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I've been up waiting for an opportunity to feed reindeer and assure access for santa. I'll take this opportunity to wish all Bimmersporters a very merry christmas, and prosperous and roundel-enhanced new year. Thanks especially to the mods and those who keep this place running; and thanks to the contributors who continue to keep this community interesting and relevant. cheers! Olaf

Hi there, we have been working down in the South Island with our simulator truck and heading back to Auckland mid January.. Would anyone be keen to have a BMW only day of racing in the sims (8) and run teams of 2-3 drivers over a long Bathurst 12 hour comp.. or something like that.. Any ideas come back to me and we can set it up. Looking for a spot to park up for the day where we can have a few drinks and a BBQ $100 per team

Christmas came a day early for the little red rocket! Managed to finally get the the new gearbox in with new penrite fluid, along with a short shifter! No more popping out of 3rd or 1st! Great success! Also managed to pick up an e30 medium case 3.64 diff yesterday, put that in at the same time while I had use of the hoist. Popped the original output flanges off the small case Ti diff and put them onto the e30 diff along with swapping the speedo sensor over, quite an easy swap, the hardest thing was getting it all lined up again! Pics and update to the project log will happen soon! Also boxing day will involve me buying some paint to respray my front bumper, will also swap on my msport rear kit, and 3 spoke msport steering wheel. Take away lesson from today.... I NEED a hoist in my life, it makes everything easier! With Dad and myself we were able to swap the gearbox and diff in 6 hours and that was including stopping for lunch and heading into the shops to get some new gearbox and diff fluid, so not too bad!

Anyone wanting to come out to one of the track days i run at Hampton Downs and spend a bit of time out in your own car is welcome to.. just send me a message and we can arrange it. next date will be in April 2017, still confirming it.. mike

Common problem with these BMW trim pieces. The permanent fix is to sand them back and repaint them or replace them entirely. The alternative, which I've had success with, is to mask it all off and plasti-dip them. Mine are still strong coming up 3 years now.

Noise? The cross-drilled and skotted PowerStop rotors on my Volvo are noisy AF. In comparison, the StopTech slotted rotors on my e46 are un-noticable (noise wise), but effective. Here's what you need to know about bedding in your brakes. http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/bed-in-theory-definitions-and-procedures/stock-brake-system-bed-in I found that getting out early on the motorway before anyone's around, helps... you don't want to be interrupted in your heat cycles, or get rear-ended on heavy stopping... or have to come to a full stop when the brakes are hot from cycling through the heavy stops (imprinting). Tomorrow morning (25/12) should be good, mind you don't collect Santa though.

Ron, unless you were confusing Ducati for Harley, I wouldn't say the big dukes run out of breath. If they do, the same can be said for most engines as power drops off between peak and the rev limiter. A quick google search of dyno charts show the 1299s consistently drop off peak power about 500rpm before the cut out. My 1098 looks at tho it flat lines all the way to its 10750 rpm cut out. I've had it not much more than 260kmh and can't say its ever ran out of breath, but drag starts to take its toll from 260+ so 6th gear to the limiter may expose that. I've spent a but of time on the latest Multistrada DVT with panniers and she pulls strong up to 220k. I didn't try a top speed run in 6th but there was no signs of running out of breath. Ill take you up on the 1000cc BMW beating the Ducati on the road. Put simply you cant beat the effortless torque the big twins offer. For point to point speed the litre bikes need to be worked in comparison. Perhaps I'm spoilt spending the last five years on a 1098. Definitely have to rev the multis to achieve the same amount of pace up SH16 or over the para paras etc. it becomes tiresome if not in the mood. How would the 1000cc manufacturers go at increasing the capacity by nearly 30% while retaining reliability, emissions same power per litre outpit? A complete redesign? Bigger block, stronger, bigger internals?... issues with NVH due to the unbalanced nature of the I4? Just throwing ideas out there I'm no engineer and I don't have time to sit and read like I did when working 40 hour weeks but I don't think increasing capacity by 30% while retaining the attributes of the 1000cc engine is as easy as that. I see where you're getting at with kw/litre. Can't say I agree on you opinion of the LS motors, and others not meeting a specific power per litre out put. IMO in the age of component sharing, fuel efficiency and guilt fuelled emission control, enjoy it while it lasts. Soon the 'performance' vehicle to have will be some wank factor double cab ute on 20 inch rims, sticker pack and some macho small cock syndrome sounding name.