Nurburgring times...

[Dodo]

^Agreed!

[adrean8j]

Well what about our Racers on the forum? Care to post your best lap-times at some of the tracks you run at?

[Dave]

found some more times for the shorter track..

http://www.fastestlaps.com/index.php...=479f38e193ab4
BMY 135i Coupe (E82) @ Nurburgring GP (3.7 km)



Lap time: 1:50.29

[Dave]

oh and some more #'s
from another track in germany

1:17.4 135i
1:17.8 335i


http://www.fastestlaps.com/track7.html

[adrean8j]

So from the information I am seeing I would venture a guess that the 135i should be able to turn between 8:23 - 8:25 laptime on the Nordschleife....

[Evolution Racewerks]

I am curious as well. However, seems that sometimes they're just slow at it. For example, last show was on the GTR which has been out for quite some time now.

Originally Posted by adrean8j

@Dodo: Yeah traffic was not an issue at all...One thing they did NOT mention in the article is whether or not they were running with the stock runflats or other tires. I think that would have made a small difference as well.

@Evolution Racewerks: I am curious why they have not featured it yet on Top Gear, given JC's article saying that the 135i is the BEST bimmer on the market right now. I am guessing it would be in the 1:31.7 time-frame....

[J Tyler]

IMO all the fanfare over street-car lap times at the Ring is dumb. The 135i comes with abysmal brake pads and tires stock...Those two things are HUGE at even a normal track, much less the 14-mile-long Nurburgring. A car with slightly better brake pads/tires could easily be 10s faster. The Ring time says more about how good the factory tires/brakes are than the actual car.


-.$02

[Guildenstern]

Originally Posted by Evolution Racewerks

I am curious as well. However, seems that sometimes they're just slow at it. For example, last show was on the GTR which has been out for quite some time now.

That's because you are watching on BBC america one series behind. You gotta rock the Torrent and watch it the day after it airs on Beeb 2. As for why it wasn't in series 12, maby Vietnam took up too much time or soemthing. Here's hoping in March.

[HachiNi]

the only laptime i use to judge cars is the TopGear Test Track.

[Guildenstern]

Car & Driver's Lighning lap at VIR is pretty ok, but they use more than one driver. (course there's more than one Stig too) And they still haven't learned how to use a website right.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...008_feature__1

[adrean8j]

Yeah I remember that from a little while ago.

[Bahraini135]

Some numbers from a local event

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21366

[adc]

Originally Posted by J Tyler

IMO all the fanfare over street-car lap times at the Ring is dumb. The 135i comes with abysmal brake pads and tires stock...Those two things are HUGE at even a normal track, much less the 14-mile-long Nurburgring. A car with slightly better brake pads/tires could easily be 10s faster. The Ring time says more about how good the factory tires/brakes are than the actual car.

You are right but only when comparing to other manufacturers.

When comparing 135i and 335i, brake and tire packages are very similar. There is simply no way the 335i would be faster - driven back to back on the same day, same driver etc.


After driving the Ring, granted at a totally amateurish level, I'd say the suspension and power count for more there than the brakes. Just my impression.

[adrean8j]

I think that the wider track of the 335i(CPE) will give it an slight advantage over the 135i on the track..

[J Tyler]

Originally Posted by adc

You are right but only when comparing to other manufacturers.

When comparing 135i and 335i, brake and tire packages are very similar. There is simply no way the 335i would be faster - driven back to back on the same day, same driver etc.


After driving the Ring, granted at a totally amateurish level, I'd say the suspension and power count for more there than the brakes. Just my impression.

The 335i could definitely be faster around the Ring. Longer wheelbase = more stability over all the high-speed bumps on that track. That could be a big deal at the Ring. The 335i has better aero too, and that's also huge at a track like the Ring where most of the time you're over 80mph. Our 135i hits an aero "wall" at ~130mph.

My point is, when the brakes/tires are shot after 5 corners, and the track has 70+ corners, it's silly to judge the car by the lap time it runs......

Brakes & tires, and tires especially, are hugely important at any track.

[SpeedballTrix]

It annoys me how the 135 really shows mediocre track performance because of a corporate decision to put rich snob friendly tires on the car.
A popular comparison these days seems to be the 370Z vs the 135i.
The cars are very close in every test but one: the skidpad.
You know why? Nissan put awesome tires on the Z and BMW put crappy tires on the 1. And what do we, the 1 owner, get from this? Beaten by a friggin nissan =*(

What I really wanna see is: Same driver, same day, same track, stock runflats vs real tires.

<end rant>

[J Tyler]

Originally Posted by SpeedballTrix

What I really wanna see is: Same driver, same day, same track, stock runflats vs real tires.

<end rant>

Berk technology actually did just that during their first test with their 135i. Even with me driving pretty conservatively, there was about a 2.5s per lap gain by putting on good street tires (over a 2:00 lap).

[adrean8j]

Originally Posted by J Tyler

The 335i could definitely be faster around the Ring. Longer wheelbase = more stability over all the high-speed bumps on that track. That could be a big deal at the Ring. The 335i has better aero too, and that's also huge at a track like the Ring where most of the time you're over 80mph. Our 135i hits an aero "wall" at ~130mph.

I have been thinking about this for a few days.....and I could've sworn I read somewhere that the 1er felt more composed at high-speeds than the M3 which has the same/similar wheelbase as the 335i....I am gonna find the article and edit it in once I find it.

[J Tyler]

Originally Posted by adrean8j

I have been thinking about this for a few days.....and I could've sworn I read somewhere that the 1er felt more composed at high-speeds than the M3 which has the same/similar wheelbase as the 335i....I am gonna find the article and edit it in once I find it.

Haha... whatever you read is wrong! I've driven both cars and the 335i/M3 have two advantages over the 135i that result in more high-speed grip & stability: a longer wheelbase and less rear aero lift. Again, both of those things would really help at the Nurburgring. Again, they could easily account for the E9X being faster than the E8X there.

...But that's not to say that the 135i is unstable at high speed. It certainly is not...

-$.02

[adrean8j]

^^^Yeah I understand...it was just something that was running around in my brain....I still need to find that article though...LOL.