Advice needed: Considering a 135i track car

[romero1990]

Background:

Coming over from E92M. Originally I bought the M3 to fix it up a bit for taking it to HPDE and track days. I did my own wrenching and fixes. It now feels like my baby and would not want to take it to the events. Granted, it has 125k miles on the clock and the bearings are in good shape. But also feeling scary to take a high millage car out.

That is where the 135i came in. I have been looking around and finding some 135i still in 50-70k millage range and def sub $15K. I don't exactly have a strong pref between manual or automatically. But the 11'+ DCT looks nice.

Went thru bunch of threads in the 1's forum and seems the only thing to watch out for are
1. water pump definitely need to be replaced
2. it will be good to do OFHG, VCG and oil pan gasket in one run to address the issues
3. I read HPFP is problematic, but also saw people saying 11'+ does not have the problem.. I wonder which year will be a safer bet?
4. Considering N55 based as opposed to N54 for now. N54 def has better tuning potential. But N55 is not plagued with the injector problem?


On why going 135i as opposed to 2 series... I recall seeing threads saying 1' and E92M can share large chuck of suspension components and some other perf parts. This intrigues me since I am getting quite comfortable on E92M.

Question though

The spec I'm considering
1. N55 11'+
2. DCT seems nice
3. Does not need to have i-drive.
4. M package doesn't seem to really add any perf value. (heard just wheels and trims.)


I think I will just address the gaskets and the pump first, and go out with stock setup to give it a feeling.

For you folks have been driving 135i... is there anything to pay attention to or watch out for, either at PPI or after gotten the car. What special things I should take care of before taking it to track? I saw ppl retro-fitting E92M caliper to the 135i, how is the stock 6-pot brembo?


thanks

[nachob]

Originally Posted by romero1990

Background:

Coming over from E92M. Originally I bought the M3 to fix it up a bit for taking it to HPDE and track days. I did my own wrenching and fixes. It now feels like my baby and would not want to take it to the events. Granted, it has 125k miles on the clock and the bearings are in good shape. But also feeling scary to take a high millage car out.

That is where the 135i came in. I have been looking around and finding some 135i still in 50-70k millage range and def sub $15K. I don't exactly have a strong pref between manual or automatically. But the 11'+ DCT looks nice.

Went thru bunch of threads in the 1's forum and seems the only thing to watch out for are
1. water pump definitely need to be replaced
2. it will be good to do OFHG, VCG and oil pan gasket in one run to address the issues
3. I read HPFP is problematic, but also saw people saying 11'+ does not have the problem.. I wonder which year will be a safer bet?
4. Considering N55 based as opposed to N54 for now. N54 def has better tuning potential. But N55 is not plagued with the injector problem?


On why going 135i as opposed to 2 series... I recall seeing threads saying 1' and E92M can share large chuck of suspension components and some other perf parts. This intrigues me since I am getting quite comfortable on E92M.

Question though

The spec I'm considering
1. N55 11'+
2. DCT seems nice
3. Does not need to have i-drive.
4. M package doesn't seem to really add any perf value. (heard just wheels and trims.)


I think I will just address the gaskets and the pump first, and go out with stock setup to give it a feeling.

For you folks have been driving 135i... is there anything to pay attention to or watch out for, either at PPI or after gotten the car. What special things I should take care of before taking it to track? I saw ppl retro-fitting E92M caliper to the 135i, how is the stock 6-pot brembo?


thanks

Here are some of my thoughts. I think you are right, N55 is the way to go. I would even consider finding a 135is which has an extra radiator and 20 horsepower in stock trim. If you an find one with manual seats, they give you about 1 3/8" more helmet room as they go lower and are a little lighter than the power units. You might find the seating position too high with a helmet and sunroof car if you are average-tall or above. If you get a regular 135i, I would add the extra radiator for tracking.

The M sport adds cool trim stuff and shocks but if you are tracking you will most likely replace that anyway so not worth the extra dough. The stock 6 pot calipers look great but are not sturdy. They have ceramic bits that can fail under hard use. That was one of the burning questions everyone had when the 1M came out. Why put the E90 M3 single piston instead of the 6 Pot and BMW responded the E90 M3 units can take more abuse.

On the 11+ thing and the fuel pump, I heard that too, but I had my July 2011 build 1M fuel pump failure at 10K miles. So much for that?

Finally on being able to put E90 M3 parts, that's a nice option especially since the 1M already did that. There are a lot of cool things you can do. For me the biggest difference is the E90 M3 steering rack. It is very quick compared to the 135i and this is something often overlooked with tuned 135i cars. If you put the E90 M3 rack, it really changes the car. You can put the E92 M3 seats in the 135i, they bolt in. Etc. It would make fun car. One thing I would do is put hood latches as the 135i hood tries to fly off at high speed. I don't think it ever has on anyone but the pictures of high speed 1Ms with hood lifting off the car make me nervous.

Anyway, I hope this helps.

