Could've used a 335 today.

when i drive to lunch with a full load of 4 coworkers in my car, I can definitely feel the added mass. It's always good reason for me to tell them they need to diet. You should have told the two girls you were shuttling to do the same :P

You guys are totally blowing things out of proportion. The weight of the girls is obviously not the problem. ProfessorCook the 335 is totally a fast knock you back in your seat car. You should definitely get one next time!!!

Originally Posted by captainaudio

You don't want to "snap" into oversteer you want to bring it on gently. Driven at the limit on a track by "trail braking" through a corner a controllable amount of oversteer will be induced "trail brake rotation". This will help point the car through the corner.

CA

The RWD 335 is so easy to manipulate with the throttle. A nice fat torque curve, smooth power delivery, great steering, and teriffic chassis makes it so. Yeah, you can snap the car into oversteer, but it takes effort to do that. The car is so controllable and balanced with great feedback, it is forgiving to errors. If you need AWD to control this car, you probably cant drive any RWD (under those conditions). And the RWD car is great in the rain, tracks like a train, better than every FWD car I've ever had. Of course, the AWD will go faster in the rain, but thats a little dumb, the problem in low traction conditions is with the OTHER drivers, and going fast there gives you less time to react to someone else losing control. IMO the complexity, extra cost, and lower efficiency(-2mpg) of the AWD is justified in snowy areas. The fact that the 328xi is less efficient with fuel than the 335i tells the story. Also, once moving the 335i is faster than the 335xi due to powertrain losses and weight. If I lived in the snowbelt though, the xi would definitely be the choice.

I notice these things a lot, even when I was moving 40-50lbs of crap from my old house I could tell a tiny bit of difference.

It's like all of the IRL drivers complaining that Danica has an advantage over them because she's 40-60lbs lighter than most of those guys. In that setting, I'm not so sure that weight difference doesn't matter.

Originally Posted by desertdriver

The RWD 335 is so easy to manipulate with the throttle. A nice fat torque curve, smooth power delivery, great steering, and teriffic chassis makes it so. Yeah, you can snap the car into oversteer, but it takes effort to do that. The car is so controllable and balanced with great feedback, it is forgiving to errors. If you need AWD to control this car, you probably cant drive any RWD (under those conditions). And the RWD car is great in the rain, tracks like a train, better than every FWD car I've ever had. Of course, the AWD will go faster in the rain, but thats a little dumb, the problem in low traction conditions is with the OTHER drivers, and going fast there gives you less time to react to someone else losing control. IMO the complexity, extra cost, and lower efficiency(-2mpg) of the AWD is justified in snowy areas. The fact that the 328xi is less efficient with fuel than the 335i tells the story. Also, once moving the 335i is faster than the 335xi due to powertrain losses and weight. If I lived in the snowbelt though, the xi would definitely be the choice.

I have never pushed a 335 in twisties or in bad weather, so I really can't say from experience, but I pretty much agree with everything you said. The best solution for snow country IMHO is both -- get an AWD for bad weather and a faster RWD if you like. Single car solution = xi. For altitude, 335 wins out, altitude + snow 335xi.

I agree with the "relative to other cars" bit that you referenced. In the city life sucks when it snows because other drivers are so damn unpredictable, going 2 mph, stopping and starting weirdly, not leaving speed-appropriate following distances, etc. Even on dry roads people don't seem to realize that we BMW's can stop faster than 80-90% of cars on the road, so tailgating is not a good idea even apart from the reaction time concern. Unfortunately the vast majority of car "accidents" are the fault of the driver (not saying they "deserved" things etc, but a lot of crashes are preventable.)

In the country I used to do all sorts of crazy things in the snow, but it never matters if there is nobody else on the road and a nice snowbank to moderate your skids. To be honest I think it is good to almost lose control of a car / figure out how it behaves during skids, spins (hence performance driving schools, etc.) The key is to get this experience *safely* and also not let it get you overconfident in your abilities.

