[swordfish]

I hope that I am posting this in the right section but I figured this was the best place to get the technical questions answered properly.

I am very close to selling my beloved Evo for something more refined that can also be a fun track day car as well as a fun DD. I know that a mildly modified 335i will not be the car on the track that my modified Evo is, although I still think the 335i will be more than formidable with a proper tune, mild suspension and a set of R comps. I'm really just kinda tired of my Evo I guess. Pulling up to restaurants with the big 280 cams burbling away, the ride of the 10k/12k coilovers, the spartan interior and no cruise control on long rides and the road noise is just wearing on me I guess. The big ass spoiler bothered me the day I drove it off the lot. The next day it was at the body shop being removed. Maybe I'm just getting old.

What I would like to know from all of you is how do you feel about your cars. What are the problems with them? Do they have issues during track events like HPDE or NASA TT? I have my NASA competition and TT licenses although I only do a few events a year for fun and spend most of my time instructing, but I want to make sure the car will hold up to a decent amount of thrashing about on a road circuit. I dont want to have to deal with any big issues. My evo has been flawless at about 370whp for 2 years solid. I just change the oil, bleed the brakes, slap on the r comps and put gas in it. I'm hoping that enough of you that have been to a few track days can really set my mind at ease about this purchase.

Sorry for the long rambling post. Thanks for any input.

jeff

[A418t81]

Same boat here man. I love my Evo, best car I've ever had. 4 years and 65k of giving it total hell, 300+ whp since 3k miles and all I've done is put gas, tires, oil, and brakes on her. I'm picking up a 335 before too long and trying to decide if I want to keep the Evo even though I know its not practical for me to do so. For performance, it simply cannot be beaten. The M3 is downright sedate in comparison.

[nlakind]

My Evo IX SE is for sale as we speak...I ordered a 335i sedan a week & a half ago & I'm soo excited! A good friend of mine sold his Evo VIII & has a 335i sedan now & is absolutely in love with it! I don't have a doubt in my mind that I'm ready to leave the Evo...Amazing car but not as a DD...I'm switching to the BMW for the exact same reason's you are!

[elucas730]

STi to 335i here. It just seems to be the natural progression of things...

[Bravo1]

This is a hard one..... I don't have either car but I do codrive my friends EVO VIII on an autox. The 335 would be a better daily driver than the EVO, but I am not sure if the fun factor would be as high. The one benefit the 335 has for an autox is the huge amount of low end torque especially with a piggyback, but then to really put it to use you would need a limited slip. Also if you are running different wheel sizes front and rear, then you won't be able to rotate your R comps to make them last longer. How much money do you have spent on mods? I know its pretty easy to get up to $10k plus in mods, so try to determine if you can really get any of that money back or if its just worth it to keep the EVO. There are alot of things to take into account... but I don't think there is a wrong choice here.

[Evo8MRto335I]

LOL join the club bro.. look my user name. Seriously, any other Evo owner would agree with me:

poor gas mileage
high insurance rate
expensive maintenance
no cruise control
cheap interior
bumpy ride

etc, etc. We all want something fast with comfort and looks and the BMW has it all. I don't regret selling the Evos, they were fun but had to do the clutch with 11k miles, new tires with 10K miles, new brakes with 15k miles, etc.

My BMW should be delievered at the ned of this month.

[swordfish]

Yeah, I noticed your handle in some other posts and judging by previous posts in this thread the move from rally based car to luxury sports coupe is a natural progression as elucas730 stated earlier.

Most things about the evo dont bother me like gas mileage or insurance. I'm 32 so insurance is cheap, but the interior, no cruise and ride quality sometimes makes me want to just buy a big truck and turn the evo into a race car. On a good note, the coilovers ride better than the stock suspension.

Bravo, you are absolutely right about fun factor. I've been in some great cars on some of the best tracks in north america and the evo can still make me smille so big that my face hurts when I get out of the car.

My wife has an 06 miata and she is a car girl so that may be the answer. Keep the evo. Sell the pinata. Make her drive the evo. Who am I kidding. That would NOT work with her.

Or....
1. Get big truck
2. Evo becomes race car
3. Sell miata
4. Buy 335
5. Smile

This is just getting out of hand now.

jeff

[BMWdrmz]

I think you would enjoy the 335 very much. I use my car as a daily driver and autocross (which I do quite a bit of) as well. I also just finished a track day this weekend with NASA/PDA. I ran the following set up for the track day:
H&R rear sway, eibach springs, stock shocks, stock brakes, ate super blue brake fluid, slighty more agressive alingment than stock, R comp tires, and a TT. The car was very good on the track. There were three EVOs and one STI in my group. I was able to catch and pass the STI on the straights faster through the curves than the all the EVOs which allowed me to pass them on the straiight as well. Granted on track a driver skill comes into play more so than the car. To put it in perspective this was first track day running in the green group, but I was signed off to the intermediate group at the end of the day. I say all that for you to gauge my comments based on my actual driving experience. The stock brakes held up well (braking from 130 to 80 accelerating from 80 to about 95 and braking to around 30 to attack a tight decreasing radius curve). With the few mods, the car was very smooth and composed. Its definitely not as light and tossable as an EVO (I've driven my friends EVO in a few autocrosses), but if your smooth and set up the car right its a very predictable vehicle to drive (assuming you tune some of the understeer out of the suspension). The stock set up will cause the vehicle to plow tremendously. I'm new to this forum, but just wanted to share my experience

[swordfish]

Thank you very much for that post.

jeff

[judec]

maybe noob question, but it looks like there are some really experienced track drivers here, so - the solution to the slight understeer is putting stronger rear sway? Or better coilovers? or both? anything else to improve handling?

