[JJH]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

She looks great the spokes remind me of the RS4 rims (kinda!)

Is that a 275 rear?

Yes, I can see the RS4 thing happening with the BBS'. No mate, as I discussed with you, I stuck with the standard fit 255s believe it or not. I went with that because of the ET32 offset of the wheels and good job I did too. They sit out just perfectly but should give me the clearance when the new suspension goes in.

Originally Posted by Gemballa1980

Looks good! Never thought of heading up to the arboretum for a shoot!

I was looking for somewhere new and could not believe the views from up there ...

[Zoo Tv]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

Fitment was a huge PITA for me also, but looks great!

You got the bilsteins in yet!?!?

Coding isn't needed for these bulbs is it?

[JJH]

Originally Posted by Zoo Tv

Coding isn't needed for these bulbs is it?

No, it is a straight swap over; just a bit fiddley to fit as it is so tight in there. Persistence is all you need

[JJH]

It's been ages but here's an update.

I finally had the M3 front upper and lower control arms, Bilstein B12 suspension kit and a new set of upper and lower suspension mounts/bushings installed. A full alignment was also done especially because of the M3 control arms. What a transformation in terms of the way the car steers and handles - a huge improvement all round. The drop is only subtle and not as much as the claims of 25 mm front/20 mm rear that I had come across (1.0"/0.8" on a few US websites). Anyway, in the end it is really where I want it to be.

The final measurement is 345 mm front and 340 mm rear taken from centre of centre-cap to wheel arch lip for reference.

I've been asked for specs of the wheel tyre combo by a few via PM and for reference they are:

BBS CX-R 19 X 8.5 ET32 front; 19 X 9.5 ET32 rear with Michelin PSS 225/35 X 19 front; 255/30 X 19 rear

I stuck with the 255s on the rear as the ET32 offsets at the back brings me quite close to rubbing after the drop (not obvious in the photos, even though the drop turned out less than I expected). I could have probably gone with a 265 but with the offset, it may well rub with 4 up. I did not want to roll at all.

[Drew335]

Originally Posted by JJH_335

And yes, after the suspension will be LCI rears, Cyba exhaust tips and gloss black grills ….

I'll be parting out a few items on my 335 in November, including the LCI tails if you're interested. Anthony Costello fitted mine, the coding took a bit of time as it was the first one they'd done, might make for an easy changeover.

[Drew335]

BTW car looks great

[drjekl]

Good stuff i cant wait to get all my sussy parts in!

you state that the final measurement is 345 mm front and 340 mm rear taken from centre of centre-cap to wheel arch lip for reference, what was it before the drop?

Pics can be deceiving but it looks very similar to m sport ride height?

[Gemballa1980]

Looks good Jon! Photos don't do it justice though.. Especially the two tone wheels..

You've convinced me to upgrade to M3 front upper and lower control arms too. By the sounds of things, I'll be happy!!

[JJH]

Originally Posted by drjekl

you state that the final measurement is 345 mm front and 340 mm rear taken from centre of centre-cap to wheel arch lip for reference, what was it before the drop?

Pics can be deceiving but it looks very similar to m sport ride height?

TBH I am not sure what the M sport height is nor do I know what suspension type I originally had in the car. But measured mine before–after on my garage floor and found the drop was 15mm in the front and 10mm in the rear - yes, slight but noticable. Frankly, I did not want to have the hassle or worry about steep driveways, etc so this is just right for me.

Originally Posted by Gemballa1980

Looks good Jon! Photos don't do it justice though.. Especially the two tone wheels..

You've convinced me to upgrade to M3 front upper and lower control arms too. By the sounds of things, I'll be happy!!

Thanks, the anthracite/diamond cut finish does not seem to come up well in photos.

By having the M3 control arms fitted at the same time as the suspension, I realise I cannot differentiate what each has done (it is more cost effective to do that way though) but I must say that together the improvement in steering response, feel and precision is hard to miss. You'll appreciate it, I am sure .

[garasi_auto]

Very nice build !

[JJH]

I’ve realised it’s been a while since I updated this. Not a huge amount to show as things have been happening under the metal.

As the ignition parts on my car were still original, as far as I could tell, I decided on a refresh of the coils and plugs. Fortunately, when bought as kit, you can save a few dollars. I went with genuine BMW for these as they were available at only a very small extra cost at the time.

