My new M235i

[CosmosM3]

Originally Posted by Dave B

I just think the F80 M3/M4 exhaust noise is a bit too forced, raspy, metallic in certain ranges, and perhaps a bit farty when under load. It only gets worse with an aftermarket exhaust. Somehow the single turbo N55 motors sound more fluid, throaty, etc.



Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIJCJPatUP8

Different strokes... the new M3/M4 exhaust while not everyone's cup of tea is far from awful.

[Dave B]

Last Friday while in the Town Center area, there must have been some M meet because five new M3/M4s made a turn out of parking lot in front of me and all made it a point to get on it as they entered the main street. The sound was uhhhhh......, Vipers sound better under heavy load, IMO. I'll leave it at that.

[CosmosM3]

Originally Posted by Dave B

Last Friday while in the Town Center area, there must have been some M meet because five new M3/M4s made a turn out of parking lot in front of me and all made it a point to get on it as they entered the main street. The sound was uhhhhh......, Vipers sound better under heavy load, IMO. I'll leave it at that.

Cool story

[Keboh]

I think Vipers sound good too. I must have low standards, in regards to exhaust notes

[Dave B]

Originally Posted by Keboh

I think Vipers sound good too. I must have low standards, in regards to exhaust notes

Do you work in a loud environment? Might want to consider getting your ears checked.

[Keboh]

Originally Posted by Dave B

Do you work in a loud environment? Might want to consider getting your ears checked.

I just like things, instead of not liking things. You might want to try it sometime; makes life a lot better.

[Wallace]

Wait, you don't like how Vipers sound? What?

With that said, I think it takes a bit to make any of these I6 cars sound good IMO.

[CosmosM3]

Originally Posted by Dave B

Do you work in a loud environment? Might want to consider getting your ears vaccinated.

fixed

[Dave B]

Originally Posted by CosmosM3

fixed

This story never gets old. Never.

[KUweatherman]

I'm late to the game, but just saw your car in the KCSR Lawn thread. Had forgot all about this purchase. Looks and sounds great!

[mild83]

Crank the booooost on the bitch.

[Squeaky192]

Originally Posted by Wallace

Wait, you don't like how Vipers sound? What?

With that said, I think it takes a bit to make any of these I6 cars sound good IMO.

Vipers kinda sounds like hell to be honest.

[Dave B]

Originally Posted by KUweatherman

I'm late to the game, but just saw your car in the KCSR Lawn thread. Had forgot all about this purchase. Looks and sounds great!

Thanks. I've really been enjoying the car so far. I love the sound. As the exhaust breaks in, I can hear quite a bit more turbo sounds out the back and there's a nice hollow warble.

Crank the booooost on the bitch.

Maybe later. Lots of many other things will come before power. With the rather narrow 245s out back and in temps below 70, traction in certain situations can be a bit limited in 1st and 2nd (to some extent), which are the gears I romp on the most. With more power, it would likely go up in smoke in 1st and 2nd. 3rd would obliviously be fine but then you're talking about big ticket range as the meat of 3rd is 70mph to 100mph. I'm not saying the car is crazy powerful at all, but the 245 width Michelin Pilot Supersports and the big wallop of low rpm torque can be a bit too much as the PSS require a lot of warm up to perform. I do wish there was a simple way to get full boost in 1st and 2nd (it's boost limited in those gears) for those times when the PSS are hot and grabbing.

[Dave B]

Got these installed today. Alutec Drive 18x8 et43 (square) on the factory 225/40r18 front and 245/35r18 rear MPSS tires. The rears are very flush and the fronts are just slightly within the wheel well. Next up is the M Performance rear diffuser, body color mirror caps, front lip spoiler, and a Dinan Stage 2 tune and downpipe.

[mild83]

Looks good bro. Except for the rear bumper, that looks like a fucking Kia.

But weren't you knocking the Dinan stuff in another thread?

[Dave B]

Originally Posted by mild83

Looks good bro. Except for the rear bumper, that looks like a fucking Kia.

But weren't you knocking the Dinan stuff in another thread?

Thanks. If you're talking about the dark grey lower rear valence, yeah, it's terrible. That's the part I'll be replacing very soon. It makes a big difference in improving the rear of the car.

