'm going with the Z4 2.5 lever and UUC Delrin bushings for the front of the shift carrier.

Does the Z4 2.5 lever require any modification to fit a late-model 325i, bending, etc?

[KenC]

After seeing the pics of Chris's Z4 lever and actually shifting Ken's, I'm going with the Z4 2.5 lever and UUC Delrin bushings for the front of the shift carrier.

Does the Z4 2.5 lever require any modification to fit a late-model 325i, bending, etc?

2.5 = Weaksauce ;)

The part below the fulcrum is atuall really short (shorter than the z3 1.9) so I'm assuming that you wouldn't run into any trouble with the harmonic balancer.

[riverdale21]

Would any of these SSK's fit an M42?