RE: Shed of the Week: BMW 328

[SidewaysSi]

s m said:

Do you have the full article? Interesting the weight is 1350Kg which I think is a bit lower than BMW's official number. Was this at a time when Autocar were weighing cars as part of each test?

Another reason against the M3 - at least 100Kg heavier. And the 328 is no lightweight.

[s m]

SidewaysSi said:

Do you have the full article? Interesting the weight is 1350Kg which I think is a bit lower than BMW's official number. Was this at a time when Autocar were weighing cars as part of each test?

Another reason against the M3 - at least 100Kg heavier. And the 328 is no lightweight.

Seems about right for a basic coupe I’d say
My 328i SE saloon with full leather, sunroof, half a tank was 1420kg on local bridge
Was 1398 on CW scales ( no spare wheel in though on that occasion )
About one really fat bloke more than a GT86

[km666]

Drive Blind said:

I remember the 328 when they were launched.
The Autocar roadtest pointed out they were quicker 0-100 than the escort cosworth, which was held up as a performance icon of the day.

Was it not the case that some of the 'Germanic' cars reached Autocar with very different specifications to the actual cars sold. I recall a very strong set of figures being recorded for the Octavia VRS when that was released, somebody ended up with it and checked it out and it was rather more potent than it should have been.

I dont understand the love for this particular car myself, but then I wasnt a fan of the other E36 SOTW presented either although this one is at least a '6'. The jetwashed bay, no mats and the just washed 'shine' make me think its possibly quite rough up close and being sold by a trader. Was it not the case that the complaints about the Compact model related to it using the E36 suspension set up?

[s m]

km666 said:

Was it not the case that some of the 'Germanic' cars reached Autocar with very different specifications to the actual cars sold. I recall a very strong set of figures being recorded for the Octavia VRS when that was released, somebody ended up with it and checked it out and it was rather more potent than it should have been.

I dont understand the love for this particular car myself, but then I wasnt a fan of the other E36 SOTW presented either although this one is at least a '6'. The jetwashed bay, no mats and the just washed 'shine' make me think its possibly quite rough up close and being sold by a trader. Was it not the case that the complaints about the Compact model related to it using the E36 suspension set up?

People keep saying this re the rwd 6-pot cars
The 325i E36 turned in similar figures (6.4 to 6O ), the E46 323i and 328i are about what you’d expect given the extra weight
They just launch well with a cable throttle and 205s ( enough slip to get the right amount of wheel spin )

Like Porsches, think they’re sturdy horses rather than Volvo T5 ones
The Skoda was supplied with circa 210bhp rather than 180 bhp it should have had by all accounts - easy to do with a turbo car

[s m]

km666 said:

Was it not the case that some of the 'Germanic' cars reached Autocar with very different specifications to the actual cars sold. I recall a very strong set of figures being recorded for the Octavia VRS when that was released, somebody ended up with it and checked it out and it was rather more potent than it should have been.

I dont understand the love for this particular car myself, but then I wasnt a fan of the other E36 SOTW presented either although this one is at least a '6'. The jetwashed bay, no mats and the just washed 'shine' make me think its possibly quite rough up close and being sold by a trader. Was it not the case that the complaints about the Compact model related to it using the E36 suspension set up?

E36 Conpact used a mish mosh of E30 rear end and E36 front end suspension set up

Then again people swear the E30 rear end never did the E30 M3 any harm in the handling department !!!

[km666]

s m said:

E36 Conpact used a mish mosh of E30 rear end and E36 front end suspension set up

Then again people swear the E30 rear end never did the E30 M3 any harm in the handling department !!!

The E30 M3 was slightly different wasnt it? Aluminium control arms, different subframe and some form of roll centre correction adding a bit extra to the mix.

[iguana]

J.R.Slider said:

With Avus spec suspension, eccentric bushes and the thicker arbs, will a 328i be adequate for light track use?

It can cope, assuming you run decent pads & fluid but depends on what you are after, but really it's too soft & too lardy & one wheel drive & geared too high as stock, all easily sorted with bolt ons.


Ref power etc as seems to be discussed here a lot, the good performance figs perhaps explained a bit that in my experience the 190 bhp fig from BMW as stock was way too low, by approx 20 bhp on an accurate dyno that I've also used for standard cars plus several M50 inlet modified cars plus 2x 3.0 M3s the power figs were as follows.

