Just got back from a 1500 mile roadtrip to the Tail of the Dragon!

Sniz · 05-21-2013, 10:08 PM

Pretty damned exhausted right now but I figured I'd throw up a shot or two to make sure I stay focused on editing and keeping this thread updated.

My fiance and I just got back from an awesome trip down to Asheville, NC with the local BMW CCA chapter to visit the Tail of the Dragon, the Biltmore Estate (such an amazing place), etc.

Had an amazing time including a private party at BMW of Asheville. I have a ton of photos to edit as well as a few video's of runs on the dragon.

Since last fall the M3 really hasnt seen much use....its been in rebuild mode doing a full suspension and front/rear subframe tear down and upgrade. I put in front GC camber plates, turner rear spherical control arms, square 255 PSS setup, corner balance........basically its a new car at this point. Prior to leaving the car spent ~ a month at a local shop getting a much larger intercooler installed as well. The end result was a fantastic car to drive and it was dead reliable, not one mechanical issue in over 1500 miles and many many many hard corners and WOT runs around the NC and TN areas. Its time to rotate the tires lol.

Many thanks to a lot of local friends who helped me even during their busy schedules to get the car ironed out. Certainly a big thanks to the entire Bimmerforums FI crew as well....over the past 4 years you all have been an enormous help!

two shots for now......many more to come I promise.

At the Biltmore. We got there very early for a special group shot in the front of the estate......I will post that up once edited.

On the way down the Blue Ridge Parkway not far from the location of the Top Gear episode........i'll just say that we didnt go as slow as they did.....

================================================== ===========

Finally uploaded more. a good half of my photos are missing at this point, clock on the Nikon was off and now I cant find them in my 50,000 photos on Lightroom.

We all met up at IHOP just south of DC at 6am last Wednesday. the loan waitress was a weeeeeee bit overwhelmed.

A few hours down the road

bombarding a NC Shell station

Rolling down 95

HillBilly Hideaways in NC for lunch, cool place and good BBQ! The country music fan in me was loving it.

After that we rolled south again and jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway ~120 miles north of Asheville.....what a road!!! I wish I could have pulled over every 200 yds to take photos. Blasting WOT in 3rd gear through the tunnels woke my fiance up every single time lol......what a sound!

so apparently my car is lower than I thought......

new intercooler setup showing itself.....worked amazingly well the whole trip, IAT's were lowwww

At the Hilton parking garage where we had all of our driver meetings before any event or drive

Lined up ready to enter the Biltmore estate!!! I was very excited to be back here. My family brought me here when I was ~10 or so and the experience stuck with me. Veronica was amazed at this place too.

I will keep editing and get more up tomorrow hopefully

Snagged these photos today, pretty sure at least one of these will be framed in the garage. Pretty happy about having a few photos of the car in action!

Tucking the rear outside tire hard on the turns

and again

I like this shot too

Ammonia · 05-21-2013, 11:05 PM

Nice! I went to the Biltmore for my honeymoon. Money well spent. I loved it. Didn't have my BMW then though, I'll have to go back soon!

lsmkr01 · 05-22-2013, 02:42 PM

Awesome pictures, thanks for sharing. You should have this moved to the photos/videos section so that it ca get a lot more views

RingMeister01 · 05-22-2013, 03:11 PM

Great pics. E36 looks hooooot. Love the BBS'.

jpirelli · 05-22-2013, 04:16 PM

Sweet!

Sniz · 05-22-2013, 06:18 PM

Snagged these photos today, pretty sure at least one of these will be framed in the garage. Pretty happy about having a few photos of the car in action!

Tucking the rear outside tire hard on the turns

and again

I like this shot too

Lycan · 05-23-2013, 06:23 AM

Well for some reason I can't see the pics but glad you enjoyed... I usually go down there twice a year to ride bikes in 2 rallies we do yearly. A few weeks ago I took the 135 down for the Spring rally this year and it was a blast to drive through..hope you enjoyed other roads down there like the Cherahola, fantastic place to ride and the scenery is incredible. Wish I had known maybe I wouldve gone and shown your group around, so much to see it's insane..
See you around the beltway!
Lycan

Glad you had fun!

Sniz · 05-23-2013, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lycan

Well for some reason I can't see the pics but glad you enjoyed... I usually go down there twice a year to ride bikes in 2 rallies we do yearly. A few weeks ago I took the 135 down for the Spring rally this year and it was a blast to drive through..hope you enjoyed other roads down there like the Cherahola, fantastic place to ride and the scenery is incredible. Wish I had known maybe I wouldve gone and shown your group around, so much to see it's insane..
See you around the beltway!
Lycan

Glad you had fun!

yup we hit a lot of other roads too. had a blast.

