The new twin turbo DD - E90 335i M Sport [Archive]

VR4Rob

01-07-2013, 04:23 PM

After plenty of searching and considering options for a new DD to replace my faithful Legacy GT wagon, I finally picked this up last month.

2010 BMW 335i (E90) M Sport
Space Gray exterior, black interior with Glacier Aluminum trim
6 Speed
Picked it up with ~32K miles, still under factory warranty and free maintenance for another year
iDrive nav, bluetooth, onboard HD for music, iPhone connectivity, etc. (toys!)
Comfort access (I never have to take the key out of my pocket to do anything with the car)

The M Sport package includes lots of nifty details and some bigger things that add up to make a great car. Different front/rear bumpers, different wheels, great steering wheel, great shifter, great seats, black headliner, and much stiffer suspension.

Mods:
JB4 piggyback
Dual cone intakes
Aluminum pedals

The JB4 is an amazing thing... so much flexibility and so easy to use out of the box. The car should make in the 400 whp range with just the JB4 and intakes on 93 octane. I can change the tune on the fly by pressing two buttons my steering wheel. Want to run E85? Just pour some in the tank, flip the JB4 to the appropriate map, and boom... more power.

The car is silly fast for how smooth and comfortable it is. It gets near 30 MPG on the highway and makes loads of torque at absolutely any point in the RPM range. The stock suspension is really really impressive... It feels significantly stiffer than the Evo which is pretty surprising.

That's pretty much it. It's been quite an adjustment from my previous cars but I am really loving it so far. Sorry for the lack of pics, it has been raining non-stop here. Sometime in the spring I'll get it cleaned up and get a proper photoshoot done.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/2C7262AF-D9AD-4FD0-9F5C-F73382DE86CA-12464-000005BADB260A1C.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/4C83E91C-8706-4EC4-A1CD-5DB244C706FA-12464-000005BAF404C921.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/85186CEF-8268-479D-8BF5-40C4CBFEA641-12464-000005BAFBE0C965.jpg

Hans@GZP

01-07-2013, 04:31 PM

Nice. Let me know if you end up wanting some more upgrades for that. We carry a bunch of TT BMW stuff in anticipation of our own haha.

Granny

01-07-2013, 04:48 PM

Very nice!

Jimvr4

01-07-2013, 04:52 PM

VR4Rob

01-07-2013, 05:05 PM

Nice :) I have 1 2009 328i M-Sport as a DD. My mods are heated seats! ,a short shifter, a powered dock for for iPhone, and rear fog lights enabled. I also got the coding software and programmed a bunch of convenience and lighting mods. For example when I shut the engine off the doors automatically unlock, when I leave I can roll up/down the windows, open/close the sunroof from the FOB. The sunroof will automatically close if rain is detected, I have a digital speed readout on the dash (V = xx mph), the fogs and angle eyes lightup when I approach and unlock the car. I also have the BMW Remote app on the iPhone which lets you locate your car and unlock it. The heated seats was the biggest challenge as I had to add the heating elements, wiring, and programming to get them to work and it's completely OEM so no one would ever know that it didn't come from the factory that way.

Nice! This car also came with a Bavarian Technic cable and pretty much all of the coding stuff you mentioned has been done. Rolling the windows up and down from the key fob is SWEET. I didn't know about the rain sensing thing but it makes sense given that the car has rain sensing wipers. The 'agreement' requirement has been removed from the nav which is nice and the digital readout of the speedo that comes on the M3 has been added to the center cluster. Lots of fun toys and very cool technology bits.

Jimvr4

01-07-2013, 06:28 PM

Yeah, its possible to make the window actions occur when you touch the handle (Komfort Access) but I prefer it on the FOB so I can start walking while I do it :D. Once my kids are out of college I might trade up to a new M3 or M4 (think the M4 keeps the twin turbo! )

AdamVR4

01-09-2013, 01:48 PM

VR4Rob

01-09-2013, 03:32 PM

Such a nice car. Congrats! What's it look like under the hood? Just one giant plastic cover? :D Is the interior trim actually aluminum or is it painted plastic? (not that it matters - just curious) ...How do you anticipate maintenance going once the warranty is up?

