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How to have the best of both worlds? What would it take to beat a 335i w/ a 535i?

5K views 37 replies 13 participants last post by  HDEddie1 
#1 · (Edited)
I originally planned on getting a 335i because I wanted a car that I could track on the weekends, but ended up ordering a 535i once I got to thinking about squeezing my daughters into the car. But last night I was wondering how much you would have to mod a f10 535i to be able to have a car that is both faster in a straight line and around a scca cone course than a stock 335i. So how many, and which, mods do you think it would take to accomplish this?

eta- I realize that this probably wouldn't be a very desirable setup, as you would be giving up much of the comfort that the 535i provides. Just a purely academic scenario.
 
#2 ·
It's almost impossible to do. If it were doable, the cost would be more than just buying an M5.

You must tackle these:
1) 600 lbs
2) Slower steering
3) less aggressive suspension
4) Slower transmission
5) Exterior size
6) lack visibility due to higher F10 dash
 
#5 ·
Or you could steal Alan's car - and just look better than everybody else on the track? :dunno:

Alan L you get the tune yet?
 
#4 ·
Yikes, IMO forget that. Just enjoy the superior comfort and refinement/luxury and be happy that for a Sedan this thing still has a lively sport-blooded DNA hiding within it.

Coming from the car I did, I couldn't ask for a more perfect "hybrid" of the two mating aspects.
 
#6 ·
You are already on the right path to make F10 faster than F30 (or E9X). Go to the track (HPDE), take instructions. Come home, apply what you learned while driving on normal roads every day - minus the outright speed, of course. Repeat 5-10 times.

If you do it properly, you will be able to beat 100% of 335i drivers who never saw the track in their life.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Any F10 5 series is going to be awful on a "cone" course or AutoX - I don't care how much HP it has, it's a 4,000 LB+ 194 inch highway cruiser with a nose longer and wider than the 1968 Chevy Impala I learned how to drive in. I kid.........sort of.

My underpowered E46 330 would pound my 535 around an AutoX track, even though it would lose in a drag race. Even a 550 (NO LSD) isn't going to have much fun around a tight AutoX course.
 
#21 ·
No dynos and from what i've seen others posted its not even worth doing because the results isn't anything to brag about on paper. However, this tune does give the car a significant bump in acceleration and ups the fun factor quite a bit. Somehow on dynos it doesn't reflect whats felt in with the butt dyno but I am ok with it so far. Not as happy as the tunes that were in my N54 335 but it is better than stock for sure.

One option I am planning to look into is the Hartge tune. Same concept as the JB but albeit more refined than the JB coming from such a major company. The problem is the tune isn't cheap $1299 and nobody in the US has it besides the guys over at Turner Motorsports on their project N55 F30 so trying to find real world reviews about it is slim to none.

Alan
 
#23 ·
One option I am planning to look into is the Hartge tune. Same concept as the JB but albeit more refined than the JB coming from such a major company. The problem is the tune isn't cheap
More refined because it comes from a major company? You sure about that? BMS has been working on these tunes for years...seems like his would be more refined? :confused: Big isn't always better.
 
#22 ·
From what I have seen, it looks like the JB tune moves the curve to a much earlier point. That may account for the great feeing.

Please keep us informed about the Hartge - I am on the sidelines waiting to jump in...
 
#26 · (Edited)
Hey i'm not here to argue. If you think BMS is the best tuner out there then great. I don't agree.

As for how many tunes Hartge's done? For the F10 platform alone they have 13 different models listed.

Here are before and after videos of *some* of the cars they've tuned http://www.youtube.com/user/hartgevideos/videos?view=0

Yeah so i'd say they know what they are doing when it comes to tuning BMW's.

When BMS starts doing full engine conversions and have some racing history under its belt then we'll talk

(btw those are all Hartge cars on the cover of those magazines)

OP sorry to thread jack. Now back to regular programming....

Alan
 
#30 ·
+ 1 on Bodoxn and Alan L post. And, if you didn't get ARS (active roll stabilization) on you're car, you behind a few more points. How 'bout save the money you'd have to put into the 535i with dubious results and buy a used, purpose built track car for those weekends.
 
#34 ·
I really didn't have any intentions of doing any mods to my car, hell it's a lease. I was just wondering what route others would go if they had that goal in mind. I actually started this thread the day before I took delivery of my car, and that was the first time I had driven a f10. I ordered it without even test driving it! So now that I have some miles under my belt, I now realize just how large this car is. It's big, and it's long. So I now understand why others simply don't put this car and cone racing in the same sentence. So now I think I will do what I've wanted to do for some time, and what you suggested above, and try to think more about getting a dedicated racer for the weekends.
 
#32 ·
Alan, you and RambleJ are my goto guys when it comes to tunes. He has a similar opinion to yours on the BMS tune. He was talking to me about a company in CA (forget the name) that reflashes the ECU but you have to send it to them.
 
#36 ·
I originally planned on getting a 335i because I wanted a car that I could track on the weekends, but ended up ordering a 535i once I got to thinking about squeezing my daughters into the car. But last night I was wondering how much you would have to mod a f10 535i to be able to have a car that is both faster in a straight line and around a scca cone course than a stock 335i. So how many, and which, mods do you think it would take to accomplish this?
I almost bought a 2012 F10 535i for $10k off MSRP before incentives last summer but didn't close the deal because of the handling of the F10(I came from a E39). For sure active steering and dynamic handling help a lot on F10, but technologies can only do that much to counter the weight and physics. Another wierd thing of F10 is that with 7+inch more wheelbase than e39, the interior shoulder room is still smaller than E39, and the rear leg room is not much improved over E39 and E60.
 
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