[f30hobbes]

Originally Posted by E30M CW

Congratulations on the new car! It sounds like a good one.

Thanks!!

[f30hobbes]

Originally Posted by McGyv3r

Just my 2 cents based on the 2014 335i 6mt I picked up:

I would give the car a thorough inspection to look for any obvious issues or shoddy repair work. Obvious issues include oil leaks, grime from past leaks, condition of the fluids, worn belt, coolant leaks, things not working, etc. Any engine leaks should be very obvious on the under-pan. Shoddy repairs include missing under panels/screws, missing covers, zipties/tape/self tapping screws, cheap aftermarket parts. Basically anything that looks like someone was being cheap. Since there is a sensor for everything, scanning the car will tell you if anything is not working correctly.

The biggest red flag to me would be modifications. I'm fine with modifying my car, but I don't want to buy someone else's project unless I plan for it to be my project car.

Unless it's been done, I would plan to change the transmission and differential fluid as soon a possible. This is just to extend the life of your car. Its always possible for your syncros to develop issues later, but routine maintenance will help to delay or avoid problems.

To be perfectly honest, an 8at car is going to be faster than a 6mt. That's based gearing and the ability for the 8at to hold boost while shifting. Also, the car is approaching a power level where I feel that an automatic makes more sense.

That being said, I prefer to drive a manual. The 6mt is really easy to drive compared to my modified e30s (not much NVH, easy clutch engagement, well geared, smooth shifts, hill assist). Traffic isn't even a problem and I live in the Bay Area (constant traffic and huge hills). I have roughly 100k miles on what I assume to be the original clutch. I occasionally feel some slip when I feather the clutch too long (that's just a maintenance thing). The car is going to be plenty of fun stock and there isn't a real need for more power. However, I can't leave things alone, so I have bm3 on the ACN91 tune and the car is wildly more powerful. I highly suggest trying a bm3 tune on the n55 since it comes tuned so conservatively from the factory. I did blow my charge pipe a few days after the tune, so be ready for that. I'm 100% happy with my choice to get a 6mt.

This a great write up. I already looked under the car and there were no bolts turned and no weld marks so the original owner never even got an exhaust for it. I had a bad experience with bm3 on my 328i so I'm not too sure about the 335i. I think for now the sound will be enough for me as to me it's one of the best sounding engines to me. But we'll see, I think my first impression when i test drove it was that it wasn't as fast as maybe I thought it would have been. After driving my buddies m340i it's definitely much slower. I really enjoy the manual though compared to a lot of the other manual transmissions I've driven at work.

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by f30hobbes

This a great write up. I already looked under the car and there were no bolts turned and no weld marks so the original owner never even got an exhaust for it. I had a bad experience with bm3 on my 328i so I'm not too sure about the 335i. I think for now the sound will be enough for me as to me it's one of the best sounding engines to me. But we'll see, I think my first impression when i test drove it was that it wasn't as fast as maybe I thought it would have been. After driving my buddies m340i it's definitely much slower. I really enjoy the manual though compared to a lot of the other manual transmissions I've driven at work.

Just gonna throw this out there, I think a BM3 S2 tune goes quite well with a 6MT 335i I prefer the 6MT for a number of reasons, but one of the few practical advantages it has over the 8AT is that if you're cruising at 75-80mph, you're turning about 3k rpm. Not great for fuel economy, but you have very strong passing power without much throttle and without having to shift. It's geared perfectly for a quick 80mph overtake on the highway, whereas the 8AT would have to take a second to downshift once or twice, then accelerate.

[McGyv3r]

Originally Posted by rjd_F30

... one of the few practical advantages it has over the 8AT is that if you're cruising at 75-80mph, you're turning about 3k rpm. Not great for fuel economy, but you have very strong passing power without much throttle and without having to shift...

I can attest to this. It would be nice to get better fuel economy on road trips, but passing at 80 mph is stupid easy. Like so easy that you hit 90+ without noticing. It's a slippery slope that I'm surprised hasn't ended in a ticket for me. Yet.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by rjd_F30

Just gonna throw this out there, I think a BM3 S2 tune goes quite well with a 6MT 335i I prefer the 6MT for a number of reasons, but one of the few practical advantages it has over the 8AT is that if you're cruising at 75-80mph, you're turning about 3k rpm. Not great for fuel economy, but you have very strong passing power without much throttle and without having to shift. It's geared perfectly for a quick 80mph overtake on the highway, whereas the 8AT would have to take a second to downshift once or twice, then accelerate.

Originally Posted by McGyv3r

I can attest to this. It would be nice to get better fuel economy on road trips, but passing at 80 mph is stupid easy. Like so easy that you hit 90+ without noticing. It's a slippery slope that I'm surprised hasn't ended in a ticket for me. Yet.

Have you driven the 8AT lol? I pass with no problem at all in the 8AT in 8th gear, comfort mode, no downshift, with MHD stage 2+. There's plenty of torque as most if not all of it is available at sub 2000 rpm with stock turbo. This isnt meant to start a auto vs manual debate, just sayin' . And if you REALLY need acceleration should the car decide to downshift into 7th it takes a fraction of a second, especially with XHP.

