2013 135is owners discussion and photos thread!

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by Bama335

Beautiful car, and a rare one - there was only one Carbon Black "is" built with Terra seats, and you have it. #236/586

Interesting. If there indeed was only one, it made an early appearance here which a few people, including AGAV saw at that dealer in CT:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...&postcount=412

[IEDEI]

Greg: this is for you. These wheels almost remind me of 313s. Not mine....another owner posted them...but they've got that classic double 5 spoke design

1Mis? lol

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

Greg: this is for you. These wheels almost remind me of 313s. Not mine....another owner posted them...but they've got that classic double 5 spoke design

1Mis? lol

Those are just the M3/M4 19" wheels or replicas. Look good (though 313s look better), but I'll take the stock 1M 359s for my money.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Mr_Teutonic

Hello everyone.

Used to be a long time lurker with a LeMans Blue 135i. MT

Then for some strange reason I decided to drive an Audi TT RS for a year

Currently and happy in my BMW 135is Carbon Black (DCT). I need some help finding a recommended set of winter tires for this thing. Any suggestions?

Welcome!

If you need run flats choices are pretty limited (I have Blizzak LM25, good but not great). If you don't need run flats Nokian Hakka's get my vote. 225/45-17 square on a 8" wide rim is what I'd do. 205 just seems too narrow for the days you're not dealing with snow.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Those are just the M3/M4 19" wheels or replicas. Look good (though 313s look better), but I'll take the stock 1M 359s for my money.

yeah the stock M3 wheels. I kind of like them....but i agree i like the 313s and the 359s better. These look a little too big...whereas the 313s look VERY nice.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

yeah the stock M3 wheels. I kind of like them....but i agree i like the 313s and the 359s better. These look a little too big...whereas the 313s look VERY nice.

By the way small world but we have a mutual friend in common, Andrew Lee?

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

By the way small world but we have a mutual friend in common, Andrew Lee?

haha....yes i've known drew for a while! cool that you know him too!

we should definitely do a GTG now!

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

haha....yes i've known drew for a while! cool that you know him too!

we should definitely do a GTG now!

As long as I can avoid driving on FDR or through Manhattan lol, you guys should come up to me.

[Mr_Teutonic]

Originally Posted by AGAV13

Congrats! Was your car originally purchased from New Country BMW in Hartford by any chance?

Yep!

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Welcome and interesting path you took. I went from 135i to S5 to 135is, so would love to hear your thoughts and comparisons from the TTRS to the 135is.

Also, carbon black on terra? Love that terracotta interior. While I can't help with winter tires since it's 75 here today, I'm sure 3002 tii or IEDEI will check in with their recommendations for winter tires as they're in the tri-state area as well and have done a lot of winter driving with these cars.

I always wanted a 1M- but I settled for a 135i because I missed the boat on that one due to very limited availability. And I was always interested in the TT RS because of Car and Drivers comparo of them being "competitors"

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

So in summer of 2013 I made the mistake of test driving the car. Fell in love with the sound, acceleration and seats. The only thing I dont miss about the TT RS is the payments, which is why i eventually gave it up.

If I were to compare the 135is to the TT RS I would say the BMW a bit slower even with the DCT (although I do love that transmission). The Audi was on rails (quattro and 19 inch summer tires ) and very good brakes. But you get what you pay for. It is truly and under-appreciated car. The Inline 5 turbo sounds so much like the group B rally cars of the late 80's and the IMSA Audi 90 GTO. That's my thing that gets me giggly.

Inside, the Audi had more bolstered seating and I think it was actually a bit more comfortable on my lower back. However, the interior was kinda lack luster - BMW has the better fit and finish for that generation. The real debate is going to be the M2 vs the Mk3 Audi TT RS. (I think more of both these cars will be available when they are produced.) I also believe both the 135is and the TT RS are rare things these days. German coupe, Small, fast, Sound mean, and cost less than a Cayman S or R etc..

If you guys want me to go into the detail of the differences between the two cars just ask away.

P.S.
Thanks for all the responses!

[gregthegr8]

I always wanted either the 1M or the TT RS, but I can't drive a stick anymore thanks to a destroyed wrist, so those were both out and never gotten a chance to drive them. =( I have my eye on the mk 3 TT RS though. O=| May settle for a TTS perhaps with an APR tune or just wait for the RS. I personally don't think looks-wise that M2 is going to do anything for me, but we shall see hopefully in the coming months.

I never liked the interior of the mk2 either, but love the sound of that TT RS. You think that sounds even better than the performance exhaust on the 135is?

