My brave pill: E92 BMW 335i with the infamous N54 engine
Discussion
Krikkit said:
d_a_n1979 said:
Aye not a bad drive at all; you could get lost and and the Horseshoe Pass too 
Hurry up because there's average cameras going in!Lovely car and a good choice, I must admit as an owner of an E87 130i, I know exactly what you mean about it being small, revvy and a very busy ride.
That 130i was fun though and it’s a car that I’ll definitely look back on with a lot of fondness.
Armchair_Expert said:
Feel like the car really suits you, and I know you will end up replacing and improving loads of bits on it with OEM upgrades, so long term you shoudn't lose out.
I was very tempted by a red one of these with ivory leather when I was searching, looks a cracker.
That would have been a lovely colour combo. There are already a few bits waiting to go on when it arrives! :smile:I was very tempted by a red one of these with ivory leather when I was searching, looks a cracker.
MDMA . said:
That looks really nice. I saw it for sale on C&C the other day (I’m looking for an E91 B3/D3 Biturbo). Seemed like a reasonable price too, considering the low mileage. Enjoy.
Thanks. The seller knows the previous owner really well having been friends with him since primary school so it’s a car he knows.OM98 said:
This looks nice, I can definitely see the appeal. Was it possible to spec these with a manual gearbox? Imagine they must be extremely uncommon, but quite intriguing!
They do exist but are very very rare.roadie said:
Nice one. Sad to lose your ongoing 130i posts and updates, but there is a lot of carryover between the E9x and E8x! Look forward to seeing how this car develops.
Thanks, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of posts about this in due course snd I’ll still be mucking about with the 125i.CB 987 said:
Looks like a great example, looking forward to some further updates. The BMW warranty is a nice fallback to have, hopefully it’ll be trouble free.
I am hoping my E91 finds a decent home.
Thanks. I am hoping my E91 finds a decent home.
Your touring is lovely too and I’m sure it’ll be snapped up quickly enough. Hopefully I don’t regret turning it down for the coupe!
Great buy. Had one a while back and now running a 135i coupe. Both N54.
Engines aren’t an issue - forged internals etc. Just regular oil changes.
Ancillaries are a different matter.
Make sure you have oem coil packs and ideally index 12 injectors.
I changed out the cabin filters for BMS ones as the oem ones have such weak fittings that they break all the time. Plus you get to hear more turbo sounds.
I enjoy it as much as my M4 comp. I justify it as my small sports car and the M as my big sports car…works in my head!
Engines aren’t an issue - forged internals etc. Just regular oil changes.
Ancillaries are a different matter.
Make sure you have oem coil packs and ideally index 12 injectors.
I changed out the cabin filters for BMS ones as the oem ones have such weak fittings that they break all the time. Plus you get to hear more turbo sounds.
I enjoy it as much as my M4 comp. I justify it as my small sports car and the M as my big sports car…works in my head!
Interested to see how we both get on with our N54s, with us both having N52 experience (engine of the year for good reason!).
I’ve got an improved ARM fmic to go on along with uprated pipework- fits the standard space with no hacking around and came home from a work trip to the US in a bag with no problems!
So far, I’ve had massively more mpg than our N52, with a good few pulls to the redline included.
I’ve got an improved ARM fmic to go on along with uprated pipework- fits the standard space with no hacking around and came home from a work trip to the US in a bag with no problems!
So far, I’ve had massively more mpg than our N52, with a good few pulls to the redline included.
Mr Tidy said:
That looks great (even if it isn't an M)!
At a guess I'd say it's Sparkling Graphite - I had an E91 325i that colour the same as my current E90 330 (with the split/fold rear seats)!
It is indeed that colour. Not my first choice but I soon realised that they were all pretty dull colours. It’s nice in the sun with a purple hue (although some hate that).At a guess I'd say it's Sparkling Graphite - I had an E91 325i that colour the same as my current E90 330 (with the split/fold rear seats)!
Wills2 said:
ZF6 is a great gearbox I run one against a gen2 ZF8 and it stands up to comparison especially in sport mode very quick and snappy.
It’s a while since I’ve driven a ZF6 but it worked well enough, better than it did with my 330.The paddles are a bit weird it’s both doing the same (push for a downshift and pull for an upshift). Looks like you can fiddle with the wires to get them working in a more modern way of pull left for a downshift and pull right for an upshift.
freenote said:
Great buy. Had one a while back and now running a 135i coupe. Both N54.
Engines aren’t an issue - forged internals etc. Just regular oil changes.
Ancillaries are a different matter.
Make sure you have oem coil packs and ideally index 12 injectors.
I changed out the cabin filters for BMS ones as the oem ones have such weak fittings that they break all the time. Plus you get to hear more turbo sounds.
