[dtp3347]

Originally Posted by ianthegreat

The n54 has gone 11.3 in the 1/4 mile. Don't forget you also have a nice daily driver, something to take clients out in, something the wife wouldn't mind riding in, doesn't burst your ear drums, is relatively reliable, etc?

That is exactly why I bought this car. I was going to buy an Evo IX and mod the shit out of it but whatever I bought I had to drive every day which is why I ended up with the 335i.

[twinship]

I think drag racing is just one of several ways to experience the car's potential. As most would agree, the 335i does alot of things well... it's only natural to want to push it to its limits, including straight-line performance.

I'm not into dragging myself, but I do appreciate the car's proven ability to cover the 1/4 in short order.

[I335]

Originally Posted by Htown09

What mods' are you talking about? I can't think of any mods' that take away the luxury of the car except maybe for catless exhaust which would make it a little louder or smell it up a bit. But if you listen to the Miltek exhaust for example, it sounds like an M3 and not a Chevelle. A tune, intake, meth kit, etc. does not change the driving characteristic's at all, still very smooth just more powerful. With an intake you just hear the turbos a little more, but that's only if you have the window cracked.

I'm talking about the guys who post stuff like "how can I make my car lighter - I already took out the back seats and center console". And then there are the guys with the BOVs, catless exhausts, red air scoops, H&R race springs w/OEM shocks, intakes made out of dryer vent hose (sorry Mr. 5 - just ribbin' ya - you do some really cool stuff), racing slicks, etc.. Stuff like that...

Edit: I forgot to mention the meth - that's just over the top IMHO - I don't want to open my trunk and see a bottle of that stuff sloshing around in there just to get better 1/4 mile times...

[I335]

My overall view of my 335 is that it's really just a very nice GT - not really meant for any type of racing - just some wonderful and spirited grand touring. That's how I enjoy my car...

[dirtydorty]

I know this car in stock trim isn't perfect for a road course either, but neither was my M3. After two laps at 80-90%, the stock brakes were mush.

A couple of your replies seem to get what I was talking about - drag racing is fun and relatively cheap but that seems to be many many owners' sole concern.

Again, to each his own. I'm not trying to make any enemies here, its just a completely different world here.

[Mr. 5]

I was getting really into drag racing for a while but then it was just getting frustrating with this car. I was only spinning 1 tire in the water box with the open diff. So then I started getting into the road racing.
Now I have the wavetrac so it's much better at the strip.

So, to answer your question...for me, drag racing is a chalenge because I have an MT. IMO, drag racing isn't as much fun with an auto because it just comes down to power. But, with a manual, there are so many variables to wrong or right. What rpm to launch? make sure all of the shifts are fast and precise, not enough gas you bogg, too much you spin.

IMO, once one only goes to the track to beat another person's time instead of thinking about their own times is when it stops getting "fun."

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by dirtydorty

I know this car in stock trim isn't perfect for a road course either, but neither was my M3. After two laps at 80-90%, the stock brakes were mush.

All you had to do was chage out the pads and you would have ben fine.

[dirtydorty]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

So, to answer your question...for me, drag racing is a chalenge because I have an MT. IMO, drag racing isn't as much fun with an auto because it just comes down to power. But, with a manual, there are so many variables to wrong or right. What rpm to launch? make sure all of the shifts are fast and precise, not enough gas you bogg, too much you spin.

IMO, once one only goes to the track to beat another person's time instead of thinking about their own times is when it stops getting "fun."

That is a point I forgot to bring up, ATs. I used to do a decent amount of bracket racing a few years ago and there was no better feeling that beating someone with an automatic transmission. Bracket racing was my favorite because it seems to have the best of both worlds. Weekend over weekend you can still improve your times but you're still competing against someone and not necessarily their time.

Talking about all this drag racing is getting me a bit nostalgic. Maybe I need to take out the car and practice my shifting lol.

Off original topic, what SSK do you recommend MR 5?

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by dirtydorty

Off original topic, what SSK do you recommend MR 5?

I honestly don't like SSKs so I can't comment.
They just make our notchy transmission notchier IMO.

[dtp3347]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

I honestly don't like SSKs so I can't comment.
They just make our notchy transmission notchier IMO.

I actually thought the same thing once I put my BMW SSK on but once I added the UUC RK7 knob it felt exactly like the stock feel but shorter obviously.

[dirtydorty]

Fair enough. I know I need to remove the CDV, but I just don't like the feeling of this shifter. I'm used to notchy/clunky shifters from the M, but I don't know any locals with a SSK so its hard to decide which one I would/wouldn't like.