The 335 in the twisties is awesome!! Took it for a drive up the mountains following our buddy's M5, we kept up with it! And he ended up getting a ticket too

Esp. during twisties, DS mode is great, it holds your gears and still gives you plenty of speed and power

Just reading this thread while listening to some ZZ top, and I was thinking about a new stanza for "I'm bad, I'm nationwide"...

Carvin' up the twisties in my new series 3,
I had a fine fox in front, couldn't keep her hands off me.
The kick-down mode didn't feel like it should,
so I left her at the curb, and I pulled away with wood.

Say I'm bad, I'm bimmer-fied.


Whaddya think?

Originally Posted by abmwc

Just reading this thread while listening to some ZZ top, and I was thinking about a new stanza for "I'm bad, I'm nationwide"...

Carvin' up the twisties in my new series 3,
I had a fine fox in front, couldn't keep her hands off me.
The kick-down mode didn't feel like it should,
so I left her at the curb, and I pulled away with wood.

Say I'm bad, I'm bimmer-fied.


Whaddya think?

Don't quit your day job!

Actually I think it's pretty funny.

CA

Reminds me of an old hockey joke which I'll change here...

My wife told me it was either her or my BMW.

Damn, I'm going to miss her.

Originally Posted by neapolitan

I have never pushed a 335 in twisties or in bad weather, so I really can't say from experience, but I pretty much agree with everything you said. The best solution for snow country IMHO is both -- get an AWD for bad weather and a faster RWD if you like. Single car solution = xi. For altitude, 335 wins out, altitude + snow 335xi.

I agree with the "relative to other cars" bit that you referenced. In the city life sucks when it snows because other drivers are so damn unpredictable, going 2 mph, stopping and starting weirdly, not leaving speed-appropriate following distances, etc. Even on dry roads people don't seem to realize that we BMW's can stop faster than 80-90% of cars on the road, so tailgating is not a good idea even apart from the reaction time concern. Unfortunately the vast majority of car "accidents" are the fault of the driver (not saying they "deserved" things etc, but a lot of crashes are preventable.)

In the country I used to do all sorts of crazy things in the snow, but it never matters if there is nobody else on the road and a nice snowbank to moderate your skids. To be honest I think it is good to almost lose control of a car / figure out how it behaves during skids, spins (hence performance driving schools, etc.) The key is to get this experience *safely* and also not let it get you overconfident in your abilities.

I am fortunate to have lots of good weather here, but in the rain, the RWD 3er is is amazingly good. As far as other drivers, I used to ride a bike, I dont tolerate tail gating if at all possible, the 3ers brakes arent useful if you have someone on your a__.

I also agree that getting the feel of the car is important, that is best done on empty roads. Every new car I get, I spend the first 1-2 months post break-in getting used to the car on an empty road as often as possible. It really paid off with this car when a someone dropped an extension ladder, laying across 1+ lanes(including the high speed lane) in the highway at rush hour. I made a successful evasive maneuver at over 70mph onto the paved shoulder off the left hand lane to miss the ladder, the 350z and 300C ahead of me were unable to ... ouch! So glad my car wasnt damaged as I had what must have been 1/2 sec to react. What I remember was feeling the car respond instantly to a rapid steering input with great feedback and the rear end stayed planted. The 300C ran right over the ladder, the 350Z tried to evade cutting right(slower lane!), but his rear end came around and he went over the ladder sideways. I dont think I could have made that move in any other sport sedan out there, it was so instantly reflexive.

Originally Posted by ProfessorCook

So the question is... once a 335 owner gets used to the power to weight ratio of his or her car, would he or she also notice a loss in performance by adding two athletic girls or one not-so-athletic guy to his or her ride? (Being politically correct results in cumbersome sentences, don't it?)

yes. having just driven my 135i from southern italy up through the alps in austria to germany, then returning with a 328i with five cases of beer in the trunk, i have to say that you absolutely notice a difference in both handling and horsepower when dropping the turbos and adding a little weight. i don't think the girls weight should have been that big of a deal, but not having much torque in the first place, it certainty couldn't have helped.