Tag: Performance BMW

BMW 130I E81/7 GUIDE: PERFORMANCE BARGAIN

Quick, fun and extremely affordable, the BMW 130i is an awesome all-rounder and a brilliant bargain buy if you’re after one car that can do it all on a budget. Here’s our guide to buying and modifying one.

First appeared in Performance BMW. Words: Elizabeth de Latour. Photos: BMW, ESS.

Nowadays just about every hot hatch has at least 300hp so something with less than that might seem a little light on firepower, but back in 2005 the thought of stuffing a 3.0-litre straight-six with 265hp into a hatchback was pretty wild, and the resulting car was a serious little firecracker.

A brief history

The BMW 130i arrived in 2005 and was available in SE and M Sport trim levels in five-door form, with the SE being dropped after 18 months. Power came courtesy of the 3.0-litre N52 straight-six, which delivered 265hp at 6650rpm along with 223lb ft of torque at 2750rpm, and that meant a 0-62 time of just 6.1 seconds along with a limited 155mph top speed. In 2007 the facelift arrived and with it came the three-door body style while EfficientDynamics features were introduced, which lowered emissions and improved fuel economy. The facelift model received revised rear lights with light bars, and the car now came with electric power steering in place of the earlier model’s hydraulic setup. The LCI also brought with it a few minor interior tweaks such as a higher quality dash and door cards. 2007 is also when BMW launched the Limited Edition model, of which only 160 were made; all cars were finished in Carbon black with Lemon leather, featured Style 216 multi-spoke 18s and came equipped with sat nav and electric front seats among other things, but only four seats rather than five. The E81 1 Series is a three-door hatchback, while the E87 is a five-door hatchback.

BMW 130i E81/7 common problems

Noisy hydraulic valve adjusters are one of the main issues you will read about. This affected N52 engine produced before October 2008, and the problem appears as a ticking noise when the engine is first started from cold. The noise is the sound of the valvetrain operating as oil has not yet made its way to the lifters after having drained away when the car is parked. It’s more prevalent on cars that do a lot of short journeys and often clears up after a longer drive. The general consensus is that it’s a characteristic of the engine and there don’t seem to be any reports of it actually causing any damage. Electric water pumps fail and it’s a case of when, not if, it will go wrong. A major potential issue is the camshaft bearing ledge problem; it’s not common but it is very expensive to fix. What happens is that the rings that are in the cam bearing ledges, which house the cams, wear down and allow play, which leads to a groove developing on the ledge and allows fluctuations in oil pressure. The old rings have to be replaced with new Teflon items and if the bearing ledges are grooved the exhaust bearing ledge will have to be replaced (about £400 for the part), but the intake cam bearing is cast into the head and that means you might need a new cylinder head in a worst-case scenario.

The standard-fit run-flats can actually do the suspension some harm so if the previous owner hasn’t removed them check for worn shocks and bushings. Worn inner track rod joints can cause the steering to feel vague and anti-roll bar drop-links will cause a rattle or clonk when they are up for replacement.

The 1 Series is known for numerous interior creaks and rattles, with the front and rear door seals especially notorious for creaking. The seats creak, which can be cured by fitting new seat runners or replacing the backrest, as does the interior light housing, the centre armrest and the centre dash vents. Also, check the dash skin around the area where the passenger airbag is located. The biggest concerns are to do with the steering lock and the DSC system. A yellow or red steering wheel symbol on the dash will point to steering column failure. If a reset doesn’t work, try a CAS module software update and if you still have no joy, then the steering column will need replacing.

Water can collect at the rear of the car and come up into the cabin, resulting in damp rear seats as well as numerous electrical problems. If you can get under the car, there are two plugs that can be removed to allow the water to drain away. If the DSC/DTC warning light is permanently illuminated then that will mean either a failed DSC control unit or ABS pump module, the latter throwing up fault code 5E20; both can suffer from water ingress and you’ll need to replace the faulty item. Numerous warning lights and a PDC error means your PDC unit is wet, so you’ll need to get to it and hopefully will be able to dry it out.

