[alx.]

Greetings gents,

My car came equipped from the factory with the EST and I want to remove it since I have 0 use for it and it's literally dead weight.

My question is: if I remove it will it throw a code and require coding to prevent any future dash lights, or will a simple code clear suffice? Anyone who did this procedure please let me know, I noticed there aren't many threads on this.

[alx.]

Anyone who did this on their F30?

[jackstrath]

Im 99% sure you'll need to code it out. Car will think it has a tow bar fault more than likey.

[alx.]

Originally Posted by jackstrath

Im 99% sure you'll need to code it out. Car will think it has a tow bar fault more than likey.

I talked to a guy who has one for sale (he removed it for the same reason that I want to) and mentioned you don't get any error unless you push the button and it can't detect the hook, wanted to confirm with anyone else who did this.

[jackstrath]

Right, ok, when you said remove i assumed you meant remove the tow bar and the associated electronics.

Whats the big deal with everyone wanting to remove them? Its 30-40kg tops, if gas miliage that tight you should of bought a 320d

[LA1Z24]

I would kill to be able in install this on my F32. Bucharest to New York is a looooong distance though ugh

[Skyhigh]

Originally Posted by jackstrath

Right, ok, when you said remove i assumed you meant remove the tow bar and the associated electronics.

Whats the big deal with everyone wanting to remove them? Its 30-40kg tops, if gas miliage that tight you should of bought a 320d

Actually it is 40-50kg This is close to the weight of an adult... always sitting in your car. Gas mileage is one thing..... but performance is another!

I intentionally wanted to have a tow bar, for the very rare occasions I need one, but if I thought I would never need it - I would have looked into removing it as well. I know it hearts my acceleration times...

[jackstrath]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Actually it is 40-50kg This is close to the weight of an adult... always sitting in your car. Gas mileage is one thing..... but performance is another!

I intentionally wanted to have a tow bar, for the very rare occasions I need one, but if I thought I would never need it - I would have looked into removing it as well. I know it hearts my acceleration times...

Well the gen bmw one i fitted to my car wasnt 50kg i can tell you that.
And if the Op's garage is correct then expecting performance on a 320i is like pigs flying

[alx.]

Originally Posted by LA1Z24

I would kill to be able in install this on my F32. Bucharest to New York is a looooong distance though ugh

Heh, would've given it to you in a heartbeat. I never tow anything so it's utterly useless to me

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Actually it is 40-50kg This is close to the weight of an adult... always sitting in your car. Gas mileage is one thing..... but performance is another!


I intentionally wanted to have a tow bar, for the very rare occasions I need one, but if I thought I would never need it - I would have looked into removing it as well. I know it hearts my acceleration times...

That is correct, I'm more interested on the performance side as I do not need unwanted weight in the car.

Originally Posted by jackstrath

Well the gen bmw one i fitted to my car wasnt 50kg i can tell you that.
And if the Op's garage is correct then expecting performance on a 320i is like pigs flying

What are you on about? The car puts down 252 to the wheel Dyno'd of course 30-40 kg would make a significant difference especially when you will never use the towbar. How would you justify me keeping it if it's dead weight?

[jackstrath]

Originally Posted by alx.

Heh, would've given it to you in a heartbeat. I never tow anything so it's utterly useless to me



That is correct, I'm more interested on the performance side as I do not need unwanted weight in the car.



What are you on about? The car puts down 252 to the wheel Dyno'd of course 30-40 kg would make a significant difference especially when you will never use the towbar. How would you justify me keeping it if it's dead weight?

Yes but the car still weights what, 1500kg? so your dropping the weight by like 2.5%.... hardly seems worth it imo, get bigger gains runing the car at just above 1/4 tank, or just buying a faster car

If your really chasing that sorta figures then youd want to removed the wiering loom and module then get it coded out like i said above...

[alx.]

Originally Posted by jackstrath

Yes but the car still weights what, 1500kg? so your dropping the weight by like 2.5%.... hardly seems worth it imo, get bigger gains runing the car at just above 1/4 tank, or just buying a faster car

If your really chasing that sorta figures then youd want to removed the wiering loom and module then get it coded out like i said above...

A faster car is out of the question as the market in Romania is slim on maintained Petrol engines, this was a rare opportunity to find an F30 with an N20 that was well kept. Appreciate the info on the removal.

[Skyhigh]

Originally Posted by jackstrath

Well the gen bmw one i fitted to my car wasnt 50kg i can tell you that.
And if the Op's garage is correct then expecting performance on a 320i is like pigs flying

Double-checked - you are correct, 32kg. Still far from negligible. 2 suitcases in the trunk... all the time.

Originally Posted by jackstrath

Yes but the car still weights what, 1500kg? so your dropping the weight by like 2.5%.... hardly seems worth it imo, get bigger gains runing the car at just above 1/4 tank, or just buying a faster car

Have you compared sporty driving with and without another person in the car? Every kg matters, no matter how much power you have. Especially if it is dead weight which has no application, ever.

