[Bee Pee]

http://www.motorsport24.de/motorspor...box::2027.html

[Renus]

After very fast viewing your articles, I can say that you wheel was wrongly changed, you should change for something lighter like forged wheel, and Bastuck exhaust not really good in sound as I have one before, but only cheap in price.

Next what you should consider is LSD on your car, suggest M3 LSD, good luck man.

[bootay]

Originally Posted by Renus

After very fast viewing your articles, I can say that you wheel was wrongly changed, you should change for something lighter like forged wheel, and Bastuck exhaust not really good in sound as I have one before, but only cheap in price.

Next what you should consider is LSD on your car, suggest M3 LSD, good luck man.

Already has Quaiffe LSD...M3 LSD is not a simple swap regardless.

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by Renus

After very fast viewing your articles, I can say that you wheel was wrongly changed, you should change for something lighter like forged wheel

The Alpina wheels are already very light. And I like how they look. Of course there are even lighter rims available, but I don't like how they look and on bad roads they can get bent more easily than my current wheels. So no thank you, I like the wheels just as they are.

Originally Posted by Renus

and Bastuck exhaust not really good in sound as I have one before, but only cheap in price.

I disagree - I like the sound of the Bastuck exhaust very much. In combination with the catless DPs and the replacement of the secondary cats the sound is really fantastic, and I use every opportunity (tunnel!) to hear the car roar again. There may be more expensive options, but that does not mean they're necessarily better - and Bastuck is not that cheap either. But if you define yourself by price, then you may want to look elsewhere, like to the Akrapovic titanium exhaust.

Originally Posted by Renus

Next what you should consider is LSD on your car, suggest M3 LSD, good luck man.

I think you haven't really read much of the reviews. I have had a Quaife LSD for more than 2 years now. And no, the M3 LSD certainly is not a very good idea, as the installation is extremely complex and cost intensive. Quaife, Wavetrac or Drexler are just as good and much easier to install.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[BMW_Belgier]

Just fantastic your write-up here

Came to this forum after reading this

[Tak1986]

fantastic write up!

havent got time to go through everything yet, but have saved to my favourites

[Blaster400]

I was just about ready to buy Bilstein coilovers until I read this review. Looking forward to reading your Ohlins write up since that is my next choice. Thanks for sharing your experiences Alpina!

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

23. Öhlins Road & Track – coilover

• Why?

As already indicated in this review, I was not satisfied with my Bilstein B16 Ride Control suspension due to several reasons. During daily driving I was particularly annoyed at the ride height that was far too low even on the highest setting (front spoiler scraping on the floor each time I went into an underground parking lot), the clunking of the front dampers in spite of having replaced them a few thousand kilometers ago and last not least at the vertical movements of the rear axle at high speeds.

I decided therefor that I needed a different suspension. But which one? I informed myself assiduously on various forums as well as with a number of friends. I excluded another Bilstein suspension due to the above mentioned hassles. In principle I wanted to have a coilover again so that I could set the ride height exactly as I wanted it, and the next suspension would have to redress all shortcomings of the B16 RC and improve on the ride comfort. Bordering on squaring the circle?  In the end there were several alternatives that I was considering:

- AC Schnitzer sports suspension: Manfred Wollgarten of AC Schnitzer has an excellent reputation for his know-how in suspension matters, and I had a very positive feedback about this sports suspension from an acquaintance. In addition, AC Schnitzer offers several versions of this suspension, depending on the engine (and therefor weight) which in my book means they really know what they're doing. That suspension has the parts no. 313090310 and costs 1153,- EUR.
- KW Variante 3: In the past few years, KW has gained an excellent reputation due to the fact that they have a suspension dyno available which has considerably improved their products. I had also heard several very good feedbacks on the KW V3; the advantage as compared to the AC Schnitzer suspension was in particular the adjustability (ride height, compression and rebound of the dampers). Price: ca. 1700 EUR.
- Öhlins Road & Track: A very good friend of mine had already changed with his 335i from the Bilstein B16 RC to the Öhlins Road & Track and had tested it extensively on the Nordschleife. In addition, a motorsports garage near the Nürburgring has been an official Öhlins dealer for years and warmly recommended me this coilover. Price: ca. 2100 EUR.

