Herbmiester

Ok so this is all about how something looks rather than how something performs?

Why not just run a wider rear wheel? With a smaller aspect ratio on the rear the setup looks balanced.

I need to assess what level of detail 2k cup looks at. Maybe a badge change might do it?

Does look like its been sitting alright. I wouldnt be too worried about the thrashing. The engines themselves seem to hold up well its just the bits that are bolted on that fail. Its that made from plastic bound to fail scenario. Interiors are better quality than E46 and earlier cars as well. Stock just check plugs coils and vacuum hoses. Turbos get rattly wastegates eventually but consensus is that this generally happens above 160k kms. Most in NZ are auto so you cant bounce it off the limiter. I am sure completely ignoring oil changes will kill the engine but otherwise they are solid. I thrash my wifes Skoda more than my 335i purely because its so slow. The 335i only takes moderate pedal pressure to start making the scenery go by quite fast, the engine has a lot of very useable torque, and riding the boosted torque wave makes for efficient and quick transportation.

Yes agree I was thinking of a hybrid engine, the alloy block is a must from a weight cooling perspective. Body shell is a toss up there is very little difference weight wise between the Coupe and Sedan and again nothing rigidity. The coupe looks infinitely better but there are some cheap 323is available. The other option is to get the 318is coupe body as they come stock with the bigger brakes and an LSD, albeit only a small case. 323i are hard to find with an LSD.

Looks good but from what I understand there is no way I can get an m3 exhaust in on 2k cup rules.

Yes I thought their would be exhaust side issues but as the car is destined for 2k cup I am rather limited as to what I can do on the exhaust. As to the inlet I am not thinking about an m50 at this stage as any potetial increase in HP will need an accompanying remap to make it worthwhile. As it will be predominantly a track car the loss of torque vs gain in hp and revs needs further consideration, an extra 5 to 600 rpm could be beneficial. 2k cup rules are interesting as they have just moved from cc based classes to power to weight classes, might give the heavier BMWs a chance agaist the lightweight Jap cars that dominate.

My mother in law took a Kona for a drive as she was wanting a replacement for her Forrester. First up tier one Korean manufactuers like Hyundai and Kia are a fair way ahead of GM Daewoo and the Cruze is just plain bread and butter motoring. I think saying all Korean cars are the same is unfair an Opel is not a BMW or Benz.I thought the Kona was fine a bit on the small side for my 196cm frame but just about everything in that class is, but I am at one end of the Bell Curve. The Koreans have focussed on plain value for money cars for a long time but the Hyundai N and the Kia Stinger have shown they have some intent and to be fair they are not bad first up efforts. I would happily drive either. Their SUV 's are decent and I for one dont look for sports car handling in an SUV, if I want that I will buy a sports car. Technology wise if you like old school then buy an old car, hell even my 79 year old mother in law can use a touch screen. A lot of this is just badge snobbery. But I guess we all have that to some degree. I dislike French and Italian cars because of quality issues.

335i's are a real bargain now, apart from the bumper this looks pretty tidy, not a common interior combo but looks very nice. Being an early car it will have the bigger bolted diff so nice and easy to install an LSD. No I Drive is almost a bonus. I would check to see if it has an oil cooler as the odd 2006 model didnt.

Ah but can you drop it super low and drag the sump on the ground? Lets not forget its all about the look and handling be damned!

I have been contemplating the M50b25TU vs the M52b25. The m50 has 141 Kw at 5900 and 245 Nm at 4200. The M52b25 has 125 kw at 5500 and 245 Nm at 3950. Obvious difference is the lower Kw number but the torque peak comes in at 350 rpm lower. What I cant see is the torque area under the curve which I suspect is greater for the M52. Looking at the Cam specs they are similar: M50B25tu 228º 9.0 4º 44º 228º 9.0 35º 13º M52B25 228º 9.0 4º 44º 228º 9.0 39º 9º The compression ratio of the engines is 10.5 to 1 and both have 84mm bore and 75mm stroke engines. The M50 has a cast iron block and the M52 alloy. The exhaut manifolds on M52's appear to flow better on an M50 but I am unsure what the restrictions past this are, CAT's? I am also unsure of head flow and valve sizes but I read somewhere that again they are similar. Lastly is the intake and this is a hoary old chestnut; M50 with big runners and M52 with small runners for better torque. The M50BTU has 140mm rods so less side thrust. So where is the extra 16kw hiding? is it purely the inlet manifold, rods or is it in the DME, do I just have to let it rev higher, after all 5500 for a Modern DOHC engine is pretty low, pushrod territory. I am asking as I am considering an m52b25 E36 for 2k Cup and if there is some cheap free HP hiding somewhere I would like it.

Soon

Looks like a very nice car at a great price someone should snap it up E92 335i's are a great drive and very quick as well.

The olders cars are what they are and we always view them with a passion that comes with ownership or possible ownersip in mind because unlike a new car we can possibly afford them. New cars are never going to seem like a value proposition and at around 200k we need the depreciation cycle to come in to play before most of us get interested. A colleage in Auckland who can drive a bit really liked the new 550i and was amazed at how responsive the auto was, his comment was its as good as most DCT,s. The tech is what it is, some of it will be able to be reprogrammed in time, but he said none of it detracted from his driving experience. He liked the car and was keen on trying the M5 (he has the cash) but said it makes you realise how slow 100kph is. He said the old cars that could do 0 to 100 in 5 to 6 seconds made you work, the 550 was just so easy.

Actually suspension geometry plays a big part as well. If you have driven any of the pre RTS holdens even with radials you would know that the later cars are noticeably better.

Thanks Neal, do you have to do anything with the wiring or just snip it off?

Beautiful apart from being black. God I hate black cars.

Snap, I am looking for someone who has done it before in Wellington. The lack of space is my concern.

I have a BMW Vics Antenna which I suspect is for Japanese Traffic updates. it is a pain as it the mounting plate is broken and keeps falling off the window. Do I need it in NZ?

Keen on the front bumper and maybe the rear. Can you PM me a price please. Aslo is it a problem getting it to Wellington.

I bought the pads of Amazon, cant remember the price. Very happy with them, slightly softer initial bite than stock but they are very progressive and seem to handle the heat well. Should also add that stopping power overall is noticeably better.

Hopefully this will help deal with those stupid "slammed" cars that rest on the bump stops. People do dumb sh*t just to try and look cool.

I dont think it relates to the mirror dim as that has sensors in the mirror mount.

The black box next to my mirror seems to serve no purpose. My guess is that its some JDM toll reader. I can't find anything in real OEM but before I remove it I would like to make sure.