Incidentally, you were almost spot-on - the tow bar weighs more than 3/4 of the max capacity of your fuel tank! If driving around with a second almost full tank for no reason is not a factor, I don't know what is...

All subjective I guess.

[jackstrath]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Double-checked - you are correct, 32kg. Still far from negligible. 2 suitcases in the trunk... all the time.



Have you compared sporty driving with and without another person in the car? Every kg matters, no matter how much power you have. Especially if it is dead weight which has no application, ever.

Incidentally, you were almost spot-on - the tow bar weighs more than 3/4 of the max capacity of your fuel tank! If driving around with a second almost full tank for no reason is not a factor, I don't know what is...

All subjective I guess.

Yeh i realise my reply maybe came across as a bit arsey, sorry.
I have a near full carbon fiber body ford focus that i race, fully understand less weight makes the car quicker nearly everywhere and how it effects the car, but that car is 1000kg

What i was getting at is where do you draw the line, its marginal and if your into setting records that fair enough i guess, 30 odd kg on a 1500kg car on more than likey road tyres/ track tyres at best, i can tell you now your not going to notice it, maybe a 10th of a second on a dragy run 0-60 or any other straight line performance tests.

[Skyhigh]

10th of a second 0-100 km/h is A LOT, in my world at least! I actually doubt you would get that far with just the tow bar, but if you do - that just underlines the importance of getting rid of dead weight

The line is subjective, as you say. But there is a principle here - anyone concerned about performance (or fuel efficiency, for that matter) should be aiming at removing meaningful dead weight. And dead weight has a clear definition - ANY weight that is of 0 (zero) use. If you never ever attach a trailer - what is a tow bar good for?
(I actually have an answer to that - I also use it as a bumper protection when going on ferries People tend to park very close and then get out of the cars and walk between the cars.... the tow bar helps keeping cars and people away from my rear bumper )

I have conciously increased the weight of my cars, e.g. through sound-proofing (easily 10kg in total, I guess). But that is something I take advantage of every single day.

Driving around with 2 full suitcases in the trunk for absolutely no reason and no use - different story..., irrespective of the total weight and engine. Actually - the less power the engine has - the more important it is to get rid of it.

P.s. It is quite funny that some claim they feel a loss of power due to Aircon enabled.... and others claim one wouldn't notice 30+ extra kg in the trunk.... I for one have never noticed any difference with Aircon on or off, however there is very obvious difference when there is a second person in the car. The tow bar has 60-70% of the weight of an adult lady I'd rather have 2 of the latter on board, than a tow bar, if I am never ever going to use it All subjective, you see, with an element of objectiveness

[BWbimmer]

Originally Posted by alx.

A faster car is out of the question as the market in Romania is slim on maintained Petrol engines, this was a rare opportunity to find an F30 with an N20 that was well kept. Appreciate the info on the removal.

How about your seats? Are they electrical? Then I would consider finding mechanical ones.

[alx.]

Originally Posted by BWbimmer

How about your seats? Are they electrical? Then I would consider finding mechanical ones.

Hah! No, full mechanical. I had full electric sport seats in my e92 which was also xdrive + sunroof and it was considerably heavier than my current F30 with no sunroof or electric seats, you can really feel the extra weight specially in city driving.

I guess it's more mental with me since I always ensure that my car only has the necessary items, no more. I also always fill up 2/4 or 3/4 of a tank on trips due to the weight reason alone lol.

[Skyhigh]

Ok, that's more of an obsession for you then
I prefer to have and not to need, than to need and not to have The more extras and options - the better. And Ialways fill the tank to full + some more But the tow bar is a thing most people, especially in some countries and big cities, never use. And it is a significant weight (subjectively). So I fully understand.

[alx.]

Hello gentlemen,

I finally got around to removing the electric swivelling towbar, it was a hell of a job worth 4 hours and required coding. Well worth shaving off 95 pounds...that thing was heavy

[Skyhigh]

Are the 95 pounds actual (measured) removed weight or just a reference value from some spec?

What did you remove?

[alx.]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Are the 95 pounds actual (measured) removed weight or just a reference value from some spec?

What did you remove?

I put it on a scale after removal, I removed the entire unit + the carrier. The entire unit is 43 KG, it does make a difference when driving as the car feels lighter; a friend's wife weighs under 45 kg I'm sure

[Skyhigh]

Well, 45kg is really anorexic for a woman, but I am sure it must make a difference for acceleration it also (in conjunction with other options) explains why my 0-100 stock was not as good as what others reported and barely compliant with BMW's specified 0-100 for the model/engine.

I insisted on having one and am not intending to remove it, since I would like to have the option if/when I need it + it is invisible, but I may consider it if a colleague of mine doesn't stop asking me to help him tow a stupid trailer to the stupid dumpster which already resulted in a scratch on my bumper!! 🙄🙄