I enjoy it as much as my M4 comp. I justify it as my small sports car and the M as my big sports car…works in my head!
Coils will almost definitely be OEM given it’s service history. The injectors are my only real concern; the car was recalled in 2011 for them to be inspected but BMW can’t confirm if they were replaced because the records are not detailed enough. They’re definitely not index 12, hence the BMW warranty.Engines aren’t an issue - forged internals etc. Just regular oil changes.
Ancillaries are a different matter.
Make sure you have oem coil packs and ideally index 12 injectors.
I changed out the cabin filters for BMS ones as the oem ones have such weak fittings that they break all the time. Plus you get to hear more turbo sounds.
I enjoy it as much as my M4 comp. I justify it as my small sports car and the M as my big sports car…works in my head!
RelentlessForwardProgress said:
Interested to see how we both get on with our N54s, with us both having N52 experience (engine of the year for good reason!).
I’ve got an improved ARM fmic to go on along with uprated pipework- fits the standard space with no hacking around and came home from a work trip to the US in a bag with no problems!
So far, I’ve had massively more mpg than our N52, with a good few pulls to the redline included.
Is yours mapped or standard?I’ve got an improved ARM fmic to go on along with uprated pipework- fits the standard space with no hacking around and came home from a work trip to the US in a bag with no problems!
So far, I’ve had massively more mpg than our N52, with a good few pulls to the redline included.
The day to day running costs look pretty comparable; VED is marginally more, insurance is identical on the two cars an fuel economy looks to be the same or slightly better. I found my N52 in the 330 I had more economical than the one in my 130.
helix402 said:
Steering wheel paddles are off from the factory. I rewired my 335d ones to work as later models. Much more logical, takes minutes to do.
Did you leave one wire unplugged? I’ve seen that some cut wires and start splicing them together whereas others move one and leave another unplugged. 
Court_S said:
Wills2 said:
ZF6 is a great gearbox I run one against a gen2 ZF8 and it stands up to comparison especially in sport mode very quick and snappy.
It’s a while since I’ve driven a ZF6 but it worked well enough, better than it did with my 330.The paddle arrangement is a bit odd as you say though.
Awesome purchase, glad it all came together. Really good cars these and the N54 is actually quite reliable, it's all the bits around it that aren't haha. Most of them are replaced on yours anyway. Looking after it properly should see many hundreds of thousands of miles out of it, most issues are not catastrophic (unlike many BMW engines!).
OM98 said:
This looks nice, I can definitely see the appeal. Was it possible to spec these with a manual gearbox? Imagine they must be extremely uncommon, but quite intriguing!
Yes, they were rare! Took me a loooong time to find a good one. Not the greatest box in the world, but I'm still glad I bought one.Nice car, Sam. I think you’ve gone right. I also think the ZF6 and N54 combo is a lovely one. For me they’re ‘right’. Not too few, and not too many gears. Shame the 130 is gone, but I have a real soft spot for them.
How does a more standard one compare to your Birds kit on the 130? In the last 5 years the only E90 based car I’ve driven has had Birds bits on it, so I’ve forgotten what standard ones are like.
How does a more standard one compare to your Birds kit on the 130? In the last 5 years the only E90 based car I’ve driven has had Birds bits on it, so I’ve forgotten what standard ones are like.
e28525e said:
Lovely car! However, having had a 130i and an E92 as a daily - I would have chosen the M3 over the 335i. Mine averaged 27mpg on my commute, only 2mpg less than my 130i.
That’s pretty good and better than most were a lot worse than that. Both of the ones I looked at were averaging 17mpg….
I’d love an M3 but at the moment I really can’t cope with the thirst.
JakeT said:
Nice car, Sam. I think you’ve gone right. I also think the ZF6 and N54 combo is a lovely one. For me they’re ‘right’. Not too few, and not too many gears. Shame the 130 is gone, but I have a real soft spot for them.
How does a more standard one compare to your Birds kit on the 130? In the last 5 years the only E90 based car I’ve driven has had Birds bits on it, so I’ve forgotten what standard ones are like.
The Birds set up was better controlled but still busy but I think that is more the nature of the E8x cars being relative small.How does a more standard one compare to your Birds kit on the 130? In the last 5 years the only E90 based car I’ve driven has had Birds bits on it, so I’ve forgotten what standard ones are like.
I need to check the tyre pressures because it’s had new fronts fitted and the tyre guys always seem to add a million PSI.
It’s a while since I’ve driven a stock E9x car too. Pretty sure I’ll be fitting B4’s with Eibach’s and M3 arms soon enough. The B4 / Eibach combo on the 125i has impressed me so far. Not as good as the Birds but a fraction of the cost.
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