Thanks! It is really amazing how much car it is for the money. Under the hood is surprisingly not all that covered up. My Legacy was more covered up than this with the stock engine cover in place. This is basically what it looks like with the intakes. I should have taken a pic last night since I cleaned and re-oiled the filters.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/alex310/dcintake.jpg

I really think maintenance will be pretty simple. The fluid change intervals are all pretty long (oil changes are 15K :o ) and the basic mechanics of the car are straight forward, front engine and rear wheel drive. Everything in the engine bay seems really accessible so I'm not worried. Parts are surprisingly very affordable.

HilbillyHomeboy

01-09-2013, 03:52 PM

Nice ride! Love the color.

Have you ran it out? I remember when the 335i first hit people were saying they were quick as could be down low, but ran out of steam up top.

Jeremy

vroom4

01-09-2013, 03:54 PM

I probably couldnt even afford to change the brakes on that thing.

VR4Rob

01-09-2013, 04:54 PM

Nice ride! Love the color.

Have you ran it out? I remember when the 335i first hit people were saying they were quick as could be down low, but ran out of steam up top.

Jeremy
I am really growing to like the color too. I have always been a closet silver/gray hater but damn if the car doesn't look great ALL the time. Now that I am looking it seems like most BMWs around here are black or white anyway. The color fits in nicely with the white Evo and the blue VR-4 :D

Last night I finally got a chance to wind it out on a dry road with the intakes on and the JB4 cranked up. It's surprisingly very, very linear and strong up top given the poke it has down low. There is just so much torque down low you really don't expect so much pull on the top end. The car will happily chug along in 6th gear at 35mph, and it really has enough torque to easily pass slow moving traffic well below 2,000 RPM. It doesn't pull up top like my VR-4 with the ported/clipped DR650s above 5K but the VR-4 doesn't have that kind of torque down low either.

I probably couldnt even afford to change the brakes on that thing.

Like I said before, you might be surprised... common wear items and parts are surprisingly not all that expensive. Maybe I am used to higher-priced-aftermarket cars but I have been impressed with basic parts costs. This car is significantly cheaper to mod than the Evo X.

green-lantern

01-10-2013, 11:40 AM

Damn Rob! That’s really freaking nice! You mind me asking what you paid (sorry if I missed that)?

I probably couldnt even afford to change the brakes on that thing.

You can't afford to change the brakes on your motorcycle. :p

J-Groove

01-10-2013, 11:44 AM

Very nice! Congrats!

I was looking at the 335i coupe before I bought the '99.

Is the interior trim actually aluminum or is it painted plastic? (not that it matters - just curious) ...

They are actual aluminum, the wood ones are actual wood and the carbon fiber ones are carbon fiber. :)

-John

VR4Rob

01-10-2013, 01:39 PM

Damn Rob! That’s really freaking nice! You mind me asking what you paid (sorry if I missed that)?

You can't afford to change the brakes on your motorcycle. :p

Thanks Paul. I got it for around $30K which I thought was a pretty good deal given it's condition and all of the goodies that came with the car (including a brand new set of run flats).

Very nice! Congrats!

I was looking at the 335i coupe before I bought the '99.

They are actual aluminum, the wood ones are actual wood and the carbon fiber ones are carbon fiber. :)

-John

Thanks! Sorry I forgot to answer the interior trim question... the 'Glacier Aluminum' (textured instead of brushed) is really nice. All of the interior materials are top notch, the best of all maybe being the black headliner on the M Sport cars.

vroom4

01-10-2013, 02:01 PM

Who the heck would put run flats on that car after the stockers die...fail. Anger=Jealousy :P

VR4Rob

01-10-2013, 02:14 PM

Who the heck would put run flats on that car after the stockers die...fail. Anger=Jealousy :P

The stock tires are run flats. The previous owner immediately swapped the stock run flats with some Continental DWSs that were pretty much at the end of their life when I got the car. I wouldn't have chosen the run flats if I were buying tires but I'll sure as heck take a brand new set if they're given to me.

I think they get an overly bad rap to be honest. I certainly don't hate them and I typically don't like shitty tires :D I guess the complaint that most people have with them is the price but they are very competent as a summer tire and ride quietly. Eventually the car will have a set of Pilot Super Sports on it, like the VR-4 and the Evo. The PSS is, in my opinion, the best street tire you can buy right now.

green-lantern

01-10-2013, 02:55 PM

Jimvr4

01-10-2013, 03:10 PM

I'm surprised it wasn't 5-10K more after looking at autotrader ads. The JB4 and BV cable is at least an extra 2-3K as well. Sounds to me like you had hookups or somebody was desperate to get the cash.

green-lantern

01-10-2013, 03:12 PM

HilbillyHomeboy

01-10-2013, 03:24 PM

And NADA value is around 30k. Sounds like it was on the money to me, when you throw in the freebie mods.