Modifying a BMW 130i

A remap won’t give you a massive increase in power and torque but it will make the engine feel a lot more lively and responsive across the entire rev range and owners who’ve had it done say it’s worth it. An exhaust will sound good and Supersprint and Eisenmann both offer rear silencers, priced around the £700-800 mark. BMW’s M Performance silencer is also worth a look, though it’s no longer available new so you’d have to track down a used example. If you want serious power gains then the latest ESS G1 supercharger kit is the way forward; this non-intercooled setup uses an E-Charger G1 supercharger unit running 6-6.5 psi along with larger Bosch injectors and it increases power by 80-100hp, which will transform your 130i into a serious performance machine. The kit costs around £4300 plus 4-6 hours of fitting.

The BMW 130i handles well out of the box but the stock combo of run-flats and overly stiff suspension on the M Sport model doesn’t do it any favours and there are plenty of chassis upgrades that are worth doing. If you just want a quick fix then a set of lowering springs and some dampers would be a good place to start and for £600 that would make a significant difference to how the car feels, or if you’ve got a bit more cash to spend you can grab a set of BC Racing coilovers for around £900. UK BMW specialist, Birds Auto, spent a lot of time developing a number of chassis upgrades for the 130i and while they’re not cheap if you’re after the best possible handling upgrades, they’re definitely worth a look. The B-Series Sport Suspension kit uses specially valved Bilstein dampers and matched Eibach springs to offer the perfect combination of a good ride and exceptional handling, and it costs £1102.80. You can also buy the B-Series uprated anti-roll bar kit for £480, which features a 90% thicker rear anti-roll bar and a 10% thicker front item, which combine to remove understeer from the handling equation. A Quaife ATB LSD is also a very worthwhile investment as it really helps the 130i put its power down, and is an essential purchase if you supercharge the car – the LSD costs £1102.80. You can also buy the suspension kit, ARBs and LSD together as the B1 Dynamics Package for £2347.20, saving yourself a bit of money and giving you an awesome handling upgrade in one go.

In terms of wheels, if a previous owner hasn’t already got rid of the run-flat tyres then that should be at the top of your to-do list and in terms of wheel size, 19s go on no problem and for many they offer the perfect blend of looks and performance, filling out the 130i’s arches nicely without ruining the handling. An 8×19″ ET40 and 9×19″ ET46 setup with 225/35 and 255/30 tyres will fit, as a guide. If you want to upgrade your brakes you could fit the E8x 135i’s six-pot front calipers – they’re a direct fit and only require the backing plates to be trimmed, or you could get a K-Sport six-pot BBK for around £900 or an eight-pot setup for under £1000, which is a lot of stopping power for
your money.

As for styling, a quick glance at the MStyle website will show you that there is a lot to choose from out there – probably the best-looking styling options are the 1M-look items such as the bonnet, front bumper and front wings, and the M2-look front bumper is also pretty cool. There are numerous roof spoiler and diffuser options available as well, so you can really give your 130i that personal styling touch and really make it stand out from the crowd.

Performance BMW’s pick

Your choices come down to whether you want three or five doors, whether you want the SE or the M Sport and whether you want a manual or an auto. Obviously, it’s all about personal preference and how practical and comfortable you want your 130i to be, but for us, a manual three-door M Sport would be the one we’d want sitting outside our house. The three-door is still very practical but looks better and while the M Sport does have a very stiff suspension setup (more on that later), the more aggressive styling and additional equipment are worth it.

BMW 130i prices

The BMW 130i price range starts from under £4000 and stretches to £7500. The cheapest example was a 125k-mile manual Le Mans blue five-door M Sport car, while for £4500 we found a five-door auto with 74k on the clock. SEs don’t have the M Sport appeal which means you can pick up low-mileage examples for not a whole lot of money – we spotted a well-specced auto with just over 58,000 miles for £5400 and one with just 42k on the clock for £5500. For the same money, you could also get yourself a three-door auto M Sport with 115k miles, while £6250 could get you into a 65,000-mile auto five-door M Sport. If you fancy an LE, the cheapest one we found was up for £6750 with 81k miles.