The pads were the first thing to go. The stock rotors couldn't adequately dissipate the heat. At minimum, you needed to get a set of the performance package rotors and caliper carriers (to account for the different rotor size).

[Mr. 5]

The CDV was gone the day after I brought the car home.

[hotrod2448]

I guess my answer to the original question is... Why get serious about any type of racing with one of these cars?

Just like you can argue why would someone put drag radials and a meth kit on a car, why would you put coil overs with stiff sway bars on that ruin the ride, an alignment that eats tires off it and an LSD so it can actually get off the corner for that extra .5 second around the streets of willow? When you still most likely will get your ass handed to you by a well sorted Evo, Elise/Exige or Cayman S with a decent driver.

Honestly, these cars are too big and fat to be the best car for any type of racing. Along with being too nicely equipped and for most people too expensive to go out and stuff into a tire barrier or rebuild the engine after grabbing second instead of fourth and scattering the bottom end or something else along those lines.

However, that doesn't stop people from going out to the track (all kinds) and enjoying them. Because they don't have to be "the best" as long as you are having fun.

The dragstrip is also a good way to quantify power gains as we all know dynos lie.

[sd390r]

think you could have answered your own question by going to dragtimes.com and realizing a nice/luxurious BMW can do 11.3s at the track

having said that, i'd have to admit a road course is wayyyy more fun

[Htown09]

Originally Posted by I335

My overall view of my 335 is that it's really just a very nice GT - not really meant for any type of racing - just some wonderful and spirited grand touring. That's how I enjoy my car...

Have you ever done the 1/4? It is fun! I am also looking at road racing and hope to try it soon. I imagine it get's expensive though. Grand touring on I-10 is cool and all, but you will get in trouble for going over 100mph. Working on improving your times and doing modifications and seeing the results is fun too. I agree though some take it overboard but doing a few mods and keeping it clean doesn't hurt and 1 gallon of water in my trunk doesn't bother me.

[Htown09]

Originally Posted by sd390r

think you could have answered your own question by going to dragtimes.com and realizing a nice/luxurious BMW can do 11.3s at the track

having said that, i'd have to admit a road course is wayyyy more fun

I would like to try a roadcourse, but don't want to change all my oil's and pads and the like to prevent the car from overheating.

[sd390r]

never tried in my 335.. plenty of people seem to be doing it just fine though

[ianthegreat]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

IMO, once one only goes to the track to beat another person's time instead of thinking about their own times is when it stops getting "fun."

I go to the track to hear the people standing on the side say.. "wtf is a bmw doing here."

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by ianthegreat

I go to the track to hear the people standing on the side say.. "wtf is a bmw doing here."

Yah, that's pretty fun as well.
It was great when I smoked a C6 vette and the guy went up to my car afterwards only to see the baby seat in the back.

[jippii ensio]

Drag strip is like a dyno. Why do you dyno your car? You want to know if you have been able to mod it to achieve better acceleration. This is more of a car forum rather than driver forum and we want to know the potential of our cars in a more or less comparable way.

Driving Nordscheife is great fun, but because only few of us will get there - with your own car - it cannot be used as a yardstick. Nor any other course. Moreover, drag strip is more about the car whereas road course is more about the driving skill.

Compared to dynoing, the real acceleration (at the strip) is in fact what you are really after, rather than knowing the dyno figures when the car does not even move....

[I335]

Originally Posted by Htown09

Have you ever done the 1/4? It is fun! I am also looking at road racing and hope to try it soon. I imagine it get's expensive though. Grand touring on I-10 is cool and all, but you will get in trouble for going over 100mph. Working on improving your times and doing modifications and seeing the results is fun too. I agree though some take it overboard but doing a few mods and keeping it clean doesn't hurt and 1 gallon of water in my trunk doesn't bother me.

Yes, many times and I love it too. I just don't do this sort of thing with my BMW. When I think of drag racing, only American muslce cars & trucks (we used to race pickups for fun) come to mind and absolutely NOTHING else. Any non-American car just looks wrong to me on a drag strip...

[krnnerdboy]

for me it's about hitting goals, kicking tires, learning about cars, and yes obsession w/ anything to do w/ cars. but I'm not limited to drags as I track it every so often as well. It just takes too much prep to get a weekend off from my business, while the drags are still open even after my business is closed

imports are definitely the underdogs at drags, but by your definition of muscle my old 300 srt8 falls under it. And my M is quicker

this is like a biker asking you, what you enjoy about 4 wheels pushing through corners when two wheels turn into corners? I like them all 2 or 4 wheels, straight or curvy, skinny or chunky, bald or hairy