Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Very impressed.

Took the chance to follow a spirited driver of one of these last night - while I was almost certainly more comfortable in some of the quite tight corners, the in-gear acceleration of the BMW was amazing, and a serious challange to match in the STI.

Think I can say thats the first time I've followed a diesel and ended up with a massive grin on my face!

LG John

A 530d shouldn't really trouble an STI? You sure it wasn't a 535d?

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Pretty sure it was a 530D - the road in question is pretty tight and twisty - 2nd and 3rd gear corners with short sprints and a few slightly wider corners in between.

Guess whats got to be considered is that although the BMW only has something like 240bhp, it has nearly 400lbft of torque at 2000rpm. Thats almost 100lbft more than I have, 1500rpm or so sooner than I have - thats a pretty effective way of making up for things!

I still think I was having the more relaxing drive of us both, as I think the BMW was pretty close to its/its drivers cornering ability, where I had a fair amount of grip in reserve still and I'm not sure how comfortable the BMW was/would have been making mid-corner corrections; but the way it pulled out of the slow corners was pretty damn impressive.

NACRO

Remapped these are good for 270bhp and any performance minded owner would be mad not to have it done in my opinion.

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Out of idle interest - any idea what the torque figure is like after a remap?

Robert Rosario

No idea, but I think you were behind me last week on A47, coming off Acle roundabout heading towards Norwich, last Thursday lunchtime it was.

I have got a red Civic Type R, and have met you before on Civic events in Norfolk. Your car sounded great by the way!

markymark34

A remapped 3l diesel will be a match for a WRX but it wont touch an STI. Ive gone from an 03 STI to a remapped 330d (255bhp 400+torques) and back to an 02 STI. Accereration in the remapped diesel is fantastic and wont be that far behind the STI but they arent even close when it comes to corners. Totally difefrent league with the 4wd.

The bm isnt even close in the fun stakes either (thats why i went back)
A 335 or 535d remapped im sure would be a rival for an STI but who has £30k lying about!

Mark

davecweed

My standard 535d can a match a sti with out a problem, anything above 20mph, not had one sti pull away from me yet, and cornering, yeah 4wd helps in the wet, but no big deal in the dry.

im looking forward to a dms treatment, another 100lb/ft of torque, 500lb/ft in total.

slim_boy_fat

The 530D goes up to about 24,679 lbft after a remap the 535D is 780,900lbft

I think some bulk carriers are using the 535D engine now.

Stryder

A remapped 330d-530d will be a match for a standard STI on the straights any 335d will match an STi to 60 and then will ease away into the distance.

wrxcraig

had a play with a new 530d and i was suprised how well it went. I would have one tomorrow if i had the funds.

bob r

iTrader: (46)

I can't see any diesel matching the STI to 60. Impossible !

noobyscooby

Nought to 60 isn't always an indication as to how well a car will go.

I tweaked a SAAB 900 turbo 16 valve to 250 bhp many years ago. I'd never murder the car off the line in 1st gear or else I'd break the gearbox, but after 100 yards I could reel in any hot hatch of the time and blow them into the weeds.

Once rolling, its the 30-50, 40-60, 50-70, 60-80 times that really count.

Also some people can jump in any car and immediately drive smoothly it on its limit without even trying whilst others just can't - that girl who drove Clarkson's Transit van around the Nurburgring is a prime example of someone who has a natural affinity with a set of 4 wheels - so it's not just the car either!

davecweed

agree

markymark34

i can reassure you it wont. As my post above said ive owned both. A remapped 330d is getting 0-60 done in about 6.3 seconds a good bit below an STI.

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

But I didn't really post this to become a slagging match.

I was genuinely impressed with the pace the 530 was capable of considering its size and the fact its a diesel. I would certainly consider one as my next car as it has decent pace, while being a fair bit more refined than my STI. Of course it might not be as fun as the STI, but everything is swings and roundabouts.

wrxcraig

i found with the td ive driven i.e civic ctdi and golf GT Tdi that they do pull well but run out of steam very quickly.

Petem95

I've been on the lookout for a 530d for a while, and plan on getting it remapped.

Going from an Audi I have been slightly put-off by the interior of these which feels lower quality and less inviting, however the engine and driving dynamics is the real reason for buying of of these.

40+mpg and 0-60 in under 7 is a hard combination to beat!

davecweed

thats why bmw stuck 2 turbo's into there 335/535d, trying to give you a longer torque curve, and it works, cos my 535 does not run out of puff.lol

Edcase

I'm on the verge of buying a 535d and getting it remapped. Looking at one this weekend although with the options im after its getting near 40k from a dealer

Whats the difference with auto and sports auto on the diesel? cant find anything online.

Edcase

having spent the evening on the bmw used locator, actually you can get a very low (2k miles) for about 33k, or a 10k mile 535 with media pack and visibility pack for 35k!

davecweed

auto - normal changes
sport auto - changes down a gear more quickly, and holds a lower gear for longer with less throttle input, also sport allows you manual change the gears yourself, down to change up and up to change down a gear.

once you drive one you will see what iam trying to say.

Edcase

yep i know what you mean, the dealer when i tested the 530 a while back told me they didnt do a sport auto on the 530 or 535!

gillyz20let

my dad had has an 07 530d sport and it would kill a std sti on the roll in a straight line.

THOMO

535 d over 70 mph would pull away easily from an sti .

bob r

iTrader: (46)

I never said it was.

I was simply replying to post 10.

drdree

I have had both and Can assure that when rolling a properly remapped 530d/535d will have no issues with wrx or sti you would be surprised at what they can happily sit on the tail of and passengers have little effect on performance !

ScoobyJawa

My mapped 330d is pretty nippy. 275bhp and 440+ lb ft (600nm)

Map brings them down into the 5-6 sec 0-60 bracket rather than being over 6. Mine being an auto launches really easily so gets there very quick, but really its once rolling where the torque really shines!