New car time ........... its quite fast.

[docwra]

So after 7 odd years of owning my 350 I decided it was time for something newer, faster and generally better ...........

So I went and got this:



Its an N54 (twin turbo) 135i thats had a few bits chucked at it - Bilstein suspension, M3 wishbones & tension struts, M3 front ARB, 335i rear ARB, uprated brakes, subframe bushes, exhaust trickery and has also had turbos, wastegates, VANOS, cams and followers, injectors, clutch and coilpacks all replaced under warranty. Oh, and theres this too:



Thats a "safe" map, coz obviously 515 lb/ft of torque at just over 3K RPM is "safe", even safer when you are running Nankang NS-2R tyres in December.
Its positively insane to drive, up there with the fast stuff Ive ever driven - spinning wheels in 4th at 110, reaching over 160 (on a private road of course) with another gear to go, making you resent your mind about where a braking point actually is (youre going 60mph faster than you usually are) and I bloody love it

Ive been waiting for a while for one to come up and all I can say is that it was well worth it, if you ever see me ask for a ride as you wont regret it :lol:

[Mark]

Wow, bet that will surprise a few people

Very nice mate

[R3K1355]

Awesome little cars, best looking beemer produced in a long while as well IMO.

[Actual_Ben_Taylor]

Nice mate

Really like these, definitely want a passenger ride at some point

[Slip_n_slide]

Looks impressive. Looking forward to seeing it on track next year.

[spencer_foxwell]

That is lovely, I like that a lot

[Scottie]

Nice car, what has been done to get the power, could you do the same to a 335i, obviously an estate as the dog needs to get to his walk faster

[Jem]

Very nice! Very understated considering the punch it's got

[docwra]

Nice car, what has been done to get the power, could you do the same to a 335i, obviously an estate as the dog needs to get to his walk faster

Assuming its the N54 twin turbo version ......... its remapped. Thats it

They have a forged bottom end and can apparently take 600hp+ without too much stress, the exhaust and cats have been changed on mine but the rest is standard, apparently with ~£1000 spent on downpipes it will do 500hp but I might save that for when its a little bit warmer

The mapping is done through a Cobb Accessport, its currently holding 9 different maps and I havent actually tried the fastest one yet.

[Mattharvey12]

The work already gone into this is making me very jealous, it sounds insane!

[SteA]

Awesome choice I'm absolutely loving my 130i and that only has a paltry 265bhp that must be brilliant to drive right time of year to really stretch it's legs too

[Pete C]

Looking at that torque curve I'd say it needs bigger turbos

[fullmetalgasket]

Can't wait for the next trackday - I'll be sure to wave twice a lap as you pass me

[S15_SAM]

" also had turbos, wastegates, VANOS, cams and followers, injectors, clutch and coilpacks all replaced under warranty"
Are they really that bad that all those components failed whilst under warranty?? Its good for you though! Well aslong as it doesn't fail again!
How old is it?

[zeppelin101]

They have a forged bottom end and can apparently take 600hp+ without too much stress

No doubt on the forged bottom end but with the way design practises are these days, I highly doubt it'll take that sort of performance without too much stress! It's not worth the weight penalty in the modern game. You should see what some of these highly boosted engines can do to themselves at stock power in some conditions. It ain't pretty

Still... mad, mad torque curve.

[Scottie]

It did strike me as odd the amount replaced under warranty, good for Doc but worththile anyone else who buys one to check what has been done.

What year did this N54 engine appear in the 335i or 535i? What that torque i bet it's quicker than the V8 M3 in day to day conditions.

[balashark]

Turbos don't really fail. The wastegate penny starts to rattle. Injectors are common as muck. And the hp pump. Just do lots of oil changes. Have seen a fair few stretched timing chains

[Mark]

What that torque i bet it's quicker than the V8 M3 in day to day conditions.

I imagine it would destroy one in all conditions as they have similar power but only 300 torques plus the 1 is around 100kg less.

[Evilchap]

Can you sort tickets for the next weekender please? ;-)

Looks awesome, glad you found something new and exciting!

In terms of how it handles and feels, how does it compare with the 350?

Does it feel like a much newer car, with more modern suspension design etc?

[Scottie]

I imagine it would destroy one in all conditions as they have similar power but only 300 torques plus the 1 is around 100kg less.

Not quite that simple, I think it was EVO did a comparison a few years ago between E92 V8 M3 and E92 335i mapped to similar power levels but with much more torque, and although the 335i was quicker day to day, once on track the other superior qualities of the M3 chassis etc more than overcame it's power/torque deficit. Very interesting comparison and both great cars.