F31 335d x drive Touring - perfect daily ?
Discussion
gudger12345 said:
What a great read.
I myself have an f11 535d Msport plus and its amazing, has all the factory options and is a great family wagon for towing mine and my friends track cars (EP3 destroyed its 2nd gear at croft) and also ferrying the family and dogs.
Very tempted to have mine mapped now as i have got it looking visually perfect (Eibach lowering springs, rear link bars, front lip, sunstrip, black kidney grilles, wheels refurbished in anthracite with PS4 fitted, Calipers painted, 15mm Front and 20mm rear spacers, rear carbon fibre lip and M2 wing mirror cover.
Could anyone recommended somewhere in the North East of England to have it Mapped.
Thanks
Some pictures
That is fantastic. Looks like a well used Touring matey .. love the pictures I myself have an f11 535d Msport plus and its amazing, has all the factory options and is a great family wagon for towing mine and my friends track cars (EP3 destroyed its 2nd gear at croft) and also ferrying the family and dogs.
Very tempted to have mine mapped now as i have got it looking visually perfect (Eibach lowering springs, rear link bars, front lip, sunstrip, black kidney grilles, wheels refurbished in anthracite with PS4 fitted, Calipers painted, 15mm Front and 20mm rear spacers, rear carbon fibre lip and M2 wing mirror cover.
Could anyone recommended somewhere in the North East of England to have it Mapped.
Thanks
Some pictures
agree , looks pretty much spot on. I definitely recommend a remap, best to go with someone reputable. I can only recommend GKR or Unicorn Developments from the research I did but thats very far for you to travel. Maybe ask on the 35d Facebook forums ?
STAGE 2
The wagon went for its final power upgrade yesterday courtesy of Ricky @ Unicorn Developments. 2hrs of fettling the 400bhp target couldn’t quite be achieved as the car struggled for air. We eventually settled at 391bhp / 812nm - very pleased with how the car feels now. Power delivery is very linear and progressive, pulls like an N/A engine - Ricky is a wizard. Looking forward to getting some 0-60 & quarter mile times on the Dragy.
The wagon went for its final power upgrade yesterday courtesy of Ricky @ Unicorn Developments. 2hrs of fettling the 400bhp target couldn’t quite be achieved as the car struggled for air. We eventually settled at 391bhp / 812nm - very pleased with how the car feels now. Power delivery is very linear and progressive, pulls like an N/A engine - Ricky is a wizard. Looking forward to getting some 0-60 & quarter mile times on the Dragy.
Will get some Dragy times up soon. Gearbox is GA8HP70Z – ZF recommends the upper safe limit be capped at 700nm torque. So many of them running 800nm + without issue. I think the bottom end going on these is more of a problem than the gearbox. A good friend who happens to be a warranty controller at BMW informed me he's seen stock 35d engines go bang from around 50k miles. Scary.
On the other hand the previous gen 335d touring (E91) has the GA6HP26Z gearbox which ZF recommends the upper safe limit be capped at 600m torque. Again so many of them running 750nm + torque with 150k + miles.
A used GA8HP70Z in good condition costs £400/500 if the worst was to happen – genuinely can’t see it going bang. I think it’s going to require A LOT more abuse and A LOT more miles to break it. If it does then that’s what this thread is for, i'll let you all know
On the other hand the previous gen 335d touring (E91) has the GA6HP26Z gearbox which ZF recommends the upper safe limit be capped at 600m torque. Again so many of them running 750nm + torque with 150k + miles.
A used GA8HP70Z in good condition costs £400/500 if the worst was to happen – genuinely can’t see it going bang. I think it’s going to require A LOT more abuse and A LOT more miles to break it. If it does then that’s what this thread is for, i'll let you all know
Service History,
Quick oil & oil filter change yesterday after finishing work. Parts supplied by Harry Fairbairn BMW.
Breakdown of all service intervals on the car to date below,
2018 - Service 1 - 16,936
2020 - Service 2 - 10,587
2020 - Service 3 - 8,901
2021 - Service 4 - 8,393
2021 - Service 5 – 7,379
I’ve decided to stick to strict 8,000 mile or sooner servicing intervals. Car is on 5 oil changes at 52,196 miles.
Car is filthy and could do with a clean soon …
Quick oil & oil filter change yesterday after finishing work. Parts supplied by Harry Fairbairn BMW.
Breakdown of all service intervals on the car to date below,
2018 - Service 1 - 16,936
2020 - Service 2 - 10,587
2020 - Service 3 - 8,901
2021 - Service 4 - 8,393
2021 - Service 5 – 7,379
I’ve decided to stick to strict 8,000 mile or sooner servicing intervals. Car is on 5 oil changes at 52,196 miles.
