135i at NHMS trackday

[BMWeber]

I'll make this short and sweet. first of all I've been an instructor for 7 years so I have a bit of experience and I drove the wheels of this car. People that don't run in the advanced group or higher won't have the issues I had. I have three main conclusions

1. the E-LSD is worse than I ever expected/imagine(rear rotors are purple and it caused some braking balance problem with the rears overheating)

2. What understeer? (I'm running 245X40-17 all around with alignment pins removed)

3. this car is a blast I can't wait to start modding

[Crowley]

tell us more !!

Crowley

[BMWeber]

what would you like to know? I'm pretty sure I was faster than I was in my E46 M3 when it was stock.(been along time though) oil temp wasn't as bad as I've herd(260) but it was a little chilly out. the car felt very flickable and a bit smaller than an e46. with the right mods I'm sure it will be an M3 killer an E92 m3 killer. I figure a set of springs and an SSTT and it will absolutely smoke an E46 M3.

[E82tt6]

Bad news on the ELSD. Hopefully there's a way to turn that off.

[BMWeber]

Originally Posted by E82TT6

Bad news on the ELSD. Hopefully there's a way to turn that off.

either turn it off or get a real LSD would be the ultimate fix. I do have to say the E-LSD did help a little bit but it was not worth the consequences.

[randomquickness]

I'm willing to bet Quaife will market one before long...won't be a simple mod though...you'd have to swap out the whole dif

[mikeo]

Any pics/details of your wheel/tire setup? Were you runing stock suspension height?

[E82tt6]

Quaife already makes one. The challenge is getting it in. The rnp gear is welded to the diff. BIG BIG labor charges to get one installed. I'd budget at least $4k.

BMW knew that with a chip, tires, and LSD, the 1/335 would be at least on par with, if not superior to an M3 on most tracks, which is why they did what they did. Kind of a pain in the ass.

[larryn]

Oooh! Too bad about the e-diff.. It works close to the limits of a LSD on the street. My main concern if for autox, which I cannot imagine that I'd toast them as badly as with multiple 30 minute sessions at NHMS.

[adc]

1. Is everybody discounting the OEM Perf Catalog LSD? I've seen one there, a multiplate clutch judging by the cutout picture.

2. Are we sure the 135 diff has the ring gear welded? May be different than with the 335's - here is the situation according to E90post lore:
- E92 pre-March 2007 production are not welded
- E92 6sp manual post-March 2007 are welded
- E92 6sp auto 2008 (at least) are not welded
So there could be hope for the 135, yet?

[M3_Dust]

this is what I have really feared about the "e-diff". on paper, it sounds like a more intrusive form of traction control that you cannot turn off, or can you turn it off? these cars are going to be using up rear brakes very quickly, if you are going to keep you car long-term, I would definitely consider extended maintenance.

[white911]

Originally Posted by E82TT6

Quaife already makes one. The challenge is getting it in. The rnp gear is welded to the diff. BIG BIG labor charges to get one installed. I'd budget at least $4k.

BMW knew that with a chip, tires, and LSD, the 1/335 would be at least on par with, if not superior to an M3 on most tracks, which is why they did what they did. Kind of a pain in the ass.

T'm not a fan of Quaifes/TBDs for the track; but maybe they will work in conjunction with the E-dif.

[BMWeber]

Originally Posted by mikeo

Any pics/details of your wheel/tire setup? Were you runing stock suspension height?

I have a couple posts in the wheel section. I think you already saw those though.

and totally stock except alignment pins removed.

Originally Posted by adc

1. Is everybody discounting the OEM Perf Catalog LSD? I've seen one there, a multiplate clutch judging by the cutout picture.

2. Are we sure the 135 diff has the ring gear welded? May be different than with the 335's - here is the situation according to E90post lore:
- E92 pre-March 2007 production are not welded
- E92 6sp manual post-March 2007 are welded
- E92 6sp auto 2008 (at least) are not welded
So there could be hope for the 135, yet?

if I see a decent price and availability on a BMW performance LSD I'll be all over it

[WhiteOne]

Brake pads for the rear can't be that much can they?

[E82tt6]

Originally Posted by adc

1. Is everybody discounting the OEM Perf Catalog LSD? I've seen one there, a multiplate clutch judging by the cutout picture.

2. Are we sure the 135 diff has the ring gear welded? May be different than with the 335's - here is the situation according to E90post lore:
- E92 pre-March 2007 production are not welded
- E92 6sp manual post-March 2007 are welded
- E92 6sp auto 2008 (at least) are not welded
So there could be hope for the 135, yet?

I belive there's a euro member on this board who did one, and used an Auto pumpkin because his was welded. Though I think he also liked the shorted final drive ratio! :thumbup:

If BMW comes out with something that performs well at a reasonable cost, I'd be all over it. I wasn't aware they were even working on one.

[atr_hugo]

Chuck - you're correct - that was Advevo - a search on his name will turn up the thread probably.

[M3_Dust]

Originally Posted by WhiteOne

Brake pads for the rear can't be that much can they?

you have to replace the rotors at the same time, which is where it will get expensive, but, brakes are covered by the maintenance program, which is why I suggested considering extended maintenance on this car

[adc]

Originally Posted by M3_Dust

you have to replace the rotors at the same time, which is where it will get expensive, but, brakes are covered by the maintenance program, which is why I suggested considering extended maintenance on this car

You don't need to change rotors if their "mileage" is low. On my E46, I changed the stock pads with higher performance (and lower dust) almost immediately after taking delivery of the car - and never looked back.

Whenever I changed front pads for track use, I never changed rotors. Just made sure I bedded them in correctly.

[adc]

Originally Posted by BMWeber

I have a couple posts in the wheel section. I think you already saw those though.

and totally stock except alignment pins removed.



if I see a decent price and availability on a BMW performance LSD I'll be all over it

Originally Posted by E82TT6

If BMW comes out with something that performs well at a reasonable cost, I'd be all over it. I wasn't aware they were even working on one.

Check out these pics from a Canadian fellow poster:

http://www.press.bmwgroup.com/pressc...58B8FE&block=2

Number 4 pic here shows a limited slip. There are also some control arms that might be worth it, and a cutout of the perf exhaust (muffler).

[mikeo]

Originally Posted by adc

Check out these pics from a Canadian fellow poster:

http://www.press.bmwgroup.com/pressc...58B8FE&block=2

Number 4 pic here shows a limited slip. There are also some control arms that might be worth it, and a cutout of the perf exhaust (muffler).

We need more info on this! Great news if it actually becomes available at a competitive price.

[M3_Dust]

Originally Posted by adc

You don't need to change rotors if their "mileage" is low. On my E46, I changed the stock pads with higher performance (and lower dust) almost immediately after taking delivery of the car - and never looked back.

Whenever I changed front pads for track use, I never changed rotors. Just made sure I bedded them in correctly.

if the brake pads are actually worn out, then chances are that the rotors are worn and near the minimum thickness. If you are just changing pad compounds for track days, then bedding is sufficient.

It ultimately depends on the remaining rotor thickness when the pads are worn out...

[adc]

Originally Posted by mikeo

We need more info on this! Great news if it actually becomes available at a competitive price.

I pulled it from a post here regarding the Official BMW Performance Catalog. Unfortunately as you can see, there is no part # specified.. yet.

As for competitive price, it seems a Quaife costs around $3-3.5k plus installation. I'd pay $3-4k for a BMW OEM part - if nothing else because of the potential to retain some warranty or at least goodwill.

We'll have to wait and see...