Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[dmanb2b]

Hey! Hope all is well with you too.

The Sport Wheel sits the same distance away from the stalks as the 385mm MT2. The center of the Sport Wheel looks a bit more concave than an MT2 wheel, but the spacing and distance from the stalks are the same. The Sport Wheel measure 385mm across.

I haven't bent my stalks. It's a tad close, but doesn't really bother me. For reference, I'm 6'5" and can easily palm a basketball, so it's not like I have tiny hands. If I were to wear gloves at a track day, I'd likely hit the stalks every time as there isn't much clearance now. Also, if this was a 370mm wheel I'd likely have issues with my knuckles hitting the stalks, but I don't have that issue with the 385m wheel.

If someone comes up with a cool spacer solution to extend the wheel towards the driver, I'd be all for it as that would be a more comfortable driving position for me.

I have a few updates coming, but I figured I'd stack them up as opposed to posting lots of smaller updates.

Thanks as always! My 370mm is currently installed with the additional spacer under the wheel, which must be why my horn doesn't work. I'm 5'11 and the wheel sits perfectly for me. I don't mind the gap between steering column. but not having a functional horn is a deal breaker for me, especially with all the testing and driving. I may try it out and see if I can adjust my seating position some to compensate and then bend the stalks or replace them with non-airbag stalks.

[mike.bmw]

Mike, hope all is well. Quick question for you...Did you end up adjusting the stalks or does the MT2 sit lower than your new wheel, so no adjustment needed? Thanks

Hey! Hope all is well with you too.

The Sport Wheel sits the same distance away from the stalks as the 385mm MT2. The center of the Sport Wheel looks a bit more concave than an MT2 wheel, but the spacing and distance from the stalks are the same. The Sport Wheel measure 385mm across.

I haven't bent my stalks. It's a tad close, but doesn't really bother me. For reference, I'm 6'5" and can easily palm a basketball, so it's not like I have tiny hands. If I were to wear gloves at a track day, I'd likely hit the stalks every time as there isn't much clearance now. Also, if this was a 370mm wheel I'd likely have issues with my knuckles hitting the stalks, but I don't have that issue with the 385m wheel.

If someone comes up with a cool spacer solution to extend the wheel towards the driver, I'd be all for it as that would be a more comfortable driving position for me.

I have a few updates coming, but I figured I'd stack them up as opposed to posting lots of smaller updates.

[dmanb2b]

Sport Steering Wheel Install - 4th time's a charm

Wow. A steering wheel finally worked out.

Picture time.



DSC_0503 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Mike, hope all is well. Quick question for you...Did you end up adjusting the stalks or does the MT2 sit lower than your new wheel, so no adjustment needed? Thanks

[dmanb2b]

I really may have to get a new shift boot now. :)

Looks great Mike! Crappy photo below, but I like how the mrain fabric looks. Ended up doing my shift boot and e-brake boot

[mike.bmw]

Inexcusable....

jk love the update

:-)

Oh hey nice steering wheel, those grips are sweet.

Thanks, I've really been enjoying this revamped sport wheel. Given the steering wheel and shifter are two of the main "touch points" on a car, I feel like I should have upgraded these a long time ago. They certainly add to the enjoyment of driving the car.

In other news, my first issue as co-editor of der Bayerische (dB) has been released. The dB team is awesome and I really appreciate them bringing me up to speed. I still have a lot to learn. While this is all volunteer work and does take a good chunk of time, I've really enjoyed it and look forward to many more issues. This issue also includes two articles written by me. Check out the issue here: https://db.nccbmwcca.org/2020/2020_0506.pdf

[moziller]

Oh hey nice steering wheel, those grips are sweet.

[2mAn]

Please excuse the dirty tool cabinet...

Inexcusable....

jk love the update

[mike.bmw]

Nice choice, Mike. I've replaced all the bushings in the ECS kit while everything is out and you are right, you would have to remove the driveshaft at least it seems. I'm hoping it tightens everything up appropriately! I'll be curious to see your choice of shift knob upgrade as I could use one as well.

Thanks! I decided to go with a ZHP knob (see below).

Looking great Mike! I love the wheel and the cupholder. Did you make the cupholder or buy it somewhere?

Regarding the shifter, I for one am a fan of the stock shift knob, but maybe you'll find one that changes my mind. When I bought my car it came with a mystery "short shifter" in a box of parts. It looks a lot like that one, so I'm wondering if maybe that's what I have...

