RS Grant

That's good news.

I'm glad they've rectified that because it reeked of cost cutting from BMW when I found out the backward step they'd taken with the internals of the 335i engine... which I assume translates into the previous generation 135i cars running N55 engines too.


Cheers,
Grant

john banks

The rumour that the early N54 had forged pistons seemed to be that based on something Mahle were quoted as saying and some tear downs. So you wonder about the present model forged piston status. Regardless, it doesn't likely matter below 500 HP.

Other nerdy stuff is the role of braking the inside rear wheel when it spins, it seems the 135i did it, but the early 335i didn't. Might save welding a diff although could set the rear pads on fire before the rear tires when drifting? Regardless, the early 335i is still a bit expensive to drift, but if I find one with a light front end damage or cosmetic plus airbags plus xenons damaged it could be a cheap one for fun.

Matteeboy

I know a retired owner of a fairly big dealership group and we often chatted about cars; despite being well off, he always ran older cars, often Jap.
He told me they usually release new models when they discover a significantly cheaper way of manufacturing them.

Certainly the later E90 models had "better" tech (once developed, most tech costs naff all to produce) but there were very obvious cost cuttings in interior quality; cheap doir cards, plastic (as opposed to velour) sun blinds, a very shoddy rear middle seat bolster, etc.

The F20/21 1 series is a big step up inside from the old model which was pretty poor but a few cheap bits grate; sun blinds worthy only of a Perodua, a rear centre binnacle made of nasty plastic. The rest is pretty reasonable.

John; could be a good plan; it's such a tuneable car and that chassis is a bit of a gem on the right wheels and tyres.

jonc

The N54 has forged crankshaft and rods and hypereutectic piston. The 135i can drift, but like you said the pseudo diff brakes the spinning inside rear and will do it often enough the rear brakes will get hot and wear the pads/discs quickly. Also with "braking" diffs, because it brakes the wheel to prevent spinning, it will ultimately slow your progress where as a traditional locking diff doesn't. I'm no drifter so this "e-diff" is fine for me, but you could fit a quaif diff if you intend to track it frequently.

deano

I bought one last June, I just don't get on with it. I can't be arsed getting it out of the garage so it just sits there.

Now on Pistonheads with 1500 miles http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...-miles/3708659

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Why what's wrong with it?

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

Looks like a banana? a bit dull/soulless to drive?

Matteeboy

Strange how I'm one of few who are positive about your STI but you feel the need to slag off my car. Any reason for it? I can find many reviews where the STI gets panned. 95% of M135i reviews are very positive.

Try a bit of balance or it just smacks of insecurity.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

john banks

That one doesn't look like a banana though. The one I was bidding on did, but it got too expensive for what it was and its intended use.

jonc

"IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!!"....Again!! It's not your car it is Deano's. People are allowed to express their own opinion and just because you praise someone elses car, does not obligate them to praise a car of the same model that you might own! THAT smacks of insecurity!!!

Shaun

jonc,
To be fair to Matt, I don't think it's Deano's comments.... it's Bioforger's **** stirring. Re-read what Matt has said again.

We all know Bio's stirring addiction, as much as we all know mine at times.

It's banter innit.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

On balance Matt actually owns the same model whereas (I suspect) bioforger doesn't and is being facetious. Plus the ? after his comments means he is asking as opposed to offering an opinion. I doubt he has actually driven a 135 and as in Shaun's AMG thread he's just stirring. Deano himself hasn't proferred a reason for selling.

Matteeboy

Do you actually own a car jon or are you just here to stick your oar in on every thread and pretend you're a financier of some sort?
Because I suspect you just drive your Mum's Perodua and do admin for a corner shop. The way you feel the need to butt into every thread with an always useless post suggests a very unhappy little man.

Ditchy - I've lost patience with you. You're an idiot.

Deano clearly bought a car without test driving it. That's not very clever. Especially when he was actually after a diesel MPV.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

So you've noticed it too Shaun.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

Not slagging off anything, i think it looks horrible and i found it very dull to drive, thats my opinion of it, sorry.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

There's nothing to notice here, move along, its just banter and boredom on my part

Matteeboy

If that's not "slagging off" then my name is Rita. Are you a bit simple?

So then, when did you drive an M135i and from which dealer because I detect total BS.

All in the name of **** stirring and because you aren't too sure about your old tech rally rep that's been as well received by the press as a Proton. While mine has been showered with much deserved praise.

Devildog

Matt, do you EVER get it?

There's not a facepalm emoticon big enough to insert here.

Why don't you try, just once, to let someone criticise the M135i (either seriously or for banter) without taking it personally or feeling the need to defend it in some way.

the M135i clearly isn't to everyone's taste, no matter how good a car it actually is. Peronally I loved it as a driving proposition when the mood and conditions were right, but I'm not sure that I could have lived with a rear drive BM through crap Scottish winters and having an identical interior and exterior (to all intents and purposes) as a 116i M Sport, but thats just me.

Matteeboy

Yes I DO get it and I am aware it's a pretty rubbish Winter car for cold areas (not here), looks slightly odd and might not be to everyone's taste but when someone actually talks BS, I will correct them. Even if they are just vacuous shi7 stirrers with not much to do in life.

Jon is simply a waste of space - he defends the absolute horrors the finance industry constantly commits, he positions himself as some sort of expert of finance while dishing out utter nonsense and steps into threads that have no relevance to him at all just to score points.

