Hi All!
First off, I've been watching from a far more than involved lately as I greatly appreciate the wealth of knowledge that is found throughout these pages! Thank you for that!
I first fell in love with BMW's when I got my 1993 325is 5spd in college and never knew that fast forward 10 years I would have had the pleasure of owning 6 E36's and 1 E82 (which was a rocket). It's been about 5 years now since I've owned a BMW, or a car for that matter, and I FINALLY caved!
Found myself a clean 2014 435i N55 M Sport (6 speed manual) out in TX and had her shipped to my home in Boise Idaho this month. Here's a little bit about the car as is;
- 74k miles
- ALL services done regularly at BMW prior to required intervals w/ records
- Clean Title
- Bone Stock (up until this year with me
)
- RWD
- Have the window sticker if anyone wants to see haha
- Black interior
That's the main stuff for now, let me know if you have any questions further.
My initial impressions of the car;
The car's fit & finish in regards to first look is amazing. The car is classy, luxurious and sporty all in one which is very hard to pull off. Initially the technology in the car is clunky and not as fluid as my Ram 1500 but it works (aside from the nav) and the phone/heads up display/sound system is awesome to operate while driving. Still can't figure out how to set up the multi seat position buttons but will play it with it more as time goes on. The seats were an instant stand out as they're probably the best oem sport seats I've owned in a car to date as the adjustable bolsters and lumbar combined with the leg extender is VERY fitted and comfortable for driving aggressively. The leather in the seats also don't leave my back/butt feeling sweaty after a longer warm drive which is odd since I've yet to find leather seats without AC in them to do that.
The drive is smooth, quick but not fast and very easy to adapt to especially for being a manual. The clutch is light and linear feeling with a very switch like engagement late in the throw. The shift throws seem actually pretty short for a stock box in reference to what I've had in the past from the factory but I'd still be open to a shorter throw as I love them like that. The power is not all that exciting stock. Honestly the engine is somewhat boring in it's oem trim (in my opinion) as my stock e36 m3's were more playful and spirited in the delivery of power in stock form. That being said, I do not plan to keep the engine stock simply because this car was purchased for fun and somewhat of a hobby build this year. The M suspension in sport mode is fun and pretty planted for a stock car as I've been impressed thus far! The rear end (assuming doesn't have a true LSD) is garbage and feels super electric and hesitant. One thing I've liked about the 435i is the size/length of chassis in comparison to my 135i I had before. The 135i was a bit twitchy coming out of corners under heavy power and wasn't very planted or "predictable" when it would step out. The 435i is very planted (thus far) and feels much more stable on corner exit which is rad!
SOOO there reason you are likely reading this, THE BUILD to come!
Here's the rough scenario of what's to come (for STARTERS) and of course these things may change but this is loosely where I'm starting.
To Start:
Performance
- Wheels/Micheline Super Sport tires (open to a square setup too)
- VRSF catted downpipe
- VRSF Front Mount Intercooler
- VRSF Charge Pipe
- Custom welded muffler delete exhaust
- JB4 Tuner
Visual
- Trunk lip
- Rear diffuser
- Front Splitter
- Side skirts
- Mirror carbon covers/or similar
- Carbon Vinyl wrap wood interior (DIY) and possibly roof in gloss black
- Pedals
- Wheel studs
Second Wave of Mods:
- Suspension, undecided which coilover/camber plate setup I will opt for at this time
- Pure Turbo setup
- M3 LSD (may occur sooner if I can source one from a dealer or OEM certified place)
I will be doing a video for each item as they get installed/reviewed on the car (ideal plan of attack).
Feel free to follow along as my build updates will be shown on social media too of course! Here's a couple to start!
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W...g4SgutsVrMPAJg
Instagram: @ginger969
Feel free to follow along as I learn about the F32 chassis, enjoy the bolt on ride and figure out what this car ends up becoming as things start getting installed! Feel free to share your thoughts, questions and/or photos of your builds!
Shelby Paget
