A new Perth Member

[MBan]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking around the forums for a while now but only just got around to signing up.

Car-wise, I've got a 2009 125i manual in grey with a black interior. I started out with a list of requirements for this car: non-turbo (for a variety of reasons); manual; relatively small (dimensions and weight); rear wheel drive; reasonably modern and not a convertible. Surprisingly, I came down to pretty small list consisting of RX8, 350Z, Cayman, Z4 and 125i. On balance, the 125i got the nod because it wasn't too expensive (Cayman eliminated), had some practicality (350Z and Z4 eliminated) and wasn't likely to explode 6 months after buying it (bye-bye RX8). But finding a manual with the M Sport pack wasn't easy and I ended up buying one in Queensland and trucking it over.

This is my first BMW so I'm still learning the ropes about maintenance, modifications etc so I'm reading what I can on these forums.

I'm not a big poster on forums so I probably won't say a lot but I thought I'd better introduce myself.


Cheers
Michael

[MBan]

A couple of pictures:

[RadiuM]

welcome

[Curare86]

Congrats on the new car and welcome to the forum

[Prodigy.]

Welcome mate, any mods planned?

[MBan]

Thanks for the welcome guys

Prodigy 72: I've got a few things planned but one if my reasons for getting a non-turbo was so that I don't go silly on modifications.

Having said that, there are some things about the car that 'need' fixing.

The suspension bounce is probably at the top of my list at the moment. Driving on the freeway last week when it was wet was an eye-opener. Going 20km/hr below the limit because of traffic, hit an expansion joint and the rear became unweighted on the rebound and the TRC started flashing. From browsing the forums it sounds like the problem is either soft subframe bushes or poor rebound control in the struts. I'm going to have a chat with my local suspension shop and see if they have any ideas.

Next fix will probably be some lighter wheels. The offsets 1 series' can take isn't great but I've seen some nice sets on yahoo japan that should fit.

After that, I'd like to sort out the lack of top end power. Torque is nice and meaty at low revs but it feels flat above 5K. Apparently an ECU flash to 130i specs will help but I might look at some headers too.

Anyway, that's my wish list and life has a way of interfering but I'll see how I go.

[pom3829]

Originally Posted by MBan

Thanks for the welcome guys

Prodigy 72: I've got a few things planned but one if my reasons for getting a non-turbo was so that I don't go silly on modifications.

Having said that, there are some things about the car that 'need' fixing.

The suspension bounce is probably at the top of my list at the moment. Driving on the freeway last week when it was wet was an eye-opener. Going 20km/hr below the limit because of traffic, hit an expansion joint and the rear became unweighted on the rebound and the TRC started flashing. From browsing the forums it sounds like the problem is either soft subframe bushes or poor rebound control in the struts. I'm going to have a chat with my local suspension shop and see if they have any ideas.

Next fix will probably be some lighter wheels. The offsets 1 series' can take isn't great but I've seen some nice sets on yahoo japan that should fit.

After that, I'd like to sort out the lack of top end power. Torque is nice and meaty at low revs but it feels flat above 5K. Apparently an ECU flash to 130i specs will help but I might look at some headers too.

Anyway, that's my wish list and life has a way of interfering but I'll see how I go.

Looks good and great colour.... Let us know how it goes with the suspension.

[MBan]

Hopefully I'll sort out the suspension soon and when I do, I'll post approach/results in one of the bounce-related threads I've found.

[arthurtwp]

hey!! Michael did you view a 130i a few months ago? if so its Arthur here! haha nice to see you found something to your liking!!! loving the red leather which never came with a 130i.

curious with your mention of a ecu retune, can u get the exact same figures as a 130i?

[MBan]

Hi Arthur,

Yep - same guy that looked at your 130i. I found a good 125i in QLD so I brought it over but not the one with Coral interior; plain black (exactly what I was after). I have to say after driving yours, the 125i feels a bit flat above 4,000 rpm (and doesn't sound as good either) which is why I'm thinking about the ECU tune.

I've read a few threads in this forum about Evolve tunes that apparently get a 125 up to 130 levels but the proof of the pudding and all that.

First I'll definitely fix the bounce though. Bought an accelerometer App for my phone so I can measure before and after but still trying to devise a good way to test it.

