[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by blipblip

Anyways, I started to regret just a bit on this purchase. Having to baby the car and constantly worry about high oil temp is no fun on track...I am thinking of moving on to an M3, but I guess its impossible to get rid of this car at a reasonable price in this economy...

Works both ways. you'll get a bad trade in price but you'll also get a nice purchase price on the M3

I wouldn't worry about it and just show up, drive hard, and back off if the car gets too hot. Personally, I back off and brake more conservatively if I feel the brakes starting to fade or the tires getting greasy. it isn't the greatest but i think it is even worse dumping money to modify the car when there's faster stock stuff out there

for what it is worth, i noticed that driving style really makes a difference on temperatures. i had an EGT gauge in my old wrx and when i was more cautious the temps never go above 1400F. when i figured out i had to be on throttle as much as possible to keep the engine boosting and the car neutral the EGT were consistently over 1550F. at the risk of being offensive i suggest that owners not overheating the car examine whether there are further opportunities to use full throttle that are being left on the table...

[The HACK]

Here's what I think. If you want a car you can take to the track without having to worry about any sort of mechanical issues, you should become a professional racecar driver for a top-notch professional team. And even then there's still plenty of chances for mechanical failures. You're just not "responsible" for it.

As for driving a "touring car" on the track, there are certain precautions you must take ANYWAY. Brake being one thing that absolutely should be upgrade on any BMW to a track friendly compound once you're used to how the stock pads "fade" at high temperatures and moderate use. You should prepare the brake hydraulic system with fluids that will stand up to the use on track. Oil level should be adequate and tires should be without any puncture. The biggest "issue" with the 335i, is that it requires a little bit more cooling than your typical BMW, of which most of the older BMWs all have issues with cooling anyway, the only difference is the 335i (and to a large extent, all current generation BMWs) have a "limp" mode to protect you and the car from catastrophic failure.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're going to go to the track and go on a regular basis, there are certain things you must do to your car(s) anyway. So what if the 335i requires an additional oil cooler to keep the car on track? It's not like you can just take an E46 M3 to the track without the brakes fading, or a high mileage E36 M3 or E30 M3 to the track without overhauling the cooling system. It's price of entry/admission if you ask me.

Speaking of cooling system...Have any of you guys looked into this?

http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Hi-...7-diameter-fan

Yes I like pimping B&M products...But it's got a fan that kicks in at 175 degrees fahrenheit to provide extra cooling capacity to the oil on a fin and plate design cooler. The size and the fan means you can mount it anywhere you have access to ambient air, you can even cut a round hole on the bottom splash shield for the fan and just mount it to the splash shield for additional cooling...And much cheaper than BMW and/or Dinan offerings.

[jbass524]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Speaking of cooling system...Have any of you guys looked into this?

http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Hi-...7-diameter-fan

Yes I like pimping B&M products...But it's got a fan that kicks in at 175 degrees fahrenheit to provide extra cooling capacity to the oil on a fin and plate design cooler. The size and the fan means you can mount it anywhere you have access to ambient air, you can even cut a round hole on the bottom splash shield for the fan and just mount it to the splash shield for additional cooling...And much cheaper than BMW and/or Dinan offerings.

What's an install like with this? It seems like the perfect thing for us AT folks. Would this also reduce the load on the oil cooler?

BTW. I completely agree all of your other statements

[nicknaz]

Where would you mount that fan? If you put it in front of the radiator you will be blocking part of the air flow and likely cause more problems than it will solve

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

Where would you mount that fan? If you put it in front of the radiator you will be blocking part of the air flow and likely cause more problems than it will solve

I think an ideal installation would be cutting a circular hole on the undertray and mount it with the fan facing out. The fan is more effective as a pull fan to pull the heat away from the cooler anyway. You would probably lose about 1/2" of ground clearance. The cooler can be mounted anywhere there's access to ambient air since the fan would do a lot of the work of drawing heat away from the cooler.

Another option would be to mount it on the DRIVER'S SIDE wheel-well opposite the factory cooler if it's present, or where the factory cooler mounts if it's going to replace the factory cooler.