[jose100fires]

The BMW club in Portland rented out PIR (Portland International Raceway) for the day and I joined the fun. I was one of only two E90s there. I am a novice/intermediate driver and I know that the skill of the driver has a lot to do with performance at the track - with that said, the E90 did very well. BTW, Jet Black/330i/sport/step/.

I was out with drivers of my skill rating (or better) most sporting E36 M3s and E46 M3s (it may as well as been called M day). The E90 was a dream. Excellent balance through the corners, traction was amazing! The stock run flats were very (very!) sticky once heated up. In the corners, I hung with the M3s no problem (again, this is heavily dependant on driver's skill and we were all novice/intermediate) but on the straights - BMW must be very conservative with the E90's hp because I hung right in there behind every M3 on the straights. Exit on either corner to the straights was was appox 40 to 45 - we both punch it for the straight, and yes, the M3 pulls away, but very, very, very slowly (I talking E46 M3, I passed the E36 M3 with no issue what-so-ever) up to the next corner.

I don't say any of this to brag about my driving skills - I hope I made that clear - this was about the car. The instructors were amazed (especially those with the E46 M3 drivers! Brakes, tires, suspension, they were all great. The E90 takes alot of crap from "traditionalist" out there, some of them are converts now. This car is going to make me a much better driver.

For you other 330i step owners out there. If you go to the track, click the DTS button once, shift to DS, and leave it alone - That gear box read my mind. My instructor was amazed at the E90's ability to downshift so quickly when I hammered on the brakes, and then hang in a gear through the long sweeping corners as I modulated the throttle- I have never liked a car so much.

Sorry to go on and on... my wife is really tired of listening to me talk about the car.

By the way, I see a bunch of threads on G35's here. We shouldn't lower ourselves even discussing them as competition. I saw an instuctor in one and was not impressed. Not even in our league.....

Jose

[bcaslis]

Very impressive! Where can you find out info on the BMW club of Portland?

[visor]

Originally Posted by jose100fires

Sorry to go on and on... my wife is really tired of listening to me talk about the car.

That's what we're here for!
Sounds like you had a great time. :rocks:

[modeno]

Good stuff! BMWs should be released to run free every once in a while.

[JamieA]

Originally Posted by jose100fires

Sorry to go on and on... my wife is really tired of listening to me talk about the car.

Hey, everyone I know is tired of hearing me go on about the car, they just wish it would arrive to shut me up

The people on this site have been great to talk to.

[puck724]

Originally Posted by JamieA

The people on this site have been great to talk to.

i think i may have to agree with you there...

[lux.sh]

jose100fires! You are local!

PIR had BMW club thing going on? Damn. We should meet up.
I have another member(in e90post) with black 330i who wants to set up a good meet.
We have 2 blacks and 1 white. All we need is one more white to have a
badass photo meet.

anyway, about your thoughts on Steptronic, does it shift pretty fast?
I know honda automatic transmissions have alot of lag, I hope this one doesn't.
Do you like the sport mode(MS mode?) at all?

[longtran]

Originally Posted by jose100fires

The BMW club in Portland rented out PIR (Portland International Raceway) for the day and I joined the fun. I was one of only two E90s there. I am a novice/intermediate driver and I know that the skill of the driver has a lot to do with performance at the track - with that said, the E90 did very well. BTW, Jet Black/330i/sport/step/.

I was out with drivers of my skill rating (or better) most sporting E36 M3s and E46 M3s (it may as well as been called M day). The E90 was a dream. Excellent balance through the corners, traction was amazing! The stock run flats were very (very!) sticky once heated up. In the corners, I hung with the M3s no problem (again, this is heavily dependant on driver's skill and we were all novice/intermediate) but on the straights - BMW must be very conservative with the E90's hp because I hung right in there behind every M3 on the straights. Exit on either corner to the straights was was appox 40 to 45 - we both punch it for the straight, and yes, the M3 pulls away, but very, very, very slowly (I talking E46 M3, I passed the E36 M3 with no issue what-so-ever) up to the next corner.

I don't say any of this to brag about my driving skills - I hope I made that clear - this was about the car. The instructors were amazed (especially those with the E46 M3 drivers! Brakes, tires, suspension, they were all great. The E90 takes alot of crap from "traditionalist" out there, some of them are converts now. This car is going to make me a much better driver.

For you other 330i step owners out there. If you go to the track, click the DTS button once, shift to DS, and leave it alone - That gear box read my mind. My instructor was amazed at the E90's ability to downshift so quickly when I hammered on the brakes, and then hang in a gear through the long sweeping corners as I modulated the throttle- I have never liked a car so much.

Sorry to go on and on... my wife is really tired of listening to me talk about the car.

By the way, I see a bunch of threads on G35's here. We shouldn't lower ourselves even discussing them as competition. I saw an instuctor in one and was not impressed. Not even in our league.....

Jose

you lucky bastard. i always wanted to see how i do. never done it before but want to up my skills in driving this ultimate machine. do you know if they have it in los angeles? do they teach you to drive it right? any info would do. btw, any pictures??? thanks.

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by jose100fires

My instructor was amazed at the E90's ability to downshift so quickly when I hammered on the brakes, and then hang in a gear through the long sweeping corners as I modulated the throttle- I have never liked a car so much.

