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I think some folks may not have noticed that I'm driving a 128i. A 135i will handle differently under power compared to a 128i.
Square setups:
Just to note, the 347 horsepower 1968 Ferrari Daytona, considered a "super car" in its day, ran 215/70 tires on 15" wheels. It did pretty well.
The 240 horsepower U.S. spec E36 BMW M3 originally delivered with a "square" set up, and its handling was lauded for being brilliantly neutral. It wasn't until folks (inexperienced drivers!!!) started wrapping their E36 M3's around telephone poles that subsequent model years delivered with staggered set ups.
What I read about folks going racing with near stock versions of our cars is that square 17" set ups are fastest.
I certainly think the staggered factory set ups - with both modestly powered vehicles like the 128i (yes, 230hp/200tq is modest these days) and with the 135i are to make the cars understeer more and be less likely to oversteer. The lawyers are telling the engineers to do this. That's also why I think we're not seeing mechanical LSD's on non-M vehicles. I also think that a lot of folks like staggered set ups because they think that they look "moar" aggressive.
As for me being an "inexperienced" driver, don't know about that...
I'm 49, I've owned:
'84 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE
'85 Mustang 5.0 Coupe (breathed upon)
'88 MR-2 (full autocross suspension set-up)
'90 Honda Civic Si
'94 BMW 325is
'94 Acura Integra GS-R
'04 Mazda RX-8
multiple non-enthusiast family and work vehicles
plus the 128i.
I've probably driven the above vehicles around 660,000 miles in the U.S.
Beyond daily driving, work trips, and fun runs, I've driven across the U.S. three times, driven in Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Andorra, and France.
I'm going to say that I'm a little beyond "inexperienced" and leave it at that.
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