Suggestions needed

[Ethan Blank]

For my '07 e90 335i non-sport auto trans sedan, any suggestions on suspension mods, wheels and tires?

This car is my daily driver, but I am thinking of mods primarily for autocross, but I also intend to participate in the driving schools too.

I hadn't considered DIY, but based on last night's Columbia social and the info I got there I am thinking maybe I can do the suspension mods at a DIY.

All thoughts, suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

[pseto]

i have KW V1 coilovers on my 335i. in terms of comfort, the V1s are pretty close to stock, which is OK with me. The V2 model had adjustable damping which I didnt see myself using that much, so I saved that extra few hundred of dollars towards other mods

it also gave my car a pretty sizable drop and closed most of the wheel gap. I had to roll my rear fenders to fit in the 275s in the rear with spacers. you dont have to go that route and not sure what size wheels you have.

there plenty of suspension talk on e90post, if you want input on specific shocks/springs setups. you want to make sure they match

[pseto]

as for tires, obviously get something alot more lightweight than the stock RFTs. regular rubber would be fine and would save a lot of weight per corner

[Ethan Blank]

i have KW V1 coilovers on my 335i. in terms of comfort, the V1s are pretty close to stock, which is OK with me. The V2 model had adjustable damping which I didnt see myself using that much, so I saved that extra few hundred of dollars towards other mods

it also gave my car a pretty sizable drop and closed most of the wheel gap. I had to roll my rear fenders to fit in the 275s in the rear with spacers. you dont have to go that route and not sure what size wheels you have.

there plenty of suspension talk on e90post, if you want input on specific shocks/springs setups. you want to make sure they match

Thanks, Paul. I'm on the OEM 17" wheels (non-sport package so no 18"s). I intend to keep the 17"s, but will probably look to replace the OEM wheel with a wider and lighter wheel (perhaps the Kosei wheel).

I looked at e90 to see what people have said in the past, there is a great deal of content in this area (so much so that it's confusing!).

Gary at TireRack was suggesting 245s instead of the OEM 235s. I take it the 275s fit the 335, at least the 2 door, so I imagine it's the same for the 4 door.

[pseto]

Thanks, Paul. I'm on the OEM 17" wheels (non-sport package so no 18"s). I intend to keep the 17"s, but will probably look to replace the OEM wheel with a wider and lighter wheel (perhaps the Kosei wheel).

I looked at e90 to see what people have said in the past, there is a great deal of content in this area (so much so that it's confusing!).

Gary at TireRack was suggesting 245s instead of the OEM 235s. I take it the 275s fit the 335, at least the 2 door, so I imagine it's the same for the 4 door.

Kosei wheels are nice and lightweight; make sure to put some good rubber on it. 245 in the front and 275 in the rear should fit as the sedan has more room in the rear than the coupe.

[Jenson Button]

Save your budget for drivers' schools. They will help you get more of the potential out of your car than all the bolt on bits in the world ever could.

[Ethan Blank]

Save your budget for drivers' schools. They will help you get more of the potential out of your car than all the bolt on bits in the world ever could.

I'm intending to do the full autoX program, including the AutoX school. I also intend to do the club driving school, as well as some TrackDaze HPDE events.

I completely agree, "improve the driver". That said, I want to (efficiently) make some upgrades to improve not only the ride, but the overall experience. Given that I don't even have the sport package, even in my limited seat time in AutoX and my one venture onto the track, I can feel the limits of the stock car.

I am definitely holding off on the power upgrades, I have been advised by people on this board (and it was excellent advice) to avoid power upgrades until as I driver I get more experience. While it would be tempting to get approximately 100 more hp out of the engine, I will wait on that upgrade.

And, I would love to see my AutoX times improve, and to some degree my current setup does not give me the best chance to do that.

[woodym3]

From what I understand, if your 335i does not have an oil cooler, that would be your first priority before doing a track event. Otherwise you may find the car going into the "limp home" mode before your session is over.