But yes, we get a lil excited about any new 135is owners these days. Seems like we lose a lot more than we gain, plus you have one of the rarer combos and I've always really liked the terracotta.

[MaxVasc]

Originally Posted by Mr_Teutonic

Hello everyone.

Used to be a long time lurker with a LeMans Blue 135i. MT

Then for some strange reason I decided to drive an Audi TT RS for a year

Currently and happy in my BMW 135is Carbon Black (DCT). I need some help finding a recommended set of winter tires for this thing. Any suggestions?

Great looking is. I love my terracotta and it looks good on black as well.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by Mr_Teutonic

Yep!

I always wanted a 1M- but I settled for a 135i because I missed the boat on that one due to very limited availability. And I was always interested in the TT RS because of Car and Drivers comparo of them being "competitors"

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

So in summer of 2013 I made the mistake of test driving the car. Fell in love with the sound, acceleration and seats. The only thing I dont miss about the TT RS is the payments, which is why i eventually gave it up.

If I were to compare the 135is to the TT RS I would say the BMW a bit slower even with the DCT (although I do love that transmission). The Audi was on rails (quattro and 19 inch summer tires ) and very good brakes. But you get what you pay for. It is truly and under-appreciated car. The Inline 5 turbo sounds so much like the group B rally cars of the late 80's and the IMSA Audi 90 GTO. That's my thing that gets me giggly.

Inside, the Audi had more bolstered seating and I think it was actually a bit more comfortable on my lower back. However, the interior was kinda lack luster - BMW has the better fit and finish for that generation. The real debate is going to be the M2 vs the Mk3 Audi TT RS. (I think more of both these cars will be available when they are produced.) I also believe both the 135is and the TT RS are rare things these days. German coupe, Small, fast, Sound mean, and cost less than a Cayman S or R etc..

If you guys want me to go into the detail of the differences between the two cars just ask away.

P.S.
Thanks for all the responses!

the best thing about the TT-RS was the engine. Otherwise, i'm quite sure you will find the 135is to be a significantly more dynamic and enjoyable driving experience!! Congrats on your purchase!

IF you need snow tires-----buy Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2s. They are THE best....no matter what anyone tells you about Blizzaks, or whatever.....they don't compare to the massive grip offered by these Nokians. Nokian, after all, INVENTED the snow tire.

I had them on my 135is and now i have them on my 1M.

[AGAV13]

Originally Posted by Mr_Teutonic

Yep!

Nice, I saw your car on the lot originally before it was delivered. At the time it also had a twin, same exact options only it was a convertible.

As for your original question, I have 17" Blizzak LM25's. They work perfect in the snow for me, I live on a road with a 35'ish degree incline and I have made it up with ease in almost 2 inches of snow. To test the tires I have even stopped halfway up the slope and made it up the remainder just fine.

[PaulG]

I have a 2013is carbon black as well (not that that has anything to do with the tires question). I run 17 Sport Edition KM11 with the Blizzack LM60, 225/45. Can pretty much drive anywhere in the snow, better than you would think.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

the best thing about the TT-RS was the engine. Otherwise, i'm quite sure you will find the 135is to be a significantly more dynamic and enjoyable driving experience!! Congrats on your purchase!

I imagine it's a much more dynamic drive once the performance suspension is put on. =P Another plug for that. Now if only I can get it on motorchimp or bama335's car. I've gotta meet my quota!

[Mr_Teutonic]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

I always wanted either the 1M or the TT RS, but I can't drive a stick anymore thanks to a destroyed wrist, so those were both out and never gotten a chance to drive them. =( I have my eye on the mk 3 TT RS though. O=| May settle for a TTS perhaps with an APR tune or just wait for the RS. I personally don't think looks-wise that M2 is going to do anything for me, but we shall see hopefully in the coming months.

I never liked the interior of the mk2 either, but love the sound of that TT RS. You think that sounds even better than the performance exhaust on the 135is?

But yes, we get a lil excited about any new 135is owners these days. Seems like we lose a lot more than we gain, plus you have one of the rarer combos and I've always really liked the terracotta.

Yea the inline 5 sounds like a V-10 if I am to be blunt. But the 135is sports exhaust sounds very very good. I love the throttle blip on down shifts!

I used to be that guy that would frown upon anything other than a manual transmission. Until I started to really geek-out and watch LeMans and go to limerock and watch the ALMS races. There's nothing quite like the sound of gears engaging with immediacy and the pop and punch in the back you get with the dual clutch (AKA good dual clutch transmissions).

