Herbmiester

So this is a Bilstein B6 and next to it is a BMW (Sachs) M Sport shock. This is why I want the B8 not the B6.

Yeah the B8s will be $1250 and the STrTs will be $750 ish. I am trying to be a realist here and this will be a road car not a track car.

Ok stocks called me back and they have the STrT shocks, price is good and from what I can ascertain they are a bit firmer than factory M Sport shocks. I ran some STrT shocks on my e36 325i with lowered springs and the car handled well so right now they are an option.

So as I am getting close to buying a 335i I decided to do some checking on replacement shocks as I usually find that most cars with 80k plus kms the shocks are stuffed. So I rang Stocks for a Koni price, they said they have nothing available and no part numbers either. So I ring the shock shop and the only Bilsteins are the B6's which according to everying thing I have read is for standard height suspension only. The B8 is for Motor Sport and lower. So any ideas? Not that keen on coil overs as its another $500 for a cert.

Read of a similar situation a while back but unfortunately I can't remember where. Anyway the upshot was that the only fix was an actual BMW dealer uploading the correct software. Now I am not saying that the software that independents have won't work, just that for this 335i two independent workshops (USA) couldn't eliminate the fault code.

+2 for FCP Euro.

Fair to say if you are worried about mechanical issues then perhaps a BMW should no be your first choice. That said the 335i offers tremendous bang for your buck as a driver's car. For me I like to know the issues that plague any car as that has a direct relationship to the aforementioned bang for buck ratio. Plus I just like mechanical things to be right.

Yes have to agree with Ron here, In the 80's I had 400HP albeit in a chassis with far far less capability to what we have now. Having looked at the wastegate issue when I buy a 335i I will likely just pull the turbos off and rebuild the wastegates myself with a rebuild kit, whole process is quite straightforward. That way I will have at least 50,000 KMs (probably more) without having to worry about boost leakage. I have factored into my purchase price and walnut clean of the cylinder head, a few bolt on parts (Charge pipe especially) a wastegate rebuild and a transmission service. This will add a couple of grand but will give me peace of mind that the car will be what I expect from the get go. The rattle as I now see it is one problem but the wear in the bushing is the real issue and it would seem that the two issues are often discussed as one thing and while connected they are two different issues.

Yes if you have 8.5 rims run a 245 40 17, Tyre choice is up to you but like many others I am having a good run with the Re 003's

Yes go M sport springs from Brent. Eibach long gone my friend.

Holy hell, what a nightmare.

As a daily driver I have to wonder, as a fun car definitely the manual. That said having driven a few different manual and auto cars recently I would say that a good DSG/twin clutch auto vs manual is a difficult decision for me. My buddies DSG in his Audi is pretty impressive. The 911 (996) with the Tiptronic was not as good as a manual but after a day in it I got used to it and it would change when I wanted it to change and the shifts were reasonably quick. The Twin Clutch box's in a 2008+ GTR are borderline brutal, no way I could shift that fast. The 8 speed auto in the VW Amarok was fantastic, even off road it was absolutely the business, with a narrow power band the multiple ratios made it better than the manual in my opinion. The ZF 6 speed in my XR6 turbo was pretty good, under hard braking it would chop down as aggressively as I would have in a manual and would bounce off the limiter until I said it could could change. . As cars get older though the choice for manual is easier, The 5 speed ZF Auto in my 330ci upshifts crisply enough but it won't hold a gear when in manual mode, too many revs and it will upshift , e36 autos have ok ratios but the changes are slow. All of this means nothing though because if you want a manual that's what you should get, its still the purists option.

400 hp too much? I guess we are on a different page on that one, but I do agree that that an LSD is a very wise option.

So I spoke to Geoff Gray BMW and the the service manager said that in the 9 years he had been there he could only remember 1 o2 incidences of N54 engines with rattly wastegates. I wonder how prevalent an issue this actually is.

I come from a drag racing/muscle car background and I want horsepower again. My old XR6 turbo with 450 plus horsepower and a mountain of torque was fun and I would like something similar but in a more refined package.

Yep 335i can make 400HP with a small investment and the chassis is decent.

If that works for you then fine, but it's not a solution to the problem especially if you want to grab the extra HP that is on offer with a tune and a few bolt ons. Well at least you are now fully aware Ron.

Yeah but if you look at the video the wastegate problem is more to do with slop in the bushing so tightening it won't completely solve the problem.

This is what I worry about though.

This has piqued my interest: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1133470442 As has these :http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1135390950 http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1134022572 and of course a Coupe: http://www.tradeinclearance.co.nz/search-stock?sn=8456 I have driven the Coupe and it's nice NZ service history from JG and the wastegates have been done under warranty, I would have preferred less Km's though.

Ron I have also gone over a similar short list but keep coming back to the 335i mainly because it's such a value proposition. Pretty hard to find in manual though. Sam the 330ci will be on here soon, I will be a bit sad to see it go as I have a lot of time (and money) invested in it. Matthew I agree with you on the run flat's, I had them on my E60 and they were harsh. Charge pipe seems like a must do even on non tuned cars. Olaf, we can always swap cars again for a drive

Faizal. thank you for the offer I would very much like to look at your 335i, it's a very sharp looking vehicle. I will make contact soon.

The time has come I think to buy some horsepower. My trusty E46 has served me well and I do love the chassis but I am hankering for a bit more grunt. My budget is $20k ish and looking around there are a few E90/91/92's in that range. I drove a NZ new coupe and I did like it but I saw a nice Motorsport Touring in white and I have to honest and say it looked lovely. The Coupe front end is much nicer in my opinion but I am thinking perhaps I should get something a bit more pratical.To be honest even the Sedan in Motorsport trim looks good especially when the chrome kidney grills are replaced with black ones. The real reason I want one of course is the engine. I am interested to hear anyone's N54 tuning stories; it seems to me that MHD is probably the way to go especially when supported with a few bolt on parts. Also curious to know more about a walnut intake port clean, oil catch can upgrade and general service issues. Oh any if anyone has done a Koni/Bilstein or other upgrade what did they find? I am partial to good suspension after having Ohlins on my E46. What bushes wear out and are poly bushes worthwhile? So many questions...

Did a comparison between an Audi S4 2006 with the 4.2 V8 and a 2007 335i last week as well. The BMW was hands down quicker and nicer to drive. The S4 was a bit slow to be honest, it did rev nicely and it sounded great.

RS6 was the new engine 4L TT V8, quicker than the Old V10.