Verdict

If you’re looking for a fun, affordable and practical all-rounder with some strong modding potential then the 130i is an excellent choice. There are a few potential problems to be aware of but none of the common issues are major ones, and you shouldn’t need to have too much cash set aside to keep your 130i happy and healthy. When it comes to modding there are a lot of options out there, whether you’re just looking for some simple handling and styling upgrades, or whether you want a supercharged, 1M-look monster. For the money, the 130i is great value and an excellent and affordable used purchase and it’s a machine you’ll have a lot of fun with.

BMW 130i tech specs

Engine: 2996cc
Power: 261bhp
Top speed: 155 mph
0-60mph: 5.9 secs
Consumption: 34 mpg
Gearbox: 6sp man
Length: 4239 mm
Width: 1934 mm
Weight: 1385 kg

Source

May 4, 2021
TUNED BMW 335D E92: OILBARON

In the world of performance tuning, diesel power is still a black art to some. But through a never-ending quest for perfection with his tuned BMW 335d E92, Lee Gouldsbrough is proving to be something of a kingpin in the scene…

Feature first appeared in Performance BMW. Words: Daniel Bevis. Photos: Igor Gurgel

If you quizzed The Prodigy about the merits of diesel power back in the 1990s, their thoughts on the subject would have been very clear: “Blows your mind drastically, fantastically,” they’d say. And while the issue of using heavy oil for means of motive power has always been a polarising one, this sense of outlaw mischief has endured across the ages.

However, anyone who’s ever asked a barman for ‘a pint of the black stuff’ and been rewarded with a disappointing tankard of Bovril will be keenly aware that cramming darkness inside isn’t always the path to happiness. It’s no secret that diesel engines have never been auto manufacturers’ mill of choice when it comes to sports cars. Sure, some have bucked the trend (Peugeot won Le Mans with diesel power, the original Skoda Fabia vRS was the first diesel hot hatch, there was the Trident Iceni which… actually, no, forget that one), and Volkswagen has been keen to offer such creations as the Golf GT TDI for decades, but these things are frequently met with a relative lack of enthusiasm from the buying public. BMW, however, has long been better placed than most to exploit the potential of dervs in hot cars, hence the prevalence of diesel motors in balletically poised machines such as the E92 coupé – these sold like hot cakes when they were new, and they’re enjoying huge popularity today, not least because they’re so damn tunable. And the example you see here – well, this illustrates the point with flair and panache. Yes, it’s a BMW 335d E92. And yes, it’s also some manner of road-legal track weapon. With vibrant power, enough torque to uproot a decent-sized oak tree, and a rear wing wide enough to stabilise the aero on a Piper Cub, this is evidently a diesel we need to get to know.

Lee Gouldsbrough (@leeg_94) is the puppet-master pulling the strings, and it’s fair to say he didn’t quite envisage things going this far from the beginning. Indeed, the car was originally purchased with the intention of being a comfy daily which would offer decent mpg, although we all know how this story goes. We may set out with the best intentions, but if you’ve got the devil inside you then there’s no point corking yourself to stop his mischief seeping out. Might as well just succumb to the inevitable and let the madness unleash itself. Comfy dailies are all very well, but they’re not what dreams are made of.

This, interestingly, is Lee’s first BMW, having previously modified Vauxhalls – and the step-change from the likes of Corsas and Astras to a premium-executive coupé like this is not insignificant. “The economy was an important factor in choosing it,” he readily admits. “I wanted something that had enough power to have some fun, but wouldn’t send me broke in fuelling it while I was an apprentice, going to and from work up and down the country.” The car was found on Auto Trader, requiring a little TLC as it had various dents and scratches – but the fact that it was an LCI model with low mileage and the right spec made it too attractive to turn down. “The plan was to just lower it on coilovers, with some OEM wheels and a Stage One map,” he grins. “But then that bug kicked in, and I couldn’t stop…”

He’s not kidding. In fact, Lee’s 335d E92 project has passed through five distinct phases thus far, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down (in every sense of the term) any time soon. The first iteration saw him fulfilling that initial wish list with a set of BC coilovers, new wheels and a map, but it quickly levelled-up to version two. This entailed fitting a full air-ride setup along with a set of shiny new Rotiforms, window tints, a ducktail spoiler and a custom exhaust system. Version three saw Lee swapping back to coilovers, stripping out the tints, adding CCW wheels and a front splitter, and playing with the turbo-diesel motor a bit – hybrid turbos, EGR delete and swirl flap delete, upgraded fuel pump and intercooler. The fourth evolution ushered in that outrageous wide-arch kit, a pre-production item from Fitment Lab, for which the wheels were built wider. The car was swapped to a manual gearbox with the exterior wrapped in cream, and the interior enjoyed a comprehensive makeover with a roll-cage and rear seat delete, Recaro Pole Positions and a Coolerworx shifter. Meth injection also entered the fray at this point. And finally, we arrive at the car you see here, version five: we’re talking Air Lift Performance 3P suspension, M3 carbon leather trim, an exterior swap back to the original colour, a Wavetrac LSD, a host of chassis upgrades, and that unmissable Big Country Labs GT wing.

But we’ve rushed through a whole lot of history there, haven’t we? Let’s take some time to drill down into the details, starting with that hair-raising engine spec. “It took around two-and-a-half years to get the engine to the level it’s at now,” says Lee, and the sturdy M57 certainly appears to be taking its new-found sporting pretensions in its stride. “It has a straight-through exhaust which is 3” from the turbo back, just so it doesn’t sound like a tractor. I’m also running an R90 high-pressure fuel pump from an earlier 535d, a swirl flap delete to prevent any future problems, EGR delete, Turbo Dynamics hybrid turbos for more boost, and an uprated intercooler. There’s a meth injection setup to keep the intake temps down, an ATM induction kit for less restrictive airflow and an M50d rail sensor. I decided to go for these mods as, at the time, it was the best way to get more power from the engine. However, the Americans and Europeans have now taken the M57 further and there are more readily available mods to push more power.” Something Lee’s undoubtedly sizing up for the future, but the figures today are still pretty hair-raising: we’re talking 404hp and a meaty 630lb ft at the wheels.

Naturally, the transmission has had to be strengthened somewhat to deploy all of this, and Lee needed to put a bit of work in to determine the details. “At the time, I think there were only two BMW 335ds in the UK which had been converted to manual, an E90 and an E91,” he recalls. “So I contacted both asking for information on what they used in terms of gearbox, clutch and so on. I managed to find someone stripping an E90 pre-LCI 330d which apparently has the strongest gearbox to handle the torque, and once that was in it was time to think about clutch options… I found a company not too far away who make clutches for drift cars, and they made a custom pressure plate, solid flywheel and a triple-plate clutch – which is a nightmare to set off in! I went with the triple-plate only to prevent future problems when I start chasing the power. Finally, the Coolerworx short-shifter completely transforms the ’box.”

The inherent tension throughout the project is that, on the one hand, Lee wants to build the 335d E92 into the most efficient and performance-orientated version of itself possible, while on the other hand he loves going to car shows and letting the tuned BMW peacock. The air-ride is a keen nod to the show scene, as is the wheel choice – CCW Classics chosen as they’re simply something a bit different. But while airing out provides that killer stance, we all know that Air Lift gear is honed for the track, and he’s been busy making further performance upgrades under the skin. It’s now packing M3 arms with poly bushes, the subframe’s also been poly bushed, the manual ’box is solid mounted, and there are Whiteline anti-roll bars at either end. And while the car was up on the ramp, it was a no-brainer to slot in a Wavetrac LSD too, as they really are the business.

You see, this isn’t a car built for posing and posturing. Sure, it can hold its own on the showground, but Lee built it to be a hardcore driver’s machine. “I love the manual conversion, it feels like a completely new car to drive,” he beams. “Due to the solid flywheel, it makes a loud rattling noise when it’s stationary in neutral; recently I was at a set of traffic lights and let the clutch out, and when I glanced over to the pavement there was a woman stood there looking into the sky trying to find a plane or helicopter. I pressed the clutch down and she stopped looking around. After a couple of seconds, I released it again, and she started looking again, walking around the corner staring into the sky… by this point, I’m laughing so hard my eyes are streaming!”

All part of the fun, of course. This isn’t just a car, it’s a compadre, which explains the relentless spec changes. A couple of mates having fun, and one of those mates happens to be a car. In fact, the new look is already well underway, with Lee sourcing a Seibon carbon bonnet and a Samsonas shifter; he’s also going to rebuild the wheels and the headlights and is planning Hardrace camber arms, M Performance six-pot brakes, and a quick-release CSL boot lid. “Then, next year, I’ll be making a start on the engine again to try and achieve over 500whp,” he says. This diesel tuning lark is clearly very addictive – when we ask Lee what he’d do to the car if money were no object, he answers quick-as-a-flash that he’d shoehorn a Mercedes OM606 diesel in there. And if he were to sell it, what could replace it? He reckons an E36 fitted with an M57 diesel. Clearly diesel is a way of life for Lee and his tuned BMW 335d E92 is an absolute beast. Blowing your mind drastically, fantastically.

Source

April 28, 2021
PANDEM 335i E93: VISION AND EXECUTION

Idea, vision and execution. The most overlooked part of many builds and it doesn’t even cost a thing… not in the case of this Pandem 335i E93, though.

Feature first appeared in Fast Car magazine. Words and Photos: Paddy McGrath

It has become such a regular occurrence, that I sometimes think we either don’t notice it any more or purposely choose to overlook it.

I’m talking about cars which suffer with an identity crisis, cars which don’t really know what they’re trying to be. Show cars pretending to be track cars, or track cars built to such a high standard that their owners are frightened to take them out on track. Often this comes about due to improper planning and foresight; when we don’t look far enough down the road to try and see what we really want to build for ourselves.

What normally happens is that we start out excited and eager to put our mark on a new project. Our intentions are always good, but somewhere along the way we get distracted. Sometimes, we do things because we just fancy a change. Other times, we’re sold on a new product that while it doesn’t actually suit our own builds we just want that endorphin kick from buying new parts. I think we would struggle to find anyone who hasn’t been guilty of this at some stage, present company included.

None of this is particularly bad in the grand scale of things, but it’s a defining factor in what separates a good build from a great one. That ability to know from the very start what the long term plan is, and to stick with it religiously until it’s achieved. It takes discipline, for sure, including a lot of self restraint to ensure that you don’t veer off course. Knowing when to stop, is another underrated skill.

BMW 335i E93: The Journey

I don’t think any of this is a problem that Darren Coleman has ever had. He’s a man with a history of great builds behind him, and always knows exactly what he wants to achieve, often before he has even taken ownership of his next project.

BMW’s E93 3-Series convertible might not be the obvious choice in a model range which offers every variant you could ever want; be it coupe, convertible, saloon or estate. It was however the perfect base for what Darren had in mind. For him, he gets his car joy not just from attending and displaying at shows, but the road trip there with friends and family. It doesn’t matter if it’s a show in his home country in Ireland, or if he as to take a ferry across to the UK, half the fun is the
drive there.

Ultimately, this was a car that couldn’t just look the part, but it had to be fun to drive along with being usable on long journeys. Further to all of this, it had to be uniquely Darren’s as well. It’s a pretty long list of requirements, which only served to sharpen his focus.

Your first thought might be that this BMW has a heavy JDM influence, and you would be correct. Darren’s previous project was a Toyota Supra, and he’s surrounded by the Japanese cars of his friends and family. By integrating Japanese touches onto a German car, he has already taken this build in a different direction to most.

To best appreciate this car, I think we should start from the ground up with the 19-inch WORK VSXX which measure in at 14.5-inches at the rear, and 12.5-inches up front. The satin black centres with gloss lips almost disguise their incredible width. Almost. Still, I wouldn’t exactly call them subtle.

There would be zero hope of fitting these under factory bodywork, so Japanese legend Kei Miura (AKA Mr. Rocket Bunny) was called in to supply his full Pandem kit. This kit features exaggerated box-arches, which perfectly complement the E93’s factory lines, as opposed to the more typical rounded arch extensions. To add further aggression to the exterior, an M3 bonnet and rear bumper have been used. The paint, is a custom shade of blue.

Even with the right wheels and bodywork in place, ride height is key to pulling these elements together. As someone who wants to regularly drive his car to obscure places, a static setup would never have worked. Never mind the poor roads around these parts, but best of luck trying to crab your way onto a ferry at low-tide without removing your entire bodykit beforehand.

Thankfully, it’s 2020 (words I don’t believe anyone has written so far this year) and we have been blessed with companies like Air Lift Performance, who will allow you to have your cake and eat it, too. In other words, an air suspension system which offers the perfect static height for shows, a usable driving height for getting there and even the option to raise the car further to clear obstacles or board a ferry, all at the press of a button. What a time to be alive.

On the subject of driving, you might have noticed this isn’t an M3. There’s a good reason for that, which I’ll explain elsewhere, but this Pandem 335i E93 isn’t lacking in power. Some mild upgrades see the 3.0-litre twin-turbo motor produce 450hp, including the subtle addition of twin-HKS mushroom filters. Most impressive is that this car was originally automatic, but has been converted to a six-speed manual.

Inside Job

Inside, things remain deceptively subtle. The standard BMW front seats have been swapped for a pair of lower Recaro seats, sourced from a Honda and appropriately re-trimmed to match the interior. There’s a Nardi steering wheel, some custom carbon fibre trim and a not-so-subtle yellow half-cage.

This last piece is purely functional, and not a ‘show cage’. Otherwise, the first thing to meet the road in case of a rollover with the roof down, would be the top of Darren’s head. Let’s be honest, that doesn’t sound like a good time.

It’s not a huge spec list, but it’s a perfect example that more isn’t always better. The car features absolutely everything it needs to make it special, and not a nut or bolt more. It’s a car which is as comfortable aired out centre stage at any show, as it is on a Sunday drive.

While I’m sure that there are BMW enthusiasts who are thinking it’s sacrilege to go down the JDM route, and Japanese car fans who are probably thinking why didn’t he just start with a Japanese car in the first place, I think that bringing these two worlds together has produced a much more interesting result. It’s not the first time this has been done, but it’s something I hope we see more of in the future.

Above all else, it’s a car which is the result of having a vision. I’m certain that before Darren even drove the car for the first time, he knew that at some stage it would look exactly like this. It didn’t happen overnight – it took him a couple of years – but by plugging away at it, and resisting the temptation to veer off course, he has produced something truly memorable with his Pandem 335i E93.

Tech Spec: Pandem 335i E93

Styling:

Custom blue paint work, full original Pandem wide-body kit, M3 bonnet, M3 rear bumper, Pandem rear spoiler.

Tuning:

N54 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged inline-six, six-speed manual gearbox conversion, HKS intercooler with custom pipework, cat-less downpipes, custom exhaust system, R8 coilpacks with custom made loom, colour coded engine covers, HKS air filters, custom engine mapping by MHD, 450hp.

Chassis:

19×12.5-inch (front) and 19×14.5-inch (rear) WORK VSXX, Air Lift Performance suspension with 3P management, K Sport 8-piston (front) and 6-piston (rear) brakes

Interior:

Custom re-trimmed Recaro front seats, Nardi steering wheel, custom carbon fibre interior trim, custom half-cage, fire extinguisher.

Source

February 10, 2021