Jeremy

VR4Rob

01-10-2013, 03:26 PM

That’s about what I thought it would be, or a bit more. It’s a very nice car, I’d be afraid to park it in my work parking lot. That’s why I got the cheap RX7 convertible. I don’t care if somebody bounces a door off it. Any time I drive the 3000 I have to strategically park it in certain spots to assure no asshole puts a door in it. They just don’t give a fuck here. Bunch of rednecks.

I'm always strategic with my parking as well. Luckily my office is fairly small and I am well known for my cars so everybody is extra careful around whatever I bring to the office that day ;)

I'm surprised it wasn't 5-10K more after looking at autotrader ads. The JB4 and BV cable is at least an extra 2-3K as well. Sounds to me like you had hookups or somebody was desperate to get the cash.

I think it would have been closer to 37-39K sitting on a dealer lot, especially with it still being under warranty. I definitely lucked out because there really aren't very many being sold private party that had everything I was looking for. 6spd sedans alone are hard to find, let alone an M Sport with all of these options. There are deals out there, you just have to have cash in hand and be ready to jump on a plane with a quickness to go get the right car.

One other thing I forgot to mention that the car has is a pretty sweet sound system in the trunk. There's a custom fiberglass box, some Rockford Fosgate subs, and a Kicker amp. I know almost nothing about car audio but it sounds great and looks nice. I might take it out for a setup that takes up less space but it's nice to listen to now :)

HilbillyHomeboy

01-10-2013, 03:29 PM

That deal just keeps getting better and better. Sounding more like you did a really great buy on it. :)

Jeremy

VR4Rob

01-10-2013, 03:39 PM

That deal just keeps getting better and better. Sounding more like you did a really great buy on it. :)

Jeremy

I think I'd pretty much always prefer to buy from an enthusiast than a dealership. We bought my Legacy, the Evo, and now the 335 all from enthusiasts that all loved and the cars and did some light mods that I was already planning to do. I always hoped I didn't use all of my car karma on my once-in-a-lifetime find of my VR-4 all those years ago.

VR4Rob

01-20-2013, 12:08 PM

Got a chance to take a couple of pictures yesterday

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/775228_10101153656210571_60728561_o.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/775201_10101153655656681_2035508835_o.jpg

ukyo

02-24-2013, 12:17 PM

Got a chance to take a couple of pictures yesterday

Nice looking car, Rob. As you know, we've had a 2007 335i sedan since 2010 and still love it. Even with it being an automatic it is still a blast to drive. Touching on the brakes topic, I replaced the front pads on our 335i with some Hawk HPS (had them on my old VR-4, made braking a lot better over stock on it). Compared to the stock pads the Hawks do not dust at all, but they also do not stop as well on the BMW. That kind of surprised me. They are not bad, but the stock pads are really good at hauling the car down with the quickness. The only down side to the stockers is they dust like crazy. I want to say I replaced the fronts myself for a little under $100? That sounds right.

I'm about to sell my VR-4. Time to turn the page and step in to something different I think...

VR4Rob

02-24-2013, 08:35 PM

Nice looking car, Rob. As you know, we've had a 2007 335i sedan since 2010 and still love it. Even with it being an automatic it is still a blast to drive. Touching on the brakes topic, I replaced the front pads on our 335i with some Hawk HPS (had them on my old VR-4, made braking a lot better over stock on it). Compared to the stock pads the Hawks do not dust at all, but they also do not stop as well on the BMW. That kind of surprised me. They are not bad, but the stock pads are really good at hauling the car down with the quickness. The only down side to the stockers is they dust like crazy. I want to say I replaced the fronts myself for a little under $100? That sounds right.

I'm about to sell my VR-4. Time to turn the page and step in to something different I think...

Thanks for the post Travis! I freakin love this car... it gets better and better everyday. Thanks for the notes on the brakes. I had Hawk HPS pads on my Legacy and didn't really care for them. They lasted forever but they had pretty bad initial bite and were pretty loud. It seems like there aren't really any pads out there that have decent initial bite that don't dust like crazy. The dust doesn't bother me much though, I wash all of the cars every weekend.

