My Fun 130i (E87 LCI Motorsport Auto)

[Jacko 2154]

57 minutes ago, M3AN said:

At this stage I'm suspecting an LSD because the diff housing is an E87 120d housing (based on part numbers) and there's no tag anywhere so it looks rebuilt. And an LSD seems consistent with the other mods. I don't know how to do 1/11's in an auto! ? Will have to YouTube it. ?

Wow that CPM bit is an expensive bit of aluminium!

Hey, is this picture of yours of the stock exhaust? I'm trying to work out which sections on mine are aftermarket...

Yup, its stock/stick.

 

Yours looks stock up to the back box where the clamp sits? Normal mod is to hack out the resonator/Y pipe as it makes pops and crackles once gone. 

 

Whats the ratio of a 120d diff I wonder? 

Edited January 11, 2020 by Jacko

[M3AN 4016]

12 minutes ago, Jacko said:

Yup, its stock/stick.

Yours looks stock up to the back box where the clamp sits? Normal mod is to hack out the resonator/Y pipe as it makes pops and crackles once gone. 

Whats the ratio of a 120d diff I wonder? 

Cheers, it looks like mine is all three sections... better pics below. No resonator.

As for the diff, I'm not sure about the 120 but I suspect it's only the casing (same size) because the 120 never came with a LSD either. I should be able to work it out? Revolutions of wheel to driveshaft? Maybe somebody smarter than I on these things can inform me - might be a project for another day to work it out.

[Eagle 1662]

Open diff can spin both wheels. The test ive used is have someone hold one wheel while you spin the other wheel, if its an lsd then the held wheel should want to overcome held resistance and want to turn in the same direction as the spinning wheel, it shouldn't be able to be moved in the opposite direction of the spinning wheel. 

[Palazzo 477]

37 minutes ago, Eagle said:

Open diff can spin both wheels. The test ive used is have someone hold one wheel while you spin the other wheel, if its an lsd then the held wheel should want to overcome held resistance and want to turn in the same direction as the spinning wheel, it shouldn't be able to be moved in the opposite direction of the spinning wheel. 

I did a 53m straight line (ish) twin wheel skid in the Falcon with an open diff. Gave up when I wasn’t sure I’d catch it

Then bought new rears the following month.

That was auto too @M3AN

Edited January 11, 2020 by Palazzo
Update

[M3AN 4016]

I'm not convinced either way but given the actual housing is not from a 130 we can assume something has been done... and the wheel spin doesn't rule out a LSD, that's all we know. If they'd spun the other way, as you'd expect them to, we'd have a conclusive answer. I didn't pay for nor expect an LSD so if it's there it's a win.

FUN"WON" may end up being prophetic after all.

I'm still (mildly) convinced it's had an ECU or trans flash... I'm not sure BMW would push it out the door as it drives, it's pretty aggressive.

The perfect daily lol... ???

If anyone can provide more info on these numbers I'd be grateful, best I can do is an uncommon housing from a 120d?

Edited January 11, 2020 by M3AN
New pic

[M3AN 4016]

47 minutes ago, Palazzo said:

I did a 53m straight line (ish) twin wheel skid in the Falcon with an open diff. Gave up when I wasn’t sure I’d catch it

Yeah, that's where that test fails. If traction is close enough to equal left and right then the circumstances may allow an 11 even with an open diff.

[KwS 2425]

Easiest way i can see to tell if its an LSD is to pop the fill plug out and have a look in and see what the diff center looks like. IIRC most if not all aftermarket LSDs are enclosed, whilst the stock open diff should be open with the spider gears visible.

[Jacko 2154]

Its pretty easy to tell if you have an open diff to compare it to, if you hammer it around a corner in a stock car the DSC light on dash will come on very early, and often, where as with an LSD its WAY more playful as it doesnt have the delta in rear wheel speeds, so doesnt think its as crossed up as it is

 

120 diff, 33107566169 , is 3.07:1

130 auto diff is 3.46:1 (manual is 3.64)

3.73 is what all the cool kids hunt for.

 

Pull it apart and have a looksee  You'll need to figure what sort of fluid goes in it at some point. 

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by Jacko

[M3AN 4016]

31 minutes ago, Jacko said:

Its pretty easy to tell if you have an open diff to compare it to, if you hammer it around a corner in a stock car the DSC light on dash will come on very early, and often, where as with an LSD its WAY more playful as it doesnt have the delta in rear wheel speeds, so doesnt think its as crossed up as it is

DSC light has never come on in my ownership... I'm not particularly merciful... good sign.