In the end I decided for the Öhlins coilover. Öhlins has - coming from bikes - an excellent reputation as high end solution for suspensions, in particular in the racing sector. In addition, I could resort to the experience of a garage I knew quite well (and which had already installed this suspension in an Alpina B3 S Biturbo E90 just a few weeks earlier), as well as the feedback of a very experienced friend of mine. As far as the price range was concerned, the Öhlins was approximately as expensive as my Bilstein coilover and was therefor in an acceptable price range.

Öhlins disposes of a patented technology that is called DFV (Dual Flow Valve) which ensures that the same characteristics are there on rebound as on compression, due to the damper fluid having a consistent path of flow in both directions. This means that the wheel and tyre can quickly and effectively resume their important position back on the ground, providing grip and traction. The quicker opining of the DFV on road imperfections is supposed to add to the ride comfort. Over uneven surfaces, the compliancy of the Öhlins allows the car to crest bumps and pot-holes, whilst still keeping it stable and in control. Here's a diagram illustrating the functioning of the DFV technology:



In addition, Öhlins has developed a system that deals with the heat that dampers generate due to the friction of the piston moving within the damper. Öhlins has developed a unique needle bleed valve which expands with temperature, closing the gap that the fluid travels through, maintaining a consistent damping rate and avoiding a change of handling characteristics while driving.

In addition to the ride height which is adjusted by leaving the spring seat in its perfect position whilst the lower flange spins on the threaded body (and therefor does not compress or extend the spring), compression and rebound can also be adjusted (not separately though), and the Öhlins McPherson struts also feature camber adjustable upper and lower mounts. Lastly there's the possibility to use different springs with higher spring rates and valve the dampers for this accordingly. Out of the box, the Öhlins leads to a lowering of about 15mm, and the spring rates are 60Nm (front) and 70Nm (rear).

Here's a picture of the front damper:




• How?

The installation and adjusting of the suspension was done by BMSracing e.K. in Leimbach at the Nürburgring. The owner Uli Baumert has been an Öhlins specialist and dealer for years and obviously had no problem installing and adjusting the coilover.

After a few test drives, a moderate lowering of the ride height and the standard rebound/compression settings (7 clicks) seemed to be ideal for both daily driving and a few quick laps on the Nordschleife.

Some photos of the installation:

Front:


Rear:


At the same time, adjustable toe links from Rogue Engineering were installed, which should prevent lateral movements in the rear during acceleration - and adjustable toe is a particular advantage in the case of height adjustable coilovers (as these may lead to a positive toe that cannot be corrected with the OEM toe links). I ordered these through Harold at HP Autowerks; the price is currently 289 USD for the black anodized version in aluminium. That's what they look like:



And here's how they look once installed:






• Improvements?

When picking up my car I was obviously very curieus, as the suspension is one of the most important components of the car - on the Nordschleife as well as while driving it in normal traffic.

Ride height:
My requirement had been very clear before installing the suspension - having a higher ride height than with the Bilstein suspension. To my pleasant surprise this was possible without any problems, so that I can now drive into underground parking lots and go over speed bumps without fearing of scraping my front spoiler. It does not look overly low slung either anymore, and even while driving on the 'Ring in sections such as the "Karussell" where the suspension goes into a lot of compression there is still some margin:



Also during a normal bend on the 'Ring:



Handling:
I'm also very pleased with the handling of the Öhlins suspension. Similar to the Bilstein suspension, there's almost no vertical movement, and quick left-right combinations do not disturb the car at all - together with all the M3 components that have been installed so far, it really handles extremely sharply and the car snappily follows any steering input. At high speeds the car feels very safe and composed; also challenging passages on the 'Ring such as the last part of the Fuchsröhre where you approach an uphill left bend at more than 200 km/h and the suspension goes into an extreme compression (attention: typically evokes panic attacks from unwary passengers) do not make the suspension nervous at all. Also, high speed passages with bumps - such as the "Pflanzgarten" section on the Nürburgring or driving at 250 km/h on an uneven Autobahn in Germany - which with the Bilstein suspension previously unsettled the car and led to disquieting vertical movements at the rear axle did not faze the car at all now and the rear axle maintained an excellent contact to the road.