He is one of too many trolling goons on here who spoil an otherwise very decent forum.

As well as Ditchmaster, Bio-whatever and on some occasions, yourself.

john banks

It is always interesting the range of opinions a car excites. It would be interesting to hear deano's thoughts in detail. In terms of test drives, there are only a few where I could really exercise the car and fully appreciate it. Many others due to the salesperson, my manners, or the roads used were inadequate, and then owning the car revealed whether it was a keeper or not. No shame in changing your mind, especially if you can come out relatively unscathed financially.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

You're very immature aren't you, but easy to wind up, so it's ok.

I don't know where you are your getting your info from, but most of the reviews i've seen/read are very positive. Anyway it was last March at Dick Lovett in Swindon, not that it makes any difference as to you believing me or not. Same as f1flange who doesn't believe for whatever twisted reason that i also test drove the A45 AMG. Must be a badge snobbery thing Or you are just an angry moron, with a short fuse, who knows.

Matteeboy

It's a low spec example that'll probably fetch under £25k. I'd say that's a pretty painful "error."

I'm not sure how you commit around £30k to a car only to discover it isn't for you - maybe something unexpected happened because I don't buy the reasons. He's asking about p/xing for a TTRS - so maybe the RWD of the M135i is a little lively and maybe the only important thing is straight line speed.

The worst test drive I had was in a CTR - the salesperson was so useless, it was funny ; he also tried to stop me revving about about 5k rpm. He knew NOTHING about the car at all!

Bio - badge snobbery? Where do you come up with this nonsense?! I could test any car I wanted tomorrow from a Kia to a Lambo. It has zero to do with badges you goon.
As a self confessed "wind up" merchant, you're pretty rubbish at it.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

Well theres definitely something wrong with you.

Devildog

Clearly you don't "get it"

Getting it isn;t about understanding why people don't like it. Getting it is accepting that someone may thnk your car is a bag of crap without you having to get over sensitive and defensive about it.

You may think you're correcting, but a) you're not always right and b) it rarely comes accross that way.

And having a pop at others on a matter totally unrelated with this thread and just because you've got an issue with "bankers" makes you appear massively insecure and immature.

john banks

I spent more on a car that I hated so I've been at least as stupid. I enjoyed the test drive around Nottingham dual carriageways, and spent ages looking for a perfect example. It looked and felt lovely, but I hated the drives in Scotland on the bumpy B roads around Knockhill. It lost me £1k a month until I sold it six months later, and I bought and sold it as well as I could.

Do you drive with all the driver aids disabled and oversteer on the road in the wet? If not, what is the point of RWD with too little weight over the driven wheels? 50:50 may be mathematically ideal and good for marketing, but as far as I can tell it just makes it drift but gives naff all traction when you need to make progress out of a bend or in a straight line, in other words whenever you want to actually make use of the engine's performance. See how the argument can be constructed both ways?

Matteeboy

Ouch; I've had similar hits but with cars that were lemons.
The car struggles not in the wet (much) but when it's cold; once the tyres warm up (a few miles), it's fine again but from
a cold start on a cold road, the tyres appear to be Teflon coated; I think it's more the tyres than the car.

Other than that, I find it needs respect but the balance and power (plus excellent brakes) means I can drive the wheels off it on the right roads; total confidence in it with a major bonus being how "set up" and composed it feels out of bends. It just eats them up then feels ready for the next one.

It's a short wheel base car with a lot of power so you can't defy physics but when on my own and gunning it, I always use Sport+ which disables traction control and enables the e-diff. It grips harder but will offer naff all help if you're daft.

I don't think 50:50 balance is a gimmick; over light front ends can be a PITA too.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for that, I find something someone says mildly amusing so now I'm an Idiot, well done.

Matteeboy

No, you turned into an idiot some time ago.
A shame as before your idiotisation, you were quite a decent chap.
I suspect virtual peer pressure did it.

john banks

Does Sport+ disable stability control completely or just raise its intervention threshold? Understood re the E diff, it won't stop you spin, just like an LSD won't. If your stability control is completely disabled and you can drive the wheels off it in the wet, its must be very stable or you must be very skilled IMHO.

I can't read much into it from my two E46 cars, but on those, you had to hold the DSC button for several seconds to completely disable all the stability control - the difference is that it would actually let you spin the car completely and not stop you. The brief press which shows the traction control light made you feel like you were doing it yourself but there was still massive intervention when you got it remotely seriously out of shape. I had to unplug a wheel sensor to tolerate welded diff and hydraulic handbrake, and now it is a right handful, it was amazing how much the systems were helping even with them apparently off. There is no way I can safely exploit even 192 BHP on the road in winter on this. In some ways the E46 M3 was quite competent in the wet if the surface was smooth, and the M diff was more predictable, but I still would only really drive it hard with DSC reduced rather than properly disabled as it felt like it was trying to kill me, the GTR similarly. Audi, Evo and Subaru, not.

I don't seem to appreciate the real world benefits of 50:50 distribution in terms of steering feel or any sense of balance when the elephant in the car is a car that wants to spin into the hedge. Power to an evenly weighted rear feels unbalanced towards the back. Even the GTR with a transaxle still feels unbalanced towards the rear in the wet, feels magic in the dry.