The E46 325ti Appreciation Thread
Discussion
s m said:
To be honest , it's worth setting aside a few moments to read all this thread through as a lot of the 'unique' features of the 325ti are mentioned in here i.e. FARB diameter, diff ratio, guibo etc
Yeah im slowly getting through it..jst thought it would be nice to talk to people that have actually tracked these cars and what works and what doesn't.Mr Tidy said:
I must be sad - I put winter wheels and tyres on my 325ti Sport today.
And the wheels look lost in the arches! Still with this weather that may be a good idea.
I've actually ran mine on Dunlop winter tyres all year with no problems at all, it's also about to start life doing occasional tow car duties for the E30 race car. And the wheels look lost in the arches! Still with this weather that may be a good idea.
I have completed my first track day couple of weeks ago and the car performed pretty well.
It started life as a 316ti and is now a 330ti, it has quite a bit of extra go down the straights vs the 325ti out that day too.
I have installed some HSD mono pros and 330ci front and rear brakes with PFC Z pads and ATE blue fluid.
I would like to have been able to try the car with some Cut slicks/Wets, but didn't have spare time to get myself some.
Few pics of it here
It started life as a 316ti and is now a 330ti, it has quite a bit of extra go down the straights vs the 325ti out that day too.
I have installed some HSD mono pros and 330ci front and rear brakes with PFC Z pads and ATE blue fluid.
I would like to have been able to try the car with some Cut slicks/Wets, but didn't have spare time to get myself some.
Few pics of it here
Looks great, that. Really with BMW made a 330ti. I know it would be treading on the toes of the maxi cars but I would have had one in a heartbeat. A comapact with all of the changes and the extra torque of the 3.0 lump would be a blast.
Also, go for the expensive coilovers. A friend had a cheap set on his 320td and they were so bad he swapped back to the SE suspension it came with.
Also, go for the expensive coilovers. A friend had a cheap set on his 320td and they were so bad he swapped back to the SE suspension it came with.
Dbrs said:
Looks great fun mate can't wait to get started on mine.did it handle OK on those coilovers as am tempted to get those exact ones. Was going to go down the cheapo coilovers road but think I'm gonna invest in something decent.
It handled great, only problem I had was one of the locking colars for the droplink came loose so I started getting a knocking noise on one session, so I had to come in and tighten that up and the knocking noise went away again. I had cheapo coilovers on a car years ago and it handled terribly, so now I only like the better coilovers or shock/spring combo!I have them set at 8 front and 8 rear for damping, I think on a dry day I would stiffen it up some more, but was more than happy to just get out and make sure the car was running ok.
Mr Tidy said:
Mgd uk - that looks fantastic! 
Your Imola Red looks a bit more Imola than mine too!
Your car looks tidy also, any idea what your wheels are called? Are then 17's?Your Imola Red looks a bit more Imola than mine too!
I would love to find afront splitter than makes finishes the front bumper a little better, I think it looks soft in its current state.
Ag51bye said:
I have bmw compact envy.
If im not mistaken i think this made an appearance in the thread earlier when being built.
Mgd_uk said:
It handled great, only problem I had was one of the locking colars for the droplink came loose so I started getting a knocking noise on one session, so I had to come in and tighten that up and the knocking noise went away again. I had cheapo coilovers on a car years ago and it handled terribly, so now I only like the better coilovers or shock/spring combo!
I have them set at 8 front and 8 rear for damping, I think on a dry day I would stiffen it up some more, but was more than happy to just get out and make sure the car was running ok.
It certainly looks planted on track ...what springs did you go for if you don't mind me asking?? Mine will be a dedicated track car so dont need road comfort...I believe they do a track biased set think its 12kg both ends just dont know if that will be too much?I have them set at 8 front and 8 rear for damping, I think on a dry day I would stiffen it up some more, but was more than happy to just get out and make sure the car was running ok.
Mgd_uk said:
Your car looks tidy also, any idea what your wheels are called? Are then 17's?
I would love to find afront splitter than makes finishes the front bumper a little better, I think it looks soft in its current state.
My wheels are the standard 325ti Sport ones, 97Ms. I would love to find afront splitter than makes finishes the front bumper a little better, I think it looks soft in its current state.
7.5 inch fronts and 8.5 inch rears with 225/45 x 17 and 245/40 x 17 tyres - but this week it went onto 205/55 x 16 winters on seven spoke rims because it is cold!
Not sure about the "soft" look - Sport is much better than SE.
Mgd_uk said:
Ag51bye said:
I have bmw compact envy.
If im not mistaken i think this made an appearance in the thread earlier when being built.
The track pics look great especially the ones with you attacking the kerbs
Dbrs said:
It certainly looks planted on track ...what springs did you go for if you don't mind me asking?? Mine will be a dedicated track car so dont need road comfort...I believe they do a track biased set think its 12kg both ends just dont know if that will be too much?
They are the road going spec I think, 7kg's are they? Had a sticker on the springs but I cannot remember exactly. I still drive this to the track but have 2 other cars as being honest it is hard as the road driving it, every cats eye you hit you can feel it! Mr Tidy said:
My wheels are the standard 325ti Sport ones, 97Ms.
7.5 inch fronts and 8.5 inch rears with 225/45 x 17 and 245/40 x 17 tyres - but this week it went onto 205/55 x 16 winters on seven spoke rims because it is cold!
Not sure about the "soft" look - Sport is much better than SE.
Need to see if I can find myself 4 rears and set of slicks for mid next year. I agree that the SE is even softer looking again, but i think the sport could do with a small front splitter to give it a more aggressive look 7.5 inch fronts and 8.5 inch rears with 225/45 x 17 and 245/40 x 17 tyres - but this week it went onto 205/55 x 16 winters on seven spoke rims because it is cold!
Not sure about the "soft" look - Sport is much better than SE.
aka_kerrly said:
Fair play for getting it finished. I too have a serious case of Compact envy, imola red, sport spec is just what i;'d like , and a 3.0 is an ideal addition.
The track pics look great especially the ones with you attacking the kerbs
Cheers! The track pics look great especially the ones with you attacking the kerbs
Have to say I don't have as much confidence on the kerbs on this compared to my last track car, but think if I get a few days in I will be more confident.
I have had the clio on 2 wheels through this corner, can't wait to see what the compact can do on the dry.
Edited by Mgd_uk on Sunday 4th December 01:11
Mgd_uk said:
Cheers!
Have to say I don't have as much confidence on the kerbs on this compared to my last track car, but think if I get a few days in I will be more confident.
I have had the clio on 2 wheels through this corner, can't wait to see what the compact can do on the dry.
Have to say I don't have as much confidence on the kerbs on this compared to my last track car, but think if I get a few days in I will be more confident.
I have had the clio on 2 wheels through this corner, can't wait to see what the compact can do on the dry.
Edited by Mgd_uk on Sunday 4th December 01:11
Sold my 172 cup to buy my compact...let's hope I'm not disappointed once I get my suspension sorted.
Mine did its first towing in my ownership today, collecting my new race car and trailer. It did a pretty good job actually, the short 5th gear pulled the set up at 50mph on the flat with no problems, averaged 22mpg too. The boot was full of spares, a diff, another set of wheels and more.
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