Car is filthy and could do with a clean soon …
jagfan2 said:
I used to be a trans engineer for an OEM, did driveline duty calcs and durability testing on 8HP70 as part of my job. Yes the 8HP is an extremely well built box, and has some margin, but they have careful tolerances to manage this, particularly focused on shift speeds and pressures, they only let lighter non towing cars have the fast shift speeds for example. So upping shift pressures/speeds and using a reasonably heavy car for towing does increase duty, though not to the level that this box peaks at, as used in X5 M50d and other high torque drivelines with much higher GVWs, so likely ok, just adding risk, especially in lower gears.
Just making sure people know what there doing, as i said fuse is normally further downstream, but will increase wear on tcase and shafts, as long as your sensible daily, and budgeting for it and going in eyes open, its probably fine. I will be more than happy going stage 1 on my 330d once its had full engine and trans service, but that's only to 335d levels of performance, so very low risk.
Excellent. Really interesting to get input from a transmission engineer. Talking of which, I don’t agree with the BMW on the gear box oil being lifetime. I’ll be giving the gearbox and transfer box a complete service at around the 60k mileage markJust making sure people know what there doing, as i said fuse is normally further downstream, but will increase wear on tcase and shafts, as long as your sensible daily, and budgeting for it and going in eyes open, its probably fine. I will be more than happy going stage 1 on my 330d once its had full engine and trans service, but that's only to 335d levels of performance, so very low risk.
That’s a stunning looking 35d @ROSSI89 - thanks for reading the thread
For me it was a pretty close call between GKR & Unicorn Developments. Both are maestro’s at tuning the 35d engine - you’ll be in good hands with either. Only point to note is GKR currently don’t have a 4-wheel linked dyno whereas Unicorn does. Between the two tuners they’ve tuned hundreds & hundreds of 35d’s and I’m yet to see or hear a bad review. Wait time for Unicorn Developments is around 2 months – service was excellent
There are many tuners out there now it can be difficult to decide who to go with especially when some are cheaper and closer to home
For me it was a pretty close call between GKR & Unicorn Developments. Both are maestro’s at tuning the 35d engine - you’ll be in good hands with either. Only point to note is GKR currently don’t have a 4-wheel linked dyno whereas Unicorn does. Between the two tuners they’ve tuned hundreds & hundreds of 35d’s and I’m yet to see or hear a bad review. Wait time for Unicorn Developments is around 2 months – service was excellent
There are many tuners out there now it can be difficult to decide who to go with especially when some are cheaper and closer to home
Thread Update
I was in touch with BMW to request the OTR price to its first owner. £56,539.99. Pricey! Just to put things into perspective I paid less than half that just before the cars third year of registration.
September will see the 35d’s first Track Day at Anglesey. I’m going with a group of M car friends, with me letting the side down slightly in the coal burner. Very intrigued to see how the 35d gets on at Anglesey – it’ll certainly be put through its paces – that is guaranteed.
On the drive home I’ll be stopping off somewhere to have a set of Michelin PS4’s fitted to the front axle because the following morning the car will be packed to the brim and used to take family to Disney Land Paris.
I was in touch with BMW to request the OTR price to its first owner. £56,539.99. Pricey! Just to put things into perspective I paid less than half that just before the cars third year of registration.
September will see the 35d’s first Track Day at Anglesey. I’m going with a group of M car friends, with me letting the side down slightly in the coal burner. Very intrigued to see how the 35d gets on at Anglesey – it’ll certainly be put through its paces – that is guaranteed.
On the drive home I’ll be stopping off somewhere to have a set of Michelin PS4’s fitted to the front axle because the following morning the car will be packed to the brim and used to take family to Disney Land Paris.
Thread Update
First track day attended in the 335d organised by Javelin Trackdays at Anglesey Circuit. 5am start joined with some heavy German artillery … F82 M4, E90 M3, E92 M3, E39 M5 and an M140i with Birds B1 specification. Lost the E92 M3 about an hour in - freak accident saw the sump punctured by debris on the road – he asked us to rock on.
I wasn’t expecting too much from the stock brake setup on a track day but must admit they did surprise me. Performed a little better than I expected. I did get some brake fade and spongy feel after a few laps but on the whole not bad. It would be fair to say the brakes are now well used and there is a bit of brake squeal – changing out the front brake pads should quieten it down. No iDrive warnings on the brakes yet.
Every lap was done in Sport + / DSC off with gearbox in sport mode. The adaptive suspension with ACS springs had its work cut out, I did experience body roll whilst cornering but this is to be expected given the weight of the car is around 1800 - 1850kg. I didn’t bother removing the baby seat ahead of the track day.
I had the occasional GT4, Caterham and track car come past but largely much to my surprise the 335d wagon was setting quite a pace! Got the occasional nod of approval too .. can’t be often some idiot takes a diesel wagon on track
A good few hours later the front tyres were toast.
…… what followed was a desperate bid to get myself to a tyre shop to have both fronts replaced with a fresh set of Michelin PS4’s.