[Ethan Blank]

From what I understand, if your 335i does not have an oil cooler, that would be your first priority before doing a track event. Otherwise you may find the car going into the "limp home" mode before your session is over.

In fear of overheating, I already had the Dinan oil cooler installed before going to VIR. Had I been aware of the DIY option, I would have saved some $$ and done it that way! I had assumed that for a DIY you really had to know what you're doing.

I would not take a 335 on the track without the oil cooler.

With the cooler, I had no troubles at all with the oil temps, 2 hrs per day for 2 days at VIR.

Curiously, overnight between day 1 and day 2, the car lost radiator coolant (there was no puddle under the car or evidence of a leak where I parked overnight, but the reservoir was dry and the idiot light went on in the AM). It's never happened again, and Tischer ran a high pressure test and found no leaks.

[Jenson Button]

And, I would love to see my AutoX times improve, and to some degree my current setup does not give me the best chance to do that.

There are two ways to improve your times. You can buy seconds with mods to the car. If you ever switch cars, these mods of course are lost. The other option is to invest in the nut behind the wheel. The first option is a very seductive way to go because you get tangible toys to put on your car, but the second option will stay with you no matter what your drive. Also, bear in mind that the goal does not need to be defined by a clock. The goal can be to get the absolute maximum performance out of a given car. Choosing this goal is of course the cheaper way to go, but the added benefit is that improvements can be fully associated with the improvements of the driver. If you modify the car and improve your times amongst your peers, do you really know if you improved as a driver or if you did a swell job of bolting on bits? Try this little experiment. Have an accomplished "shoe" drive your car at an autocross or HPDE while you ride along to compare their driving to yours. If there is no room for improvement, reward yourself with mods. Just some food for thought. ;o)

[Ethan Blank]

There are two ways to improve your times. You can buy seconds with mods to the car. If you ever switch cars, these mods of course are lost. The other option is to invest in the nut behind the wheel. The first option is a very seductive way to go because you get tangible toys to put on your car, but the second option will stay with you no matter what your drive. Also, bear in mind that the goal does not need to be defined by a clock. The goal can be to get the absolute maximum performance out of a given car. Choosing this goal is of course the cheaper way to go, but the added benefit is that improvements can be fully associated with the improvements of the driver. If you modify the car and improve your times amongst your peers, do you really know if you improved as a driver or if you did a swell job of bolting on bits? Try this little experiment. Have an accomplished "shoe" drive your car at an autocross or HPDE while you ride along to compare their driving to yours. If there is no room for improvement, reward yourself with mods. Just some food for thought. ;o)

That is an excellent suggestion. At VIR, I wanted my instructor to drive my car with me in it, he wasn't comfortable doing that so we went in his car (an M5). My instructor did say at several points in the course that I had the car at its capacity for safe and proper execution of that part of the course (but there were of course other areas where that was not the case).

I agree 100% with what you say. Certainly some of what I want to do in the mod department is for my own enjoyment, and is not necessary for my improvement as a driver (I think my wife likes that argument too!)

[Munchenman2]

Ethan, I still think you are falling into a seductive trap. My advice would be make NO changes at all to your stock car for 2 years, as you improve your driver skills.

Your car in the hands of a good driver can run so much better than it & you have acheived so far. What you need to see is an excellent driver take a car like a 70 hp Citroen and blow all the higher powered cars into the weeds on a road course. I've seen it done several times.

Just more food for thought...

P.S. You may have to google the title to understand

Slainte,
Alan

[Bob]

Your 335 is hampered with an open rear, more power will only exacerbate this shortcoming, bigger,stickier rear rubber will help some. Bob

[Jenson Button]

Your 335 is hampered with an open rear, more power will only exacerbate this shortcoming, bigger,stickier rear rubber will help some. Bob

Actually, stickier rubber can magnify the open diff issue. As the car leans more from the extra forces it can experience in corners due to the added grip, it is more likely to lift the inside wheel - flushing power down the drain.

[Bob]

Yea, its kinda a catch 22, some of us have ditched the rear sway bar to help, with mixed results again.