RTAB's anyone?

So, with the refreshed stock suspension and the upgraded brake system I started getting comfortable with the cornering and general handling balance of the car. One nice thing about long wheel base cars is that when they start to rotate, you have plenty of time to catch the back end before it comes around on you. So far the M3 has proven to be a lot of fun, though it tends to loose rear grip rather easily.... well... sometimes anyway. In fact, there were a few times that it let go when it should not have (based on corner speed and throttle angle). This got me thinking that it was probably time to replace the Rear Trailing Arm Bushings. Worn RTAB can cause unexpected changes in rear toe angle along with a mushy corner "set" on entry.

Once again I took advantage of UUC's "Buy Your Own Dam Present" sale and picked up a set of upgraded RTAB's.

Old Vs New:


To make the install a little easier I picked up an MIS RTAB tool:


Over all the install was not too terrible, I probably spent an average of 2.5 hours per side. The results are fantastic, no more uncertain corner set on turn in and a much more planted rear end. Still need to get a good alignment but I'm waiting till I replace the front control arms and install the TreeHouse front control arm bushings, hopefully in the next week or so.

UUC Evo3 And DSR Install

UUC had a big sale around Christmas time (15% off with free shipping) so I took advantage and picked up what is arguably the best short throw shifter on the market, along with the dual shear selector rod.

Here is a pic of the old, sloppy, stock stuff:


And the new, baller, UUC parts:


The install was a bit of pain due to the tight confines under the car. I'm happy to say it made a huge difference in how the car shifts, no more slop and a much more precise gate feel.

Power steering leak sorted

I finally got around to fixing the power steering leak a few weeks after Christmas. It was fairly straight forward as it just involved a new fluid reservoir, new supply, and new return line. Not even worth taking pics.

Cold Start Issue Sorted

So, after some head scratching, poking, and prodding I finally noticed that I could smell raw fuel after flipping the throttle plate a few times... I had also noticed that when attempting to crank the car cold, I would often get a manifold backfire. I finally decided to pull the injectors and do a leak test. This is done by leaving the injectors in the rail and placing some white notebook paper under the tips and then pressurizing the fuel rail and letting the setup sit for a while. Well, it didn't take long for me to notice number 6 was dumping fuel while the others were nice and dry:



Another trip to Harrison for a new injector latter and the cold start issues were sorted out!