[axe127]

Hi guys,

I've posted a few times over the last few months, but I figured I'd start my own thread to track my progress now. I picked up this Tasman Green over Saddle Brown '09 E91 328i xDrive 6MT with 127k miles in January after spending a few months looking for a manual, AWD wagon - I mainly looked at E91s and B6/7 S4s.

I'm not planning on doing anything too crazy, but I've done a number of things so far and we'll see where it goes!

Here she is the day I picked her up:


And from the rear:


Before modding, I replaced the VCG and rear pads/rotors. The next thing I did was throw some wheel spacers on. I've currently got 12.5mm ECS spacers in the front and 15mm Turner spacers in the back. I'll probably go a bit wider in the back soon, maybe 20mm.

I then picked up some 18"x8" square Alzor 030s and Continental ExtremeContact Sports in 225/40/18.

Last week I swapped in the full Ziza LED interior kit. I like the improvement so far.

And finally, today the KW V1s went on. I'm pretty happy with the results, but the rear is maxed out and not nearly as low as I had expected. The front has several threads left, and I'll be lowering it about another .5" this weekend. Overall, I'm currently about .5" lower than stock in the front, and .75" lower in the rear. I'm hoping the rear drops about another .25" once the coils settle a bit. With 130k on stock suspension, it was definitely time for an upgrade.

Before:


After:


Front wheel gap before:


Front wheel gap after (don't mind the brake dust!):


Rear wheel gap after (no before photo):


I should be getting LUX angel eyes, a matte black grille from ECS, and new front sway bar bushings later this week. I'll update this thread with some more pics when that all gets done. And before too long, I'll add some nicer quality pics of the car.

Thanks for looking!

[BimmerNugget]

Hate the color, but love the wheels. I plan on getting Alzor 030, do you mind telling me if the BMW center caps fit on the Alzor 030 wheels? Thanks

[vb7200]

I like it. The color is cool too, I don't think I've ever seen one in that color before. What else do you plan on doing to it?

[axe127]

Originally Posted by BimmerNugget

Hate the color, but love the wheels. I plan on getting Alzor 030, do you mind telling me if the BMW center caps fit on the Alzor 030 wheels? Thanks

I was a bit unsure of the color at first, but it's really grown on me. Totally gray in some lights, totally green in others.

I read in some other thread that the OEM caps are a bit too large and can crack when being snapped in. I used these domed stickers instead. They're a bit smaller than the center cap, so they're kinda tough to center, but they look good enough for me. One of them came off after 2 weeks, but I superglued it back on and it's been fine since.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/bmw-wheel-center-cap-emblem-645mm/36131181080/

[axe127]

Originally Posted by vb7200

I like it. The color is cool too, I don't think I've ever seen one in that color before. What else do you plan on doing to it?

Thanks! I've seen one or two others on here in this color, but none in person yet.

Like mentioned above, I'll be doing the black grille, LED angel eyes, and wider rear spacers soon. I also should be getting a Performance Exhaust muffler from a guy on the forums in the next week or two.

After that, I've got tons of ideas, but we'll see what the budget allows. I'd like to get some sport seats, but they seem impossible to find in saddle brown. If I do find some, I'd probably do the steering wheel and shifter, too. Maybe MSport front and rear bumpers. Brushed aluminum/titanium interior wrap. 3SIM maybe, too.

[mecheng77]

Interesting green, doesn't look green in certain pictures. What size was your OEM rims, they look decent?

Welcome to the club, take some interior pics!

[axe127]

Originally Posted by mecheng77

Interesting green, doesn't look green in certain pictures. What size was your OEM rims, they look decent?

Welcome to the club, take some interior pics!

Thanks! OEM rims are the Style 285s, which are 17"x8". I have studded snow tires on them to handle Colorado winter duty. I'll make sure to get some interior pics up soon.

[tlow98]

Tazman grren is one of my favorites! Classy and interesting all at the same time.

Looking good on those wheels, too. Kind of strange it won’t go lower in the rear. What spring pads are you using? BMW makes them in all thicknesses. You could probably swap them out for more lowering.

[sleepydinosaur]

The world needs more green cars and fewer grayscale ones. Plus, it's a E91 6MT, it DESERVES an interesting color.

I think it looks great.

[axe127]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Tazman grren is one of my favorites! Classy and interesting all at the same time.

Looking good on those wheels, too. Kind of strange it won’t go lower in the rear. What spring pads are you using? BMW makes them in all thicknesses. You could probably swap them out for more lowering.

Thanks! I used the OEM pads. That's a good thought, though - I'll see how they settle and maybe look for some thinner pads if it's not where I want it.

[axe127]

Originally Posted by sleepydinosaur

The world needs more green cars and fewer grayscale ones. Plus, it's a E91 6MT, it DESERVES an interesting color.

I think it looks great.

Haha, my thoughts exactly! I'm a sucker for any car that's green with a brown interior. Appreciate the kind words!

[axe127]

I got the matte black grille and Lux H8 180s installed the other night. The grille was super easy to do. Took about 10 minutes in total.

Before


After


The lights were a bigger hassle. Like everyone else has said, actually getting a hand into the housing to reinstall the light is a pain in the ass. The connector pins were also spaced too far apart, so I had to bend them to get them to fit. It still only took about 45 minutes to do in the dark, and I'm happy with the results. These pictures don't really do them justice, but they're way whiter and way brighter than the halogens.