Ride comfort:
Due to the various M3 suspension components that are installed in my car, the suspension is far stiffer than in an ordinary 335i anyway. In combination with the previous Bilstein suspension I found it sometimes a little too much on the harsh side, in particular on some of the bad roads we have here in Europe. The Öhlins by contrast is quite a bit more supple and absorbs uneven roads much better. Obviously you can't expect any Rolls Royce like ride with a coilover, but it is quite surprising how much residual comfort remains. At least for me the Öhlins suspension is suitable for long distance trips - and for use on very even circuits such as the Hockenheimring or the Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring it is still possible to adjust the dampers to a stiffer setting. The spring rate also seems to me very well adapted to the car, and at least for now I do not see the necessity of changing the spring rates (e.g. with Swift springs such as some have done).


• Problems / disadvantages?

I have now been driving the Öhlins suspension for over 10 months, have done more than 15.000km with it and quite a few laps on the Nürburgring. Until now there's no clunking or any other noise coming from the suspension, and no problems have arisen during the installation or use so far. The substantial price may of course be considered a drawback, but for me the Öhlins is worth it and offers an excellent value for money.

For those living in Germany: A TÜV certificate comes with the Öhlins suspension, so that it can easily be officially registered in the car papers.

In summary: Recommended without reservation!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[Lifted07Duramax]

good thread for me to come back to

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

A bit of footage from 2012 - in summer when I did a few laps on the Nordschleife with some friends. On the one you see below I was supposed to act as a guide car for a friend who hasn't done many laps yet; a cousin of another friend was a passenger in my car, which is why there's some commentary to be heard on various sections of the 'Ring.

It's not a very fast lap, but I hope you'll still enjoy it.

Have fun! And sorry for the not-so-optimal video quality, I'll improve it soon (got to re-encode it differently).

Alpina_B3_Lux

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

24. Performance Friction – Big Brake Kit

• Why?

You will probably have noticed in some of my reviews that I do drive on the Nürburgring Nordschleife from time to time, as well as on German Autobahn with no speed limits. On the 'Ring but also when braking hard from very high speeds in excess of 170 mph, the brakes of any car are under tremendous stress and have to cope with different requirements than under normal traffic conditions. I had therefor already replaced the stock brake pads with pads from Cool Carbon, which improved the braking response (by making it more linear) and the resistance to heat-induced fading.

During the sportscar driving training of the German car magazine "sport auto" on the Nordschleife in September 2011 where I was doing a lot of rather quick laps on the 'Ring I noticed that at the latest after three fast laps the stock brake system was at its limits, even with the improved brake pads. In particular at the end of these two track days, where the weather was finally dry and I had more confidence in my knowledge of the circuit as well as my car (and I therefor drove faster than before) this was noticeable: vibrations, juddering and squealing signaled that the stock braking system could take no more.

In addition, I knew that I would be upgrading my turbos with RB turbos at the beginning of 2012, resulting in a power bump to more than 500hp. More power = more responsibility errr I mean better brakes required! In particular on a race track a more powerful car also means that you will drive faster in most sections and will therefor have to brake harder at the end thereof (at least as long as the speed in the bends stays identical). Until now I had avoided this last big step of upgrading my car as I knew that a complete brake kit is one of the most expensive investments that can be made for a car.

Which brake kit to take then? There were several alternatives:

• There's StopTech, that has a very good reputation and their brake kit for the 335i was also used by Alpina in their limited edition model B3 GT3. Their kit costs for the front axle (part no. 83.154.6700; 355mm diameter) 3745,- EUR and for the rear (part no. 83.154.004; 345mm diameter) 3103,- EUR.
• Then there's of course Brembo. Their BBK called "Gran Turismo" or "GT" is even available in two sizes as a six-piston kit for the front (355mm and 380mm). It has to be noted though that the bigger diameter results in fitment issues with most wheels, even in 19 inches due to the huge calipers. The smaller version has a list price of 3868 EUR (front) and 3400 EUR (rear).
• Furthermore there is AP Racing who also dispose of an excellent reputation in the brake sector and offer a similar kit for the 335i, again with 356mm and six pistons in the front, but using the stock brake discs for the rear (possibly due to difficulties in fitting the hand brake drum). This Set is sold in Germany among others by ISA Racing and is offered at a list price of 2905 EUR (front; part no. CP5575-09) and 1244 EUR (rear; part no. CP6625-00).
• Finally there is Performance Friction who also have a first-rate reputation for high-end braking systems. Their big brake kit is not cheap either and is quotet at 3600 EUR (front; part no. 1113.0001) and 3400 EUR (rear; part no. 1114.0001).