If you haven't gotten a JB4 yet, you should do it ASAP. It's an amazing little thing and the car absolutely hauls ass with it. I've been experimenting with some E85 lately and it's really, really fun just to pour E85 into the tank, press buttons on the steering wheel to change maps, and then enjoy getting sub par gas mileage as you melt the rear tires away :)

Sad to hear you're selling the VR-4. It's understandable though... life moves on. I hope she goes to a good home. What's next? You and Sonya should come visit us in HSV sometime soon.

Tomorrow I'm getting the front bumper repaired from where the previous owner had to drill into it to run a front plate. I am also adding BMW Performance gloss black grills and a new rear diffuser to replace my slightly damaged one.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/295557_10101230420808701_416100071_n.jpg

ukyo

02-24-2013, 08:55 PM

Thanks for the post Travis! I freakin love this car... it gets better and better everyday. Thanks for the notes on the brakes. I had Hawk HPS pads on my Legacy and didn't really care for them. They lasted forever but they had pretty bad initial bite and were pretty loud. It seems like there aren't really any pads out there that have decent initial bite that don't dust like crazy. The dust doesn't bother me much though, I wash all of the cars every weekend.

The Hawk HPS pads have been good for me on both my VR-4 and on the 335i. They haven't been loud at all, and as noted, they stopped the VR-4 better, but not so with the 335i. I just thought it was odd that stock pads could out perform "performance" pads. I'm a little lazy when it comes to washing the cars, so the less dust the better. ;)

If you haven't gotten a JB4 yet, you should do it ASAP. It's an amazing little thing and the car absolutely hauls ass with it. I've been experimenting with some E85 lately and it's really, really fun just to pour E85 into the tank, press buttons on the steering wheel to change maps, and then enjoy getting sub par gas mileage as you melt the rear tires away :)

I've wanted one since the JB3 was the best thing on the market. Sonya is not too keen on modding the car since it's still under warranty. Too many horror stories of the dealers denying work because the car has mods. I'd love to put a JB4 on there, though. Bang for the buck it really can't be beat on this platform.

Sad to hear you're selling the VR-4. It's understandable though... life moves on. I hope she goes to a good home. What's next? You and Sonya should come visit us in HSV sometime soon.

I think I'm going to go electric, actually. I'm looking at a Volt right now while I shovel back the cash to get a Tesla in the next 3 - 5 years.

We'd like to come hang out with you guys. It's been quite a while and long over due. We'll have to set something up.

Tomorrow I'm getting the front bumper repaired from where the previous owner had to drill into it to run a front plate. I am also adding BMW Performance gloss black grills and a new rear diffuser to replace my slightly damaged one.

It just keeps looking better. Keep up the good work. I know your cars appreciate the care you give them.

VR4Rob

02-24-2013, 09:03 PM

I think I'm going to go electric, actually. I'm looking at a Volt right now while I shovel back the cash to get a Tesla in the next 3 - 5 years.

We'd like to come hang out with you guys. It's been quite a while and long over due. We'll have to set something up.

It just keeps looking better. Keep up the good work. I know your cars appreciate the care you give them.

I would LOVE to have an electric car right now. Kind of cool being on the brink of technology that will really shape our future. I really, really like the Model S and it's damn fast. If I had $100K to spend on a car, I think that's probably what I would buy. Crazy but true.

Seriously though, we would really like you guys to come for a visit. Paul (TooFast4Radar) was just here this weekend so he can vouch that all guests here have a good time ;) Not to mention all of the other well known 3/S folks that have been here.

Jimvr4

02-25-2013, 01:39 AM

I had Hawk HPS pads on my Legacy and didn't really care for them. They lasted forever but they had pretty bad initial bite and were pretty loud. It seems like there aren't really any pads out there that have decent initial bite that don't dust like crazy. The dust doesn't bother me much though, I wash all of the cars every weekend.

I am also adding BMW Performance gloss black grills and a new rear diffuser to replace my slightly damaged one.

I checked into brake pads for the E90 and found that there are pads that are close to stock stopping power with much less dust. The stock stopping power is no joke by the way.

Akebono EUR918A EURO Ultra-Premium Ceramic Front Brake Pad Set For 2008-2010 BMW 328
Akebono EUR1267 EURO Ultra-Premium Ceramic Brake Pad Set

Rob, these should fit your E90 but Travis probably needs a different part number. I plan to get these as soon as I have time to focus on the DD.

I just added the gloss black grills too for only $58 for the set. I tried to upgrade the angel eye bulbs too but the new H8 bulbs drew too much current and kept setting off the warning light so I removed them. It looks like a decent LED kit will run between $100-$250.