The one thing I had wanted to update was the interior lighting. LEDs just look way cooler and much more modern. I went with a full kit by Ziza from ECS Tuning as they were on sale at the time. The ECS website has a great installation guide at http://bd8ba3c866c8cbc330ab-7b26c6f3..._Light_Kit.pdf which is very useful even if you don’t end up with their kit. One hint I will mention is the dropping down of the lining to do the front dome lights replacement. If you are doing a similar install, go with this method as it is dead easy and the way to go.

I wanted to give the brakes a complete refresh and it really got going after seeing the recently released ECS Tuning 2-pce rotors. I’d have to admit the looks alone had me sold. Anyways, I matched these with Stoptech Sport rears, ECS Tuning S/S brake lines and Akebono Ceramic pads.

The pads came recommended by a couple of mates with BMWs as well as other Euro platforms. The promise of being nearly dust free alone had me interested. The pads only took a couple of drives to get used to as their behaviour is different to the OEM ones. I will say that the ceramics do not have the initial bite of the originals but is more linear in the way they behave. I think to get the same retardation, you need to push on the pedal harder in the first instance but never have I felt that the car was not going to stop. I have read that this improves as the pads bed in a little and that the pads will have more initial bite. Time will tell but in the meantime, clean spokes are a plus!

The really sharp-eyed amongst you (and I know there are a few out there) may notice smoked lens side indicators. These were also from ECS but are definitely not plug-and-play. The connectors were not correct for my car, for some reason, so I needed to chop and solder using the connectors off my originals. Not a big deal but worth it as they look great and each housing actually has 3 very bright amber LEDs.

[drjekl]

Did you notice much of an improvement with the coil/plug swap? My coils were the originals and noticed a massive difference when swapped over, along with the plugs!

The LED's in the interior are $ well spent imo, just fiddly to install!

Just curious i recall reading a thread a while ago stating the ECS 2 piece rotors were crap (warped or something and ECS wouldnt replace them?)

Window tint, trim wrap/paint LCI tails and you're golden!

[JJH]

Originally Posted by drjekl

Did you notice much of an improvement with the coil/plug swap? My coils were the originals and noticed a massive difference when swapped over, along with the plugs!

For sure - not night and day but very much worth doing. The engine runs smoother and seems to be crisper and more responsive. Glad I forked out for it and it is great peace of mind.

Originally Posted by drjekl

Just curious i recall reading a thread a while ago stating the ECS 2 piece rotors were crap (warped or something and ECS wouldnt replace them?)

I would say this is not my experience. Fit was perfect and the finish is very good. Most important of all, performance is as I expected - silent and smooth; definitely no sign of any manufacturing issues. Early days, but I am happy they are good.

Originally Posted by drjekl

Window tint, trim wrap/paint LCI tails and you're golden!

LCI tails next - I knew you'd pick me up on that!

[JJH]

Originally Posted by drjekl

....... LCI tails and you're golden!

Finally fitted some LCI tails. I am loving the look and wondering why I did not do it sooner! Thanks to Drew335, I managed to pick up his set that he parted out of his for a great deal! Here are some updated pics.

[stashtrey]

Beautiful.

[DR-JEKL]

She looks damn nice now, and whilst the LCI tails may not appear much different to the untrained eye they make a huge difference when you have them in and when they're illuminated!

Drew mentioned the other day that you had picked up his LCI tails, great to see you didn't muck about installing them!

Just need a window trim wrap/spraypainted now and you're golden

[ATTN]

Nice build, have you considered vinyl wrapping (black) the chrome window surrounding?

[JJH]

Thanks for comments guys.

I have thought about blacking out the window trim – been suggested Dr-Jekl a couple of times . Either wrapping or painting but I am in two minds about it. I understand wrapping is only a temporary solution but has the advantage of being reversible. Painting is another option but I was advised by a couple of local spray painters that they are tricky to do. They need to be well prepared and if not, can flake over time. That has made me think twice.

The other solution is new black genuine trim, but at the prices they go for, I don’t think so. Given the wheels also have diamond-cut silver highlights, they kind of match. For now.

[Drew335]

Looks great - good to the see the LCI tails have gone to a good home

Very clean ride, I like it. Agree re shadowline, will PM you an option.

[cartaa100]

I say that Melbourners and Sydneysiders do the journey to Canberra for a meet?

[cartaa100]

The photos for some reason make me want to head down

[JJH]

Originally Posted by cartaa100

I say that Melbourners and Sydneysiders do the journey to Canberra for a meet?

You should have made the trip here a few weekends back for the annual "Wheels" event where several hundred cars from all of the various ACT car clubs had a huge public display by the lake. A good number of BMWs too including a couple of us on here. Maybe next year!