It’s taken about 18 months but I’ve finally finished getting the 335i to a standard am happy with. I bought the 335i to replace my old 350Z, ideally I would have gone for a E90 M3, but the wife said no to that. However soon after acquiring the 335i I realized it seems BMW hadn’t really developed the full potential of the 335i and set about putting thing right….It also gave me an excuse to spend the money “saved” by buying a cheap 335i compared to a M3.
The first thing I wanted to sort out was the lack of traction, I still don’t understand why BMW didn't fit the 335 with a LSD. 1 week into ownership the car went down to Birds BMW for a Quaife LSD which has really improved things, the TC now rarely comes on even when really pressing the car. I also find the standard M sport suspension setup to be a bit soft (even on the much hated Run Flats), steering feel is fab but turn-in was always a touch slow and the rear end always seemed unkeen to get involved in the corners. Under acceleration the backend also seem to always take a few moments to settle down before launching the car forwards (no it isn't the TC coming on
). I ended up uprating the rear sub-frame bushes to M3 items and changed to aftermarket antiroll bars.
The car is now much more keen to turn-in, and body-roll in the corners is much improved. The ride is now just about perfect, the damping could still be improved but overall the car now handles beautifully. Infact I would say the car now handles better than the 350Z and has a hint of how my old Integra Type R felt. It certainly doesn’t feel like a 4 door 5 seater saloon!! Though the car is also perfectly happy pottering around town at 30mph, which is precisely what I wanted from my Z replacement
.
After the extended warranty expired I looked into getting some extra BHP. I ended up with a JB4 tune and a few other mods (intercooler/downpipes). The car now performs at a level not far off a E90 M3
, but rather unexpectedly is also surprising economical, this was the mpg read out after a 3hr commute on a Friday night across various M ways (traffic jams and all)!!
I should add finding a garage to fit all the various mods was a headache, I ended up going back to garage that did all the work on my old 350Z. It's a garage in Leicester run by a couple of chaps called Mitz and Andy (Cougar Store) though they haven’t worked on a 335i before were more than willing to have a go, and the end result was top notch and the service provided puts main dealers to shame!! If anyone needs work doing on their car and are in the Midlands area I would defiantly recommend giving these guys a call
Some other bits done including braided brake lines, EBC Yellow stuff pads, Alpine speaker upgrade (the standard speakers were awful), and DAB/iPhone input via a Pure 300Di and some minor exterior spoilers (all cheap copies due to lack of funds)…
This is how finished product looks, I quite like the fact the car looks pretty much identical to a 320D, even though it now pushing close to 400bhp!! Plan is now to leave the car alone and just enjoy it for a good few years before getting a F10 M5
.
…nearly forgot the most important Mod any BMW needs..OBD port deletion