VR4Rob

02-25-2013, 09:28 AM

Thanks Jim. I've had Akebono ceramic pads on my VR-4 for years and have really liked them. BMW still owes me a free brake service before the warranty is up but I'll keep those in mind farther down the road :)

I dropped the car off at the body shop this morning to get the bumper fixed. Woot!

ukyo

03-01-2013, 04:06 PM

I would LOVE to have an electric car right now. Kind of cool being on the brink of technology that will really shape our future. I really, really like the Model S and it's damn fast. If I had $100K to spend on a car, I think that's probably what I would buy. Crazy but true.

It's official. I now haz a Volt. I just couldn't pass it up any longer. I've been wanting to get something new, and since the 335i became Sonya's car, it was my time! I picked up a 2013 Volt Premium. It's setting me back about $30 more a month than the 335i was, and I'm honestly getting 186 MPG (I will have had it a week tomorrow). Of course, that number will go down if it's taken on a road trip, but for commuting I'm using right about .4 of a gallon a day. Comparing that to my VR-4, which was gulping down 2.5 gallons per round trip to work and back and this decision has win written all over it (yes, I was using my VR-4 as a DD for almost a year and it NEVER had any issues). I think it's sad the 3/S platform gets such a bad rap on reliability. I've never really had any issues that weren't caused by my own stupidity.

Seriously though, we would really like you guys to come for a visit. Paul (TooFast4Radar) was just here this weekend so he can vouch that all guests here have a good time ;) Not to mention all of the other well known 3/S folks that have been here.

We'll have to set it up, then. Seriously. :)

VR4Rob

03-01-2013, 10:46 PM

Congrats on the Volt though I'll miss that beautiful white VR-4.

I got the car back from the body shop today. Front bumper looks perfect now.

Bumper damage:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/4EBE8B81-14C8-45CF-9D9A-2AB323E575DE-10777-000003EBB3E96B0E_zpsae227004.jpg

Fixt:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/B0D85AA9-4D18-4426-A9CE-D4E9AF037D18-10777-000003EBC4342C00_zps3c10feee.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/BD9BA003-A775-4014-943D-7058244D2F6F-10777-000003EBCD0B22B3_zpsd9540e6e.jpg

Black grilles on:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/AE398579-DED0-4293-821C-FCB1DC043C3A-10777-000003EBDDF9E2B9_zpsd4afdc4d.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/VR4Rob/CC83E471-ABCA-473F-B45C-4156A5A2B355-10777-000003EBD3B58C88_zpsc91bb003.jpg

athamay

03-01-2013, 10:52 PM

we have two e92's right now, the M3 and my wife traded her car for a 2010 e92 335xi just this past week, I love beemers, kinda make me regret ever getting a vr4 each time I drive any of them

Jimvr4

03-01-2013, 11:08 PM

One of these days I'll get the holes in my bumper patched. Ironically I had front end damage a year ago and removed the plate myself expecting that the body shop would mount a new clean bumper. Little did I know the stock bumper comes WITH pilot holes for the license mount. Since I never explicitly mentioned it to the body shop they just painted it and left the holes. After a year as a DD it has many rock chips along with the hood. The whole front end would need a respray and clear bra to really be perfect.

ukyo

03-02-2013, 08:19 AM

Congrats on the Volt though I'll miss that beautiful white VR-4.

Thanks. I still have the VR-4 right now. My plans are to stash it at my parent's place until I can sell it. I might accidentally forget to sell it... ;)

I got the car back from the body shop today. Front bumper looks perfect now.

Looks great, Rob!

VR4Rob

03-18-2013, 10:32 AM

Finally got the car on the dyno yesterday. There was a shop in town running a special, $40 for 3 pulls. I mixed in 5 gallons of E85 to a full tank of 93 and let the JB4 do its thing. The car had been running really strong all week. Unfortunately, when I got on the dyno the ECU saw something it didn't like and the first run was basically aborted. After that, the JB4 really pulled back and I was only able to get a clean run but definitely down some power.

First run: 301 whp and 450 wtq at ~3700 rpm (when the run was aborted)
Second: 336 whp and 398 wtq

On the street the car is a monster with torque numbers that big and it makes it everywhere in the powerband. Pretty crazy stuff. Obviously I was disappointed that the first run had to be aborted. I think it had near 400 whp in it had the curve continued where it started. Anyway, time to sort it out and go back :)

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/544480_10101271517984631_1037497843_n.jpg