All of these kits are in principle an excellent choice and a substantial improvement over the stock braking system. At first I had intended to get the kit from AP Racing, as several friends of mine already have it installed on their 335i and are very satisfied with it, even while driving on the Nürburgring. In addition, the AP Racing kit is less expensive and it was possible to further upgrade it by using brake discs from Performance Friction ("PFC"). I excluded Brembo as I found them extremely expensive, and had heard that the availability of spare parts can be a problem with it. The kits from StopTech and PFC are almost as expensive, but I was told from several people independently of each other that PFC uses components of higher quality. The fact which tipped the scales in favour of the PFC big brake kit was in the end that I was offered a used kit that had only by used for one week for testing purposes on a car at a substantial rebate.

Here's a photo of the complete kit (I borrowed some photos from the excellent article from MotoIQ about the almost identical kit for the 135i):


What are the specific features of the PFC big brake kit?

One aspect that indicates quite strongly to the high-end quality of this kit is the use of a monobloc caliper made out of aluminium. Monobloc kits are usually reserved to motorsport applications and are horrendously expensive for street cars (Brembo offers a kit that goes well into a five figure price, used for example in the Porsche GT3), and it means that the whole caliper is made out of one piece of aluminium instead of two or more pieces being bolted together. An advantage of the monobloc calipers is a far higher resistance against warping, which also means better fading resistance than with two-part calipers. Also, that means that the calipers can be designed smaller, which again is an advantage in weight and compatibility with existing wheels.

Here's a photo of the caliper:



Comparison between stock caliper and PFC caliper:



Each caliper is equipped with four pistons, which may seem paradoxical at first – the standard being rather a 6 piston kit (see above). In principle the more pistons the bigger the pad surface that touches the brake disc, which improves the stopping power. However, other factors also play a role, such as the nature of the caliper (monobloc or two-piece), the size of the pistons etc. PFC has decided to go with a rather unusual design: For each piston there's one small brake pad, which should result in a better initial bite and less taper wear.

You can recognize this feature very well in this photo:



And here are the four brake pads; these are no track-only pads but you can easily use them on a track, as well as in daily driving. For track-only duty it is recommended to use the new PFC08-compound. A replacement set for the front axle costs around 500 EUR:



The rotor has an alloy hat making it about 1.5kg (3 lbs) lighter than stock despite being larger and thicker. The rotor itself is made from a heat and wear resisting, heat treated, high carbon, copper, molybdenum iron alloy. The rotor's ventilation was designed by extensive computer aided airflow, stress and thermal analysis. The directional ventilation system (i.e. the ventilation channels are different for left and right) channels far more air into the rotor, which can mean a temperature difference of between 50 and 100 degrees Celsius. As one can see, the rotor is not drilled, but only dimpled so that there cannot be any fractures between the drill holes, and at the same time also dissipating gases and providing an excellent brake performance in the wet.

Here's a photo of a rotor:



In the following close-up you can see that the bolts simply hold the retaining ring and are not in shear at all:



Another advantage of the PFC kit is that it retains the original rear parking brake which is a separate unit inside the rear rotor, combined with a floating light weight alloy hat:



One of the problems of aftermarket brake kits is that these multi-piston brakes have to use the single hydraulic cylinder of the stock braking system, which due to the bigger surface area of the pistons often results in a poor braking bias and prevents the car's electronic nannies to function properly. That is also one of the reasons why in practice a bigger and more expensive braking system may actually result in longer braking distances and poorer performance of the brakes than with the stock stystem.

PFC however designed their kit exactly around the 335i and its hydraulic system, and the car's weight distribution and suspension geometry were examined as well as the stock hydraulic proportioning. The geometric mechanical advantage of the calipers due to caliper mounting position and rotor size was considered as well to model what the overall brake bias balance would be in static and dynamic simulation. The piston sizing of the Performance Friction calipers was configured using this data to give the proper brake bias.


• How?

The installation was done at the same time as my Öhlins coilover at BMSracing e.K. in Leimbach at the Nürburgring. The mounting of the brake kit didn't present any particular difficulties, as the owner of BMSracing had lots of experience with PFC brake kits.

Here's a photo of two calipers – with a bespoke colour in blue:


Installation / front (1):


Installation / front (2)


Installation / front with view onto the caliper:


Installation / rear:


Installation / steel flex brake lines:


And that's how it looks from the outside (1):


Ready! (2)



• Improvements?

The first thing you notice is the turbine-like noise that the brakes make when braking and which is caused by the slotted rotors. I find this really cool and it doesn't disturb me at all – and at higher speeds this is drowned out by other noises anyway.

The pedal feel is far better than with the stock brakes – the initial bite is there, but it is also linear so that with increasing pedal pressure the braking power increases proportionally as well.

The PFC brakes are completely fading resistant. I have not been able to extort any decrease in braking power even when pounding really hard on it during fast laps on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. To the contrary, the harder you strain the brakes, the better it brakes – possibly also a consequence of the brake pads that reach their optimal temperature only after having been used a bit. The same also holds true for several hard brakes from high speeds in excess of 200 km/h on a German motorway – and that really makes me feel much safer than before.

Due to the dimpled rotors, braking under wet conditions is much better than with the stock brakes, which due to their smooth surface often accumulate a water film that subsequently has to be eliminated by the brake pads before they can grab and transmit braking power. This has been much improved with the PFC kit.

There are almost no squealing issues either. With the first set of (used) brake pads that was indeed a slight problem (although nowhere near any full-race-pads-squeal), but this has improved a lot since I had the front pads replaced; now the kit almost does not squeal at all, even at the current very low temperatures.

On a race track, you could of course equip the kit with even more aggressive pads (e.g. the PFC08), but these are in my opinion unsuited to being drivin in public traffic or at low temperatures.


• Problems?

None, really. The only disadvantage is the hefty price tag – including installation you have to count with at least 7500 EUR, and this does not even include (for Germans that is) the work necessary to get it TÜV approved (which is possible but also costs quite a bit). For me however the value for money of this kit is nevertheless excellent, as from other manufacturers you can easily spend double that price to get a kit with similar build and engineering quality. Still, this is certainly only worth the while for those who intend on using their car on race tracks.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[jyeah]

Always enjoyed reading your reviews Marcel, they're all very well written and helpful.

Personally, I got the Stoptech Trophy Sport kit and I absolutely love the firm yet linear pedal feel with them compared to the stock, similar to your PFC's probably.

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Dear fellow BMW enthusiasts,

With some pride I would like to let you know that my car has been featured in the UK car magazine "BMWCar" (click here for their website and here for mor details about the present issue) in its most recent issue of February 2013 which has just hit the newsstands today.

It's an extensive article over 5 entire pages, covering the extensive modifications that I have made in the past few years to it.

The photos have been taken in front of the Luxembourg concert hall ("Philharmonie") which is a beautiful modern building that has been inaugurated in 2005. I think it contrasts very well with the dark colour of the car, but judge for yourself.

BMWCar has authorised me to publish the article on internet forums; you can find it below.

In case you would like to acquire the original magazine, you can either order it in paper format (for this, go to this website - the price is 5 GBP) or in electronic format (for this, go to this website, the price is GBP 3,99).

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good friend and outstanding photographer Ant Pearson (here is his website with more first-rate photos of his) for the fantastic photos he took and the great collaboration with him on this matter, as well as all those who have contributed with their knowledge and expertise to my car.

In case you would like to know more details about my car beyond what is written in the article, the following link is a good place to start: 335i E90 LCI - Experiences and various modifications.

Have fun reading!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[Blaster400]

Congratulations Alpina! Great to see you getting this prime time exposure for your car. Your extensive reviews of various mods have been invaluable to the community and have certainly helped me. I subscribe to BMW CAR so I'll look forward to receiving this issue.

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Some more photos, courtesy of Ant Pearson.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[lfelunden]

@Alpina_B3_Lux I have a Alpina B3 Biturbo and yesterday i installed HPF intercooler + AR design catless DP's, i will get this remapped when the snow is gone here in Germany ..

BTW do you have some acceleration clips of your 335i now ?

