What point is it to much

[Rob09msport]

I have a 09 335i I bought sdc f14s just did full suspension prev went fbo with inlets and outlets index 12 injectors basically have done everything except an lsd and bigger turbos I am at point where I just bought a new x5 for my wife and was looking at an m2 now I'm wondering if I should keep going or just buy an m2 my question is performance wise would an m2 with basic bolt ons out perform a heavily modded e92 ?

 

[blisstik]

It depends how much you can spend to make it heavily modded. A lot of folks upgrade turbos and leave the suspension and cooling out of the equation. They all go together. I'd say if you want LSD, m3 suspension, jrz coilovers, single turbo, you could end up spending 15-20k easily.

I'd say just get the m2 and leave it stock.

Also, I'm seeing low mileage Alfa Romeo Quadrofoglio going for 62k. Check that out too.

 

[doublespaces]

And there are those who are way past the point of no return, you know who you are.

 

[ninjacoupe]

And there are those who are way past the point of no return, you know who you are.

For some of us it’s a hobby and the money spent falls under “entertainment/education”. It comes out of a different budget and therefore doesn’t count as money spent on cars. It’s like a gambling vacation where you lose a couple thousand dollars but had a good time except you didn’t take it you ordered an LSD instead and put some tracks down in front of your neighbors house. The money spent on the Tig welder to fab your own chargepipe was learning a new skill and can anyone really put a price on a good education these days.

 

[Lurcher]

The money spent on the Tig welder to fab your own chargepipe was learning a new skill and can anyone really put a price on a good education these days.

Never though of the education excuse before....

 

[ShocknAwe]

My advice would be to go drive the M2. I think you'll find it lacking in feel.

 

[fmorelli]

Mine is education. For me it is the journey not the end product; that's a byproduct. Education requires doing interesting things, which then involves rubbing shoulders with interesting people (who do interesting things). A lot of education is by osmosis.

I know old school BMWs like the back of my hand - lots of 2002s, E30 M3s, E28 M5s, E34/E36/E46/... . I did not know the turbo platform(s) or newer chassises. Ironically I had owned and wrenched on a good number of turbo cars - 2.3l ford, Audi S6, endurance raced 300ZX's, etc. I purchased the E89 Z4 to walk down that path and do something a little different.

I set a target of getting to 600whp with 100k miles street car reliability, behavior, etc - so that has kept me busy. That's with a full race suspension on the street - today's chassis is so torsionally rigid that with the right setup one can have that kind of handling performance without losing much suspension comfort. I believe with the right set-up, tune, maintenance, and driving behavior (non-Neanderthal), one can achieve such a build.

All you turbo guys might think 600whp/100k objective is meaningless, especially if you drag - but from the road race world I come from that's a really spectacular achievement on a BMW platform. One other thing by passing observation: I've found that a lot of BMW turbo guys are actually from other turbo platforms. They don't come from 20-30 years of BMW ownership. That's been really interesting - to realize there is a horizontal group as opposed to a vertical brand group. I'm still understanding what cross-pollination (and blind spots) that brings. That said, for those of you that are not lifelong BMW guys, there is a whole world of BMW enthusiasts that are uneducated about this platform ... and if they only knew ...

The time I've put in (research, comms, wrenching, testing) has blown away the amount of $$$ put in. The journey has been a blast. I've gotten to rekindle what was a old, passing friendship with @barry@3DM and meet some new people (@jts1981 , Dimitri @BQTuning , @Asbjorn , @Lurcher , @NoQuarter , ...). Can't say I made the wrong choice.

If you are looking at just what happens when you step on the pedal or turn the steering wheel, buy an M2 - that should do it all well.

Filippo

 

[NoQuarter]

Well said. I have no interest in having only a stock anything and not having a fun car to experiment on.

 

[Rob09msport]

I love having my car be mine I just realized I bought my car for 17k then did rims and fbo with maintenance was 8k then just did another 6k for suspension plus I bought bl coils and other little bs prob 2k and I am looking into lsd turbos and pd transmission originally I was thinking I should have gone 335is then I saw that m2 and had a moment where I wondered if I am being stubborn especially after all the sick features my new truck has but I really do love my e92 guess I kinda wanted since encouragement cause normal non enthusiasts think I am an idiot especially my family but I was just curious which would preform better I know m4 is no fun but I always hear the m2 is very fun and a forged n55 is awesome plus I think the m2 closer in size to my e92 as the m4 is getting big I like the m4s to but feel they need allot work to make them a fun dual purpose car. Also money over time is different then one shot I just don't know if I should never sell my car I bought it low miles dinan stage 2 showroom condition for 17500 and that was 500 under book value but it came with folder with all history perfect maintenance brand new dealer turbos and hpfp. anyone have idea what my car is worth currently has
67k miles 15k on turbos and hpfp
Stage 2 lpfp
Ade 650
Whiteline sfb
Vargas outlets
Pr inlets
Bl coils
Tial blow off with braided lines
Bms catch can
Vrsf down pipes
034 engine mounts
034 tranny mounts
Vibrant resonators with secondary cat delete
Gc coil overs 440f 700r with m3 style rear shock
Gc hybrid camber plates
Ecs strut brace
M3 rear lower and upper arms
Toe arms
Meyle hd endlinks
Front m3 arms
Turner endlinks
Ecs brake lines
Drilled slotted rotors
Akebono pads
Agm battery
New oem water pump and thermostat
Cts, billet oil cap
F14 sdc rims plus msport 18s for winter
Index 12 injectors
Carbon fiber interior
Fully loaded msport me mans blue with idrive
All mods less than 6k as i don't always daily it

 

[Torgus]

I would stick with the E92 but I am partial to mine. I also have dumped so much in it does not feel like there is any turning back.

