My brave pill: E92 BMW 335i with the infamous N54 engine
Discussion
RelentlessForwardProgress said:
Looking good, Sam! Interested to see how they look on the E92. And sparkling graphite is a great colour- it should have a bit of pop and sparkle on a day like today?
They look ace in my opinion….I hit submit before I finished writing my post! 
It does indeed pop and sparkle in the sun and has a slight purple tinge. I like I.
DC.11 said:
I’ve gone for this setup on my e91, but with the addition of shorter bump stops too.
Similar to yourself, my previous car was a 130i LE. The LE had pretty much the same B4s/Eibach Pro setup with BMWP bump stops, but the e91 feels much more compliant and less busy.
Don’t suppose you have the part numbers for the performance bump stops to hand do you?Similar to yourself, my previous car was a 130i LE. The LE had pretty much the same B4s/Eibach Pro setup with BMWP bump stops, but the e91 feels much more compliant and less busy.
My 130 had Birds B1 springs and dampers which were brilliant.
DC.11 said:
On my e91 I have a combination of e36 M3 fronts, and Z4 rears. It’s a common setup in the US (There’s a few threads on e90post):
E36 M3 Front: 31.33.2.225.377
Z4 Rear: 33.53.6.770.350
The BMWP ones used on my 130i:
BMWP Front: 31331096099
BMWP Rear: 33536788905
Peachy, cheers for that. E36 M3 Front: 31.33.2.225.377
Z4 Rear: 33.53.6.770.350
The BMWP ones used on my 130i:
BMWP Front: 31331096099
BMWP Rear: 33536788905
I think I fitted Z4 ones to my other half’s 125i which has worked quite well.
84Reasons said:
Looks mint mate! How does it ride now not sitting on run flats anymore?
Thanks. I’ve done 100 miles or so now and I think it’s an improvement. It feels lighter in the way it no longer thuds through imperfections in the road.
I’ve not driven it particularly hard yet, but I didn’t like the way the Bridgestone runflats felt. They never filled my with confidence after the PS4’s on my 130i.
One of the things that always bothered me on my car was the state of the metal bracket that the vacuum canisters were attached to. In lots of the other 335’s I looked at, they were similarly rusty.
As it was.
The part was thirty something quid so I figured that I’d just replace it.
Old and new.
New one fitted along with new bolts.
Makes naff all difference but it’ll stop bothering me when I open the bonnet and given the N54’s reputation, the bonnet will probably be open lots!
I’m still pleased with the car, it’s very refined and does the day to day stuff really well. Driving my other half’s 125i today made me realise how much more refined the 3 series is. It feels even better now the run flats are off the car. It rides better and feels a bit lighter on its feet (the old wheels / tyres were noticeably heavier than the new wheels).
As it was.
The part was thirty something quid so I figured that I’d just replace it.
Old and new.
New one fitted along with new bolts.
Makes naff all difference but it’ll stop bothering me when I open the bonnet and given the N54’s reputation, the bonnet will probably be open lots!
I’m still pleased with the car, it’s very refined and does the day to day stuff really well. Driving my other half’s 125i today made me realise how much more refined the 3 series is. It feels even better now the run flats are off the car. It rides better and feels a bit lighter on its feet (the old wheels / tyres were noticeably heavier than the new wheels).
nipsips said:
Looks fantastic! You haven’t messed about with this have you! The best colour for an E9x too!
Thanks. Fiddling with old BMW’s is a serious affliction!
Not too much will happen for a while now other than cleaning it until I get the last few bits for a mini suspension refresh/lowering.
MDifficult said:
No worries. It’s great stuff (used it on my motorbikes for years). Top tip: if you’re trying to apply it in the winter it’s worth letting the can rest in some warm (not hot!) water for a bit first. It’s gets proper claggy when it’s cold.
Cheers for that again. It’ll get done in the next few weeks.
I can’t work out how that bracket gets so manky. I can only assume that BMW finish it as cheaply as possible.
rm163603 said:
That's decent.
I've never seen a number beginning with 3 with my 135i.
My old lci 130i was amzingly economical, I had over 40mpg a few times.
I've never seen a number beginning with 3 with my 135i.
My old lci 130i was amzingly economical, I had over 40mpg a few times.
I struggled to get more than about 33 from my 130i, yet my other half’s 125i (remapped to the same power) did 37 slogging up to Scotland last month.