Before


After

[axe127]

So today I jacked the car up to lower the front a half inch, and I decided to take a look at the rear while I was at it. I discovered that the shop that installed the coilovers put the rear spring assembly in upside down when compared to the supplied KW installation instructions. KW says to put the adjustable collar on top, between the spring and the chassis, and to reuse the lower spring pad between the spring and control arm. The shop did the opposite. This could explain the seemingly high ride height. I'll be giving the shop a call...

After about 300 miles, the front and rear each settled down about another 1/8". I lowered the front another 3/8", and now the ride height is perfect.

KW Instructions:



My car:

[eljay]

Fantastic colour! Congrats on the Touring.

What is the offset of the Alzor wheels? I'm wondering what your effective offset is withe spacers. Any rubbing?

[axe127]

Originally Posted by eljay

Fantastic colour! Congrats on the Touring.

What is the offset of the Alzor wheels? I'm wondering what your effective offset is withe spacers. Any rubbing?

Thanks!

The offset on the wheels is 35mm, so I'm running effective offsets of 22.5mm and 20mm in the front and rear, respectively. The fender-to-wheel gap is barely a finger's width all around now, and there's no rubbing with 3 passengers in the car. With 8" wide wheels and 225 section tires, the outside of the front wheel is pretty much flush with the fender, and the outside of the rear wheel is about 5mm inside the fender.

[scanspeak]

I like the color. Do you have some interior pics?
I think bronze coloured wheels would really set it off.

[eljay]

Originally Posted by axe127

Thanks!

The offset on the wheels is 35mm, so I'm running effective offsets of 22.5mm and 20mm in the front and rear, respectively. The fender-to-wheel gap is barely a finger's width all around now, and there's no rubbing with 3 passengers in the car. With 8" wide wheels and 225 section tires, the outside of the front wheel is pretty much flush with the fender, and the outside of the rear wheel is about 5mm inside the fender.

Thank you!
Do the front wheels being further out throw more dirt debris on the side of the car?

[axe127]

Originally Posted by eljay

Thank you!
Do the front wheels being further out throw more dirt debris on the side of the car?

Absolutely. I've always got dirt sprayed up behind the front wheels now. The sticky tires probably don't help that situation at all, either.

[axe127]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

I like the color. Do you have some interior pics?
I think bronze coloured wheels would really set it off.

I love the 666M wheels. As for bronze wheels, certain cars (and wheels) can definitely pull it off. I'd be interested in seeing a photoshop of my car with bronze wheels, but I'm not sure if I'm gutsy enough to actually pull the trigger on it. The dark green and bronze would be a good combo, though.

Here's a quick iPhone interior shot. I'll be doing a full detail at some point and then I'll post better interior/exterior photos.

[krhodes1]

Welcome to the rather exclusive Tasman Green stickshift E91 club!

I ordered mine new, has Chestnut rather than Saddle leather inside. No NAV, but H/K stereo and Comfort Access. Same wood, and mine has had a custom no ///M logo ZHP shiftknob that I swapped out while it was still on the turntable at BMW Welt. That got a look from the car presenter gal...

I like your older style roof rails better, and they are more useful than the newer style since you can use non-BMW bars with them.

Tasman is a funny color - some people (myself included) see it as green, some see it as gray - my housemate swears my car isn't green at all.

[axe127]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

Welcome to the rather exclusive Tasman Green stickshift E91 club!

I ordered mine new, has Chestnut rather than Saddle leather inside. No NAV, but H/K stereo and Comfort Access. Same wood, and mine has had a custom no ///M logo ZHP shiftknob that I swapped out while it was still on the turntable at BMW Welt. That got a look from the car presenter gal...

I like your older style roof rails better, and they are more useful than the newer style since you can use non-BMW bars with them.

Tasman is a funny color - some people (myself included) see it as green, some see it as gray - my housemate swears my car isn't green at all.

Thanks! You have great taste - not only the E91, but the rest of the collection as well. Chestnut is a great color, too, especially under Tasman. I do wish I had H/K and CA, but I get by without

I think Tasman green vs gray totally depends on the light. I love it.

I love the no ///M ZHP knob! I prefer the look of the ZHP knob, but I can't bring myself to add any M logos to a non-M vehicle. Any pictures of it (and the rest of the car!)?

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by axe127

Thanks! You have great taste - not only the E91, but the rest of the collection as well. Chestnut is a great color, too, especially under Tasman. I do wish I had H/K and CA, but I get by without

I think Tasman green vs gray totally depends on the light. I love it.

I love the no ///M ZHP knob! I prefer the look of the ZHP knob, but I can't bring myself to add any M logos to a non-M vehicle. Any pictures of it (and the rest of the car!)?

Here's an interior pic that shows the shift knob. I got it from leatherz.com, and they still offer it without the //M - still $30 extra though!

Chestnut Brown leather by kevinr1916, on Flickr

A little sleeker than the Volvos.... by kevinr1916, on Flickr

And parked in front of the Berlin Wall!

DSCN0490 by kevinr1916, on Flickr

Today she has the BMW Performance Exhaust (and intake), and body color front reflectors. Still looking good approaching 44K miles.