[OddlyCalm]

Hello all. It's been a while since I've been on the forums but I wanted to share my recent purchase. My previous cars have included a '95 M3, '03 330i ZHP, '11 335i xDrive, '01 M coupe, and my wife had an '09 X5d. My '11 is getting a bit long in the tooth so I started browsing around last week at F30's. I have a deposit down on a Tesla Model 3 but will be waiting for the dual motor car (I'm in Minnesota), and am starting to think it's going to be a while on the Tesla. I didn't have much hope of finding a 6MT F30, but lo' and behold on Friday I found a new ad at my local dealer that says it's a 6 speed. The car is a 2015 335i xDrive, 25k miles, alpine / coral, sport line, 6MT, premium and cold weather, with the M performance exhaust and carbon fiber mirror caps and rear spoiler. It was custom ordered and leased by a dealer employee (who happens to be a lady) who recently got out of her lease and into a new 340. I hustled over Friday for a test drive and ended up buying the car Saturday. So here she is... "Scarlet" as named by the previous owner.





I have plans to put snow tires on the stock wheels and get some 19" CSL style wheels with Michelins for the summer. Apex PS-7? VMR V810? I'd also like to do an M sport body kit and shifter, possibly a steering wheel as well, and would like to replace the silver window trim with gloss black. I miss the hydraulic steering of my E90 a lot but will get used to the new system eventually. The car is great overall and I'm looking forward to spending some more time in it.

[jtbazz]

Beautiful! Congrats

[2000Z3M]

S54 M coupe!!!!

I use to have a S52 roadster

[OddlyCalm]

Originally Posted by 2000Z3M

S54 M coupe!!!!

I use to have a S52 roadster

I know... I miss it a lot but after having a kid I was driving it like 500 miles a year max so eventually broke down and sold it. Phenomenal car.

[.BMW.]

Beautiful car!

Congrats.

[kpgray]

Alpine White with the Red interior is really a great looking combo! The Sport line is really nice as it has better clearance on the front bumper for winter conditions over the m-sport. It still has the Sport Seats, a big plus. The 18" sport line wheels are one of the nicest looking IMHO. I know you will enjoy the 6-speed xDrive! By the way, you will get used to the steering when you get to parking lots. If I had that car, the MODS I would look at are:

• I agree with the black trim around the windows
• add the window tint on the side and back windows, it will really pop with the white and the new black trim
• Replace the amber side markers in front of the front wheels with the matching white
• Add the MPPK, the extra 35 HP and the "burbles" from the MPE are awesome! The big advantage is the nearly 0.5 second quicker 50-70MPH and the engine really wakes up above 5,500 RPM.

[spencers]

No mention of how it compares to your prior cars? Interested in your thoughts of the F30 over the E90

[OddlyCalm]

Originally Posted by spencers

No mention of how it compares to your prior cars? Interested in your thoughts of the F30 over the E90

Well I haven't gotten to drive it much yet, but the opinion is forming. I bought it last Saturday and it was in the shop getting snow tires for most of this week. It had brand new Pirelli run-flat all seasons, switched out for Michelin X-Ice.

The thing I can't quite get past right now is the steering. It's just... bad. I know this horse has been beaten to death already, but it's light to the point of feeling darty, with no weight, no on-center feel, very little loading in a turn, and feels like it requires constant input even on a flat straight stretch of highway. Coming from the E90 M sport, that is what stands out the most. Is it easier to get into a parking spot? Sure, but that's not why we buy these cars, is it?

The clutch is lighter but not wildly different (needs a clutch stop), and the shift throws are a bit longer and lighter as well (will switch to an M sport or M performance knob). The sport line chassis overall feels very composed and a little too soft and comfortable for my liking. I need to experiment more with sport and sport+ modes but the weather up here in Minnesota is not lending itself to spirited driving at the moment. With the X-Ice tires it works beautifully in adverse road conditions of all kinds. Sticks to the road like glue. The motor is typically great, and the M performance exhaust sounds nice without being overbearing.

Overall, the car is easier to drive but much less involving. I don't generally modify my daily driver, which this is, but I'm thinking this car could get coil overs and some go-fast mods at some point. I put the snow tires on the stock sport line wheels, so some 19's with Pilot Super Sports are in order also.

I just don't know what can be done about the steering feel, if anything. Hydraulic retrofit? New programming? With the new system being electric, I'm surprised there isn't a relatively easy way to modify the weighting with code. Maybe I'll get used to it and any car with heavy steering will feel dated in time, I don't know.

The car is great to look at, interior fit and finish is good (loving the coral red), HK stereo is good. There is a lot to like. I feel a lot more of an urge to mod this car than my E90, or beg my wife to let me get an E36/E46 M3 fun car to play with. We'll see.

[2000Z3M]

im loving the m coupe. how was the subframe? i had to have randy fix mine

[OddlyCalm]

Originally Posted by 2000Z3M

im loving the m coupe. how was the subframe? i had to have randy fix mine

Never had issues with it, and the car was tracked by the previous owner. Got lucky I guess!

[OddlyCalm]

Originally Posted by kpgray

• I agree with the black trim around the windows
• add the window tint on the side and back windows, it will really pop with the white and the new black trim
• Replace the amber side markers in front of the front wheels with the matching white
• Add the MPPK, the extra 35 HP and the "burbles" from the MPE are awesome! The big advantage is the nearly 0.5 second quicker 50-70MPH and the engine really wakes up above 5,500 RPM.

Yeah I think I'm going to see if I can just get the window trim vinyl wrapped with gloss black. I can't seem to find the actual gloss black trim pieces anywhere online and the wrap should be much cheaper anyways.

Might do a tint, not sure.

I'm considering doing the M sport bumpers and side skirts, hopefully can find a version without the reflectors.

I'm going to have a hard time paying $1,000 for a factory tune when the same amount spent on an aftermarket tune gets you what... twice as much of a power increase? Isn't the Dinan P1 kit like 3 times the power increase for $2k while preserving your warranty? I dunno, I haven't really dug in on researching those.

[Patrick852]

To make the steering feels like the E90, I lower my tire pressure to 32/34 psi, this slows down the pick up speed, but is fast enough for me, a trade off for better handling.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Congrats!

[kpgray]

Originally Posted by OddlyCalm

...I'm going to have a hard time paying $1,000 for a factory tune when the same amount spent on an aftermarket tune gets you what... twice as much of a power increase? Isn't the Dinan P1 kit like 3 times the power increase for $2k while preserving your warranty? I dunno, I haven't really dug in on researching those.

The MPPK kit is $1,395 at getBMWparts.com , this is 35 HP ($40 / HP) but it is the Faster acceleration: 0.2 seconds faster than the standard 335i model from 0 mph to 60 mph. 0.5 seconds faster than the standard 335i model from 50 mph to 75 mph (this is where I really notice the power gains) and the Burbles from the exhaust. The Dinan Stage 1 tune is $2,120 List plus install. This will get you a 60 HP gain ($35 / HP for 360 HP, 392 lb-ft of torque). The others brands are less cost but could void the warranty. I would do it if you plan on keeping. If you go Dinan route, you can add the Stage II tune later for the $250 plus an intake and for a bump to 384 HP covered under warranty. The joy of a new toy!