Most Mods to a leased 128 That one can do..I think..

[DriveHard]

Well, I think i have done everything that one could do to a leased car and make it as weekend warrior, track ready as possible.

When i ordered the car, i had no plans to track it,( maybe an auto-x or two for fun) but went to a practice time trial with my friend and I got hooked.. Since then i have 3 track days and 2 auto-x's

keep in mind, car is a 128i N51 Msport, Msusp,6AT w paddles and is my DD.

so i started my plan. so far I have done the folowing and the reasons why:

Dedicated Track wheels Elbrus 17x7.5 et42 (square set up) wrapped in Hankook RS3's 225/45/17's

some may say why not wider wheels ? well i have to double duty theses wheels as my winter wheels, and i didnt feel that such a wide tire / wheel combo was the right thing to do. I choose the wheels specifically for the et42, they give a wider stance to the vehicle, and i like the handeling just with that. FYI wheel and tire combo are 5lbs lighter than stock in the rear and 3lbs in the front. tires are 140 treadwear, and dont bump me up a class as would R comps.

e93 vert front sway bar ( actually just put that in on friday..) We all know why... understeer..

Pulled (actually punched ) pins on struts, max camber set at -.7 front, maxxed out all other specs of the alignment to help track but still not eat my tires.

BMW Perf. Big Brake Kit.

Althought not only eye candy, but one of the best upgrades i did. we all know that they are basically 135 Brakes, but i will tell you, there is a great benefit to having a lighter car with less power that makes these Brakes shine. on the track and off.

BMW Perf. Intake.

They say it breaths better, I like the way it looks when the hood is open, It sounds better, a nice intake drone that is not anoying.

Charchol Filter delete.

I did that to aid the Intake, engineering wise, i cant see the benefit, but my mind tells me that "things in the way of air flow slow it down" so all of 5 minutes and a razor knife, and it was out..

PBX Box Map 3 setting.

I am weary of true tunes warranty wise. ( i have a special reason for this) so the next and only choice was the PBX box. I had it in now for about 3 weeks, and there is a difference. Espically the accelerator pedal re-map. I always sufferd with the 6AT accelerating out of the corners....(even in sport / manual mode) No more my friend.. also the rate of acceleration in RPM's helps get the car to its sweet spot much faster ( IMHO)

ATE super Blue Brake fluid..

Self explanatory.. no cooked fluid.. relatively inexpensive when coming to bleeding and flushing after every event.

135 rear spoiler:

looks good, easy removal if needed.

Golf tee Mod.

I like the way it sounds and i like that both pipes are open all the time. i feel this aids in high RPM removal of exhaust gases. its not overly intrusive at all, and is fine as a DD. I know I know... some may say i missed the mark on the exhaust and should put the Perf exh on.... its on my list ... eventually.

So there you have it.. Everything ive done is 100% reversiable, and all the removed parts can be sold to some lucky guy here when i am thru with the car. I saved every last piece and expect to reinstall all the stock parts back on the car.

the 3 tracks i did last year i will do this year and will have a baseline to compare to.. I cant wait till it get warmer...


Let me know what you think... maybe even ideas..

Mods pending.......

Trans and diff fluid change to Red Line. ( my trans takes Dextron VI, not BMW's wild expensive stuff) still debating this ????

cyber scoops to help with "forced air" while at the track..

titanium brake pad shields

trans cooler / brake ducts... will see how it goes this season.

Perf exh.

Thanks for reading

[Bimmer-Bob]

I did the Performance intake, too, but didn't notice much of a change. Maybe a slight increase in engine noise above 4k rpm, but I'm really not sure. I mean, it sounds nice and more "whooshy," but it's subtle, to say the least. What do you think?

The Performance exhaust, however, makes an immediately obvious difference. Money well spent, IMO, which I can't really say about the intake. Not really that I regret it - I like to believe that the two pieces together harmonize well and are greater than the sum of their parts - but who knows? I didn't dyno or anything. If nothing else, the intake sure looks nice.

Looking forward to picking up the brake kit some day. Tischer was selling it for $930 for a long time, but just recently bumped the price back up to $1500 or $1600. Too bad.

[DriveHard]

I was guessing what the first response would be, and was puting money on the exhaust. i will have to consider it..

as far as the brakes go... ill save up for the exhaust, you save up for the brakes.. i dont think either one of us will be disapointed..

on a side note: if you stil have your car in 2 years, ill sell you my BBK LOL...

[ulrichd]

Are you planning to pull all ths stuff off before your lease return? If you are planning on the Performance exhaust keep in mind you have to cut the exhaust pipe on the 128, that's a permanent modifications.

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted by ulrichd

Are you planning to pull all ths stuff off before your lease return? If you are planning on the Performance exhaust keep in mind you have to cut the exhaust pipe on the 128, that's a permanent modifications.

I do plan on returning car back to stock and sell all the parts on here , I do know that it has to be cut, thanks for the reminder, But i dont think that is a big deal per-say. when a warranty muffler is replaced, it is cut at the same point if i am not mistaken. I think that i can get away with just buying a new sleeve clamp and reinstall it.

Thanks..

[Raine]

Your mods look good. How's the M3 Front Sway bar? I'm thinking of maybe getting it.

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted by Raine

Your mods look good. How's the M3 Front Sway bar? I'm thinking of maybe getting it.

lOVING IT.. actually i still had my winters on when i made the time to install it.. (p.s. those bushings suck to get on, even in my shop) so on Sunday it was nice and warm so I swapped to my summer tires.. and hit all of my normal exit / entrance ramps... very noticable... How good time wise at the track will be determined soon enough ( april 3, april16 etc etc )

For 210.00 ( united groupbuy price) you really cant go wrong.

Good Luck !!

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by DriveHard

lOVING IT.. actually i still had my winters on when i made the time to install it.. (p.s. those bushings suck to get on, even in my shop) so on Sunday it was nice and warm so I swapped to my summer tires.. and hit all of my normal exit / entrance ramps... very noticable... How good time wise at the track will be determined soon enough ( april 3, april16 etc etc )

For 210.00 ( united groupbuy price) you really cant go wrong.

Good Luck !!

Thinking of installing this too. You obviously like it. Could you describe the differences that you felt? Does it hurt the handling in any way? Less body roll?

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

Thinking of installing this too. You obviously like it. Could you describe the differences that you felt? Does it hurt the handling in any way? Less body roll?

SORRY FOR THE DELAY..

The handling is improved. outside front tire on a sharp right hander / sweeper definitely feels more planted.. it even sounded ( window down) as though it was working more without screeching..

i feel less body roll, infact i caught myself not leaning my head over in a turn as much as i used to..

Around town, normal driving i sensed a slight added tifness when hitting washboard roads that wasnt there before ( even with sport susp)

once again 210.00 pretty cheap nice, clean, oem, mod.