I have seen very few 135Is at DEs? I have seen a lot of posting about drag racing. Why am I seeing so much more focus on drag racing?
I have seen very few 135Is at DEs? I have seen a lot of posting about drag racing. Why am I seeing so much more focus on drag racing?
Alan
08 135I
83 911 SC (trackster)
90 911 (Sally's Carrera)
04 A4
04 Blingmobile - tow vehicle
I haven't seen one 135i at a DE yet.
Then again I don't see anyother 318ti's either.
Registered for the Ofest DE @ Road Atlanta.
(2) 128i
(3) 135i
Last edited by 1996 328ti; 07-18-2009 at 01:14 PM.
Alan, there were at least two 135is at the last autocross at Summit Point.
Start at 2:40...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy2EwnhWFso
Car54 ...well, now Car52
Craig Brickner
We've (www.MVPTrackTime.com) only had two 135 drivers at track events so far this year. Seems like it would be a great/fun track car.
Feff
Probably because people are worried about the engines. They require some accessories to avoid overheating.
2006 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4WD Duramax LBZ/Allison 6-speed
2002 BMW M3 - Alpinweiss III/Black
1999 323i KP/GTS2 - Alpinweiss III (Black Hood, other stuff)
1990 325is - Brilliantrot/Tan
1989 325is - Alpinweiss II/Black (S50B32)
1989 M3 - Alpinweiss II/Black (S62B50 in progress)
If you spend enough time evaluating the 135i, you'll find it doesn't make the greatest track car. I went so far as to order a 135i (new build) and while I was awaiting delivery, I re-evaluated my decision. I wanted a car that I could turn into a DE / autocross warrior. Between the engine (oil) heat issues, the tuning / reliability questions, and the wheels (you can't get wide wheels in those narrow wells), I had a bit of a change of heart. I ended up not taking delivery and got an E46 M3 instead, for about half the price too.
As the car ages, those questions will be sorted out, its owners will do the hard work of figuring out what good mods work for it, and I bet all this changes. But all that has already been sorted out for the E46, so I went the tried and tested route. Just my thoughts.
Mike R.
2002 M3 - ultimate driving excuse
formerly: 2005 Z4 3.0i
Mike's reasons might be right. I believe there was only one 135i at the Tarheel VIR event earlier this month. But I remember for the first few years of the E30 M3, there were very few attending our driver schools. I even commented on that subject in my Competition Corner column. Of course twenty years later, there are tons of these old M3s participating.
Woody
96 328is, 99 M Coupe, 04 330Ci
Good point Woody and Mike,
No matter what the BMW, it is hard to drive it off of the show room floor and unto the track while the new car smell still abounds. Most M3s for example probably never see the track until the warranty is expired, because of the nagging feeling that if BMWNA catches wind of you even driving by VIR or Watkins Glen they will void your warranty. I believe that in 2018 you will be sick of seeing 135is at the track.
Brooklyn Taylor - Member # 354954
Chief Marketing Officer at NCCBMWCCA
Garage: M3, M5, M6, 635CSi/5 & 850I/6
On the other hand I know of at least 5 purchasers of new M3s this spring or summer who have already put their cars on the track one or more times. Some would say, "that's what they are made for".
Woody
96 328is, 99 M Coupe, 04 330Ci
It probably has alot to do with the price point and stated purpose of each vehicle.
A) Few people track thier ONLY mode of transportation.
B) Few people who own a BMW //M model have only one car.
C) An 135i owner is much more likely to be in the demographic of those with only one vehicle and while they enjoy the sportiness of the One, they are not willing to risk wrecking thier 1 and only One!
D) If you are tracking your $70,000 M3 it is because you can afford not only the car, but any risk associated with tracking it.
In a world where people go broke tracking bone stock E30s, tracking new M3s is impressive indeed. By the way, if any of you now feel guilty about tracking, your M3, I will track it for you. I believe that as time goes by we will see more 135s, M3s, M5s and M6s on the track. It has always been that way and I sense history will not disappoint us now.
Last edited by ///MARINE; 07-20-2009 at 02:30 PM.
Brooklyn Taylor - Member # 354954
Chief Marketing Officer at NCCBMWCCA
Garage: M3, M5, M6, 635CSi/5 & 850I/6
Could also be that the 135's purpose was to appeal to people that normally wouldn't buy a BMW...much less risk them at the track.
Car54 ...well, now Car52
Craig Brickner
2006 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4WD Duramax LBZ/Allison 6-speed
2002 BMW M3 - Alpinweiss III/Black
1999 323i KP/GTS2 - Alpinweiss III (Black Hood, other stuff)
1990 325is - Brilliantrot/Tan
1989 325is - Alpinweiss II/Black (S50B32)
1989 M3 - Alpinweiss II/Black (S62B50 in progress)
I have a 135i and plan on attending the October drivers school. I was at the last autocross and car control clinic as well. I think the low numbers of 1 Series at track events has more to do with the relative newness of the car rather than any inherent limitations of the vehicles themselves.
Keep in mind, the 1 Series has only been available in the US for about a year and half and has not sold in very large numbers. Consider how many e46s are on the road and it's no surprise which model is more common at track events (or at just about any other event short of a 1 Series meet-up).
Second, most of the cars at track events tend to be at least a couple of years old. How many cars of any model roll right off the showroom floor and onto a track? It feels sort of weird showing up at a track with a car that is barely out of its break-in period.
Finally, regardless of how the 1 Series was marketed (reincarnation of 2002, blah, blah, blah), when I was shopping it was nearly impossible to find a 135i equipped with a manual transmission. I'd guess that the dealers stocked automatics over manuals by about 10 to 1. To each their own regarding transmission choices, but that leaves a very small fraction of an already small number that will appeal to enthusiasts. I actually had to test drive an automatic because the dealer didn't have any manuals when I first started shopping.
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