As for Dinan, I all for their piggyback tuners. It's pricey because Dinan gives you a warranty that covers any powertrain damage that may result from the power mods that BMW won't cover within the powertrain warranty coverage period (4 years/50K miles). I also like the Dinan piggyback tuner better because it reads/considers far more parameters than all the other cheaper piggybacks on the market. The Dinan piggyback delivers a smoother, more consistent power delivery with far fewer instances of CELs. The Dinan tune focuses on the best driveability for all situations rather than all out power. A Stage II Dinan tune with a downpipe is good for around 370-380whp/420-430wtq which I know is a joke for KCSR.

[Dave B]

Here are some updates to the M235. Lots of M Performance parts have been added. Still stock, engine wise.


- Alutec Drive 18X8 rims using the OEM staggered 225/40R18 and 245/35R18 MPSS rubber. I'll eventually go with a square 245/35R18 setup.

- M Performance pedals and shifter. The shifter is smaller knob made of raw carbon fiber and sits a bit lower. It reduces throws a bit and makes for a more direct shift feel. Love it.

- M Performance front splitter/spoiler with the splitter portions wrapped in Avery White Pearl vinyl. Most guys leave the splitter portions flat black like the lip, but I think that wrecks the look of the front bumper and kills the character lines.

- M Performance rear carbon fiber wing. Yes, real carbon fiber. Weight savings, yo!

- M Performance rear diffuser.

- White mirror caps in place of the OEM silver mirror caps.

[mild83]

Not a big fan of the wheels, but the rest looks great.

[Keboh]

I agree with mild; the wheels aren't my favorite, but it sounds like you wanted to stay OEM and those are some of the better looking ones from the factory. They don't look bad, but I think there are better options in the aftermarket world.

[TAILWAG]

Love the splitters!
The wheels are certainly a bit different...maybe you have to see it in person.

[jwdb1fish]

Kia called.


They'd like their wheels back.

[Dave B]

Originally Posted by TAILWAG

Love the splitters!
The wheels are certainly a bit different...maybe you have to see it in person.

I too had my doubts as did my friends when I picked out the wheels. The photos don't do them justice and they can look a bit flat in pics. They're much like the M wheels, though not quite as concave. They have a lot more pop and depth in person. The improved offset makes them look much wider as well. Since the spokes are stretched to the rim edge, they look like 19s.

Most of the 2 series crowd goes with 18X8.5 in the front and 18X9.5 in the back and they run OEM sized tires which look stretched to hell and the wheels tend to sit 5mm to 10mm outside the fender line (yuck). The offset options generally suck due to the lack of space under the fenders thus the need to stretch the tires on wide wheels and camber them in which causes a host of other issues. I choose this more conservative option because I could the offset I wanted (nearly flush with the fenders, sit just inside) and I can fit 245s on the front. If this car needs anything, it's more rubber on the front axle...... and a true LSD (that's in the future).

[6-Bolt2g]

I feel an aggressive wheel and offset with the right amount of drop would make these cars look a lot better. Don't get me wrong they are great machines but in the looks department they just appear bland. What you've done looks purdy

[KUweatherman]

Love the wheels. Haters gon’ hate.

[Dave B]

Originally Posted by 6-Bolt2g

I feel an aggressive wheel and offset with the right amount of drop would make these cars look a lot better. Don't get me wrong they are great machines but in the looks department they just appear bland. What you've done looks purdy

I agree, these cars do look good with a drop and some sexy wheels, but I'm completely fine with the barely two finger gap all around. I've lowered most every car I've owned and this the first one that I won't. Lowering cars is full of so much compromise, especially on this car with the adaptive suspension. I love my wheels and feel they're more inline with what the Germans are now doing with their wheels; flatter more upright faces, machined, and black accents. I know it's not a look for everyone, but I just couldn't have another 2 Series running around on VMR rims like most everyone else plus the offsets and widths are too aggressive and excessive for my liking. If I were pushing 380-400whp/400-420wtq like so many do in these cars, I'd reconsider the wheel setup to get more tire out back. I've been entirely fine with the stock ~310whp/330wtq. Seems like plenty for the street and it's very usable. The 6MT is an absolute joy as well.

As for the 2 series body being a bit bland, I would agree with that too, especially the ass and the large distance between the top of the front fender opening and hoodline. This car is very dependent on the color as most of them don't do it justice. I choose Mineral White because it pops all the body work, much better than any other color plus you've got that white and black and red contrast. I find the look purposeful and not wrought with lots of unnecessary vents and cladding. While in traffic or at the gas station, I'm often told by ALL walks of life how great the car looks, and oddly, almost always asked, how much power does it have and is it fast.