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Have you driven the 8AT lol? I pass with no problem at all in the 8AT in 8th gear, comfort mode, no downshift, with MHD stage 2+. There's plenty of torque as most if not all of it is available at sub 2000 rpm with stock turbo. This isnt meant to start a auto vs manual debate, just sayin' . And if you REALLY need acceleration should the car decide to downshift into 7th it takes a fraction of a second, especially with XHP.

I have, owned an 8AT F30 for almost 4 years. And you're right. The 8AT is more practical and faster in basically every way, but at 1k rpm higher at the same speed, the 6MT is definitely faster 80-100mph. Just let me have the 80mph passing power award alright Sorry for thread-jacking. OP I think you got lots of good insight on tunes, but like I said, I vote for BM3 based on my own experience!

[McGyv3r]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Have you driven the 8AT lol? I pass with no problem at all in the 8AT in 8th gear, comfort mode, no downshift, with MHD stage 2+. There's plenty of torque as most if not all of it is available at sub 2000 rpm with stock turbo. This isnt meant to start a auto vs manual debate, just sayin' . And if you REALLY need acceleration should the car decide to downshift into 7th it takes a fraction of a second, especially with XHP.

Not an n55, but my friends b58; The 8at makes more sense in every way, but I prefer a manual. The gearing is just fun, and its nice to have that power available without having to shift. It's almost a novelty to be able to put my foot down and feel an instant response.

[f30hobbes]

Just purchased the car today. I think I am good on the synchro issue and from what I can tell car shifts smooth especially after driving 50 miles just locally today, but there are some weird noises when I turn the car on. Inspection is scheduled for next Monday so we will see what my local mechanic diagnoses
Driving wise, I think it is incredibly smooth and I can't get over that n55 sound, even if its super quiet with the stock exhaust. Despite this, I can't help but feel underwhelmed but that may be due to me overhyping the car. I would also say I am a novice in manual driving and can't seem to rev match properly so this might take away some of the fun of the car because I am not versed enough to drive it properly. However, after having two LCI cars and then going to a non LCI car, the infotainment screen is noticeably worse as well as the output of the adaptive xenons (however having the lights turn when I steer is super cool). I am not sure if it's just a lot to take in at once because it is my first manual car, but I guess I am not super sold on it yet. I am sure once I put an exhaust on it it'll liven the car up a little bit. Besides these shortcomings, I am excited to finally have a manual as a DD and we'll see how I feel about it a couple months from now.

[McGyv3r]

Originally Posted by f30hobbes

Driving wise, I think it is incredibly smooth and I can't get over that n55 sound, even if its super quiet with the stock exhaust. Despite this, I can't help but feel underwhelmed but that may be due to me overhyping the car.

Give it some time and get used to the car. I agree, the n55 is plenty quick, but just doesn't have the torque I was expecting. Once you're feeling comfortable and really understand the car, try flashing bm3. It really transforms the car when you put your foot down but still has easy drivability.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by f30hobbes

Just purchased the car today. I think I am good on the synchro issue and from what I can tell car shifts smooth especially after driving 50 miles just locally today, but there are some weird noises when I turn the car on. Inspection is scheduled for next Monday so we will see what my local mechanic diagnoses
Driving wise, I think it is incredibly smooth and I can't get over that n55 sound, even if its super quiet with the stock exhaust. Despite this, I can't help but feel underwhelmed but that may be due to me overhyping the car. I would also say I am a novice in manual driving and can't seem to rev match properly so this might take away some of the fun of the car because I am not versed enough to drive it properly. However, after having two LCI cars and then going to a non LCI car, the infotainment screen is noticeably worse as well as the output of the adaptive xenons (however having the lights turn when I steer is super cool). I am not sure if it's just a lot to take in at once because it is my first manual car, but I guess I am not super sold on it yet. I am sure once I put an exhaust on it it'll liven the car up a little bit. Besides these shortcomings, I am excited to finally have a manual as a DD and we'll see how I feel about it a couple months from now.

Exhaust will give you zero performance FYI. F3x N55 are frankly pretty slow in stock form and pretty underwhelming. I flashed my car back to stock several times before going into the dealer for warranty work and i couldn't believe how much slower it felt. Do IC+CP+DP and a tune. Then when you want more add an inlet and maybe DV.

[f30hobbes]

Originally Posted by McGyv3r

Give it some time and get used to the car. I agree, the n55 is plenty quick, but just doesn't have the torque I was expecting. Once you're feeling comfortable and really understand the car, try flashing bm3. It really transforms the car when you put your foot down but still has easy drivability.

Thinking of doing this as I grow more accustomed to the manual. The torque doesn't hit you but I'll be in third and already way above the speed limit. Definitely a different feeling from the 8ATs I've driven.

[f30hobbes]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Exhaust will give you zero performance FYI. F3x N55 are frankly pretty slow in stock form and pretty underwhelming. I flashed my car back to stock several times before going into the dealer for warranty work and i couldn't believe how much slower it felt. Do IC+CP+DP and a tune. Then when you want more add an inlet and maybe DV.

Yeah I know, I meant that it'd liven up the driving experience because I'd get to hear more of that sweet exhaust note. Definitely plan on doing power mods down the line…

[xCartel328i]

Yo I can't reply to your message ,about the Bilsteins . Erase some of your messages so u can receive mine