[Dandanfings]

Hi guys, just thought I would start a thread about my new 335d.
Got it brand new before the tax changes kicked in so saved myself a few £ in the process.

Anyway its bone stock without a single option, so its absolutely nothing to look at.... which is exactly why I got it.
Living in a rather rough part of East London and having to park on the street, owning fast cars has always been a constant worry and with this rather basic looking 3 series I no longer have to worry as it looks like.. well everything!

Anyway here's the first video I made for it when it arrived.

[creepy coupe]

Welcome.

So who was the dealer?

[Dandanfings]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

Welcome.

So who was the dealer?

The one who screwed up the initial order for the m140?
Crewe I believe, it was all through a broker.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by Dandanfings

The one who screwed up the initial order for the m140?
Crewe I believe, it was all through a broker.

MG is a great choice of colour. The 335d's awesome. Enjoy riding the wave of torque.

[Scottiedog]

Been watching your videos on you tube the only thing I disagree with you on is the indicator stalk that clearly get your goat I personally think they are better than other makes but I suppose it's what you get used too?

[335dxdrive]

Seen your vids on YouTube

You got the colour and same spec as mine even wheels

[Dandanfings]

Originally Posted by Scottiedog

Been watching your videos on you tube the only thing I disagree with you on is the indicator stalk that clearly get your goat I personally think they are better than other makes but I suppose it's what you get used too?

Yeah they drove me mad for the first few weeks, same on a mini too.

Having driven mostly vw,skoda and audi I have been used to their old school clicky switch gear. I do find it rather odd as the BMW is a quality product with a premium feel everywhere from its door handles to stereo buttons. The indicator is just weird and feels completely out of place.

I have gotten used to it now though, but if i had the choice I would prefer a old school one!

[Arwmjc]

How u finding the handling?? Lot on here saying floaty soft suspension??

[335dxdrive]

Originally Posted by Arwmjc

How u finding the handling?? Lot on here saying floaty soft suspension??

he hates the suspension like most people

easy to fix though

[Arwmjc]

Even if u don't have adaptive???

[GEP77]

Very rare to see an absolutely standard car here! I'd debadge it though for that ultimate anonymous look.

[Dandanfings]

Originally Posted by Arwmjc

How u finding the handling?? Lot on here saying floaty soft suspension??

Too soft

[Arwmjc]

Originally Posted by Dandanfings

Too soft

Too soft but still having a blast with that engine so not all bad

[335dxdrive]

Originally Posted by Dandanfings

Too soft

are you going to remap or add a tuning box?

[Dandanfings]

Originally Posted by 335dxdrive

are you going to remap or add a tuning box?

Really the only way to make good linear power with these is to have a remap done.
However since this car is technically not mine (does anyone own their car anymore?) and after all the trouble I got myself into with the last car Im not exactly keen on having my ECU opened.

So at the moment nothing planned but springs and tyres.

[Dandanfings]

Ok so last week I took the car down to Santapod, mostly to put my mind at ease.
How can I word this without sounding weird, I have a very sensitive sense for power, I often can feel if the car is making more power or torque... tbh anyone who has tinkered with or owned various different machines and has any sort of sense would be much the same as me.

This stock 335d was feeling faster than my S3 8v when it was stock and no Im not talking about the shove of torque it makes over the little 2 litre petrol.
I could feel the top end was rushing and pulling far more. On paper the 335d makes 8-12bhp more but also weighs about 200kgs more which should actually make the car slower.

Anyway this was bothering me, so in order to answer my own nagging mind I hit the drag strip and put it to the test.
Most of you will understand that nothing can prove the power of a car more than a proper 1/4 mile run.

Well I did quite a few runs on all the different modes, here is a video showing them:

Well it seems I was about right, the S3 bone stock does about 12.5 using launch control.
I didn't use launch control (I know I know ) so that cost me a easy 0.3-0.5 seconds so I would of at a minimum done 12.5 seconds equalising the S3 all while being 200kg heavier!


Still not happy with that, mostly due to me screwing up and not using launch control, I decided to take it to a dyno.
So I went to Dyno Developments in Stevenage which is just a 40 min drive from me on the motorway
http://www.dynodevelopments.co.uk/

We had a hard time getting the car to behave as it kept shuffling the power between both axles and hopping off the dyno, with that much torque I was literally crapping myself that the car would end up on YouTube on a dyno fail compilation!

After a good 15 mins of watching my car hop around like some sort of buckaroo they were able to set the dyno to behave in a way that fools the car into thinking it was on the road, apparently every car is different and they can set each roller on this dyno to react in a way the car likes.

The more runs they did the more power it made, after the last run I decided to just leave it there as it clearly proved what I though was right. This car is seriously under rated by about 10% in the bhp department and 20% in torque!

338bhp - 583ft-lb/790nm

The torque seems to spike and tail off, we either think its:
a) the ecu pulling back as its too much torque
b) dyno still isnt fooling the car and its just shuffling the power and acting up

Either way thats just mental, it also makes me wonder if a lot of these tuners selling 'maps' are just fiddling the before figures to make the after look greater?
most of the tunes out there make 550-580ftlb and about 370-390bhp. My car is already showing the same amount of torque.



So to summerise, I was supicous that the car was faster than the numbers BMW suggest, I was right... however as is often the case, I have more questions than answers now!

Appreciate any input on this, all runs were done in 4th gear and I am thinking that maybe this is not the correct gear to be in for the 8 speed hence the high reading?

[335dxdrive]

Originally Posted by Dandanfings

Really the only way to make good linear power with these is to have a remap done.
However since this car is technically not mine (does anyone own their car anymore?) and after all the trouble I got myself into with the last car Im not exactly keen on having my ECU opened.

So at the moment nothing planned but springs and tyres.

Yeh that's true about a tuning box, it only increases at the peak
A decent remap gives a nice curve

I own my car outright (got a small loan + savings + credit card)

Would never ever ever lease again rather go on bus

Not tried pcp yet but heard once you pcp you're pretty much trapped into pcp with future purchases

Only thing stopping me from remapping is voiding warranty

[CazuaLLUK]

How you finding the poverty spec?

Any upgrades soon?

[Dandanfings]

Originally Posted by 335dxdrive

Not tried pcp yet but heard once you pcp you're pretty much trapped into pcp with future purchases

Only thing stopping me from remapping is voiding warranty

No not at all, I got out of mine on my previous car and sold the car at a profit.
Of course you have to buy the right car, a Golf R or S3 hold their value well whereas a bmw....

[Dandanfings]

Originally Posted by CazuaLLUK

How you finding the poverty spec?

Any upgrades soon?

I am happy, only missing folding mirrors.
My last car was loaded with options yet had no sat nav or cruise control, Belgium used to kill my right foot at 120kph for hours on end!

[Red F30]

Excellent videos mate. I also suspected that the car made more power than claimed and I've noticed a lot of M3/4's making much higher figures than expected. I'm waiting to have a 'play' with a Golf R as they are meant to offer similar power.

How much was the dyno run if you don't mind me asking?

[Dandanfings]

Originally Posted by Red F30

Excellent videos mate. I also suspected that the car made more power than claimed and I've noticed a lot of M3/4's making much higher figures than expected. I'm waiting to have a 'play' with a Golf R as they are meant to offer similar power.

How much was the dyno run if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks

Golf R and the S3 make a teeny bit more than claimed, but not a whole lot more.

As for the dyno, I cant say how much as a friend sorted it out for me.
Give them a call and ask, Dyno Developments in Stevenage.