My New Motor! :)

[R20190]

Some of you may remember that I wrote-off my EP3 back in January but only got the pay out a few months later. Anyway, that’s all sorted now and I’ve been busy looking for a replacement ever since.

Thought I’d share with you guys what I’ve been driving around in over the past few weeks and do a mini comparison against my EP3 which having owned for almost 10 years, will be sorely missed.

Decided against a new one as I found this which is only 18mths old with less than 10k miles when I bought it so it’s practically new and I don’t get the massive hit on depreciation. Plus it’s got A LOT of toys (think the previous owner got a bit happy with the options list!) and you’d be pleased to know it includes the optional indicator stalk! lol

I decided not to go for the popular dual-clutch transmission despite it being faster and more economical, I just knew I would miss the feeling of having full control of the car and being able to heel and toe after a while, not to mention the manual box is a joy to use.

It drives really well, much easier than I had thought it would be coming from a FWD car (all those hours on GT5 paid off! lol). The ride is firm but not as harsh and raw as my EP3. Very quiet inside compared to the civic but you can still hear the blow-off valve whistle and the exhaust when giving it the beans. I had a look at a 335i but decided against it due to its size and it being so common these days. I definitely prefer the look and proportion of the 1-series although it is obviously a bit smaller with less room in the back – though not by much. One thing I like about the 1-series is that BMW didn’t really seem to skimp on the quality of materials as you’d expect in a lesser car, I’d say it’s the same as the 3-series only in a smaller package.

It corners better than my EP3 but in a different way, not quite as nimble but definitely faster on fast sweeping corners. The suspension is stiff but not EP3 stiff and is very well damped. The extra weight compared to my ep3 doesn’t feel that bad probably because max torque (double the ep3) is available from 1500rpm! Pulls like a train, obviously faster than my civic but doesn’t give you the same kick in the back as vtec does – more like a constant but strong pull. Very little turbo lag and the low down torque makes it really easy to drive. Fuel economy is about the same as my Civic. Around town I get low 20s but on the motorway I have seen 40+mpg! Pretty good for a 3.0 turbo!

Mods – only cosmetic so far, tinted rear windows, LED angel eyes and LED interior lights. Will add a Black grill later and have just done the golf-tee mod which makes the standard exhaust louder. Cold starts are quite loud especially when you live in a quiet residential area!

I’ll have it remapped later to improve throttle response and give it another 80-100bhp to take it close to 400bhp which I think is all I will need. A cat back exhaust and a new diffuser will finish her off. Other than that I’ll probably keep it stock though I’ve been told an intercooler will be a good mod to do too…

Some cr4ppy iphone photos…

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[Harv]

imageshack pics not working.

what is it? im guessing a 135i?

edit - got links to work, exactly the same as mine lol good choice. not sure you will get 400hp from a remap *** lol

 

[R20190]

Hmm, not sure what happened with the photos. I can't seem to go back and edit the links. Can a mod help please? Ta!

 

[Mwng]

[/IMG] delete this from link for them to work. Nice motor

 

[R20190]

The edit function gives me a blank message box even in advance. No idea why.

Anyway, here are the photos

 

[Jermal]

Lovely motors these. Very impressed when Harv took me for a spin in his.

Not overly sold on the walnut dash finish. Is it easy to replace this with the graphite/carbon look ones instead? Proper set mind, none of this faffing around with carbon wrap.

 

[Ed]

Smart. I'm a real fan of the 1 Series saloon

 

[dotty]

First mod - golf tee.

 

[R20190]

Lovely motors these. Very impressed when Harv took me for a spin in his.

Not overly sold on the walnut dash finish. Is it easy to replace this with the graphite/carbon look ones instead? Proper set mind, none of this faffing around with carbon wrap.

Yeah I don't like it either. I've been busy looking for a good brushed aluminium vinyl to wrap it or just wait for a good used set of genuine ones off ebay. I thought about carbon, but I'm quite fussy about carbon having had a few carbon bits before so imo all the carbon-look vinyl I've seen so far doesn't look "real" enough including the 3M stuff.

 

[R35735]

Get the BMW carbon fibre rear spoiler ASAP IMO. Looks superb against the white.

 

[Danger200]

I too am a fan of these, good choice. As per Harv, you won't get 400bhp, you will more than likely see circa 360-370bhp though

 

[R20190]

I too am a fan of these, good choice. As per Harv, you won't get 400bhp, you will more than likely see circa 360-370bhp though

Thanks mate. I'd be looking at getting close to 400bhp, as you say about 370bhp would be plenty but I have read some people in the US have managed to get bit more though obviously a lot depends on the dyno used.

Having said that, it is already pretty quick in stock form and I've read (and can believe) will comfortably match E46 M3's straight line pace. For me, getting a remap is mainly to improve throttle response, which coming from a Type-R there is a bit of a gap though not huge. Extra power and torque would be a bonus.

One thing I do miss about my EP3 is the simplicity of the electrics. In the BMer everything is computer controlled, monitored, coded, error checked etc. I've already managed to blow a couple of fuses changing interior bulbs to LEDs. Absolute PITA.

Oh and whilst I love the white (best colour imo), waxing it seems to be a wasted effort. Wax just doesn't seem to do anything on white?! Can anyone with a CW Type-r recommend me a wax that does make a difference or are they all the same?

 

[Danger200]

I'd check out the DW forum, I read something a little while back for white cars, but as I don't have a white car as a daily I didn't take any notice. I personally use Auto Glym extra gloss protection, and that seems to work very well on satin silver paint. But unless you were to get red/blue/black car you will never really see a deep shine in direct sunlight.
In the US they love running meth and shizzle like that and you have willy wagging to contend with too. I think 400 will almost be achieved with intake, IC, DP(s) and a decent map. Apparently Evolve are the guys to go to if you don't want a plug and play map like Cobb/JB4/Procede (that's if they do them for the N55 engine that is). After this, things start getting very pricey.