Sorry to go on and on... my wife is really tired of listening to me talk about the car.

Great, isn't it!!!!

I took my car up (and down) the mountain last week and did I have a wonderful time. I can just imagine the look on the M3 owners faces when your 330 kep apace with them & even beat them.

If you haven't done the hills & curves yet, try them ASAP. Totally wonderful.

Well done, great to see all this done in controlled circumstances. I would love to do the same one day.

One can NEVER sing our e90 praises enough so keep it up!!!

Enjoy.

[MCS]

Jose - Nice post. I want to bring my e90 to the local BMW event on Oct 23.

Question - was your car already past the 1500 break in? My only constraint is that I will not be past the recommended engine break in...

[davinet78]

i wish i could have your experience and if i had your experience it would be talking about it even to my dogs so thats why we are here for to talk about the e90 and then after that talk again about the e90 and then talk about the e90 i mean i think we are obsessed and proud of it.

[SilverE90Sport]

Thanks Jose,
I was beginning to wish I had purchased an 06 M3 with thediscounts and all. After reading this, I feel I made a solid choice!

[Red]

cool, id love to do that

[nrg09]

Originally Posted by davinet78

...talk about the e90 and then after that talk again about the e90 and then talk about the e90 i mean i think we are obsessed and proud of it.

I don't even have an E90 and I'm obsessed with it

[jose100fires]

Thanks for all the great responses to my thread. The local BMW club is at the following link:
http://www.bmwacaportland.com/
To MCS - My milage was 1200 - close enough for me. I wasn't about to miss it for a few miles.
To any of you who want to do the track thing - there are many, many of these around the country. The next couple events in the Portland, Seattle area are Oct 2, for experienced drivers, and in November in Bremerton with the BMWCCA Puget Sound Chapter. This last one is for novices and I will be there. BTW - there are no issues with insurance and damage to your car (god forbid). These are driving classes and not racing. They don't let you have any time keeping equipment, nor do they let you get out of control. Everything is very professional and controled. We had two spin outs - an Integra and a 911. If you break the rules at all - you are out.

To lux.sh - nice to hear from a local! You should have been there! There were only two E90s. Let me know where you guys will meet up and I will be there. As far as the shifting. The shifting in the DS was great as I said, expecially holding and downshifting. Sure, I would like faster shifts, but they didn't have a SMG yet and my wife wanted an auto (give and take, give and take....). I enjoy the MS or manual mode - but as soon as I tried to use it at the track, the instuctor told me to leave it in DS. I have to admit - it let me keep my mind on the driving, leaving the shifting to the computer.

To longtran - it looks like the Los Angeles BMW club:http://www.bmwclubla.org/index.shtml is having an autocross on November 13. This is usually cones on a flat surface, but a ton of fun and a great opportunity to improve your driving skills.

I took some photos - none of my car - for obvious reasons. I'll see if I can figure out how to post photos and get a couple on.

I hope to see some of you in Bremerton Wa for the novice class in November....

oh - I have a question for those who know better. When I get in the car the computer tells me that my next service is at 16000 miles. This morning, the day after track day, it told me that it was now set at 14000 miles. Whats up?

Jose

[Casey 5]

Great story--the 330i is a machine. I'm thinking about the 2 day car control school offered by BMW at its Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC. After that two class you can take the Advanced M School course.

Anyone had any experience with these BMW driving classes??

[iDrive-E90]

Originally Posted by jose100fires

///oh - I have a question for those who know better. When I get in the car the computer tells me that my next service is at 16000 miles. This morning, the day after track day, it told me that it was now set at 14000 miles. Whats up?

Jose

Sounds like you had great fun, and it's terrific to hear a positive repeort on the auto box's ability to choose good downshift points.

On that day, you would have heated up the oil quite a lot with high revs and open throttle. That will have a slight impact on oil life that the computer has adjusted for. But I have to add that I have seen mine go down from 16000 to 14000 and it has not been on the track. During the break-in, the revs were low, the throttle barely iopen most of the time, so the oil can not have been stressed. Today, it's a different story of course!

Great posts, thanks!

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by davinet78

so thats why we are here for to talk about the e90 and then after that talk again about the e90 and then talk about the e90 i mean i think we are obsessed and proud of it.

for me, obsessed may be a little bit.........UNDERSTATED.

WE A CRAZY ABOUT OUR E90's!!!!! (he exclaims shouting)

i agree with you wholheartedly and lets keep on keeping on with our e90s!!!!!

so when people tell us to 'get a life' just smile and tell the we have - the bests there is!!

[etherbored]

jose -
i'd be totally down for the november class in bremerton.
must one be a club member to participate?
-e-
ps: i do as much non-commute driving in DS as possible. at the right speeds it can be a rush...

[EVO_S4]

glad you had a great time, and for the good comparsion

[stressdoc]

Another great example of why you want to join the BMWCCA!

[shuzmaker]

Jose,
THX and great sharring.
I have the 325 Sport Step, and couldn't agree more with the DS mode, it's sure is telepathic!

BTW, the service miles changes according to your driving habits. It shortens if you drive it HARD! LOL