I found the cup holder on FaceBook marketplace of all places. The person that makes them is a R3V member and sells them out of the classifieds. I just happened to get a slightly used one locally. As mentioned above, I opted for a ZHP knob -- review below!

That short shifter is a very nice addition to the car! I think it's one of the better and easier upgrades you can do to make driving even more enjoyable!
+1 on replacing the shift knob :)

Agreed! I took the family out for another drive this evening with the new ZHP knob installed. Replacing the shifter this time around would probably take less than 20 minutes, but the first time through I got hung up on a couple small things. Regardless, it's an easy upgrade as you said.

ZHP Shift Knob

It really didn't take long to figure out which shift knob to get. In addition to friends urging me to get the ZHP knob, a simple google search will yield pages of results with people stating how amazing this knob is.

I ordered the knob on ebay yesterday (from a local-ish dealership's ebay store). It arrived today. I had my daughter install it. She almost hit herself in the face during the install, which was a little comical. :)

The ZHP knob is nearly 1" shorter and slightly heavier than the stock knob. The leather feels great. I love the look of it. Combined with the Z3 1.9 shifter, new shifter ball bushing, and new nylon yellow washers, the shifting feels REALLY nice. I really may have to get a new shift boot now. :)

Please excuse the dirty tool cabinet...

20200502_182400 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20200502_182403 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20200502_182751 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[D.Martijn]

That short shifter is a very nice addition to the car! I think it's one of the better and easier upgrades you can do to make driving even more enjoyable!
+1 on replacing the shift knob :)

[Nate37]

Looking great Mike! I love the wheel and the cupholder. Did you make the cupholder or buy it somewhere?

Regarding the shifter, I for one am a fan of the stock shift knob, but maybe you'll find one that changes my mind. When I bought my car it came with a mystery "short shifter" in a box of parts. It looks a lot like that one, so I'm wondering if maybe that's what I have...

[G FORCE]

Nice choice, Mike. I've replaced all the bushings in the ECS kit while everything is out and you are right, you would have to remove the driveshaft at least it seems. I'm hoping it tightens everything up appropriately! I'll be curious to see your choice of shift knob upgrade as I could use one as well.

[mike.bmw]

How nice is the feel? Got one waiting for my project

(Updated post above with my impressions) The shifts now feel shorter (obviously) and very crisp. It took a drive to get used to the shorter throw. I like it! I could probably tighten things up further by replacing more bushings in the shifter linkage, but I've read that requires the exhaust and driveshaft to be dropped. Just the shifter, nylon bushings, and shifter ball bushing was a relatively quick install without having to remove the exhaust or driveshaft.

I think I need to start looking for a new shift knob as the stock plastic one could use an upgrade. :)

[econti]

How nice is the feel? Got one waiting for my project

[mike.bmw]

I finally got my shift together

I haven't had much time in the garage lately, but I did install a Z3 (1.9) shifter today. Thanks to fresh_TD for hooking me up with the part and giving me some pointers over the phone today.

Installation Notes
I also ordered new nylon washers and a new shifter ball bushing and installed those. Note that the base of the Z3 shifter is slightly wider than the stock shifter, so you actually don't need the yellow nylon bushings around the shift lever and selector shaft (they won't fit), so I only replaced those on the transmission side of the selector shaft. Also, there are some DIY posts that state you need to remove the harmonic balancer from the driveshaft, but this must only apply to 325s as there wasn't one only my 318is.

Impressions
The shifts now feel shorter (obviously) and very crisp. It took a drive to get used to the shorter throw. I like it! I could probably tighten things up further by replacing more bushings in the shifter linkage, but I've read that requires the exhaust and driveshaft to be dropped. Just the shifter, nylon bushings, and shifter ball bushing was a relatively quick install without having to remove the exhaust or driveshaft.

Photo time!

Up in the air:
20200429_161907 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Z3 1.9 (left) vs stock (right):
20200428_201430 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Underneath:
20200429_144856 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Stock (top) vs Z3 1.9 (bottom):
20200429_154308 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Installed:
20200429_161314 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Back together:
20200429_161540 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

I submitted some photos for BMW CCA's Garage Goals weekly contest and I was chosen this week! Super excited about it! There's a writeup on BimmerLife's website here: https://bimmerlife.com/2020/04/24/bm...r-mike-bevels/

DSC_0508 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr