Saw an i3 on the way to work this morning and thought "wow $50k for an electric Kia soul made by BMW"

8/14/2014 2:28:58 PM

lol, yeah. I've seen 2 of those (or maybe the same one twice?) and just shook my head.

8/14/2014 3:34:31 PM

So my track M3 has had a steering/caster issue ever since I got it. When I test drove it, I thought it was probably just a bad alignment, and the Carfax was clean, no accidents. As I rebuilt the car I discovered it was a frame issue in the front, basically one of the engine supports that the front subframe mounts to was out of whack. I've just tolerated the issue since I've had the car, and dealt with 5.1 caster on one side and 6.7 on the other, and the resulting pull. But as I've gotten faster, and started hitting 120mph+ on certain tracks, the "nervousness" of the steering has started to bug me.

So I took it to a good local body shop, figuring they could probably get that frame rail back into alignment. Instead they tell me they can't do anything because the whole frame is so rusted and fragile at this point. Apparently the entire rear trunk area was replaced at some point from a hard rear impact, and there was an impact where the front left wheel was driven into the unibody that was never corrected. The rear was fixed with basically zero rust protection, which is part of the reason the rust is so bad back there (also it was a northern car for the first 100,000 miles of its life).

The shops recommendation is to chassis-swap the car to a cleaner chassis, which isn't a huge deal financially but is a huge pain in the ass. My engine/trans/suspension/seats/harnesses/wheels/etc will all swap over nicely, but I'm going to take a loss on the weld-in roll bar I put in not that long ago. I asked how they would feel about me continuing to track the car as is, and they advised me "never use race tires with this chassis". I've always been on streets so far anyways, but part of me feels that my emphasis when tracking has always been on safety and it would be stupid to continue tracking it when I know it has an issue.

I'm looking into a few different chassis right now, my thought is to completely strip the interior and full cage it this time, with even less streetability than my current build. I'll probably still keep window glass, lights, etc to be able to drive it to and from the track if I want to though. I lived through the July/August track day season without AC in the current chassis, and I usually just listen to music through headphones in the car anyways, so I'll probably leave both AC and stereo out of the new car.

So it sucks for the short term, but it should be a fun project over the winter. I have my LeMons Contour I can always take to track days if I want to, or even my '13 Civic Si sedan daily. Hell, I could even take my RallyX Civic hatch if I'm feeling really crazy. And in the end I should end up with a nice track build, that I could run in NASA Time Trial B/TTC for now and eventually move towards wheel to wheel GTS3 racing if I want to.

9/27/2014 3:55:18 PM

Sorry to hear about all that, but at least you have a game plan with a feasible solution.


FYI a clean carfax doesn't guarantee a car was never crashed. (sadly)

9/29/2014 8:29:50 AM

once you've seen it, you can't unsee it

10/16/2014 1:30:24 PM

10/18/2014 4:37:22 PM

BMW M2 to have 374hp, come exclusively with 6 speed manual.

10/20/2014 8:18:02 AM

about the same power and weight as chipped 2007 335i almost 8 years ago. Cmon BMW, make one N/A engine for f sake.

10/20/2014 12:46:35 PM

We need more turbo/supercharged cars. Change a pulley, reprogram etc instant 100+hp. I'm speaking domestic, I don't know crap about these German cars.

10/20/2014 1:43:34 PM

step back from my 6 year old m3, putting out 415hp

10/20/2014 2:10:06 PM

^it's not supposed to be better than an M3, though it's probably faster than yours.

^^I'm gonna go ahead and say NO. Also be careful what you wish for because more and more engines are going to be FI in the near future. Latest rumor going around is that the entire 911 line up is going turbocharged for 2015

10/20/2014 3:10:20 PM

^are you serious? that sucks. i would think porsche would at least leave GT3 N/A.

10/20/2014 4:47:08 PM

Yeah. I ready that too. Smaller displacement H6 with a turbo... maybe a 3.2L instead of the 3.8.

10/20/2014 7:28:54 PM

^^actually I partially retract that statement. There would be a chance the GT3 stays NA.

10/21/2014 8:37:21 AM

pagin' sumfoo1


http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-3-Series-325IS-E30-GTR-Nissan-Skyline-powered-BMW-325is-rb26dett-/111551317661?forcerrptr=true&hash=item19f8fa069d&item=111551317661&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

[Edited on December 22, 2014 at 2:05 AM. Reason : gtr]

12/22/2014 2:04:18 AM

God.... i'm not sure why i got paged on this... but... good call i'd drive the pants off that

It would be better if it were awd... honestly i'd be more comfortable with a s52 in there but... that just me...

seems pretty cool tho.


[Edited on December 22, 2014 at 10:56 AM. Reason : .]

12/22/2014 10:50:49 AM

i just always remember your e30 pipe dreams

i think it's lovely as it is. unique for sure.

i think he forgot to clean the rear bumper from burnout or drifting on the side pic...has tire gunk all over it lol



[Edited on December 22, 2014 at 12:49 PM. Reason : f]

12/22/2014 12:37:34 PM

yeah what would be bitchen is to do an identical IX with the full blown awd system from the donor gtr.

kinda funny how i skipped right over that into a real project but still don't have much to drive even though i could have built 3 or 4 or my pipe dream e30s for the money i've laid out..

[Edited on December 22, 2014 at 4:01 PM. Reason : .]

12/22/2014 4:00:00 PM

Had to look up the Porsche turbo thing:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/porsche-911-carrera-could-get-turbocharged-in-upcoming-refresh/#ixzz3MfFsDNjY

Quote :

"To keep up with tightening emissions standards, Porsche is reportedly downsizing the Carrera’s flat-six from 3.4 liters to 2.9 and fitting the turbo to compensate. The sportier Carrera S will apparently keep its 3.8-liter boxer engine, but still get a turbo to boost peak output from 400 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque in the current car to 530 hp and 520 lb-ft. "

12/22/2014 4:28:10 PM

nice "story" on 300K E39 M5

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/378761-milestone-300-000-mile-2002-m5.html

Quote :

"Hi Guys - I wanted to field some of your questions regarding my M5. As I mentioned, I purchased the vehicle in October 2003, bone stock with slightly over 6,000 miles. The car had all the options for that model year, e.g. PDC, Caramel Luxury Interior, Fold down rear seat w/ski bag, & M-Audio. Rear power shade was not available with the Luxury (Nappa) Interior. Upgrades Include: Rogue SSK, Tubi Cat-Back Exhaust, Intake Air Temp Sensor Relocation Powerchip 91 Software Upgrade, Euro Armrest w/storage Stop Tech X-Drilled/Slotted Rotors, SS Brake Lines, 3M Paint Protection Aluminum Pedals/Dinan Rear Sway Bar Bluetooth, Euro Clear Xenon 6000K Headlights, Xenon 6000K Foglights No major engine work performed! Radiator is original! Changed the water pump @ 275,215 miles Old School maintenance, e.g. 5-6K mile oil changes (10-60W BMW Synthetic). Spark Plugs/transmission fluid changed @ 50,000 mile intervals. Drive belts changed every 40-50K miles. No vanos issues! The SES light remains on, (secondary air pump), Common to S62 engine. Other than normal wear items, no issues. Car returns 20 MPG average!"

[Edited on December 22, 2014 at 4:57 PM. Reason : f]

12/22/2014 4:53:11 PM

Thoughts on the 228i? I'm looking to replace a (Z3) M Coupe and old 4runner with a single car that needs repaired less. I found a used 228i with a manual for a fair price a ways away...I can't find any manuals in the area but will figure out a test drive or just try the auto for a feel for the car.

Has anyone driven these? They appear to be fast (low 5's 0-60), get great mpg (~33 on hway), and seem to get good reviews on dynamics. Before it's suggested, the 235 is a bit out of my range but my options on the table are an older s4 (many more miles), cayman (non-s or an S with many more miles), 135 (doesnt seem to save enough money to justify a generation back), etc.

Input welcome.

3/22/2016 12:42:25 PM

How much are you planning on getting rid of that m coupe for?

[Edited on March 22, 2016 at 2:14 PM. Reason : Aren't they starting to appreciate at this point?]

3/22/2016 2:11:24 PM

^ Sold it for $16.5k which was OK considering condition (scratches on rear bumper, a few dings, front bumper was speckled with rock chips, paint fade on spoiler...BUT...forbes subframe, new clutch/flywheel, newer AC). The car had 107k miles, was an S52, branded title, and 6 owners. She had an eventful life but was a blast to drive.

I bought the car for $12.5k about 3.5 years ago and put around $8k in repairs (oy vey) but some of that was refunded due to a negligent prepurchase inspection. All in, I basically scratched financially and had a car for free for 3.5 years that was always in the shop.

3/22/2016 5:16:52 PM

Yea, I can see why that would push you in the direction of a more reliable daily.

3/22/2016 9:31:51 PM

I don't really have any advice to offer on the 228i, though if you did buy a Cayman instead....on second thought if it's gonna be your DD and you drive a lot I don't recommend the Porsche, routine maint just gets expensive.

Quote :

" Had to look up the Porsche turbo thing: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/porsche-911-carrera-could-get-turbocharged-in-upcoming-refresh/#ixzz3MfFsDNjY Quote : "To keep up with tightening emissions standards, Porsche is reportedly downsizing the Carrera’s flat-six from 3.4 liters to 2.9 and fitting the turbo to compensate. The sportier Carrera S will apparently keep its 3.8-liter boxer engine, but still get a turbo to boost peak output from 400 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque in the current car to 530 hp and 520 lb-ft. " "

LOL, funny to see how wildly inaccurate that "story" was.

[Edited on March 23, 2016 at 8:53 AM. Reason : k]

3/23/2016 8:52:20 AM

Saw a white 2 series on 147/Durham Freeway this morning with an M2 badge. I didn't think they were available yet, and they're not, and it didn't look as aggressive as the pictures of the M2 I remembered (confirmed when I looked at the pics when I got into work). Pretty funny/lame rebadge.

I guess the badge said "M235i" and he just took off the "35i".

3/23/2016 11:19:36 AM

M550d xDrive

https://www.motor1.com/news/143621/2018-bmw-m550d-xdrive-debut/

Quote :

"6 cylinders, 4 turbos, and 400 horsepower from the strongest six-cylinder diesel engine in the car world."

Quad turbo!!! (previous model was tri-turbo)

AWD
6 cyl
3 liters
400 hp
560 lb-ft, available from 2000 RPM

4/29/2017 10:01:08 PM

New M5 xDrive [prototype] first drive... on a track!

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/a33507/2018-bmw-m5-prototype-first-drive-review/

Quote :

"There's something different with this sixth generation M5, though. Here, BMW's relentless pursuit of more has a duality to it. For 2018, the M5 gains all-wheel-drive and an eight-speed automatic as the standard (and only) transmission, but manages to be lighter and more intuitive than the rear-driven F10 it replaces. There are more electronics, but they're smarter, with a "central intelligence unit" (CIU? Sure) running M-tuned software enabling massive levels of control—including a DSC-off, RWD-only mode—that's somehow simple to use."

Quote :

"That power comes from a familiar mill: A modified version of the S63 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that stars in the current M5. BMW wouldn't give numbers ahead of the official reveal (look to the Frankfurt Motor Show this fall), but figure 600-plus horsepower and around 550 pound-feet of torque for the new M5."

Quote :

"Yes, it's a torque-converter slush-box. BMW engineers maintain it's smoother and more efficient than a dual-clutch setup, requires less maintenance, and provides the perfect ratio no matter where you land in the revs. Based on a short, controlled, sometimes sideways drive, that's all true, as is the fact that this ZF box is standard issue on the BMW M235i customer race car. The trick bit, though, is how the lock-up clutch connects as soon as the throttle detects movement, making the connection between foot and wheels just a little bit quicker—something you need when you're working with all-wheel-drive. So "M xDrive" is here. The M5 is the first application. BMW had to brand it. Get used to it."

Quote :

"With the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) set to off, you can toggle through three modes: 4WD, 4WD Sport, and 2WD. This unholy trifecta allows you to do naughty things."

Quote :

"Whipping around the Autodrome—first in wet, then dry conditions—provides a full, if brief, demonstration of the new M5's capabilities. Somehow, the layer of disconnect experienced in the outgoing F10-generation M5 is diminished here, despite all that extra hardware and software waiting to feed power to the front wheels. It's later confirmed that the steering rack is 25 percent quicker compared to the old model, and a glance underneath answers the question about unsprung weight: Unique M-stamped wishbones attached to the carbon-ceramic brake hardware."

Looks like it will be a killer!

5/17/2017 11:43:02 PM

Hopefully. Reviews of the new 5 Series in general haven't been very promising.

5/18/2017 8:49:12 AM

Watch BMW factory driver take the new M5 prototype to its limits on a track!!

https://www.motor1.com/news/146097/2018-bmw-m5-on-track/

5/23/2017 1:37:01 AM

All your favorite M cars, from the 1970s

Mmm, M: The Best Road Cars Ever Developed by BMW’s M Division
https://www.caranddriver.com/flipbook/mmm-m-the-best-road-cars-ever-developed-by-bmws-m-division


Comical performance from an M5... serious hypercar figures!

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-bmw-m5-test-review


[Edited on August 6, 2018 at 5:15 AM. Reason : ]

8/6/2018 5:10:00 AM

OMG, you MUST see this!

https://www.motor1.com/news/353696/bmw-x7-grille-e30-vice-versa

(don't miss the Instagram video embedded in the page)

6/9/2019 1:40:44 PM

Driven by the Chinese market. Pretty hideous.

Not like it matters, won't ever sell like the S Class.

6/10/2019 9:15:26 AM

Ahmet, you should bid on this

https://www.autoclassics.com/news/481590/bmw-m1-sale-paul-walker

Paul Walker's M1!

1/22/2021 10:57:16 PM

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/12/28/2020-bmw-m2-cs-review/

1/23/2021 2:24:22 PM

This is an awesome-colored (1 of 89) Euro-spec M Coupe in great condition coming up for auction soon

https://www.motor1.com/news/483006/bmw-m-coupe-for-sale

1/30/2021 5:24:15 PM

BMW i4

Here you go rich people, an all-electric BMW sedan for you.

523 hp and 300 miles range.

https://www.motor1.com/news/494862/2022-bmw-i4-reveal

3/17/2021 10:50:22 AM

do not want

3/18/2021 3:53:31 PM

Too much blue

3/18/2021 4:59:03 PM

Hate hate hate the wheels

3/18/2021 6:44:12 PM

^, ^^

Agreed. It has more power than an M3/M4, but has the theme/aggressiveness of a gussied up 318i.

I guess they are trying to make it look eco-friendly. That's cool, but I hope there is also an aggressive body package and wheel combo as an option.

I wonder if there will be a 600+ hp i4M monster in the future to tackle the Audi RS e-tron GT, which has 637 hp (the base e-tron GT has 522 hp).

Holy shit, there is a difference of night and day between the looks of these two -- must see:

https://www.bmwblog.com/2021/03/17/photo-comparison-bmw-i4-vs-audi-e-tron-gt

Damn

Yes, the e-tron GT is on the Taycan platform, so it is not apples-to-apples, but still! I hope there is an i5/i6 coming that will go head-to-head with the Model S, Taycan, and e-tron GT. Still though, it won't win any beauty contests if it looks similar to the i4 from the front.

3/19/2021 6:29:39 AM

i4 M50 vs Tesla Model 3 Performance

Drag race, roll race, and braking test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbdiQ9FjBwc

They both win!

1/2/2022 9:46:56 AM