Describe to me how your car handles?

[dieseldub]

hey guys, i have my eyes dead set on a 135 sport pack, which i'll probably order for march, or might wait another year to do so. At first i wanted an m3, drove it, had a blast, but for some reason, i'm always thinking about the 1 series, i have a thing for smaller car that and enthusiast oriented, such as my GTI, i love my car, but i'm ready to make the switch.

Now i haven't driven a 1 series yet, as i know that it will make the drive unbearable. I know the performance will be great, a stock 335 is quicker than my modded GTI, so i can imagine the 1 will be slightly quicker also. I would like to know how the car handles, does it lean a lot, what are it's tendencies on the street/track, understeer to sudden oversteer? how's the transition to oversteer, sudden or controllable.

you're all lucky guys to have this car. It's hard being financially responsible lately, just purchased a second condo, right place right time, process of rennovating it, will make a hefty profit off of it, so my funds are somewhat drained lately :thumbup:

[imported_Katera]

I have a 135i Vert and it handles better then anything I could of imagined. On rails comes to mind. VERY little body flex or pushing in the turns. I have been extremely pleased with the stability control. It lets you basically take turns as fast as you can without killing the fun <unlike the lexus is I drove>.

[Coach]

I have a 135/man/sport that replaced a 98 E36 m3/4. My M3 had a SS exhaust and a B&M shifter and was otherwise stock. My first impression of the 1 was that it didn't have the immediacy of the M. The 1 does roll a bit more but easly has as much if not more grip than the M. With only 2000 miles on the odo I haven't pushed it enough to get any understeer yet.

All the tests say that my 1 is far faster and better handling than the M but the but meter says no. The 1 really is faster and dusts off most cars with ease, but it does it subtly. The torque is addicting and seems effortless because it acceses it at such low rpms. It dosen't quite give road feedback like my old M, but that is a good thing because I wanted a little less boy racer and more class.

[WhiteOne]

Handles great. It handles everything I throw at it and begs for more. She was perfect on the high mountain passes in the Alps. I could not ask for better in a DD. JMHO

[looking]

I think most of the reviews that you read on this board and in the mag/internet articles are pretty much spot on.

My most recent car was an STi, have driven G35x's, 911's, heavily modded RWD and FWD imports. I have a man. 135 M, comfort, premium pkg

I did the hard break in method (actually took it to the track a couple times before I had 1000 kms on it) and my impressions are.

On the street - the engine on this car is amazing and truly world class - you will definitely love the torque! Fast, Fast, Fast. Handling is pretty good, not as responsive as I thought (not as responsive as my STi, but I changed my steering rack bushing) but still very, very good - just not as instantaneous as an Evo. THe car does feel a bit unsettled over rough roads (I think this has to do with the RFT more than anything). Driving feel, is really good, I do feel that it's a bit muted though - again don't take this as a major problem - nit picking.

On the Track: The car has TONS of grip - even in the wet (as long as you're resonable)!. It does understeer a lot (tires and weight of the car - but I think the tires again play a large roll) feels top heavy (I do have the sunroof). With that said this car is no slouch and can keep up with the best of them. a few "basic" mods and I'm sure you'll be able to keep with the previous M. To me, the major things I'd change are TIRES and coilovers.

Good luck - the 135 is definitely fun to drive, if you're looking for a track slut though, this shouldn't be your first choice. If you're looking for a road car first, with some track duty, then this is your car

[imported_mega]

I did my first mountain run today, the "loop" in north georgia

one word to describe the car is planted

it's soo damn fun to roll on the throttle half way through a hair pin turn, and feel that torque plant you in the seat, the side bolsters are soo nice to have

[mjovic]

Handling on the 135 ZSP can at best be described as sporty. I owned a 337 before this and can tell you it handles better stock for stock, but my 337 with KW coilovers and rear anti-sway bar and rear strut tower bar handled like it was on rails. The 135i DOES have some side to side slop in the suspension which I hear is dramatically reduced with the performance suspension, but if you are expecting coilover-like handling, you WILL be dissapointed. Over bumps, the run-flats suck. The car does understeer and the transition to oversteer is not graceful in the least, but it is a GREAT all-around performer out of the box even with its faults and I wouldn't trade it for any other car in it's price range.

[dieseldub]

thanks guys, sounds like a great car for the street, with plenty of forgiveness dialed in stock.

I would definitely get some better wheels/tires and suspension. i would leave the engine stock, and just get an exhaust system, i don't want problems with modding which i've had in the past, the car is faster than my car now, and i never use the full potential of my car, unless on a deserted road, which is less than 1% of the time. so handling/braking and fun of driving is what i'm looking for. :thumbup:

[JB135i]

I have missed my S2000 everyday this summer...