How's the military service going?

[arthurtwp]

haha sorry my bad I thought you had the coral red. yeah the 130i tune does have a very healthy midrange runs out of chuff just before the redline. would be good if you could achieve that without any change to the internals.

things are going alright here so far. haha. missing the car dreadfully. getting withdrawal pangs as it is. haha.

[MBan]

From what I've read, it's all software tweaking to get to 130i spec but I haven't invested enough time in researching it to be confident. I won't bother if hardware is needed too.

I'm sure there are pluses to selling your 130 but I can't see you being disappointed if it's waiting for you when you get back!

[Anthony B]

Welcome mate, I'm new here too. Not sure if you've seen this thread but it's around the evolve r flash for your car & looks to have solid increases

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=926493

[MBan]

G'day Anthony,

Thanks for the link I briefly read that thread a while ago but as with all things discussed on the interwebs, there doesn't seem to be agreement across the board. When the time comes, I'll be scouring the internet for more reviews, particularly those backed up by evidence, but I'm also going to talk to a couple of local tuning shops.

If you've got anymore sources of info, feel free to send them my way!

[MBan]

A quick update: my new wheels finally arrived and I put them on yesterday.

Pictures and some initial impressions here:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...8#post17022998


I'm really happy with the result in terms of aesthetics and perliminary impressions of handling are positive too. The suspension 'bounce' has improved out of sight so I might not have to tackle a comprehensive suspension upgrade just yet.

Now that I've got my new wheels on my old 261Ms and RFTs will be for sale soon to part-fund my next modification - if I can find one, this will be a tuned length exhaust manifold.

Now, I might pop out for a quick drive

[RadiuM]

I might be interested in those 261's depending on the price. Not fussed about the tyres though.

[MBan]

Originally Posted by RadiuM

I might be interested in those 261's depending on the price. Not fussed about the tyres though.

I'm going to clean the wheels up on the weekend and take some pictures, then I'll put up a 'for sale' post.

Where in Oz are you located? I'd definitely prefer a Perth buyer.

[RadiuM]

Perth

[MBan]

That's what I wanted to hear!

I'll let you know once I've cleaned them up.

[questionable]

i dont think the 125 has the wide rear wheels like the 135

[MBan]

Originally Posted by questionable

i dont think the 125 has the wide rear wheels like the 135

As far as I know, the 261M wheels are the same, regardless of the car they're on?

Mine are 18 x 8.5 +52 on the back with a 245 tyre.

[MBan]

I decided I should post up some pictures of my new wheels here since this thread will end up being timeline of how the car developes.

- old wheels were BMW style 261M (18 x 7.5 + 49 and 18 x 8.5 + 52)
- new wheels are Rays Volk VR.G2 (17 x 8 + 40 and 17 x 9 + 45)
- new tyres are Bridgestone PlaYz PZ-X, 225 45 R17 and 245 40 R17

I weighed the old and new wheels on some bathroom scales I dug out of a cupboard so the actual weights are probably not that accurate but the difference between old and new should be close.

Old front wheel plus tyre = 23kg (50.7 El Bees for statesiders)
New front wheel plus tyres = 18kg (39.7Lb)
Old rear wheel plus tyre = 26kg (57.3Lb)
New rear wheel plus tyre = 19kg (41.9Lb)

The new tyres are non-fun flats by the way. I haven't had much time to drive the car since yesterday but I've already noticed a big improvement in ride quality, particularly over speed humps. The steering feels different - not as 'hard' might be a way to describe it - but I wouldn't say it's any less precise than it was with the RFTs as some other people have commented.

This may all be in my mind but the car seems to feel more agile and generally lighter when changing direction.

As for aesthetics; I'm pretty happy. The 17s don't look too small although I am considering taking 20mm or so out of the ride height. I'll give myself time to adjust to the new setup before making that call.

The offsets I think are pretty much spot-on. I'm only running -1.25* of camber on the front and the edge of the wheel pretty much perfectly lines up with the lip of the guard. The rears could possibly go another 5mm further out but that wasn't the look I was after. I also think I can probably run a 235 on the front and a 255 on the back without clearance issues.