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RWD manual E91 wagon build
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03-08-2023, 01:34 PM | #1 |
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RWD manual E91 wagon build
Introduction
Hi folks! I just purchased a 07 E91 328i rwd manual from a fried of mine and would like to document the build process. the car has 210k+ miles but mechanically in great condition. No oil leaks, all gasket replaced in the last year. the previouse owner already did a lot of preventive maintenance. all front control arms and bushings have been replaced with M3 parts. rear diff, clutch, flywheel and suspension all have been replaced. Why E91 in 2023 i used to daily drive a MK6 GTI (DSG not manual) in college. after working for a few years I decided to retire the GTI from it's daily duty and turn it to a weekend/track toy which means i now (in 2017) needs a daily driver. I looked around and with the limited budget i had(~22k) it's hard to find something that's decently quick and fun. after some searching i landed on a CPO E84 X1 which is basically a E91 with N20 engine. i absolutely LOVED that car. it's a very bad SUV but that's because it's not actually an SUV. I put some wheels and suspensions on that E84 and it look pretty cool. [IMG]2020-08-07 17.40.18 by Jason Liu, on Flickr[/IMG] However, after doing the suspension and bushings, the car is showing it's age a little for daily commute. i put a lot of miles on the car every week and the E84 doesn't have the best NVH design. with the addition of the harsh ride and the reliability issue with the N20 engine, I decided it's time to move on. so I traded the car for a 2019 CPO X3 30i. I thought I would enjoy the G01 just as much as my old E84 but that's not quite the case. the G01 is very comfortable and quite but it honestly feels very generic and only when you start to push it you realize you got a BMW. but with the base engine, base 18" wheels and 225/60/18 tires, it's not exactly a handling machine. I'm fine with that on my daily commute but i have found myself always missing the feeling of my old E84. I have been entertaining the idea of selling my GTI for a manual RWD car late last year but have never pulled the trigger cuz nothing in my price range is actually decent. Just as i almost gave up on the idea, my friend messaged me that he's gonna be selling his E91. I was eyeing on his car for a few month and I immediately pull the trigger. the car was imported to the US by someone working in BMW NA so it's actually a euro spec car. for example the seats are manually AND electrically adjusted. also there's no roof rail. all the owner's manual are in German. here are some pictures of the car when i took it for a test drive. fun fact, the sticker on the rear window reads " !=/ X1". he put it up because ppl often think this is a X1..... [IMG]2023-03-03 16.57.46 by Jason Liu, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]2023-03-03 22.10.07 by Jason Liu, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]2023-03-03 16.58.03 by Jason Liu, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]2023-03-03 17.28.22 by Jason Liu, on Flickr[/IMG] the paint looks great for a 210k+ miles car and most importantly, NO LEAKS!!!! Future plans I have some plans for this E91 which i will document here. i'm sure i will have more questions on the E9x platform. No plan to N54/S65 swap but my plan is to make this a reliable enjoyable fun car. stay tuned! Last edited by dreamcheng; 03-08-2023 at 01:43 PM.. |
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StradaRedlands6155.50 M-technik-32310.50 POBEP403.00 tcphoto4004.00 CornerGorillaPit240.00 racerbruce3867.50 cooperolson66.50 Mike K372.50 ForestHillsJackie103.00 |
03-08-2023, 07:25 PM | #2 |
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Drives: 325xi Touring MT X1 x28i
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Wow! Congratulations on the rare find!
You have a lovely car! Take good care of it but mostly enjoy it! I find driving mine therapeutic, especially in the mountains. We have very similar stories. I used to drive a 2002 Protege 5 with a manual transmission. I ended up giving it to my daughter when she left for college (she is now 30). I spent years trying to find a replacement wagon with a manual transmission and sport package. After 5 years with no luck I gave up and bought: Two years later my wife found a 2006325xi with manual (unfortunately awd) but I still had to jump on it. This is my wagon: So far i have added the APEX FL5 wheels. I am running 255/35/18's a square setup; 3-stage manifold and tune; Euro-airbox; and 330xi brakes and rotors. I am sitting right at 219,600 miles. I have done and had done a lot of work on my e91. But I love driving it! I still have the X1. We still like it too much to let it go... But the e91 wins every time! What a similar path we have taken. Enjoy!
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2006 325xi touring MT! Joy 2 Drive
Last edited by caldep; 03-08-2023 at 07:39 PM.. Reason: photos not showing |
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03-08-2023, 10:35 PM | #3 | |
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That might be my old E91, I sold it to a guy from West Lafayette, IN in October of 2020 with 184K miles. Does the vin end in 004? I removed the rails after I bought it. Did you get all of the service records? |
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03-09-2023, 02:52 AM | #4 | |
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03-10-2023, 12:03 PM | #5 | |
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03-10-2023, 12:04 PM | #6 |
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It is! car is in amazing shape! I will be sure to take good care of it!