Overall a very nice car, nice power, great brakes, but the handling....like I said, I miss my S2000.

[PC Valkyrie]

I bought the 135i as a fun street and track car. Objective numbers clearly show higher skidpad grip and slalom speeds than the previous E46 M3. So we know objectively that the 135i in stock form and run flat tires can STICK pretty well.

What people complain about is the relatively soft suspension tuning, which results in a subjective feeling of more body roll when cornering hard. This is both a blessing and hinderence, depending on what you prefer. For the streets, this is a huge blessing and amazes me......somehow, BMW has tuned the suspension to be pretty comfortable for the streets, but still have super high grip levels by keeping the wheels planted. For the track, it may cause some initial lack of confidence when the car rolls more than you want.

However, once you get over the initial body roll and stay committed, the 135i performs beautifully when cornering on a track. I've taken the 135i to 3 track events this year already, and I'm very happy with the pace I can do relative to stock and modded E46 M3's, S2000's, Sti's, RX8's, etc. Of course, the key to track driving is proper technique and knowing how to bring the best out of your car.

For those of you who just drive on the street, there is nothing the 135i can't handle.

[mistermojorizin]

Originally Posted by PC Valkyrie

For the streets, this is a huge blessing and amazes me......somehow, BMW has tuned the suspension to be pretty comfortable for the streets, but still have super high grip levels by keeping the wheels planted.

that's what i have always heard, but it actually amazed me how soft the suspension feels in corners and yet how hard it crashes over even the slightest potholes - like hitting a brick wall.

seems backwards to me.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

that's what i have always heard, but it actually amazed me how soft the suspension feels in corners and yet how hard it crashes over even the slightest potholes - like hitting a brick wall.

seems backwards to me.

I thought that's how it's supposed to be

soft low speed damping
firm high speed damping

it's the shocks that are doing that

[esses]

Fast and pulls from anywhere. The car transitions smoothly to oversteer if you get on it before the apex or trail brake (like most turbos). Early on I found myself slow to shift because the car feels like it will keep pulling no matter where you are in the revs. Body roll is an issue. I keep telling myself its mostly the RFTs.. We will see, I will have them bald and replaced pretty soon. I have a funny feeling V2s are in my immediate future.

[Robert]

Just from the few response about you can see opinions vary. My advice is go for a test drove since we all came from different background

[MVF4Rrider]

Originally Posted by mjovic

Handling on the 135 ZSP can at best be described as sporty. I owned a 337 before this and can tell you it handles better stock for stock, but my 337 with KW coilovers and rear anti-sway bar and rear strut tower bar handled like it was on rails. The 135i DOES have some side to side slop in the suspension which I hear is dramatically reduced with the performance suspension, but if you are expecting coilover-like handling, you WILL be dissapointed. Over bumps, the run-flats suck. The car does understeer and the transition to oversteer is not graceful in the least, but it is a GREAT all-around performer out of the box even with its faults and I wouldn't trade it for any other car in it's price range.

I love it when people speak the truth and not cover it in fluff! Good job!!!

[MVF4Rrider]

Originally Posted by esses

Fast and pulls from anywhere. The car transitions smoothly to oversteer if you get on it before the apex or trail brake (like most turbos). Early on I found myself slow to shift because the car feels like it will keep pulling no matter where you are in the revs. Body roll is an issue. I keep telling myself its mostly the RFTs.. We will see, I will have them bald and replaced pretty soon. I have a funny feeling V2s are in my immediate future.

Had I kept my 135i, V2s were in its future too. Stock suspension has way too much slop for me. It's terrible under power over high frequency bumps. I had no issues with tire grip, but the runflats increased the harshness of the stock suspension tune. I think BMW failed with respect to the front wheel size. 7.5" and too low of profile! What were they thinking????

[esses]

Originally Posted by Balls

Had I kept my 135i, V2s were in its future too. Stock suspension has way too much slop for me. It's terrible under power over high frequency bumps. I had no issues with tire grip, but the runflats increased the harshness of the stock suspension tune. I think BMW failed with respect to the front wheel size. 7.5" and too low of profile! What were they thinking????

Yeah, I agree. Switchbacks and slaloms feel... slushy. Only way I can describe it. And even a small rise at triple digits gets hairy. 18x8.5s and real tires are definitely in my future. (Waiting to see if these bad boys make it to production: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14255 ) I rotate tires - sometimes multiple times on the same day, so I've never liked staggered setups. I really hope BMW doesn't follow Porsche in that vein.