Path of upgrades

[Marcinj]

Hi yall,
wondering if my fellow 1ers could shed some light on my current dilemma... So as of right now I cannot make up my mind on how I want to continue to upgrade my 1er because I am a broke college student...

The car:
2011 135i m sport 6mt n55

Current Mods:
BMS Cold air intake
VRSF aluminium charge pipe
MHD stage 1 tune
VRSF catless DP

For the summer I have new apexes wrapped in Michelin ps4s coming too.

My plans for the car are to roadtrip a little, hit some autocross event, and maybe a track day if I am feeling up to it. Oh and the car is my daily...

So far I have 3 major ideas in mind:

1. LSD, looking at the Mfactory or Wavetrek based on preliminary research.
I noticed some issues in winter with having an open diff on snow but overall for driving and putting power down. Also the slight sound of a beefy dif seems insane to me. Im guessing about $3000 after parts, labor and diff.

2. Suspension, looking at Ohlin r/t + camber plates, ect. I feel like doing suspension might end up sucking me into a whole of more parts, m3 control arm, new bushings ect. Im guessing around $5000 after everything but probably would drastically increase.

3. I'm way to over my head and need to chill with my addiction towards modding my car.. I have only had it for about 8 months and love every part of it but maybe I'm overthinking it. I just need someone with reason to guide me.

Before these major mods I hope to instal a FMI for stage 1+ and because in looks sick but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Any information on the topic and a voice of reason would help,
Thanks!!

[tracer bullet]

#3. Maybe not over your head but - yeah you have a pretty sweet car with some nice mods and no grounds to complain. Just keep up with the maintenance and focus on school (with the occasional burst of fun of course).

[Eyeman]

Car modding is fun. My mods are listed in my signature pretty much in the order I added them.

If you plan to keep you car, have spare cash, etc modding is not such a bad financial decision. If you are not in those situations actually the smarter option is to try to find an already properly modded car to buy. As you'll see, modded cars practically sale for less than unmodded cars. Another issue you'll run into is with mods often you create other issues you have to work out (rubbing, rattles, etc).

Wheels to me give you the best cosmetic bang for your buck, and they can be removed to get back part of your money.

Most everyone agrees that replacing the rear subframe bushings is a critical mod if you are working on the suspension, so I'd be sure to integrate that into your plans. I'd go with whichever LSD costs less.

[Afam28]

Their should always be a level of caution when modifying your daily…
Assuming this is your daily!

[tracer bullet]

Oh, even though I basically suggested leave it alone - definitely do the CDVC delete as it's called. There's a restrictor inside a small piece clipped inline with the clutch fluid. If it's not already gone, it needs to be.

After that the RSFB's as mentioned are good to get rid of. It'll be near a grand for a shop to do it but you can DIY for not too much. Assuming that you have the tools, time, place, and so on - but it sounds like maybe not.

[WilsoN55]

Welcome to the club. I bought my '11 135i DCT about 8 months ago as well.. I too have been going crazy with spending and I don't care.

The List:
BMS Intake
BMS Charge pipe
BMS hard pipes
BMS Oil catch can
BMS diff brace
1-step colder plugs
3.5bar map sensor
VRSF 5" intercooler
VRSF DP
Berk mids
Berk street exhaust
MHD 2+
xHP transmission tune

+ Replaced hoses, gaskets, waterpump, upgraded bulbs, tints, etc

I am going similar route from here, helical LSD and Bilstein B14s.. I bought the car with x1 wheels, need to look at specs and fitment before deciding on future wheels and tires, I have lots of tread left on a set of Michelin PS4s.

I have a '15 F10 diesel, gutted, tuned, coded, hybrid turbo, IC, DP, m sport, vented 32-way comfort seats, LED adaptive lights, heads up display and I like driving the 1 series more. Spent 1/4 the dollars. Oh well.

[Marcinj]

What does the CDVC delete do? I haven't heard of it...
Also I appreciate all the replies

[tracer bullet]

Sorry, typo, meant CDV. Clutch delay valve. There's a restrictor in a piece to supposedly smooth the engagement. No one that is an enthusiast likes it.

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209440

[Marcinj]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

Sorry, typo, meant CDV. Clutch delay valve. There's a restrictor in a piece to supposedly smooth the engagement. No one that is an enthusiast likes it.

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209440

Looks like a worthwhile mod... and like an easy job to do... but about a grand to do it is a lot. if only there was someone in the midwest that would be willing to help out lol

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by Marcinj

Looks like a worthwhile mod... and like an easy job to do... but about a grand to do it is a lot. if only there was someone in the midwest that would be willing to help out lol

It's not a bad DIY, and it's not a grand. It's the subframe bushings that would be about that.

[NorthernDancer]

"broke college student". Wow

[Marcinj]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

It's not a bad DIY, and it's not a grand. It's the subframe bushings that would be about that.

My bad... miss read the post...

[Olgeezer1]

Well, for me tires are always first so you've got that handled with Apex/ PS4S. The clutch delay delete is cheap and transforms the clutch engagement. From here it gets expensive so take it slow. If you don't track the car/ bump the power you can stop here and have a nice driving car. If you continue, the rear subframe bushings make a big difference, taking car of the rear end looseness/wiggle (either Whiteline 2 pc. or M3). Stock shocks/struts are not the greatest. Bilstein or Koni are good upgrades. When you can afford it a LSD is huge, especially with 135 power. I did a Wavetrac last year and the difference coming out of a corner is in another league. There's lots more ( see my garage list) but there's no need to go all the way down the rabbit hole to have a nice driver.