I mostly drive in Manual mode with Sport button on. And I do this weird thing when I downshift - I used the shift knob instead of the downshift paddle. Why? because it reminds me of watching my heroes pilot the older 996 and 997 GT3 RSR's. I know, I know, Im weird.

I have a new-found appreciation for DCT. Granted, all my cars up until this point were manual- and my left leg had a mind of its own the first few days. Which brings me to the discussion:

Would you guys prefer a Dual-clutch set up that FORCED you to select your own gear all the time? Have those ever existed? Did I just invent something?

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by Mr_Teutonic

Yea the inline 5 sounds like a V-10 if I am to be blunt. But the 135is sports exhaust sounds very very good. I love the throttle blip on down shifts!

I used to be that guy that would frown upon anything other than a manual transmission. Until I started to really geek-out and watch LeMans and go to limerock and watch the ALMS races. There's nothing quite like the sound of gears engaging with immediacy and the pop and punch in the back you get with the dual clutch (AKA good dual clutch transmissions).

I mostly drive in Manual mode with Sport button on. And I do this weird thing when I downshift - I used the shift knob instead of the downshift paddle. Why? because it reminds me of watching my heroes pilot the older 996 and 997 GT3 RSR's. I know, I know, Im weird.

I have a new-found appreciation for DCT. Granted, all my cars up until this point were manual- and my left leg had a mind of its own the first few days. Which brings me to the discussion:

Would you guys prefer a Dual-clutch set up that FORCED you to select your own gear all the time? Have those ever existed? Did I just invent something?

I love the sound of that turbo 5-cylinder and I've never in my life been an exhaust person, but the sound of the performance exhaust on our cars is simply intoxicating and to me sounds better than perhaps anything else out there right now, especially the M3/M4. I remember the first day I had the car, I drove 100 miles round-trip to get the tint done and found myself weaving through traffic on the freeway on the way home just because I wanted to hit the gas and hear that exhaust note. You can hear it from a block away at the dealer and know when your car is coming around.

I drive almost exclusively with the sport button on, which I didn't really use for the first few months, and in manual mode, the car definitely feels livelier and more playful. I just wish the gear lever felt better/more solid as I sometimes use that to shift gears as well. Feels cheap and plasticky to me and I much preferred the feel and weird angle of the steptronic shifter when in manual mode.

I would take ANY kind of DCT/auto on certain cars that only seem to come in manual cause my body is decrepit, but the way it's set up now, you are getting what you want in a forced manual DCT and many people on here seem to drive their DCT in manual mode all the time as well. What I've found though, at least in my busy commute, is that there isn't much point because me and the DCT seemingly would be shifting at the same time anyways just over 2k RPM cause it's slow-moving, sometimes stop and go traffic for 8 miles.

[Worra]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

I love the sound of that turbo 5-cylinder and I've never in my life been an exhaust person, but the sound of the performance exhaust on our cars is simply intoxicating and to me sounds better than perhaps anything else out there right now, especially the M3/M4. I remember the first day I had the car, I drove 100 miles round-trip to get the tint done and found myself weaving through traffic on the freeway on the way home just because I wanted to hit the gas and hear that exhaust note. You can hear it from a block away at the dealer and know when your car is coming around.

I drive almost exclusively with the sport button on, which I didn't really use for the first few months, and in manual mode, the car definitely feels livelier and more playful. I just wish the gear lever felt better/more solid as I sometimes use that to shift gears as well. Feels cheap and plasticky to me and I much preferred the feel and weird angle of the steptronic shifter when in manual mode.

I would take ANY kind of DCT/auto on certain cars that only seem to come in manual cause my body is decrepit, but the way it's set up now, you are getting what you want in a forced manual DCT and many people on here seem to drive their DCT in manual mode all the time as well. What I've found though, at least in my busy commute, is that there isn't much point because me and the DCT seemingly would be shifting at the same time anyways just over 2k RPM cause it's slow-moving, sometimes stop and go traffic for 8 miles.

Sorry for the off-topic, but greg, I'm trying to PM you about the E34 but bimmerpost says your box is full and you can't accept any new PMs.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by Worra

Sorry for the off-topic, but greg, I'm trying to PM you about the E34 but bimmerpost says your box is full and you can't accept any new PMs.

Tis clear now. Sorry. Now say something about a 135is to remain on topic. =P

My car is dirty. I need to clean my 135is. Darn rain!

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Tis clear now. Sorry. Now say something about a 135is to remain on topic. =P

My car is dirty. I need to clean my 135is. Darn rain!

thankfully my car is very clean today!!!!

[IEDEI]

clean as hell! this the season of winter!!!

135is then:

[IEDEI]

1M today.