M135i DMS Remap + Eibachs
Discussion
Bit of context.... I've had the car 3 years from new and although it's perfect for my needs (labrador + my wifes daily drive), the handling is really quite suspect (read: very) when you're at maximum attack - and it's certainly not got the character, charisma or finesse of the best m cars (well, it's not actually an m car is it...!)
However it's still a really compelling package and before starting to look again at replacements with considerably higher running costs (RS4s and C63s) i though i'd give the baby M one more chance to shine.
The remap is lovely although not mind-bending (however my bar was a ballistic 996 Turbo with 525bhp - that car reset my understanding of acceleration). My car dyno'd at 322bhp pre-map and 376bhp post-map. However i must say this was on cheap 95 supermarket fuel (i can only blame my wife for this) and i understand from speaking to other mod'ers that putting some proper fuel in makes a tangible difference with remapped cars. After 'negotiations' with my wife it's now running exclusively on VPower and it does feel sharper - and DMS have welcomed me down for another dyno run, which i'll do at some point in the future. Subjectively, i'd guess around 390bhp now - but i will get this verified and report back!
It is f
king rapid.... but the real gains are in the higher gears where the additional torque means you can pull hard in 4th and 5th from low down. It absolutely shifts. And above 100mph it's a completely different monster (although obviously i haven't done this).
Do you need a remap? Probably not, the car is already seriously swift, but for me, totally, yes! I love the power and it just makes the car that bit more exciting. There are cheaper options (JB4 seems very popular) but i wanted the reassurance and warranty from DMS, who were superb all-round, i'd recommend them, excellent service and passionate guys. Also they have tasty machines down there and mine was by far the cheapest thing around!
As for the springs......
fk ME. They have totally transformed the car! I have never modified, or even been tempted to modify a car before - and i must admit i was totally totally sceptical about the gains of doing this, imagining i'd be left with a terrible ride. But after reading loads of postive reviews on babybmw.net (the best m135i resource out there), they seemed like an inexpensive way to dip-my-toe in and see if i could sort out the dodgy handling.
Wow.... noticeably less roll in the corners, it really sticks to the road and the jittery ride that sometimes felt like it was about to spit you off the road has completely gone. It's firmer but not crashy, still a very supple ride (i have adaptive dampers), I am hugely surprised but even more hugely impressed - i did not expect this.. It's now got a go-kart feel, in a funny kind of way almost similar to my old JCW. When my wife first drove it to work afterwards, she called me half way to tell me the car felt AMAZING...!
It now feels like a proper m car, and i've gone from being a bit non-plussed about the car to loving it.
So in summary, if you have concerns about the handling of your m135i, stick some Eibachs on and let it blow your mind. The car is now keeper......
The question is now, whether to go all out on one of the Birds suspension + LSD packages
Cheers
RS
However it's still a really compelling package and before starting to look again at replacements with considerably higher running costs (RS4s and C63s) i though i'd give the baby M one more chance to shine.
The remap is lovely although not mind-bending (however my bar was a ballistic 996 Turbo with 525bhp - that car reset my understanding of acceleration). My car dyno'd at 322bhp pre-map and 376bhp post-map. However i must say this was on cheap 95 supermarket fuel (i can only blame my wife for this) and i understand from speaking to other mod'ers that putting some proper fuel in makes a tangible difference with remapped cars. After 'negotiations' with my wife it's now running exclusively on VPower and it does feel sharper - and DMS have welcomed me down for another dyno run, which i'll do at some point in the future. Subjectively, i'd guess around 390bhp now - but i will get this verified and report back!
It is f
king rapid.... but the real gains are in the higher gears where the additional torque means you can pull hard in 4th and 5th from low down. It absolutely shifts. And above 100mph it's a completely different monster (although obviously i haven't done this).Do you need a remap? Probably not, the car is already seriously swift, but for me, totally, yes! I love the power and it just makes the car that bit more exciting. There are cheaper options (JB4 seems very popular) but i wanted the reassurance and warranty from DMS, who were superb all-round, i'd recommend them, excellent service and passionate guys. Also they have tasty machines down there and mine was by far the cheapest thing around!
As for the springs......
f
k ME. They have totally transformed the car! I have never modified, or even been tempted to modify a car before - and i must admit i was totally totally sceptical about the gains of doing this, imagining i'd be left with a terrible ride. But after reading loads of postive reviews on babybmw.net (the best m135i resource out there), they seemed like an inexpensive way to dip-my-toe in and see if i could sort out the dodgy handling.Wow.... noticeably less roll in the corners, it really sticks to the road and the jittery ride that sometimes felt like it was about to spit you off the road has completely gone. It's firmer but not crashy, still a very supple ride (i have adaptive dampers), I am hugely surprised but even more hugely impressed - i did not expect this.. It's now got a go-kart feel, in a funny kind of way almost similar to my old JCW. When my wife first drove it to work afterwards, she called me half way to tell me the car felt AMAZING...!
It now feels like a proper m car, and i've gone from being a bit non-plussed about the car to loving it.
So in summary, if you have concerns about the handling of your m135i, stick some Eibachs on and let it blow your mind. The car is now keeper......
The question is now, whether to go all out on one of the Birds suspension + LSD packages
Cheers
RS
R5YUP said:
the jittery ride that sometimes felt like it was about to spit you off the road has completely gone.
Nice review and also glad I'm not the only one that felt this sensation!Might consider Eibachs myself as my car is coming up to end of warranty. Are you still on OEM run flats?
Nice to hear such a positive review after some mods. For me, the thing that was lost on the M135i was the rawness and sheer fun of older cars and I'd love to get some of that back. However, stripping the bulkhead might be somewhat non-reversible.
I think the difficulty with replacing the M135i is that it's so versatile. One minute, it's pulling off whacky drifts in a slightly crap open-diff way and the next it's the family wagon complete with a trike in the boot for the toddler in the child seat.
So, my briefest of lists for improving the car would be:
LSD.
Less body roll.
An M button to turn DSC off quickly.
More noise transferred from the engine bay to the interior.
I think the difficulty with replacing the M135i is that it's so versatile. One minute, it's pulling off whacky drifts in a slightly crap open-diff way and the next it's the family wagon complete with a trike in the boot for the toddler in the child seat.
So, my briefest of lists for improving the car would be:
LSD.
Less body roll.
An M button to turn DSC off quickly.
More noise transferred from the engine bay to the interior.
REALIST123 said:
Out of interest, what sort of difference do these type of mods make to your insurance premiums?
My previous insurer wouldn't cover any upgrades, so I had to cancel that and take out a new policy with Adrian Flux, which was about £70 more expensive like-for-like over the year (£350 up to £420). Thought this was very reasonable - especially when using the traditional comparison sites was giving me quotes starting at £1k+!Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff