[wheelie good]

Originally Posted by ant1985

good skills pal

so thats now 2 jobs you have done with out me, dv's and grills.

im going to be redundant shortly !

LOL thank fook for that, he leaves all the easy jobs to you

[ant1985]

ye fit the jb4 fit the inter cooler etc

[RagingKileak]

Morning Gents,

This probably should be a major update but to be honest I think it will be better off with some pics so I will post some in due course as well as a more detailed write up.

In short, the recent news is that it's been an expensive and busy four or five days for me and the 335i. Last Saturday, Ant and I fitted the ETS Intercooler, then on the Monday I had 4 ContiSport Contact non RFT's fitted at the same time as the Type 269 wheels were fitted and refurbed in black chrome. Then, I had a pair of AR Design Downpipes fitted yesterday at Statllers down in Sheffield.

So, with the Cool Carbon brake pads which Marcel supplied also fitted (that was last Wednesday) the car feels absolutely great. The intercooler and downpipes have made a huge difference to reducing lag and I suppose horsepower will be a little higher too. Statllers will be taking the car for a few RR runs in the future, but not until I return from the Nurburgring!

Next I think it's just going to be a case of figuring out how to make best use of the non RFT's. The car feels a little bouncy at the moment, which I think it due to overinflation. I am going to post up soon (and begin playing with) tyre pressures to see what works best for me.

Thanks for reading, pics will follow this weekend.

Regards
Matt

[Greg330]

I've recently moved to non-RFT's so interested to see what you think about tyre pressures....

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by RagingKileak

. The car feels a little bouncy at the moment, which I think it due to overinflation.

Maybe what you are feeling is the 'normal' ride of non RFTs returning some feel to the car?

You've just taken the equivalent of heavy granite boots off the car remember

[335iLondon]

Did you ever get along to Birds for the ARB/LSD install Matt?

[RagingKileak]

Originally Posted by 335iLondon

Did you ever get along to Birds for the ARB/LSD install Matt?

Hi mate,

No not yet. The question of fitting an LSD has been on my mind again recently though and I've just been trying to save up really.

I'm still very keen to do it and I still love this car. That's pretty good going for one of my vehicles and it COULD mean I take the plunge to invest.

Any specific reason for asking or just curious?

Matt

[dxb335d]

Hi mate, how are you? Has the 335i been good to you?

[335iLondon]

Originally Posted by RagingKileak

Hi mate,

No not yet. The question of fitting an LSD has been on my mind again recently though and I've just been trying to save up really.

I'm still very keen to do it and I still love this car. That's pretty good going for one of my vehicles and it COULD mean I take the plunge to invest.

Any specific reason for asking or just curious?

Matt

Hey,

Well I was all set to sell up and move on to something from Stuttgart but tbh I could not let go of the car having owned it for so long vs the resale value, I could not make the leap. Bit soft I know!

Anyway decided to try and get it to handle how I want as that was the main driver for changing motor. So am hoping to get LSD and ARB's done early 2013

Just need to justify it will change the car into more of an enjoyable thing to push round the bends.

Anyway, keen to hear your thoughts when you do, and congrats a great bild thread. Its alot of effort but im sure many silent readers are out there that appreciate it.

[gangzoom]

Eibach ARBs has made me E90 335 much more lively in corners, it still understeers when pushed but the backend is much keener to get involved and turn-in is sharper. It's not the most cost efficient mod though.....

[RagingKileak]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Hi mate, how are you? Has the 335i been good to you?

Good mate, thanks. How are you, missus and dog? We'll be hoping to pop down sometime next year so it will be good to meet up with you two and Ed and Mandy etc if possible.

Aside from a couple of small problems I am still loving the 335i. I think this is probably my favourite car yet.... Unlike the Golf it seems to be more 'driveable' in this high state of tune, which is extremely welcome. I've just updated the sat nav to 2013, changed the fuel pump and I am getting ready for some big mods next year as discussed above.