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by nachob

Here are some of my thoughts. I think you are right, N55 is the way to go. I would even consider finding a 135is which has an extra radiator and 20 horsepower in stock trim. If you an find one with manual seats, they give you about 1 3/8" more helmet room as they go lower and are a little lighter than the power units. You might find the seating position too high with a helmet and sunroof car if you are average-tall or above. If you get a regular 135i, I would add the extra radiator for tracking.

The M sport adds cool trim stuff and shocks but if you are tracking you will most likely replace that anyway so not worth the extra dough. The stock 6 pot calipers look great but are not sturdy. They have ceramic bits that can fail under hard use. That was one of the burning questions everyone had when the 1M came out. Why put the E90 M3 single piston instead of the 6 Pot and BMW responded the E90 M3 units can take more abuse.

On the 11+ thing and the fuel pump, I heard that too, but I had my July 2011 build 1M fuel pump failure at 10K miles. So much for that?

Finally on being able to put E90 M3 parts, that's a nice option especially since the 1M already did that. There are a lot of cool things you can do. For me the biggest difference is the E90 M3 steering rack. It is very quick compared to the 135i and this is something often overlooked with tuned 135i cars. If you put the E90 M3 rack, it really changes the car. You can put the E92 M3 seats in the 135i, they bolt in. Etc. It would make fun car. One thing I would do is put hood latches as the 135i hood tries to fly off at high speed. I don't think it ever has on anyone but the pictures of high speed 1Ms with hood lifting off the car make me nervous.

Anyway, I hope this helps.

Yes! This is super helpful. Thank you.

I think now one additional target is probably just pick the manual seat. I am not particularly tall 5'8, but it is always better to sit a bit low than hitting to roof.

135is is now commanding a huge premium over the regular 135i. My own perspective is probably not worth the extra cost. I can get away with adding the radiator for a lot cheaper. While we are on this, I did not find 135is on RealOEM. I suppose it is he same as the 1M left radiator? (https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=17_0561)

BMW's brake proposition sounds interesting. I'll need to look up the diagram to see if I need to replace the spindle. It is so cheap now to get the E9xM big single pot. I also looked up BBK from stoptech, for ~1000bucks, that is not too bad either.

I've never heard of a hood flying off unless it wasn't properly secured in the 1st place. I wonder if the issue with the striker or with the latch/lock. But I'll def pay attention to that

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by romero1990

I've never heard of a hood flying off unless it wasn't properly secured in the 1st place. I wonder if the issue with the striker or with the latch/lock. But I'll def pay attention to that

Here's a vid of a 135i hood lifting at high speed:

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Here's a vid of a 135i hood lifting at high speed:

holy cow... on the first look. it feels like there are too much slack between the striker and the latch. Can you hand lift it like that when parked?

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by romero1990

Can you hand lift it like that when parked?

I don't think so but I'm not sure. Don't have my 1er anymore so I can't check, but I'm sure someone else here can.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by romero1990

holy cow... on the first look. it feels like there are too much slack between the striker and the latch. Can you hand lift it like that when parked?

Just bad design. The 1 series was not originally intended to be that fast. It was originally a budget model but with time they added more powerful motor until it could do 155 governed. If you look at e46 hood it folds over the front so it doesn't have the lift like the flat 1 series . It just scoops air under it and flexes up. I would just add safety latches if it was a track car.

Yes you can add the 1M radiator. Bmw made a kit some time back that included the radiator and engine software. What's cool about the radiator is that it vents into the wheel well not the engine bay and the fins in the wheel liner direct outward in front of tire.

[zx10guy]

To add to the discussion of the radiator. I actually did the auxiliary radiator install on my 2013 135i. It was actually part of the PPK2 kit. The PPK1 is just the software to provide the 20HP bump. The PPK2 included the software and the hardware to add in the auxiliary radiator. But in addition to the radiator, there is a heavy duty fan upgrade. The fan is definitely bigger than the factory stock fan. It also required an upgraded relay and hardware to relocate the horn assembly. The kit included spark plugs which there has been debate as to whether the ones that I got with my kit were the correct ones. I have since had the stock factory spec N55 plugs put in.

When I ordered the PPK2, I had to provide my VIN to the dealer. My impression is that the PPK2 isn't a preset kit that gets shipped in a single box. From what I remember on the invoice, the parts that make up the PPK2 were ordered individually based on my VIN. This is born out from when I had my local dealer install the kit. There was a rubber bushing/isolator that was short in quantity from the shipment. The local dealer had to use one from their inventory and billed me for the part. From what I understand, it's hard to next to impossible to source all the parts that make up the PPK2. I did a search on FCP Euro's website and at the time I did it, I couldn't find a listing for the heavy duty fan. I haven't looked else where to see if anyone has them in stock or has a parts listing for it.

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

To add to the discussion of the radiator. I actually did the auxiliary radiator install on my 2013 135i. It was actually part of the PPK2 kit. The PPK1 is just the software to provide the 20HP bump. The PPK2 included the software and the hardware to add in the auxiliary radiator. But in addition to the radiator, there is a heavy duty fan upgrade. The fan is definitely bigger than the factory stock fan. It also required an upgraded relay and hardware to relocate the horn assembly. The kit included spark plugs which there has been debate as to whether the ones that I got with my kit were the correct ones. I have since had the stock factory spec N55 plugs put in.