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03-10-2023, 12:22 PM | #7 | |
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all in all, the E84 is a great compact SUV that rivals Macan on the handling front BUT i personally don't think it's comparable to a E91 |
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03-12-2023, 08:17 PM | #8 | |
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My n20 will run away and hide from my n52 (in a straight run), even with the 3 stage manifold and tune. That said, the delay of the n20 from putting your foot down until the car decides you really mean it is MADDENING, especially coming out of the hairpin on VIR. Also, the N20, despite it's power and efficiency just is not buttery smooth like the n52. The n52 reminds me of a fine sewing machine, so capable, so smooth, it just puts a smile on your face as it runs and pulls. So far my n20 is holding up great at 144k miles and shows no signs of problems. The n52 now has 219k miles for comparison. On to your question about handling. I cannot explain why the cars are so different other than, the e84 is much taller. The specs say only 5" but that 5" is huge. I can sit upright (6'3") with a helmet on in the X1. In the E91 I have to lay the seat back at quite the angle. Also, the X1 has considerably more ground clearance. The e84 is very competent and showed itself very well at VIR. But the e91 is more confidence inspiring, stable, and definitely remains much more composed on quick direction changes as well as long sweepers. The e84 is more top heavy and you feel that as you maneuver the car at high speeds. The e84 strangely feels like it changes direction more quickly than the e91. The steering in the e84 feels quicker as well. According to RealOEM they are the same in my e91 and e84. However, negotiating the roads in my subdivision I do not have to turn the e84 steering wheel as far as the e91's. When driven near it's limits the e84 sometimes feels unstable when executing abrupt direction changes and when the road surface undulates while cornering. I am sure the e91 will do so but the e84 is more sensitive to this and I have not encountered that feeling in the e91. I found the tendency to push near the limits (probably due to the awd setup) easier to control in the e84 with an appropriate weight transfer to the front setting up direction changes. I have not quite mastered this in the e91. But even with that, I am comfortable taking turns and direction changes considerably more quickly in the e91. Braking, as supplied went to the e84. However, my initial feeling is that has shifted to the e91 since putting the 330 rotors and calipers on it. Before picking up my e84 I test drove both the n20 and n55 versions. The N55 blows the n20 away when it comes to sheer speed, power and possibly on track. However, I found the N55 to make the e84 nose heavy and it pushed heavily. Frankly, i found the n20 to handle more crisply (turn in and holding a line) it was overall more fun to drive for me. I hope this helps answer your questions. I think a lot of the handling difference comes from the softer suspension, higher ride height and higher center of gravity of the body on the E84. Given the same hardware between the two, I have to think most of those differences can easily be erased. One last thing, the e84 is much better at putting power down and tracking over broken and bumpy pavement (until it makes the car unstable). The e91 seems to lose grip under such circumstances without going unstable. Having said all of that, the e84 is a blast to drive and a blast to drive fast. We (my wife and I) have found it to be the most fun car to drive either of us have ever owned with the exception of one car... the e91. And that is why despite having had up to 6 cars at one time, we have not sold the e84. Just my take so far.
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2006 325xi touring MT! Joy 2 Drive
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03-13-2023, 09:27 AM | #9 | |
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03-13-2023, 09:35 AM | #10 |
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New(old) wheels on the E91
finally got some time today to put the old wheels from my E84 onto the E91. please ignor my messy garage. they look great! tires look a bit fat but that's to be changed once im done with this set. rear can be a bit more aggresive but since the wheels were purchased for my AWD E84, it was a square setup. APEX ARC8 18x9 et30 with 235/45/18 conti dws06 car is on eibach springs and Bilstein b8 damper 2023-03-04 22.39.46 by Jason Liu, on Flickr next to my mk6 gti with brembo bbk [IMG]2023-03-05 17.31.19 by Jason Liu, on Flickr[/IMG] 2023-03-05 17.31.24 by Jason Liu, on Flickr |
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03-13-2023, 12:12 PM | #12 | |
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03-13-2023, 07:10 PM | #13 | |
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Drives: 325xi Touring MT X1 x28i
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The e84 rwd will probably accept the M3 suspension parts. By the way, I have neglected an important aspect that may be contributing to some of the difference. I have replaced the stock bushings in the front of the e91 and the rear subframe with polyurethane bushings and the shocks and struts are B8's all around.
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2006 325xi touring MT! Joy 2 Drive
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03-13-2023, 07:25 PM | #14 | |
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I reread your post. I am not sure we feel that differently overall between the two. I think that we both find the e91 more confidence inspiring and capable. However, a lot can be done to the e84 (especially a rwd version) to bring it closer to the e91, there will always be a penalty due to the taller car and higher ground clearance (although the ground clearance can be somewhat mitigated). But the X1 can still be a very capable handling car and in my case, a joy to drive as well. Enjoy that e91! I wish I had an rwd but still love mine.
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2006 325xi touring MT! Joy 2 Drive
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03-14-2023, 08:24 AM | #15 | |
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03-17-2023, 01:52 PM | #16 |
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blackline tail lights!
added the blackline tail light with amber turn signal. the car has a crack on the passenger outer tail light when i got it so this is a nice refresh. also switched out all the bulbs (except rear fog) to LED. they look really sharp! |
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03-17-2023, 03:34 PM | #17 |
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Those are sharp!!!, I ordered a set from BimmerWorld where did you get yours?
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03-17-2023, 05:11 PM | #18 |
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03-20-2023, 06:16 AM | #20 |
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Interestingly enough we had my son's MK6 GTI build that got me into my wagon. I was a VAG guy for years with built 1.8t's and was on hiatus building boats and other hobbies when my kid turned 16 and we built his copart MK6. I knew I needed a fun car again so right away bought my E91 then proceeded to N54 swap it.
Now we're up to MK6 GTI, my 500hp rwd E91, an E39 540i manual wagon with a welded diff, and possibly another E39 wagon on the way. |
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03-20-2023, 09:25 AM | #21 |
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03-20-2023, 09:37 AM | #22 | |
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dispite what others may say but VAG cars are FUN on the street. i love my mk6 and i wish i can keep that car but I love the balance of the E91/E84 so much more. on track the GTI will start to show it's weaknesses and after being overtaken by so many BMW and porsche, I'm ready for something else. |
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e91, e91 328i, n52, wagon |
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