Bog stock high miles 2x 328- 210bhp & 211bhp
+M50 only 223bhp but a big loss of midrange
+M50 + Enda map 229bhp but importantly all that lovely midrange back
+M50 + Enda + M3 manifolds + full M3 system 241bhp and very different sound to a normal 328, gets an M3 rasp

3.0 M3 bog stock 265bhp
3.0 M3 + de cat & custom system +re map 275bhp (this is the car in the vid with Dale & no he wasn't on a par I was running 15 sec a lap quicker despite Dales 1- far better skills & 2- far far more laps experience)


It's a good lump the 328, the M3 lump is far superior (although heavier) but in the current climate either just the engine or indeed a full car is at a very different price point, as an average at the mo you can buy 5x 328 engines for a single M3 one & approx the same for a like for like car at the lower end.

[s m]

km666 said:

s m said:

E36 Conpact used a mish mosh of E30 rear end and E36 front end suspension set up

Then again people swear the E30 rear end never did the E30 M3 any harm in the handling department !!!

The E30 M3 was slightly different wasnt it? Aluminium control arms, different subframe and some form of roll centre correction adding a bit extra to the mix.

Front was quite different - rear still had the same 15 deg rear trail as per the others in the range
Comp cars ( as with the Sierra ) reduced that angle down to avoid such marked toe change under comp and droop

[rallycross]

[quote]

Then again people swear the E30 rear end never did the E30 M3 any harm in the handling department !!!
[/quote]

My E30 M3 was handling was very different from other E30’s my old E30 325i sport and 325 SE handled very different (ie badly) to the M3 .

[s m]

rallycross said:

s m said:

Then again people swear the E30 rear end never did the E30 M3 any harm in the handling department !!!

My E30 M3 was handling was very different from other E30’s my old E30 325i sport and 325 SE handled very different (ie badly) to the M3 .

True - but the rear end design was the same as other E30s
Spring and damper rates, arbs etc were altered in rate

Edited by s m on Sunday 14th October 19:46

[MagicoItaliano]

Had one for 3 years. Great motor, power throughout the range, pulled like a train. But I never managed anything like the mpg figures mentioned, upper 20’s is about par for the course. Good memories.

[blade7]

iguana said:

It's a good lump the 328, the M3 lump is far superior (although heavier) but in the current climate either just the engine or indeed a full car is at a very different price point, as an average at the mo you can buy 5x 328 engines for a single M3 one & approx the same for a like for like car at the lower end.

I sold my 328 around 10 years ago. A good E36 Evo was 4x the price of a 328 back then.

[g3org3y]

s m said:

SidewaysSi said:

Do you have the full article? Interesting the weight is 1350Kg which I think is a bit lower than BMW's official number. Was this at a time when Autocar were weighing cars as part of each test?

Another reason against the M3 - at least 100Kg heavier. And the 328 is no lightweight.

Seems about right for a basic coupe I’d say
My 328i SE saloon with full leather, sunroof, half a tank was 1420kg on local bridge
Was 1398 on CW scales ( no spare wheel in though on that occasion )
About one really fat bloke more than a GT86

Any idea on the weight difference for the engine? M52 was alloy block unlike the iron block S50 in the M3 (which was based on the M50), so I'd guess quite a bit lighter.

Speaking of the M50, here's the BMW Technical bulletin for the M52 vs M50 if anyone is interested.

[blade7]

Intake manifolds compared.

[J.R.Slider]

iguana said:

J.R.Slider said:

With Avus spec suspension, eccentric bushes and the thicker arbs, will a 328i be adequate for light track use?

It can cope, assuming you run decent pads & fluid but depends on what you are after, but really it's too soft & too lardy & one wheel drive & geared too high as stock, all easily sorted with bolt ons.


Ref power etc as seems to be discussed here a lot, the good performance figs perhaps explained a bit that in my experience the 190 bhp fig from BMW as stock was way too low, by approx 20 bhp on an accurate dyno that I've also used for standard cars plus several M50 inlet modified cars plus 2x 3.0 M3s the power figs were as follows.

Bog stock high miles 2x 328- 210bhp & 211bhp
+M50 only 223bhp but a big loss of midrange
+M50 + Enda map 229bhp but importantly all that lovely midrange back
+M50 + Enda + M3 manifolds + full M3 system 241bhp and very different sound to a normal 328, gets an M3 rasp

3.0 M3 bog stock 265bhp
3.0 M3 + de cat & custom system +re map 275bhp (this is the car in the vid with Dale & no he wasn't on a par I was running 15 sec a lap quicker despite Dales 1- far better skills & 2- far far more laps experience)


It's a good lump the 328, the M3 lump is far superior (although heavier) but in the current climate either just the engine or indeed a full car is at a very different price point, as an average at the mo you can buy 5x 328 engines for a single M3 one & approx the same for a like for like car at the lower end.

Thanks. Didn't think pads and especially fluid made such a difference.

A little more rotation from the rear end would be nice. I thought about fitting an evo rear arb as it's slightly thicker.

I would go for coilovers if I could find a well built set that doesn't jar the car over speed bumps or potholes too much. An lsd would help but a quaife or rebuilt m3 unit may have to wait until the suspension is tended to.

Those performance and dyno figures are extremely close to the 3.0 M3. It definitely punches above its weight, and I'm guessing the lighter block gives a better turn-in.

An M50 inlet may be fitted in the future.
I'm considering cams also as they can give a nice gain with the m50 and remap. The torque is so addictive though. Its amazing how flexible the engine is. With a full exhaust system the sound must be awesome.

Edited by J.R.Slider on Sunday 14th October 22:22

Edited by J.R.Slider on Sunday 14th October 22:23

[s m]

SidewaysSi said:

Do you have the full article? Interesting the weight is 1350Kg which I think is a bit lower than BMW's official number. Was this at a time when Autocar were weighing cars as part of each test?

Another reason against the M3 - at least 100Kg heavier. And the 328 is no lightweight.

Hi there Si

I’ll dig the article out later - they usually weigh the cars at MIRA - and still do in their full road tests.

Manufacturers figures are often a bit suspect or depend on a particular spec car which is not fully specified when they supply the figure to Joe Public.....hence the confusion

[Steve_W]

Not aimed at anyone here, but I got sent this link yesterday: https://not2grand.co.uk/news/man-strips-bmw-cant-d...

[Shakermaker]

I have very fond memories of my 328 Touring, my first sporty car, aged 22. Previous owner had done the tasteful upgrades, the 325 header, Hartge strut brace, M-tech bodykit, upgraded exahust It had some E46 wheels but they suited it, and the angel-eye conversion headlights made it look good, but this was 2007, maybe tastes have changed now, I thought they suited it well. I removed the M3 badge and the "bad boy" style light brows from it. Power was up from 192 to about 210, not huge, and I didn't have a reference to a standard one, but it went very well as it was mostly just me in it

[fushion julz]

That looks very like my one that has now, unfortunately, gone to meet it's maker due to terminal rust

Mine was an SE with sports leather interior, no aircon, electric sunroof, 18-btn OBC and manual box with no DSC or ASC+T. I have good memories of that car and only replaced it due to the rusty sills...
My E46 330i Touring isn't as nice to drive or be in and consumes parts at a much faster rate.

Usget said:

Those seats are flat and uncomfortable though. I don't think you can get non-folding Sport seats, either.

You can indeed get sports seats for 4 doors if you ordered the sports interior option....also fitted to the E36 M3 saloon...

[tannhauser]

km666 said:

Drive Blind said:

I remember the 328 when they were launched.
The Autocar roadtest pointed out they were quicker 0-100 than the escort cosworth, which was held up as a performance icon of the day.

Was it not the case that some of the 'Germanic' cars reached Autocar with very different specifications to the actual cars sold. I recall a very strong set of figures being recorded for the Octavia VRS when that was released, somebody ended up with it and checked it out and it was rather more potent than it should have been.

I dont understand the love for this particular car myself, but then I wasnt a fan of the other E36 SOTW presented either although this one is at least a '6'. The jetwashed bay, no mats and the just washed 'shine' make me think its possibly quite rough up close and being sold by a trader. Was it not the case that the complaints about the Compact model related to it using the E36 suspension set up?

I think BMW are (were?) well known for being conservative with their official performance figures, which is the right way round to be rather than making claims that are not achievable in the real world. Their MPG figures are rather optimistic though!

The e36 Compact has e30 based suspension at the rear.