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      10-13-2010, 09:16 AM   #49
The HACK
Midlife Crises Racing Silent but Deadly Class
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Turkeybaster115 View Post
I read your comments on the 335I auto, and I agree that it is more prone to heat related issues at the track than normally aspirated BMW's, but the difference isn't that great. Last summer, I hit 290 degrees and went into limp mode only after the last lap of the day. My instructor's E46 M3 had similar heat problems. It hit 280+, when he pulled out to cool down his car. I don't have an oil cooler on my auto, and I go into limp mode on full course tracks more often than not, but even if I had known about this before hand, I would still buy this car.
Everyone's experience has been mostly different because of different speed and skills, but here's some anecdotal evidence to support my postulation.

First, a little background. I'm an instructor for the Pacific Region BMW CCA. There were 3 other instructors in the region that I know of that drove 335i's at the track. So why do I mention the fact that these guys are instructors? There's a pretty rigorous screening process for the Pacific Region BMW CCA and everyone in the Instructor Corp are mostly very capable, experienced drivers, and most of our skills, speed, and consistency are comparable.

In addition to that, if I'm not mistaken, all three instructors that drives 335i's that I know of has had BMWs of one form or another on the track prior to their 335i going limp, so I take their experience and honest assessment to heart.

S4to335 has had well documented limp mode issues with his 335i sedan. At California Speedway 2.5 years ago, another fellow instructor (not S4to335) had a bone stock 335i go limp 3 times over the course of the weekend. He actually had known about the limp due to heat issues and was pulling data off of the oil temp AND coolant temp, and that's when we found out that 2 out of 3 times it went into limp, it was triggered by water temp, not oil temp. Earlier this year, another fellow instructor took his leased, bone stock 2008 335i sedan to the same California Speedway track on a balmy 80 degrees day. Car went limp due to oil temp within 5 hot laps. The next day, car went limp within 3 hot laps. He had sports package. All three 335i's had sports package and oil cooler. He had driven California Speedway hundreds of laps and in weather significantly hotter than it was earlier this year, and this was the first time that any of his cars driven on the same track has ever left him pulling in early due to mechanical issues. Needless to say he was not happy about the 335i.

Your experience and mileage, as they say, will vary. But what I've found, is that the 335i, without serious and significant cooling work, comes up very short once you get to a consistent "A" level speed at track.
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