31 minutes ago, Jacko said:

120 diff, 33107566169 , is 3.07:1 / 130 auto diff is 3.46:1 (manual is 3.64) / 3.73 is what all the cool kids hunt for.

Pull it apart and have a looksee  You'll need to figure what sort of fluid goes in it at some point. 

Well it's certainly not a 3.07! If anything it's shorter than the other 130's I've driven but I wouldn't bet on it being different from stock.

And no, I'm not going to take it apart lol. I still have a cw&p to put in the M3. Priorities.

Edited January 11, 2020 by M3AN

[M3AN 4016]

Schmiedmann Christmas order arrived (no GST). I added the free mug because it reduced the shipping cost by US$20. ?

• Matt black grills (replacing the tatty CF ones)
• BMW Performance Alcantara steering wheel cover (to match the shifter and boot)
• OEM stubby aerial to replace the naff carbon fibre one
• 3.5mm + USB aux 'switch' - requires quite a lot of wiring and coding I think, might never go in.

I also received another package from the US that I'm a little bit excited about but I need to work out if it's a win or fail before I release the details (which I will do regardless of whether it's a win or fail).

I want to install it all now but I'm on BBQ duty! ?

Edited January 13, 2020 by M3AN

[///M 22]

Out of interest, what sort of coilovers are you running? Thoughts on them? 

[M3AN 4016]

On 1/15/2020 at 7:57 AM, ///M said:

Out of interest, what sort of coilovers are you running? Thoughts on them? 

They're from a bespoke JDM workshop called "Orange Wolf" - hard to find much info on them but they seem well made. Exhaust is from the same place and is well made.

They're brilliant really, even if they're well worn. I found the stock motorsport suspension (on other 130's I tried) to be downright awful, even dangerous at speed. Upon further reading I understand BMW absolutely cheaped out on the suspension and use linear springs with struts that ride on the bumpstops which is such terrible engineering I'm embarrassed for them.

If you don't need coilovers (most don't) then the Birds B1 or Bilstein B12 kits are the go.

Edited January 19, 2020 by M3AN

[///M 22]

31 minutes ago, M3AN said:

They're from a bespoke JDM workshop called "Orange Wolf" - hard to find much info on them but they seem well made. Exhaust is from the same place as is well made.

They're brilliant really, even if they're well worn. I found the stock motorsport suspension (on other 130's I tried) to be downright awful, even dangerous at speed. Upon further reading I understand BMW absolutely cheaped out on the suspension and use linear springs with struts that ride on the bumpstops which is such terrible engineering I'm embarrassed for them.

If you don't need coilovers (most don't) then the Birds B1 or Bilstein B12 kits are the go.

Interesting. I guess to some extent anything is better than the OEM suspension. It’s not terrible on smooth roads to be fair, but does get pretty dodgy on some backroads. I’d love a set of Ohlins or TC Kline coilovers but I can’t justify the expense at this point in time.

I’m looking at koni yellow (sport) shocks and dinan rsm as a relatively inexpensive solutiuon to provide additional travel in the rear and tame the ‘pogoing’ effect. I’ve read that rear subframe inserts go a far way in taming the rear end too- something else to consider I guess…

Edited January 14, 2020 by ///M

[GorGasm 563]

All this 130 talk makes me want to buy a manual one and modify it haha.

Good work everyone.

[Cammsport 390]

4 minutes ago, GorGasm said:

All this 130 talk makes me want to buy a manual one and modify it haha.

Good work everyone.

Same! Although I doubt I'd find a score like this. 

[qube 3570]

one of the cars I regretted selling was the 130i. its everything that the 3 series NA wasnt/couldnt be and more. its the spiritual successor to the old E46 330ci in my mind.

It was way more enjoyable to drive than the N54 in the 135i and 335i because you can rev it all the way out to redline and not be going crazy speeds.

[M3AN 4016]

1 hour ago, ///M said:

Interesting. I guess to some extent anything is better than the OEM suspension. It’s not terrible on smooth roads to be fair, but does get pretty dodgy on some backroads. I’d love a set of Ohlins or TC Kline coilovers but I can’t justify the expense at this point in time.