On that note and in response to 335iLondon and Gangzoom, I think the overwhelming weight of response in favour of suspension, ARB and LSD mods means it HAS to be good, but like we all seem to agree it's just a big wedge for a car that is already on a steep decline resale wise. I think if I do the LSD, I will need to mentally prepare myself to keep the car for 3 more years or lose a lot of money in that diff chances are, the next owner will never ever know exists.

That said, I am also looking at brakes and water meth next year, so there is a lot of investment in brakes too. That said at least it's only a 2 hr job for Ant to change them

Rgds
Matt

[dxb335d]

We are all fine cheers mate. Glad all is good with you. Let me know about next year. Be up for that yeah.

The diff for your car would be amazing I agree. Just major dough.

[gangzoom]

The LSD is defiantly a worth while upgrade, I think I paid about £1.5K for Birds to fit mine which seems like a lot but when you consider BMW wants £2K for built in SatNav and people are happy to spend £1K+ on wheels its not all that much.....well thats how I justified it anyways.....it also means I'm "forced" to hold onto the car for a long while yet, so in the long run I'm actually saving money because I'm not lossing £2-3K every few years in changing car

[RagingKileak]

Yeah I do see the logic. For the DTC car, the cost is £2200 rather than £1500. For the LSD, ARB's and Bilstein suspension including fitting and VAT, my quote comes to just about £4000 via Birds.

It's an offensive amount of money, frankly.

Matt

[gangzoom]

£4K!!! that is alot to spend in one go

Fitting the diff is pretty specialised work which Birds do well, but it might work out cheaper getting someone else to fit the ARB and suspension bits. My local mechanic was able to fit my Eibach Antiroll bars/rear M3 bushes for alot less than what Birds quote on their website, that included him having to make a tool to get the old bushes out....still given the NEW M135i/335i are all still using the N55 engine, your car with all the engine mods and Birds suspension kit will still be outperforming anything you can buy from BMW for quite a while yet....proper M cars apart obviously

[ChrisNI]

What's the difference between the DCT and the older Auto boxes?

Would you ever sell?

[Squintstream]

Originally Posted by ChrisNI

What's the difference between the DCT and the older Auto boxes?

Would you ever sell?

Day and night mate!

7 speed as opposed to 6, smoother more seamless changes, yet more aggressive and responsive to manual changes as and when required.

An expensive option when new and demands a premium when buying 2nd hand.

[RagingKileak]

The way I see it, it makes sense for Birds to fit the rear ARB for me as my diff is welded, so my whole subframe will come down/off anyway. Suspension I agree on and am not likely to go with Birds' option nowadays anyway.

I'll certainly sell the car one day, like I do all cars lol! Another year at least though I'm hoping.

As for the DCT. Well as per my first few posts, this car was picked because it has the newer CIC Nav, DCT AND is a twin turbo N54. That combination of things was only around for a few months and I'm pleased I held out for it.

The DCT in sport mode, with paddles in use is savage when changing up gears during hard driving. During normal driving, she is perfectly sedate and calm. A great gearbox that doesn't have any compromises in my opinion.

Matt

[RagingKileak]

Hey chaps,

I purchased a new camera last week and it came on Friday night, so this weekend I had an hour free to pop out and get some pics. I'm not especially good at using it just yet, but here are a few shots anyway.

The main thing about these pictures is that I think they feature the new wheels with their powder coat for the first time. I think they look awesome personally and although I do like the 269's with a diamond cut finish, that would have been an expensive refurb and I am happy with the shadow chrome outcome you see below.

Please, not too much commentary on my poor photography lol. Tips welcome!!























Thanks
Matt

[dxb335d]

Looks very nice Matt mate!

[seanblee]

Looks great, Matt!

[Hotcoupe]

Lovely wheels Matt,liking the finish

Is the car lowered in any way?
In some pics it looks like it is,but the close up shot of the front wheel looks like perhaps it isn't