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by lfelunden

@Alpina_B3_Lux I have a Alpina B3 Biturbo and yesterday i installed HPF intercooler + AR design catless DP's, i will get this remapped when the snow is gone here in Germany ..

What will you use for the remap? I know that COBB and the JB4 work quite well with an Alpina B3 Biturbo.

Originally Posted by lfelunden

BTW do you have some acceleration clips of your 335i now ?

No, unfortunately not. I haven't even gotten around to doing some runs with the Racelogic Performance Box so far - the fine tuning of the COBB remap took quite a bit of time, and then the weather turned wintry. Now with snow and winter tires I can't even start to think about doing this - probably in spring when I've got my summer tires on again.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[lfelunden]

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

What will you use for the remap? I know that COBB and the JB4 work quite well with an Alpina B3 Biturbo.
No, unfortunately not. I haven't even gotten around to doing some runs with the Racelogic Performance Box so far - the fine tuning of the COBB remap took quite a bit of time, and then the weather turned wintry. Now with snow and winter tires I can't even start to think about doing this - probably in spring when I've got my summer tires on again.

Alpina_B3_Lux

I've had JB4 in 335i, but i will have a ECU flash done by ECS tuning in Krefeld, Germany.. The guy there tunes cars for brabus and remaps exotic cars .. Should have around 460hp with these mods - I think i will replace the midpipes

[Laguna Seca Blue]

Awesome, congratulations!

[windymissile]

What an astonishing write up. This sets the benchmark for anyone wanting to chart their cars progress as the modifications take over.
Congratulations on the mag feature. Well deserved.
Being new to the 335i scene, I will be coming back to these pages for inspiration and advice. Collecting my 2010 50k Individual M Sport on Wednesday and because of this thread there is already so much I want to do.
Will you be doing reviews on the meth inj and turbo upgrades that bring the car to it's current state?
WM.

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by windymissile

What an astonishing write up. This sets the benchmark for anyone wanting to chart their cars progress as the modifications take over.
Congratulations on the mag feature. Well deserved.
Being new to the 335i scene, I will be coming back to these pages for inspiration and advice. Collecting my 2010 50k Individual M Sport on Wednesday and because of this thread there is already so much I want to do.
Will you be doing reviews on the meth inj and turbo upgrades that bring the car to it's current state?
WM.

Thanks for your kind words!

The problem for further reviews is finding the time to write them; also because I'm very busy with a number of other things right now. The RB turbos work very well with a custom PTF map based on the COBB AP, but I haven't found the opportunity yet to try out the meth system in combination with it (mainly due to the long winter here).

Alpina_B3_Lux

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Some impressions from my trip to the Nürburgring Nordschleife last Sunday. Weather was fantastic, driving was loads of fun. I was there at 9.20 a.m. (the track as open since 9 a.m.), drove three laps (so around 63 km, more is not so ideal as the tires get too stressed). The first two were really nice, not so much traffic, I could drive my own lines very well. The third lap was less nice, as traffic became quite dense and I was constantly overtaking others which is somewhat stressful as you never know how much attention they're paying; during the first third of the lap I followed the M5 ringtaxi, that was really useful as it drove about my own speed and pushed other cars out of the way (not literally of course). I lost it out of sight after that though, as they have more overtaking prestige than I have.

10 minutes into my first break the track closed for a large accident near the "Kesselchen" (main vantage point for watchers), apparently a few cars and bikers drove into each other (don't know the details). This lead to the track being shut down for about 100 minutes, I was lucky enough to get a parking spot in the shade as it was starting to get really hot.

As it reopened again I did another three laps in a row, which was very pleasant as there was not that much traffic at the beginning. Just at the beginning of the second lap there was this annoying smoking and stinking and very loud ricer who didn't want to let me pass although being far slower. Anyway, on Flugplatz I passed him and never saw him again (luckily), the guy really didn't know what he was doing.

The car drove very well, in particular the suspension and brakes hold up nicely. The tires (Michelin Pilot Super Sport) are quite used up now (no driving in the rain with these...), and I'm also starting to feel that I have quite a bit less grip than with cup tires, in particular in tight corners. Now, if all goes well I'll have a set of OZ 18" rims with Federal 225/255 next week, I'm quite curious to try these out at the beginning of August when I'll be on the 'Ring next.

Two photos from Sunday:





Alpina_B3_Lux