Clean and Clear Dec 5, 2008
The BMW recently got a much-needed bath. Yeah, it got a little gross. We have all been there. More importantly, we started dyno testing different exhaust systems for the car.
We also visited the Superchips dyno facility last week, and soon we'll be back for more testing.
Less Dirt, More Power Feb 2, 2009
Time for an update as we get our 335i ready for future testing. The BMW will soon be heading back to the dyno. We have an intake to test and some computer work to do. Until we can get to that, we've been checking items off our list.
We started off with an oil change, filling it up with Syntec oil.
We had the car on display this past weekend at our GRM Experience at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. We splurged and even had the car detailed. Nice to see people checking it out, too.
We tried to run some laps at Sebring the week before, but the car went into limp-home mode. Looks like the oil temperature was getting too hot. We're investigating the situation right now.
We've been talking with our friends at Bimmerworld, and some more suspension parts will soon be on the way, too.
Test-Fitting Feb 26, 2009
We recently got an interesting call from our friends at Complete Custom Wheel: Could they borrow our BMW to check a fitment? CCW is located about 10 minutes away from our office, so of course we helped. The whole process took less than half an hour.
While there, Company President John Purner gave us some useful information. A larger footprint would definitely help our on-track performance, and he provided some particulars.
If we want to run 18-inch wheels, he'd recommend 18x9 fronts and 18x10.5 rears. He'd match those wheels with 245/40R18 and 275/35R18 tires, respectively. If opting for a 19-inch wheel helps regarding tire availability, then he'd go with 19x9 fronts and 19x10.5 rears; he'd wrap those with 245/35R19 and 285/30R19 tires.
So, are a set of CCW wheels in our future? Well, they are light, strong and attractive. We'll see.
We’re Not Tired of This One Apr 24, 2009
All too often, adding more performance involves a trade-off: Get more speed but lose some comfort. With the BMW, we really didn't have to go there.
Just a few weeks ago we replaced the stock tires with something a big sportier, the new Bridgestone Potenza RE-11. So far, so good--amazing performance matched with very, very little road noise. The RE-11 is Bridgestone's latest max-performance tire, and it was part of the Street Touring tire test that's in our June issue.
And yes, we realize that our wheels are dirty.
More Dyno Work Jul 7, 2009
Our 335i has made a few more recent visits to the dyno. Now that it has a sportier exhaust, it was time to tweak the ECU. We tested both the Split Second Turbo Tuner as well as the VAC Turbo Intelligent Control Module. We also tested the AFE free-flowing intake. Look for the next project car installment in the October issue.