[walbjj]

brother, ur just getting old.
i drive an s2000, and it suits me fine. my brother has a modified evo9 with about 220kw atw and i think its the best drive in the world. my other brother has a b5 rs4, and its not that great to drive imo. plenty of power, but a boat none the less compared to what im used to.

as far as the 335 goes, im waiting a little bit for a revised edition, they usually throw some extras in when the model gets a little older. so all the goodness for nothing extra. plus there will be more aftermarket gear out

[TheLegacy]

I can relate to you guys. I'm selling my stage 4 WRX. She was in 2 mags and made 275WHP on stock motor. A true race car and love it to death. However it attracted unwanted attention, was harsh for a daily driver, and to maintain a car like that was to much.

I love the 335XI, put my order in 2 weeks ago and ya sad to see my WRX go but I know the 335XI was the way to go.

[serge]

Originally Posted by swordfish

I'm really just kinda tired of my Evo I guess. Pulling up to restaurants with the big 280 cams burbling away, the ride of the 10k/12k coilovers, the spartan interior and no cruise control on long rides and the road noise is just wearing on me I guess. The big ass spoiler bothered me the day I drove it off the lot. The next day it was at the body shop being removed. Maybe I'm just getting old.

That's exactly the way I feel about my Evo

The 335 would've been a great substitute but my next car will be a 2-seater. Here's my future username: fromEVOtoC6.

[serge]

Originally Posted by Evo8MRto335I

I don't regret selling the Evos, they were fun but had to do the clutch with 11k miles, new tires with 10K miles, new brakes with 15k miles, etc.

Carlos, your driving style is merciless. I can't believe that your clutch, transmission and brakes lasted you 11k miles instead of 5k. That really tells me how strong Evos are

[swordfish]

Serge, being the driver of the Prado Racing NASA TTU Z06 I can tell you that the C6 is an amazing car with horrible brakes. Well, horrible for the track. Street wise they are awesome. I think the C6 is an amazing step forward for GM over the C5. You will definitely have a big smile after the move up from evo to the C6. If you ever plan on tracking it, change rotors, pads and lines or you might end up in a tree somewhere.

jeff

[SamK]

haha, I saw you post on ARimport jeff and figured you'd be looking on other forums for advice.


You won't be disappointed.

<3

sam

[serge]

Originally Posted by swordfish

Serge, being the driver of the Prado Racing NASA TTU Z06 I can tell you that the C6 is an amazing car with horrible brakes. Well, horrible for the track. Street wise they are awesome. I think the C6 is an amazing step forward for GM over the C5. You will definitely have a big smile after the move up from evo to the C6. If you ever plan on tracking it, change rotors, pads and lines or you might end up in a tree somewhere.

jeff

The weak brakes goes for the regular C6 or the Z51? This is actually the only option I'm considering in order to keep the sticker below $47k. I'll wait for the 2008 version which comes with the new LS3 engine rated at 436hp

[mesier1111]

My buddy has an Evo 9, and let me tell you, the other day I made a believer at of him. I have the E92 335i (335i coupe for no BMW people) and I luv it, and would suggest you evo guys drive both the coupe and the sedan. Though you are used to 4 doors, you may find that after driving a coupe and a sedan you might (coming from pure performance) perfer the way the coupe feels, just a suggestion.

If you put non-rft PS2s or equivalent tires, proceed and exhaust you will spend about 3-4K and have a car that on paper will hang with your evos no problem, even though it may not feel that way.....but that is the beauty of the car, it hides its performance. While the E46 M3s, Evos and STis feel fast, the 335i is very fast and a sleeper. Even if you drove on on a test drive you wouldn't bet how fast it is...........just imagine how the E92 M3 is gonna feel:rocks::rocks:

I love my buddy's evo though.......luv it.

[TheLegacy]

I second that. The E90 feels like a sedan, but thats its cover up. The Evos and WRXs are a sports sedan... The E90 doesn't feel the same sportyness of them on some turns, but granted it pushes and handles like them, don't be fooled by this beast lol.

[serge]

Originally Posted by mesier1111

If you put non-rft PS2s or equivalent tires, proceed and exhaust you will spend about 3-4K and have a car that on paper will hang with your evos no problem, even though it may not feel that way.....but that is the beauty of the car, it hides its performance. While the E46 M3s, Evos and STis feel fast, the 335i is very fast and a sleeper. Even if you drove on on a test drive you wouldn't bet how fast it is...........just imagine how the E92 M3 is gonna feel:rocks::rocks:

Performance wise, Evos and 335s show similar numbers in stock form. $1,200 (PROcede or similar) will make a 335 faster than a stock Evo without a doubt. However, throw the same amount on the Evo and it will be in a different galaxy. (think 11's @ 115+mph).

[Cookiemonster]

Originally Posted by walbjj

brother, ur just getting old.
i drive an s2000, and it suits me fine. my brother has a modified evo9 with about 220kw atw and i think its the best drive in the world. my other brother has a b5 rs4, and its not that great to drive imo. plenty of power, but a boat none the less compared to what im used to.

as far as the 335 goes, im waiting a little bit for a revised edition, they usually throw some extras in when the model gets a little older. so all the goodness for nothing extra. plus there will be more aftermarket gear out

Sold my S2000 for a 335i. Everyday driving is way more fun with the 335I. Point and squirt in everyday traffic is great. S2000 was great but after 5 years stirring up the beehive to pass people got really annoying.

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by judec

maybe noob question, but it looks like there are some really experienced track drivers here, so - the solution to the slight understeer is putting stronger rear sway? Or better coilovers? or both? anything else to improve handling?

I went with installing the Bilstein Pss9 coilovers and leaving the rear sway bar as is for now. I will reassess after a few more track days. Remember you can adjust tire pressures to help eliminate understeer as well.