Time for an artsy fartsy photo of my car, because

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 07/06/2016 at 21:27 • Filed to: None

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I shined the car up nice and got out the good camera. Since I’m in Wisconsin, I figured this farm house that’s actually a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was an appropriate background.

46and2aheadofme > Textured Soy Protein 07/06/2016 at 21:37

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Is that an aftermarket front bumper? Looks really nice.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Textured Soy Protein 07/06/2016 at 21:40

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Sorry for forgetting, but is this a 335i or 335xi?

Tatanko > 46and2aheadofme 07/06/2016 at 21:40

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It’s the factory 335is I bumper, I believe.

Textured Soy Protein > 46and2aheadofme 07/06/2016 at 21:41

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It’s the factory M Sport bumper.

Milky > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/06/2016 at 21:42

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Supertroopersenhance.gif

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Milky 07/06/2016 at 21:43

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Were you on CSI?

46and2aheadofme > Tatanko 07/06/2016 at 21:43

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It says xdrive so I was curious... a 335xi? Guess I never noticed how nice that front end looks! That gen of BMWs is so much more pleasing to my eyes than the new gen. Love the color and wheels too.

Milky > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/06/2016 at 21:45

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I’m actually Gil Grissom.

46and2aheadofme > Textured Soy Protein 07/06/2016 at 21:49

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Sweet. My M5 is in the shop for the second bank vanos valves. Did the pair on the other bank when I bought it and factored it into purchase price. Fortunately I’ve been listening for the second bank to go, caught it early and nothing in the oil so all should be well.

Textured Soy Protein > 46and2aheadofme 07/06/2016 at 22:10

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Yeah it’s an xi. The best generation of BMW is always the one before the current one haha!

E90M3 > 46and2aheadofme 07/06/2016 at 22:30

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On an unrelated note, what are your thoughts on the E93 M3? Would you get an E92 or an E90 if you could do it again. One of my friends is thinking about an E93. Well it was between a 135is and the E93, until he came to visit this weekend and I showed him how awesome the M3 was.

46and2aheadofme > E90M3 07/06/2016 at 23:32

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Well, as I think you know, I have both! Long story short, I think the e90 m3 is a more reliable version of my e60 m5. Essentially the same engine, but without the two cylinders that were most troublesome. I typically recommend a 335i to most people, but in my heart I love the m3's extra styling touches and sound. It’s a very driveable car, but hit the M button and with that short wheelbase it has scared the crap out of me more than once. It’s a handful if you push it. It always amazes me how different the M5 and M3 are when I switch back and forth. Very different and great in their own ways. M3 is much more refined, but M5 is brutish and untamed feeling. I... think i’d pick the M5 if I had to choose just because of the trunk and interior room.

46and2aheadofme > E90M3 07/06/2016 at 23:36

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Textured Soy Protein > E90M3 07/06/2016 at 23:59

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Having had both a 135is coupe and my E92 335xi, I prefer the E9x. It’s a bit more roomy and comfy inside, and you sit lower down in it. The 135is is nice but it’s also a bit on the narrow side, and you sit higher up. It has a higher beltline, but a lower dash, although that is a bigger difference in my case because my 135is was thankfully navigation-less and my 335xi has iDrive.

I might be a little afraid of the M3's fuel economy, insurance costs, and potential repair costs. If your friend is set on a convertible, what about an E93 335is?

E90M3 > Textured Soy Protein 07/07/2016 at 00:30

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I’ve found the 135is to be very close to the E90 M3 in terms of seating positions, both kinda elevated. I don’t think idrive is distracting in the 1, my 128i lacks idrive, but the 135is has it. My father has a 135is, which I know he loves, and I’ve got the E90 M3. I think he was planning on getting it from carmax, and for the price of a 335is vert, you can get the M3, and with the warranty it almost makes sense to get the M3. He was looking at convertibles of both the 135is and the M3. You’re right to be scared of the M3's fuel economy, it’s shit; I get around 14 mpg. Interestingly, my 128i is barely more expensive to insure than the M3; hell, my 1997 Ford Explorer was only $100 less expensive per 6 months to insure than the M3.

E90M3 > 46and2aheadofme 07/07/2016 at 00:38

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I think M cars are just 5-10% better overall, but those small differences add up and really set the cars apart. My friend drove an E93 M3 and his comment was I get what you’re saying now. I should say we’ve been friends since we were 13 and I’ve wanted an M car about as long, so I might have had some influence. I think the M3 is worth the extra money over the 335i, and after seeing how fun my M3 is, I think my friend would agree. There will always be a special place in my heart for that V10, as I really learned stick on a M6 vert (you gotta love rich friends). Choosing between the E60 and E90 is hard, very hard. I thought about an E60, but I just couldn’t do it, so I got what I always wanted which was the M3 sedan.

