[bulldog x6]

great review, but why reflash to GIAC Stage 2? Doesn't your current flash yield more power?

[enrita]

Originally Posted by turkish335

great review, but why reflash to GIAC Stage 2? Doesn't your current flash yield more power?

GIAC Stage 2 will be much stronger

[D_o_S]

Excellent post!!! More of posts like this would be very, very useful...

[E90MTL]

Wonderfull Write-up, I look forward to reading more of your progress wit hthe E90 platform.

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by 645Nm

Once again B3 Lux, a very thoughtfull review & sharing your experiences in such detail. I like your new rims, i bought the same BMW performance rims last month, which cost a shitload of money, but great looking on a black car.

Thanks a lot, my friend, and always good to hear from you! And yeah, the BMW Performance ones are really nice, I'm very happy with their looks. Just have to get wider rear tires once the present ones are used up to improve traction.

Originally Posted by 645Nm

Sorry to hear about the initial tuning hassles...glad it was sorted. I should have just given you a JB3 as a present while you were in the Cape...

I don't understand the dynograph but like those kilowat figures...nice indeed.

The experience with ESS was somewhat annoying, although ESS themselves were very polite and forthcoming. And I'm also satisfied with the Evotech flash's numbers, 400hp is a word! But as they say here, better is the enemy of good...which is why I'm considering changing to the GIAC stage 2 once it comes out, in particular for the smoother and more linear power delivery, less so for even more power (although I'm getting that anyway from the other planned mods).

Originally Posted by 645Nm

Everything you have done to the car from the rear wing to the speedometre extension is just perfect...!
I recall one of our conversations when you said something like..."the subtlest modification to a car is not what someone else think about it but how it makes YOU feel..." Some profound words there but i get the point...i have been doing some subtle styling as well....

I do remember that conversation, yes - and I still stand by that. First of all it's your car, and you have to like it and not other people; if you get pleasure out of driving it, that's the main thing. That's also why I spent so much time and cash on my ride, because every time I get into it I feel satisfied and happy about the things I've done so far.

Originally Posted by 645Nm

Those track shots of your car are simply amazing

Well, next time you'll get your own...! I plan on going to the Ring several times next year, and it would be great if you could also make that experience.

Originally Posted by 645Nm

So B3 Lux...if you count all the euros together and of course the Rands down here we have probably spend M3 money on our babies hey...? You lucky you still single; i still have a wife to report & account to... (Inhouse Government)

I get you, my friend! Yeah, if I wanted to have an M3 I would have bought one, but I don't...I very much like the turbo characteristic and like you, "in it for the torque", but the M3 has great suspension pieces that I'll try to at least partly integrate into my setup next spring, and the advantage of a mechanical differential.

Originally Posted by 645Nm

Upgraded turbos are on my list and might have it before Xmas so i can write a beautiful review like yours as well.

Looking forward to that! Let me know the details when you're ready for it, I'm curious...!

Originally Posted by 645Nm

Well done my friend. I will definitely see you in the new year. I will be in Austria during April 2010 (will meet up with you)...then i have to rush back because South Africa is host to (FIFA) football world cup 2010...

That's settled then - looking forward to this!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[vgame64]

Best review ever.

[i2iSTUDIOS]

nice... sounds like you are building an M3 out of the 335i.

[ss134]

Excellently written and very interesting. With what youve spent on your car you could have bought an M5!!!!

[E92Fan]

Congratulations Marcel for giving everyone an extremely enjoyable and informative read

i await your arrival in London next year for the next round of mods - my contacts have been forewarned and hopefully your car will be totally completed before the next Nordschleife trip in April

The car is looking great and all I have to do now is to make sure I get you to drive the car hard enough to get it sideways round the 'Ring next year !!

[mmm def]

damn dude, nice write up. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

[Philritter21]

Amazing writeup!

Also, out of curiosity, are you a native speaker of english?

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by Philritter21

Amazing writeup!

Also, out of curiosity, are you a native speaker of english?

Technically, the OPs main language is German, then French, with English being his third language !!!!

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by vgame64

Best review ever.

Thanks! I wouldn't claim that, but I'm glad you liked it.

Originally Posted by ss134

Excellently written and very interesting. With what youve spent on your car you could have bought an M5!!!!

I wouldn't go that far - at least new the M5 is much more expensive. And the 5 series is too big and heavy for me.

Originally Posted by i2iSTUDIOS

nice... sounds like you are building an M3 out of the 335i.

Let's say I'm trying to combine the best out of both cars - the easily upgradeable engine with loads of torque out of the 335i, and the excellent suspension from the M3.

Originally Posted by E92Fan

Congratulations Marcel for giving everyone an extremely enjoyable and informative read

i await your arrival in London next year for the next round of mods - my contacts have been forewarned and hopefully your car will be totally completed before the next Nordschleife trip in April

The car is looking great and all I have to do now is to make sure I get you to drive the car hard enough to get it sideways round the 'Ring next year !!

Thanks Tony! Yes, I'm also looking forward to my trip to London, for the mods but also for the great company and to see again all the crazy petrolheads from the last Ring trips. As for the car being completed...I start getting the impression that this will be difficult as there are new temptations coming up every week! And I'm definitely in for some Nordschleife outings next year.

Originally Posted by mmm def

damn dude, nice write up. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

You're welcome!

Originally Posted by E92Fan

Technically, the OPs main language is German, then French, with English being his third language !!!!

Well, the fourth actually, as my first foreign language was Latin (yeah curious I know). But it's true I'm more at ease in French than in English as far as (spoken) foreign languages are concerned.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[200Duece]

Awsome write up. Love the Alpina pieces.

