Ultimate Driving Machine
"A look at the BMW Range"
German engineering at its best fast solid and great to drive.
BMW have a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution philosophy ensuring great handling. They are generally built for cruising on the autobahns most models have good performance and levels of comfort.
Later models have been more track focussed, and we have seen some fantastic new models coming from BMW.
The addition of the M series badge indicates a thoroughbred well tuned and sorted car. Even old M series cars perform well against modern cars. The Alpina badge is reserved for the best of the best - ridiculous levels of performance and comfort.
BMW the ultimate driving machine? - definitely with a few modifications!
When buying a BMW look for big engines, the M or Alpina Badge and you will not be disappointed. The cars are very heavy due to the nature of the interior comforts so putting the car on a diet will actually improve handling a lot.
The 330d is one of the best diesel engines currently available propelling a 3 series to 60 in 7.8 seconds! All cars are solid and would offer high levels of protection to the occupants in the event of a crash.
The 1 series was BMW's stab at capturing the A3 and Golf markets and BMW have done a reasonable job. All models in the BMW range are Rear Wheel Drive and as a result have a tendency to over steer.Recent innovations include a completely customisable engine and gearbox set up which takes a bit of setting up but does mean that the car can be tuned to individual driver preference.
The BMW grill and shape is distinctive although slowly evolving, so even debadging the car will not stop it looking like a BMW.
Servicing can be expensive on most models especially if you go to the main dealer - but many independent specialists are springing up and are able to service the car to a high standard. The 5 series introduced in 97 represents a major revision and is a real drivers car.
Tuning - the BMW engines are all very strong and tunable capable of handling much more power than is provided as standard although the M's are very highly tuned they do show the potential for improvement on the other models. Most cars are electronically speed limited - and I would rather see the power available throughout the gears than capped so fitting a low ratio gearbox will unleash some of this lost power but trade off some of the economy.
Getting the best sports parts for your planned usage of the car is essential. Stage 3 competition upgrades just won't work well on the road making the car difficult to drive.
Stage 1 mods: Remap, Panel air filter, Lighter flywheel, Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm), Sports exhaust, Alloy wheels.
Stage 2 mods: Fast road cam, high flow fuel injector, Power/Sport clutch, fuel pump upgrades, Ported and polished head.
Stage 3 mods: Sports gearbox, Competition cam, Engine balancing, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger).
Your goal when tuning should be a flat and wide torque curve. You want to avoid sending all the power to be at the top end of the rev range unless you are creating a motor sport car.
Induction kits and sports exhaust help with breathing and unleash a few ponies at the higher rev ranges. A great number of remap options are available and the Turbo Diesel models respond particularly well to a new ECU program offering lots more power and torque with a minimum loss of economy. Weight reduction can produce significant results providing you are willing to sacrifice ride 'comforts'.
Intake and Exhaust Tuning.
Breathing mods are usually next up. Please note that WE DO NOT FEEL YOU GET POWER GAINS FROM INDUCTION KITS, unless you have tuned your car a lot and are finding that the standard air intake has become limited.
Induction kits can work well on turbo engines and larger engines (if supplied with a suitable cold air feed or air box), generally though we'd just recommend for Models engines you should just fit a sports panel air filter preferably made from cotton.
Sports exhausts balance the flow of air through the engine. But if your exhaust pipe is too big, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a lot of the exhaust flow rate and end up losing power and torque.
Getting a professionally flowed (ported and polished) head with larger valves can fully maximise your power gains. When you heavily modify your BMW Models you will discover that the standard clutch starts to suffer so get an uprated clutch. The best mods that we recommend for your Models are fast road camshaft, remap, induction and exhaust, suspension.
Turbo engines are just begging to be remapped. You will see big power gains on most modern turbo charged cars including diesels making a remap one of the most cost effective and big modifications for your money.The most phenomenal power gains for NASP engines usually involve the addition of forced induction. Superchargers are generally easier to add than a turbo. With a turbo the boost curve is related exponentially to the engine speed making it harder to map.
It is easier to map a supercharger because the boost is directly proportional to engine speed on a linear curve. Adding forced induction will often require a lower compression ratio or water injection.
Handling/Suspension upgrades
Many Models owners uprate the handling of their cars with modified suspension modifications as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car.
If you set the toe out to around 1.5 degrees on the front, and add some negative camber then cornering will greatly improve.
We would go to a maximum drop of 25mm - 38 mm on most models. You risk handling compromises if you go lower than this.
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