I’m looking at koni yellow (sport) shocks and dinan rsm as a relatively inexpensive solutiuon to provide additional travel in the rear and tame the ‘pogoing’ effect. I’ve read that rear subframe inserts go a far way in taming the rear end too- something else to consider I guess…

I wasn't aware the rear shock mounts were an issue, what's the lowdown on them?

Koni's will be fine, you'll need to dump the OEM springs and bumpstops though or you'll still pogo down the road. My preference is Bilstein + Eibach because the two companies work so closely together and their B12 kit's aren't just mix and match, they're made for the specific vehicle they're intended for. Not sure on price but if I ever need to replace my suspension it's likely to be with the B12 kit (I don't need coilovers).

[Jordy 0]

That Orange Wolf exhaust is a beaut. Mind if I ask how much that cost with import / customs etc? @M3AN

[///M 22]

2 hours ago, M3AN said:

I wasn't aware the rear shock mounts were an issue, what's the lowdown on them?

Koni's will be fine, you'll need to dump the OEM springs and bumpstops though or you'll still pogo down the road. My preference is Bilstein + Eibach because the two companies work so closely together and their B12 kit's aren't just mix and match, they're made for the specific vehicle they're intended for. Not sure on price but if I ever need to replace my suspension it's likely to be with the B12 kit (I don't need coilovers).

They’re not necessarily an issue per se, more of an incremental improvement one can make. The oem rear shock mounts are tall, soft (to reduce NVH) and deteriorate over time. Dinan rear shock mounts are made from a stiffer material which still has acceptable NVH properties but also allows the shock to operate efficiently. The biggest benefit is their reduced height. You can essentially run your stock progressive bump stops and have an additional 10mm of shock travel before the bumstops are engaged. This results in increased comfort, reduced pogoing effect and still maintains the sporty feel of the e87 (assuming the shocks are in good order).

Whilst I like the B12 kit- especially at the price point, I’m not a huge fan of lowering the car any further; I reckon it’s low enough as is to be honest.

If the Konis + rsm don't sort out the suspension I'll have to consider other options i.e. coilovers; but I'm reasonably confident (having had Konis on previous vehicles with good results). 

Edited January 15, 2020 by ///M

[///M 22]

15 minutes ago, Jordy said:

That Orange Wolf exhaust is a beaut. Mind if I ask how much that cost with import / customs etc? @M3AN

I think he said it came with the car

[Jordy 0]

2 minutes ago, ///M said:

I think he said it came with the car

Ah cheers, Makes me want to modify my exhaust ?

[M3AN 4016]

Yes @Jordy - it seems I got some nice surprises with the car:

• exhaust (which you can see is beautiful) has the Y pipe mod and resonator delete so it's not just something thrown together, that's how it should be done
• coilovers - completely missed by the dealer selling the car but also has a LVV cert and Eibach ERS springs and all the hardware on the shocks looks top notch
• LSD - needs more investigation but I'm a believer

If the dealer knew all that I wouldn't have walked away with it for what I did. ?

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by M3AN

[M3AN 4016]

On 1/15/2020 at 1:36 PM, ///M said:

If the Konis + rsm don't sort out the suspension I'll have to consider other options i.e. coilovers; but I'm reasonably confident (having had Konis on previous vehicles with good results). 

According to what I read you won't be disappointed with the Koni's either.

I'd probably still recommend proper springs rather than the BS BMW+Bumpstop solution.

Edited February 6, 2020 by M3AN

[NZ_InFerno 371]

On 1/11/2020 at 9:05 PM, M3AN said:

I'm not convinced either way but given the actual housing is not from a 130 we can assume something has been done... and the wheel spin doesn't rule out a LSD, that's all we know. If they'd spun the other way, as you'd expect them to, we'd have a conclusive answer. I didn't pay for nor expect an LSD so if it's there it's a win.

FUN"WON" may end up being prophetic after all.

I'm still (mildly) convinced it's had an ECU or trans flash... I'm not sure BMW would push it out the door as it drives, it's pretty aggressive.

The perfect daily lol... ???

If anyone can provide more info on these numbers I'd be grateful, best I can do is an uncommon housing from a 120d?

I was under my new 130i looking around today, and have the same number on the casing 7518405. 

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

Try spinning the rear wheels with the vehicle in park. If it doesn't turn it will be LSD. If the wheels spin in opposite directions. it's an open diff