When I ordered the PPK2, I had to provide my VIN to the dealer. My impression is that the PPK2 isn't a preset kit that gets shipped in a single box. From what I remember on the invoice, the parts that make up the PPK2 were ordered individually based on my VIN. This is born out from when I had my local dealer install the kit. There was a rubber bushing/isolator that was short in quantity from the shipment. The local dealer had to use one from their inventory and billed me for the part. From what I understand, it's hard to next to impossible to source all the parts that make up the PPK2. I did a search on FCP Euro's website and at the time I did it, I couldn't find a listing for the heavy duty fan. I haven't looked else where to see if anyone has them in stock or has a parts listing for it.

very awesome info. I guess they need the VIN to make the tune. How much did it cost you to have it installed at the dealer?

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by romero1990

very awesome info. I guess they need the VIN to make the tune. How much did it cost you to have it installed at the dealer?

The dealer needing the VIN could definitely be tied to the PPK software.

If I remember correctly, it was just over $900. I got the PPK2 installed shortly after buying the car new. So I figured to let the dealer do it to minimize any headaches with warranty claims. This was probably back around 2014/15ish. I actually negotiated them down some as I think they quoted me over $1000 initially.

From what I gather here from those that wanted to order the individual hardware pieces that make up the PPK2, they've been having a hard time sourcing all the parts recently. I posted up a while ago pictures of all the parts that came in the kit and a PDF with the part numbers. I'll have to look for it or Esteban will throw it out without even looking as he seems to be the encyclopedia of Bimmerpost posts.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

The dealer needing the VIN could definitely be tied to the PPK software.

If I remember correctly, it was just over $900. I got the PPK2 installed shortly after buying the car new. So I figured to let the dealer do it to minimize any headaches with warranty claims. This was probably back around 2014/15ish. I actually negotiated them down some as I think they quoted me over $1000 initially.

From what I gather here from those that wanted to order the individual hardware pieces that make up the PPK2, they've been having a hard time sourcing all the parts recently. I posted up a while ago pictures of all the parts that came in the kit and a PDF with the part numbers. I'll have to look for it or Esteban will throw it out without even looking as he seems to be the encyclopedia of Bimmerpost posts.

Does this work?

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/atta...8;d=1404590648

[romero1990]

Did some math myself..
it is certainly not worth it buying as the parts. Basically $1652 with a missing part vs a dealer package for $1656

https://parts.bmwnorthwest.com/p/BMW...122184495.html

[zx10guy]

That's crazy. I looked back at my email archives and found the pricing I got. I paid $1520 back in 2014 with the PPK software included in that price.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by romero1990

Did some math myself..
it is certainly not worth it buying as the parts. Basically $1652 with a missing part vs a dealer package for $1656

https://parts.bmwnorthwest.com/p/BMW...122184495.html

Once you have the part numbers you can get many of those parts OEM. You can probably buy the hoses and radiator from Vaico with just a few of the parts from the dealer. Just like you can find the BEHR radiator for half price when you buy OEM. I would take the parts list and look up the parts from OEM and would probably be a bit less. Just a thought.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by nachob

Once you have the part numbers you can get many of those parts OEM. You can probably buy the hoses and radiator from Vaico with just a few of the parts from the dealer. Just like you can find the BEHR radiator for half price when you buy OEM. I would take the parts list and look up the parts from OEM and would probably be a bit less. Just a thought.

NEVER MIND...I tried it and these parts are BMW only for the most part. Best be would be to find a rear-ended 135is and take the bits off.

[FrostyDC4]

I would be more worried about adding more tire for serious track driving

[dtla1]

Some days I feel like selling my car, some days I feel like letting getting a new car and letting the 1 sit until I can fix it up for track use. IDK what to do anymore. I'm at 106K miles and the only current issue is a stupid temp sensor in the DCT trans.

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by dtla1

Some days I feel like selling my car, some days I feel like letting getting a new car and letting the 1 sit until I can fix it up for track use. IDK what to do anymore. I'm at 106K miles and the only current issue is a stupid temp sensor in the DCT trans.

da struggle is real!

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by romero1990

da struggle is real!

One's thinking of selling, the other's looking to buy.

Maybe it's fate.

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by Esteban

One's thinking of selling, the other's looking to buy.

Maybe it's fate.

and we are both in area.. hmmmm

[dtla1]

Originally Posted by Esteban

One's thinking of selling, the other's looking to buy.

Maybe it's fate.

It would be so hard to let go of the baby. I know her too well.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by dtla1

It would be so hard to let go of the baby. I know her too well.

I only mentioned it because you said "some days I feel like selling my car" in this thread where the OP is looking to buy a 135i like yours; 2011 with the DCT. Only difference is you have more miles than he wanted.