 

[fmorelli]

No idea on worth. Looks not only like a great car but you've positioned it for the next steps. Remember sunk cost - that's what is behind you. Can't undo it. So whatever decision you make from here starts from $0.

I didn't see tension struts - I think change the front rubber bushing on the tension strut is a good idea - go monoball from Turner (or I went AKG spherical bearing and pressed it in). Did you do the sway bars?

You say you've done everything but LSD and bigger turbos. Have you considered flexfuel (it's not particularly expensive to do)? You happy with the brakes (I see pad upgrade) versus a more aggressive brake setup? Who is tuning the car or are you OTS?

Filippo

 

[Lurcher]

anyone have idea what my car is worth

Whatever someone will pay for it.

Seriously, don't mod a car thinking you are Gas Monkey and can sell it for a large sum. It's probably with a little more or less than blue book. Some people want the mods, some think it's a negative due to perceived stress on the overall car (reliability). You will never get out of it what you have in it...

 

[cloud9blue]

I would just say this. Chassis mods get overlooked a lot on the n54 platform, but IMO offers the best bang per buck in terms of driving experience. +600whp wont do much on the street, if your car drives like a noodle with the awful stock dampers and bushings.

E9x has a pretty decent suspension geometry from the factory (multi-link rear vs. the ancient semi trailing arms on the e46), so simple mods such as better tires, spherical bushings, stiffer springs, better dampers (you don't need $6k coilovers unless you race on road course on a semi-pro level IMO), and maybe a set of BBK if you have the budget will it a much better car to drive around than any current M cars (all has those awful electronic steering) that BMW is offering at the moment.

Anyway, it comes down to what you want. Raw driving experience w/ tons of mod potential and decent comfort, e9x is the way to go. If you want the latest version of iDrive or Applecar or whatever, get a newer model.

 

[Torgus]

If you want the latest version of iDrive or Applecar or whatever, get a newer model.

Someone does sell conversion kits for the idrive to get new models in their iirc.

 

[fmorelli]

I would just say this. Chassis mods get overlooked a lot on the n54 platform, but IMO offers the best bang per buck in terms of driving experience. +600whp wont do much on the street, if your car drives like a noodle with the awful stock dampers and bushings.

... not to mention, done right (which is not a rocket science set of decisions), it's pretty much won and done once you do it. M3 suspension bits, H&R bars, change the tension strut with a monoball or spherical bearing, KW V3 or Ohlins R&T coil overs (adjust to what you like) ... and you're pretty set.

Filippo

 

[doublespaces]

Education and entertainment? Okay...Sure. But I still ask myself sometimes, "What if I could get a FULL refund..."

 

[Rcboosted2007]

Full refund, banks you 30k not including time/labor you put in

 

[fmorelli]

Education and entertainment? Okay...Sure. But I still ask myself sometimes, "What if I could get a FULL refund..."

Money made looking forward, not in arrears.

Filippo

 

[Rob09msport]

No idea on worth. Looks not only like a great car but you've positioned it for the next steps. Remember sunk cost - that's what is behind you. Can't undo it. So whatever decision you make from here starts from $0.

I didn't see tension struts - I think change the front rubber bushing on the tension strut is a good idea - go monoball from Turner (or I went AKG spherical bearing and pressed it in). Did you do the sway bars?

You say you've done everything but LSD and bigger turbos. Have you considered flexfuel (it's not particularly expensive to do)? You happy with the brakes (I see pad upgrade) versus a more aggressive brake setup? Who is tuning the car or are you OTS?

Filippo

Yay I missed something lol not sure what tension strut is but guess I have to get I kept stock roll bars as i have seen so many mixed opinions I love my car and I know I will never get back what I put in it just sometimes does get a little stressful when I do one thing and expose 10 others my car does hook up alot better and I still didn't put the nt05s on I will say I don't think a m4 could ever feel as good as my e92 might be able to be faster around track but prob not me driving lol and I was running e60 but moved to ct and no flex fuel so i am stage 2 plus 93 right now I need to find tuner asap and prob going direct port meth as I miss the power I was running a v8bait tune I found on forum and tried playing with it a little but don't want to blow up my car I really just want to find someone that can minimize post shift timing drops and wanted to wait until was warmer out especially not using e85 so i didn't have to worry about a winter tune being to aggressive in summer

 

[Rob09msport]

Yes I did tension struts did the full front m3 arm kit with leveling rod