The following morning (after the trackday - another 5am start) the 335d was packed to the brim for a family holiday to Disney Land Paris. Can't remember anything overtaking me during the 430 mile journey.
10 miles short of the arriving at the hotel I had to top up engine oil as the iDrive indicated the oil level was at the minimum. A quick detour to the local BMW dealer – BMW Envergure Meaux 77 to grab a litre of oil. Topped up 0.5 litre which was enough to bring the car back to the middle of minimum and maximum.
Obligatory Eifell Tower picture …
...... track car one day, European tour bus the next.
First track day attended in the 335d organised by Javelin Trackdays at Anglesey Circuit. 5am start joined with some heavy German artillery … F82 M4, E90 M3, E92 M3, E39 M5 and an M140i with Birds B1 specification. Lost the E92 M3 about an hour in - freak accident saw the sump punctured by debris on the road – he asked us to rock on.
I wasn’t expecting too much from the stock brake setup on a track day but must admit they did surprise me. Performed a little better than I expected. I did get some brake fade and spongy feel after a few laps but on the whole not bad. It would be fair to say the brakes are now well used and there is a bit of brake squeal – changing out the front brake pads should quieten it down. No iDrive warnings on the brakes yet.
Every lap was done in Sport + / DSC off with gearbox in sport mode. The adaptive suspension with ACS springs had its work cut out, I did experience body roll whilst cornering but this is to be expected given the weight of the car is around 1800 - 1850kg. I didn’t bother removing the baby seat ahead of the track day.
I had the occasional GT4, Caterham and track car come past but largely much to my surprise the 335d wagon was setting quite a pace! Got the occasional nod of approval too .. can’t be often some idiot takes a diesel wagon on track
A good few hours later the front tyres were toast.
…… what followed was a desperate bid to get myself to a tyre shop to have both fronts replaced with a fresh set of Michelin PS4’s.
The following morning (after the trackday - another 5am start) the 335d was packed to the brim for a family holiday to Disney Land Paris. Can't remember anything overtaking me during the 430 mile journey.
10 miles short of the arriving at the hotel I had to top up engine oil as the iDrive indicated the oil level was at the minimum. A quick detour to the local BMW dealer – BMW Envergure Meaux 77 to grab a litre of oil. Topped up 0.5 litre which was enough to bring the car back to the middle of minimum and maximum.
Obligatory Eifell Tower picture …
...... track car one day, European tour bus the next.
Edited by peetee7 on Wednesday 22 September 08:30
Reflecting back to Anglesey Circuit and sharing my thoughts on how the car performed. The optional S2NH M Sport Brakes held up reasonably well with a slight annoyance being the initial brake bite (the first 10 to 20% I’d say) – feels like very little happens. Pretty sure this is a general characteristic of the car given its weight. The car does eventually stop when the brakes are pressed hard enough though In addition to the initial brake bite I found myself getting on the brakes a little earlier than I would’ve liked whilst approaching a corner… again has to be weight related as it’s the heaviest car I’ve been around on a track. With that being said it’s quite easy to go hot into a corner due to the power in relation to the brakes.
Cornering wise the car did rather well – glad the ACS springs were on to keep the car composed somewhat. Mid to late corner I found myself holding back from getting on the accelerator as the car would begin to push wide at the nose – bloody understeer! I am led to believe that installing a thicker rear anti roll bar dials out some of that understeer … worthwhile mod IMO and something I may look into!
With the slight annoyances aside and with everything nestled I must say the car exceeded my expectations – it’s hilariously quick. I found myself laughing on occasion on approach to corners, on corner, coming out of corners and the straights! A constant thought ‘how flipping quick has this car become and should I even be able to do that to the car ahead’.
@Scottie-NW – must admit I didn’t put any thought into oil starvation. Car felt fine if I’m honest – no loss of power. Power was available anytime I needed it.
A big thumbs up for the 335d family wagon from me.
In addition to the initial brake bite I found myself getting on the brakes a little earlier than I would’ve liked whilst approaching a corner… again has to be weight related as it’s the heaviest car I’ve been around on a track. With that being said it’s quite easy to go hot into a corner due to the power in relation to the brakes.Cornering wise the car did rather well – glad the ACS springs were on to keep the car composed somewhat. Mid to late corner I found myself holding back from getting on the accelerator as the car would begin to push wide at the nose – bloody understeer! I am led to believe that installing a thicker rear anti roll bar dials out some of that understeer … worthwhile mod IMO and something I may look into!
With the slight annoyances aside and with everything nestled I must say the car exceeded my expectations – it’s hilariously quick. I found myself laughing on occasion on approach to corners, on corner, coming out of corners and the straights! A constant thought ‘how flipping quick has this car become and should I even be able to do that to the car ahead’.
@Scottie-NW – must admit I didn’t put any thought into oil starvation. Car felt fine if I’m honest – no loss of power. Power was available anytime I needed it.
A big thumbs up for the 335d family wagon from me.
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