Sniz · 05-23-2013, 10:15 PM

Here are 2 videos together from my first 2 runs on the dragon. wet roads....traffic....fun in real life not that awesome in the video i'm afraid. the next day was dry and no traffic....and much faster

comar1979 · 05-24-2013, 07:50 AM

Nice! Thanks for sharing

ualp333 · 06-03-2013, 07:25 AM

Wow that's all the BMW is looking very pretty specially exhaust of all the BMW is good and doing good work..I am the owner of the BMW I have really satisfied by the exhaust..

lsmkr01 · 06-04-2013, 12:16 PM

I enjoyed looking at these just as much my second time around. Your E36 looks CLEAN.... love the discrete mods.

KMEninety335 · 06-04-2013, 12:55 PM

Your car looks great! I can't wait to go there. This must have been so much fun

goblue30093 · 06-05-2013, 11:09 AM

Very very cool pictures!! Looks like you guys had a blast.

kdbryce · 06-05-2013, 01:45 PM

awesome photos

looks like it was a blast!

and that m3 is sooo sexy

Dackelone · 06-16-2013, 12:45 PM

Very Nice photos of your BMW road trip! We are about to do the same next month on our Stelvio 2.0 tour.

x-ricer · 06-16-2013, 12:59 PM

That's the car that made me fall in love with BMW back when I was younger. Awesome ride man, absolutely beautiful, and I'm sure even better to drive. Just out of curiosity what is one looking at cost wise to work something like that up?

1trip5 · 06-16-2013, 02:29 PM

classy group of cars. so nice to see this instead of the modded to hell look.

neglectedX5 · 06-16-2013, 02:31 PM

I love driving the dragon! Great experience. Went up there with my e30 and then again with my dads Jeep Wrangler. The wife didnt like it, said it was too scary, people were always crossing the center line.

Zombie1 · 06-16-2013, 03:16 PM

Your e36 is gorgeous man... I love to many BMWs lol I want them all!

Endless619 · 06-16-2013, 03:21 PM

Looks like you guys had a blast. We did this in Hawaii on the backside of Oahu near Chinaman's Hat... Same thing, so much fun. I remember cruising through and was like that's where "Northshore" was filmed back in the 1980s.

E36 M3 looks amazing.

jpan08 · 06-16-2013, 05:18 PM

Awesome car! Do you have a thread for your build?

05-21-2013, 10:08 PM	#1
Sniz Lieutenant General 654 Rep 10,587 Posts Drives: e92 335 - gone // e36 M3 turbo Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ellicott City, MD iTrader: (1)	Just got back from a 1500 mile roadtrip to the Tail of the Dragon! Pretty damned exhausted right now but I figured I'd throw up a shot or two to make sure I stay focused on editing and keeping this thread updated. My fiance and I just got back from an awesome trip down to Asheville, NC with the local BMW CCA chapter to visit the Tail of the Dragon, the Biltmore Estate (such an amazing place), etc. Had an amazing time including a private party at BMW of Asheville. I have a ton of photos to edit as well as a few video's of runs on the dragon. Since last fall the M3 really hasnt seen much use....its been in rebuild mode doing a full suspension and front/rear subframe tear down and upgrade. I put in front GC camber plates, turner rear spherical control arms, square 255 PSS setup, corner balance........basically its a new car at this point. Prior to leaving the car spent ~ a month at a local shop getting a much larger intercooler installed as well. The end result was a fantastic car to drive and it was dead reliable, not one mechanical issue in over 1500 miles and many many many hard corners and WOT runs around the NC and TN areas. Its time to rotate the tires lol. Many thanks to a lot of local friends who helped me even during their busy schedules to get the car ironed out. Certainly a big thanks to the entire Bimmerforums FI crew as well....over the past 4 years you all have been an enormous help! two shots for now......many more to come I promise. At the Biltmore. We got there very early for a special group shot in the front of the estate......I will post that up once edited. On the way down the Blue Ridge Parkway not far from the location of the Top Gear episode........i'll just say that we didnt go as slow as they did..... ================================================== =========== Finally uploaded more. a good half of my photos are missing at this point, clock on the Nikon was off and now I cant find them in my 50,000 photos on Lightroom. We all met up at IHOP just south of DC at 6am last Wednesday. the loan waitress was a weeeeeee bit overwhelmed. A few hours down the road bombarding a NC Shell station Rolling down 95 HillBilly Hideaways in NC for lunch, cool place and good BBQ! The country music fan in me was loving it. After that we rolled south again and jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway ~120 miles north of Asheville.....what a road!!! I wish I could have pulled over every 200 yds to take photos. Blasting WOT in 3rd gear through the tunnels woke my fiance up every single time lol......what a sound! so apparently my car is lower than I thought...... new intercooler setup showing itself.....worked amazingly well the whole trip, IAT's were lowwww At the Hilton parking garage where we had all of our driver meetings before any event or drive Lined up ready to enter the Biltmore estate!!! I was very excited to be back here. My family brought me here when I was ~10 or so and the experience stuck with me. Veronica was amazed at this place too. I will keep editing and get more up tomorrow hopefully Snagged these photos today, pretty sure at least one of these will be framed in the garage. Pretty happy about having a few photos of the car in action! Tucking the rear outside tire hard on the turns and again I like this shot too __________________ Last edited by Sniz; 05-22-2013 at 06:19 PM..
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05-21-2013, 11:05 PM	#2
Ammonia Captain 37 Rep 747 Posts Drives: 440i GC Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Wilmington NC iTrader: (4)	Nice! I went to the Biltmore for my honeymoon. Money well spent. I loved it. Didn't have my BMW then though, I'll have to go back soon!
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05-22-2013, 02:42 PM	#3
lsmkr01 Lieutenant Colonel 42 Rep 1,629 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SC iTrader: (0)	Awesome pictures, thanks for sharing. You should have this moved to the photos/videos section so that it ca get a lot more views
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05-22-2013, 03:11 PM	#4
RingMeister01 Croatian 884 Rep 3,613 Posts Drives: PORSCHE Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: NYC iTrader: (0) Garage List '18 Panamera Turbo [0.00] '17 991.2 Carrera G ... [0.00]	Great pics. E36 looks hooooot. Love the BBS'. __________________ NARDO GREY '18 PANAMERA TURBO Ducati V4 S Corse (track only) Husqvarna FS450 (track only) Looking for an SUV
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05-22-2013, 04:16 PM	#5
jpirelli Power is nothing without control 33 Rep 762 Posts Drives: E90 + E92 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Southeast/Southwest iTrader: (3)	Sweet!
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05-22-2013, 06:18 PM	#6
Sniz Lieutenant General 654 Rep 10,587 Posts Drives: e92 335 - gone // e36 M3 turbo Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ellicott City, MD iTrader: (1)	Snagged these photos today, pretty sure at least one of these will be framed in the garage. Pretty happy about having a few photos of the car in action! Tucking the rear outside tire hard on the turns and again I like this shot too __________________
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05-23-2013, 06:23 AM	#7
Lycan Rollin MD roads in the 135 or the bikes. 0 Rep 23 Posts Drives: 2008 128i, 2012 135i M package Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Belair Maryland iTrader: (0)	Well for some reason I can't see the pics but glad you enjoyed... I usually go down there twice a year to ride bikes in 2 rallies we do yearly. A few weeks ago I took the 135 down for the Spring rally this year and it was a blast to drive through..hope you enjoyed other roads down there like the Cherahola, fantastic place to ride and the scenery is incredible. Wish I had known maybe I wouldve gone and shown your group around, so much to see it's insane.. See you around the beltway! Lycan Glad you had fun!
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05-23-2013, 10:15 PM	#9
Sniz Lieutenant General 654 Rep 10,587 Posts Drives: e92 335 - gone // e36 M3 turbo Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ellicott City, MD iTrader: (1)	Here are 2 videos together from my first 2 runs on the dragon. wet roads....traffic....fun in real life not that awesome in the video i'm afraid. the next day was dry and no traffic....and much faster __________________
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05-24-2013, 07:50 AM	#10
comar1979 130i Treiber 119 Rep 1,432 Posts Drives: BMW 130i Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Munich,Germany iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 BMW 130i E87 [0.00]	Nice! Thanks for sharing __________________ # BMW 130i /// + SPARCO Assetto Gara 8x18 bronze + KW + PP SteeringWheel II +PP Exhaust +PP Kidneys + PP AirFilter + PP Style Flaps + PP SS Kit + *AC-Schnitzer* Gear Knob + MorVision Diffusor + LCI Blacklines high + GroundZero-Audio #
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06-03-2013, 07:25 AM	#11
ualp333 New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: good Join Date: May 2013 Location: canada iTrader: (0)	Wow that's all the BMW is looking very pretty specially exhaust of all the BMW is good and doing good work..I am the owner of the BMW I have really satisfied by the exhaust.. __________________ Prime Scales\|Floor Scale Last edited by ualp333; 11-18-2013 at 05:56 AM..
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06-04-2013, 12:16 PM	#12
lsmkr01 Lieutenant Colonel 42 Rep 1,629 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SC iTrader: (0)	I enjoyed looking at these just as much my second time around. Your E36 looks CLEAN.... love the discrete mods.
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06-04-2013, 12:55 PM	#13
KMEninety335 First Lieutenant 13 Rep 342 Posts Drives: E90 Monaco Blue 335i xdrive Join Date: May 2013 Location: Central NJ iTrader: (0) Garage List 2010 BMW 335i xdriv ... [10.00]	Your car looks great! I can't wait to go there. This must have been so much fun __________________ 2010 E90 335i xdrive \| Monaco Blue with Black Interior \| All Packages except Sport :/ \| Apex EC-7 \| Active Autowerke Strut Bar \| Roc Euro DCI \| Roc Euro Hyperboost DVs \| aFe Scoops \| BMW Performance Exhaust \| BMWCCA member
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06-05-2013, 11:09 AM	#14
goblue30093 First Lieutenant 42 Rep 367 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 335i - Purple Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Duluth, GA iTrader: (0)	Very very cool pictures!! Looks like you guys had a blast.
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06-05-2013, 01:45 PM	#15
kdbryce I have to return some video tapes 362 Rep 4,712 Posts Drives: e70 X5M Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Albany, NY iTrader: (0)	awesome photos looks like it was a blast! and that m3 is sooo sexy __________________ 13 Carbon Black e70 X5M - 13 Black Sapphire e92 335i - 10 Le Mans Blue e92 335i - 09 Monaco Blue e92 328i xdrive - 07 Sparkling Graphite e92 328xi
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06-16-2013, 12:45 PM	#16
Dackelone European Editor 10539 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	Very Nice photos of your BMW road trip! We are about to do the same next month on our Stelvio 2.0 tour. __________________ Dackel's European Delivery Museum Guide
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06-16-2013, 12:59 PM	#17
x-ricer Private 31 Rep 99 Posts Drives: e92 M3 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: New Jersey iTrader: (0)	That's the car that made me fall in love with BMW back when I was younger. Awesome ride man, absolutely beautiful, and I'm sure even better to drive. Just out of curiosity what is one looking at cost wise to work something like that up?
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06-16-2013, 02:29 PM	#18
1trip5 Captain 47 Rep 627 Posts Drives: Emme Tres Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Dallas iTrader: (3) Garage List 2002 BMW M3 [0.00]	classy group of cars. so nice to see this instead of the modded to hell look. __________________ E46 M3
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06-16-2013, 02:31 PM	#19
neglectedX5 Private 0 Rep 84 Posts Drives: 08 135i/90 325i/02 M5/12 X5 Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: MT iTrader: (0)	I love driving the dragon! Great experience. Went up there with my e30 and then again with my dads Jeep Wrangler. The wife didnt like it, said it was too scary, people were always crossing the center line.
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06-16-2013, 03:16 PM	#20
Zombie1 Colonel 171 Rep 2,347 Posts Drives: BMW 135i 2010 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Island long iTrader: (6)	Your e36 is gorgeous man... I love to many BMWs lol I want them all! __________________ Mods:-Berkexhaust -alpinaB3flash -CobbAP -Cobb FMIC -ER charge pipe tialQ bov -M3 front sway bar -M3 subframe bushings -M3 front upper and lower control arms -M3 guide rods -M3 rear upper control arms -Mfactory LSD -defiv lockdown kit -TC Kline SA coilovers /camber plates- HP rear toe arms
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06-16-2013, 03:21 PM	#21
Endless619 DHS 203 Rep 4,008 Posts Drives: 2023 M4, 2020 Land Rover Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Disneyland iTrader: (14) Garage List 2014 Range Rover Ev ... [0.00] 2006 Acura TL [0.00]	Looks like you guys had a blast. We did this in Hawaii on the backside of Oahu near Chinaman's Hat... Same thing, so much fun. I remember cruising through and was like that's where "Northshore" was filmed back in the 1980s. E36 M3 looks amazing. __________________ 2020 Land Rover Velar Autobiography 2023 BMW M4 2016 X3
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06-16-2013, 05:18 PM	#22
jpan08 Second Lieutenant 42 Rep 245 Posts Drives: e36 M3, e92 M3, Triumph 675 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Boston, MA iTrader: (0)	Awesome car! Do you have a thread for your build?
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