BTW, that is a sweet space grey E93. Same color as mine.

Textured Soy Protein > E90M3 07/07/2016 at 01:29

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The seating position is close, I’ll give you that. During the time I had both cars, I drove them back to back for some reason, and I remember going from the 335xi to the 135is I noticed, “oh hey this is a bit higher up.” Not drastic, but it’s there.

The M3 has a lot going for it, definitely. Quicker steering, wider track, much better bushings all around, brakes, LSD, motor, etc. So there’s definitely upside. Getting the rear end of a non-M car up to the level of an M3 is certainly a lot of work with dropping the subframe, doing a whole new differential, sway bar, all the bushings and arms and whatnot.

My 335xi, I have the E93 rear sway bar and Whiteline subframe bushings, but I still have the open diff (less of an issue on awd) and the stock control arms and bushings. That said, the upgrades I’ve done to this point really made a big improvement.

Tatanko > 46and2aheadofme 07/07/2016 at 07:56

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If I ever get an M3, it will almost certainly be an E93 like this one. I know it’s not the purist’s car, but the combination of no roof with that V8 just sounds too good to pass up.

I’ve loved them ever since I saw a brand new one in black a few years ago at a gas station; the guy driving it had a permanent shit-eating grin on his face haha.

46and2aheadofme > Tatanko 07/07/2016 at 10:36

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I’d go with the coupe because you can feel the tiniest bit of chassis flex in hard corners and that carbon roof on the coupe looks rad. The convertible was what my wife wanted though, and that’s reason enough, especially since she DDs it now. She looks much better than me in it with the top down, but I’ve been know to drop the top on back roads where it doesn’t make me feel so self conscious.

E90M3 > Textured Soy Protein 07/07/2016 at 15:22

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I wonder how hard it would be to put an M3 LSD in a 335d, I’ve had this thing for the 335d for a while now, and I think a 335d with all that torque and an LSD would be my perfect DD.

Textured Soy Protein > E90M3 07/07/2016 at 15:29

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From a quick search it looks like switching to the M3 diff requires additional changing of driveshaft and half-shafts. Probably makes more sense to get a Quaife or Wavetrac torque-biasing diff, either installed in the existing pumpkin, or get a rebuilt one with the diff in it, rather than try to retrofit an M3 one.

E90M3 > Textured Soy Protein 07/07/2016 at 15:36

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That makes sense, my friend, who is thinking about an M3 or 135is was wondering about the logistics of putting an LSD in a non-M car. I did learn that the DCT and 6MT LSDs have different ratios

Textured Soy Protein > E90M3 07/07/2016 at 16:11

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Yeah that was an adjustment going from the 135is DCT to the 335xi 6MT. The gears in the 335xi are definitely tall.

For putting in an LSD in a non-M car, except for the early E9x platform cars, the ring gear is welded to the differential carrier. Wavetrac as an example sells an install kit that requires some machining. More details here .

There are some companies out there that sell whole rebuilt pumpkins with LSDs added and a core charge, so you swap it in place of your pumpkin and return your old one for the core refund.

My 135is could really have used an LSD but my 335xi it’s more a nice-to-have that might become more necessary if I made a whole ton more power. Right now with my new suspension, things are very well controlled, and powering out of a turn rotates the car but doesn’t break the rear loose.

E90M3 > Textured Soy Protein 07/07/2016 at 16:18

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I’ll have to keep all of this in mind, I never realized how nice an LSD was until my friend was like the LSD in this car makes it drive so much better than a normal BMW. The M3 was the first car I bought and my first long term experience with a BWM so I took the LSD for granted. I’m going to get a second car to daily when I get a new job, I’m gonna look at a bunch of things, but in the end am probably going to get another BMW. I agree the 135is could use the LSD.

Textured Soy Protein > E90M3 07/07/2016 at 16:35

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BMW actually sells accessory LSDs for the F20/F30 2-/3-/4-series. E9x 3-series and E8x 1-series you have to go aftermarket.

E90M3 > Textured Soy Protein 07/07/2016 at 16:37

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That surprises me, I thought they wanted to convince people to get the M car by not offering them in a non-M car.

Textured Soy Protein > E90M3 07/07/2016 at 17:07

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They don’t exactly go out of their way to publicize the LSD. Also, the M2 is essentially the same price as a 435i M Sport, so if someone really wants the LSD and other sporty bits, might as well just get the M2 unless the extra bit of room and comfort in the 4 is important.

My local dealer is spec’ing a lot of their cars with the M performance exhaust lately though.