Look into the CDV mod or just remove it all together. No need to buy a new part.

Cheers

[stressdoc]

Marcel you are a true BMW enthusiast.

Great stuff, likely to generate a bit of envy. The P-car owners must wonder what is wrong with their cars, getting humiliated by a lowly 3 series. Your car is phenomenal advertisement for BMW.

[Big Tom]

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

Under the following link I have tried to record some acceleration runs from 100 to 200 km/h (speedo, no GPS speeds) in order to give a more realistic impression on the power that the tune can actually put on the road:

As I can see, your best time 100-200 km/h in those three runs is 10,8 s.

As a comparison, my car performs the same speed range @ 8,8 s, measured with Race Logic Performance Box GPS...
Remember that we are talking speedometer vs real GPS speeds now.

So my question to you is; are you really happy with the performance in your car?

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by 200Duece

Awesome write up. Love the Alpina pieces.

Look into the CDV mod or just remove it all together. No need to buy a new part.

Cheers

Thanks! I have to admit that if Alpina had made the B3 BT with a manual transmission, I probably would have taken one. On the other hand, you can't get active steering (for whatever reason) for the B3 BT, which is another argument against it. But their spoilers and rims look really great, IMO.

As to the CDV: I'd like to have it as stealth as possible, which is why I don't want to remove it altogether. A modified one is not expensive, anyway, so that's not a major issue. I'll install that probably at the beginning of next year together with the SSK from UUC and the DSSR.

Originally Posted by stressdoc

Marcel you are a true BMW enthusiast.

Great stuff, likely to generate a bit of envy. The P-car owners must wonder what is wrong with their cars, getting humiliated by a lowly 3 series. Your car is phenomenal advertisement for BMW.

Thanks a lot for your kind words! I have indeed already driven past some P-car owners on the Autobahn (not on the track, though, that's for next year), but mainly I want to have fun with my car which does not necessarily mean I have to drive faster than others. What is really cool with this car is that it looks like quite a regular 3 series sedan, which is not a spectacular car in itself. If you were not a BMW fanatic like us here on the forum, you'd think it's just another of the thousands of 320d pootling around - until it's "pedal to the metal" and they see me on the horizon some seconds later... The acceleration in itself is gorgeous - every time I get the chance for a little sprint I take it! And thinking there is still more power to come... I really agree with Shiv who said a short while ago that the 335i is a 400hp car that's been detuned by the factory to 306hp.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[neo871]

Marcel, your review is absolutely fabulous and your vocabulary is impressive!

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by Big Tom

As I can see, your best time 100-200 km/h in those three runs is 10,8 s.

Around that figure, yes. These are no exact figures, though, as I don't have any equipment to measure this precisely. I made these videos so that there is at least something from the real world to see, besides my verbose statements.

Originally Posted by Big Tom

As a comparison, my car performs the same speed range @ 8,8 s, measured with Race Logic Performance Box GPS...
Remember that we are talking speedometer vs real GPS speeds now.

So my question to you is; are you really happy with the performance in your car?

Sure I am. Why wouldn't I be? You know, there will always be a faster car out there somewhere, no matter which one you buy initially. Fortunately for me though, my happiness is not defined by the fact that I'm faster than someone else - I can enjoy my car (which is very fast, objectively speaking) and not getting spoiled my mood by knowing that there are others with even faster or more powerful ones.

That said, I think that for the flash and the bolt-ons I currently have the car performs quite well. If you've read my review until the end you've seen that I do plan some upgrades in the power department that will certainly make the car go even faster, as I very much like to optimize everything. But that's not surprising, isn't it?

So, am I happy right now? Sure I am. Is there still room for improvement? Certainly!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[Big Tom]

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

Around that figure, yes. These are no exact figures, though, as I don't have any equipment to measure this precisely.

Well, if you had measured it precisely, you could easily add an extra 0,5-0,8 s upon the 10,8 s...

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

Sure I am. Why wouldn't I be?

Cause you are planning to swich tuner?

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by Big Tom

Well, if you had measured it precisely, you could easily add an extra 0,5-0,8 s upon the 10,8 s...

Well, I already told you that I only made those videos for illustrative purposes and not to be of scientific value...so what exactly is your point? That my car is slower than yours because you have more bolt-ons and run a tune with more boost? That's obvious, so why insist on that?

Originally Posted by Big Tom

Cause you are planning to swich tuner?

As stated in my review, I have a slight issue with the power delivery as it is not completely smooth and steady but has torque spikes in it. As I'm somewhat perfectionist, I'd like that to be ironed out and therefore will try another tune. Also, the GIAC stage 2 may have other additional features and the possibility to offer a switching module that I would be interested in. However, it is not the power itself that I find lacking, as you seem to assume. I will never say no to more of it (as this will probably be a byproduct of the GIAC stage 2), but already now I find there's plenty of it, sometimes even almost too much.

Still, as I said this is a very minor issue and does not detract from my overall major contentment with this car.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[645Nm]

B3 Lux...time to update your signature with all these great developments.

Forgot to mention and ask: The BMW performance rims are stunning looking & light. i have seen a drop in average fuel consumption since fitting them. But i also understand why BMW painted the rims on the inside - it gets dirty so damn quickly - you agree?

BMW - The BMW Performance Rims are lightweight double spoke (269) alloys. The colour is a beautifully crafted aluminium with a powder grey finish (on the inside) and spotless in design using low pressure casting. The diameter of the spokes allow more air to get to the brakes and maximising efficiency.

The low weight 19" rims are in fact much lighter than the standard 17" rims. I like the nice touch - wordmark embossed on the rim ‘BMW Performance’.