This is inky very slightly worse at the moment doing lots of short journeys, but definitely better on a run.
roadie said:
Certainly interesting perspectives! My 2008 130i averages just under 32mpg but most of my driving is on fast roads. Filled up last night and I'd achieved my best ever economy of 35.84mpg (measured via app).
I'm definitely interested in upgrading to a N55 335i and would hope that it could achieve similar economy as other running costs would be a bit higher I feel.
My long term average in my M140i and 130i was 28ish. This looks like it’ll be similar once it’s doing a few more longer runs. I'm definitely interested in upgrading to a N55 335i and would hope that it could achieve similar economy as other running costs would be a bit higher I feel.
Costs so far are similar to the 130i; tax is more or less the same, insurance identical, fuel is about the same around town but better on a run. Tyres are more being 19’s.
The biggest difference is the bork factor, but stuff like my eccentric shaft sensor and rocker cover would have been really expensive on the 130i if I’d not done it myself.
nipsips said:
How is your economy so good! My 325i the trip is reading about 24 atm - must be my right foot 
our old 330 was around that sort of figure.My commute to work certainly helps because I’m sat at 75 on dual carriageway most of the way.
If you drive it hard, it soon drops though (my M140i was the same….capable of great economy but equally, if I thrashed it the fuel gauge would would move in 10 miles!).
rm163603 said:
Very weird!
Was your 130 an LCI? Mine was and it was worth driving gently as the payoff was great economy. With the 135i there is literally nothing I can do to get over 30mpg so I don't trying.
With the small tank it makes the range pretty terrible. 250 miles is pretty much it.
I aways thought that maybe since the turbos are pretty much always 'working' with them coming in so low down in the range that it's easy to lean on the torque which can't help.
Also I've run it as standard, stage 1 and stage 2 and pottering around the economy is basically the same.
Mine was an LCI, it was just never that great on fuel. The small tank was annoying but equally a bigger tank had been a shock again after years of cars with smaller tanks. At least it says 400 plus miles when I fill this up.Was your 130 an LCI? Mine was and it was worth driving gently as the payoff was great economy. With the 135i there is literally nothing I can do to get over 30mpg so I don't trying.
With the small tank it makes the range pretty terrible. 250 miles is pretty much it.
I aways thought that maybe since the turbos are pretty much always 'working' with them coming in so low down in the range that it's easy to lean on the torque which can't help.
Also I've run it as standard, stage 1 and stage 2 and pottering around the economy is basically the same.
I’ve never really got on with the weird satin grey finished that BMW used for the diffusers of late E series car diffusers. It never seemed to age very well and didn’t offer enough of a contrast againtge grey of my car.
So this week I set about sorting that but painting the diffuser gloss black. There is a funny little insert which is held in with 3M tape but it didn’t want to move so I had to mask the car and I painted that with Plasti Dip for now.
Personally I think it looks much better because there is a stronger contrast against the grey paint f the rest of the car.
The finish is pretty good considering I rattle canned it.
So this week I set about sorting that but painting the diffuser gloss black. There is a funny little insert which is held in with 3M tape but it didn’t want to move so I had to mask the car and I painted that with Plasti Dip for now.
Personally I think it looks much better because there is a stronger contrast against the grey paint f the rest of the car.
The finish is pretty good considering I rattle canned it.
te on grey cars though. roadie said:
It's a 2011 N55 manual that drives really well and is in fantastic condition for its miles. It should be a better car for regular use than my 130i, which is great on exciting A & B roads but is not as refined on everyday journeys.
A condition of sale is a service and having what I think is a rattle from an exhaust valve fixed so the first year cost of ownership will hopefully be relatively low. I'm considering whether to add a third party warranty in case of something like a new radiator being needed or any oil leaks springing up. However, I have no experience of these and whether it would be worthwhile.
Nice. Coupe? Your thoughts sound very similar to mine. My 335 isn’t as fun in a good B road but it does the other stuff better.A condition of sale is a service and having what I think is a rattle from an exhaust valve fixed so the first year cost of ownership will hopefully be relatively low. I'm considering whether to add a third party warranty in case of something like a new radiator being needed or any oil leaks springing up. However, I have no experience of these and whether it would be worthwhile.
I’d just do the golf tee mod to get rid of the rattle.
Personally, I’d not bother with with a third party warranty. I’d do BMW or not at all,
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