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Comments
bmwwagon,
good point!
Got back yesterday from 7+ hours between Buffalo and Boston in 90+ degree heat on the NYS Thruway (two lanes each way). If it were not for the power of the 325 to pass drivers who think they own the left lane, I could have gotten very angry with 8 or 10 people. It is unbelievable how quickly even the wagon (wagon owners -- BMWNation calls it a "Touring" car) with AWD accelerates from 60 to 90 in 5th gear (sweet spot in the torque curve). I got about 30mpg on the road because of the extra weight this combination carries; get about 26mpg in the city.
Well anyway, I would like to suggest that people who like to downshift try to set a rpm with the accelerator before engaging the clutch. The "blip" method works alright but is not quite as precise. Trying to set a rpm without looking at the tach takes some practice because you can't hear the engine but any change in petal position in the right direction will reward you in both upshifting and downshifting.
Try this for starters. In a level, open stretch of road with no traffic, run at about 2000 rpm in 4th gear without changing speed, hold that accelerator position, press in the clutch (the engine should not change speed), press down the accelerator a small amount (glance at the tach.), hold this new accelerator position and then gently engage the clutch (with a little reverence for the car -- don't pop it). If you are anywhere near the target speed for 3rd (~2600), the car will not jerk back or forward. Practice this enough, have it become more automatic and your passengers will not know you have downshifted.
Try this procedure in the opposite direction for _leisurely_ up-shifts. Don't take your foot completely off the accelerator but rather just bring it up a small amount and then re-engage the clutch (with a little reverence again). Smooth as silk after a while.
A tip for first-time users of 5th gear. If you are not sure you are in 5th or 3rd, bring the clutch up slowly and glance down at the tach. If the tach needle starts to fly up quickly, you found 3rd gear and you will need to search for 5th again.
However, when going for all-out acceleration, I still use the clutch to "launch" the car during every upshift. I figure that averages nicely with the partial throttle shifts to yield "normal" wear-and-tear overall.
However, the accelerator and brake petals of the 1972 BMW 2002 were set up to use both. When braking with the ball of your foot, the accelerator petal was the same level as the brake petal. Rotating your braking foot would bring your heel very nicely on top of the accelerator petal so that a bend of the ankle would raise engine speed. Works a whole lot better than using the ball of the foot for both.
Just a thought - hope it helps.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
Heel and toe - it's more like toes without a heel with the 3 series, I agree. I try braking with the left part of my foot and then sliding it to the right where the accelerator is when diving into a corner.
Downshifting - the clutch only wears out when riding it. If you downshift abruptly but pop the clutch out fast, you won't wear it out much. The drawback, of course, is that it's not smooth driving. When I don't have passengers in the car, I'm not very concerned about driving that smooth - I drop the clutch fast even when I downshift into high RPM's. Sometimes it needs a blip but it's not to protect the clutch as much as to drive smoother and faster. In reality, when I have passengers in the car, I tend to drive a lot less aggressive and therefore it is easier to be smoother. This is when I'd typically blip the accelerator when I need to or even release the clutch much slower so my passengers would be more comfortable. The key thing to remember is to adapt to driving conditions. If I'm driving on snow, for example, I won't be releasing the clutch nearly as fast, as I'd be jeopardizing the car's stability.
Also, a little spelling police here. Just FYI--pinnach should be spelled panache.
$399/month, $3800 down, $20,288 residual,
36 months, 12k miles/year;
I have no idea how this compares with other places or if it's a "good deal" (I'm not leasing), but I noticed you hadn't gotten any feedback from our usually helpful Board. Maybe some other posters/leasers can reply also, especially gurumike, who should be able to give you reliable advice.
Seems like it will achieve similar results from that of Zaino, but with less work/time. Do you have any more info? Thanks.
http://www.autogeek.net/klasse.html
BTW, you're displaying a remarkable knowledge of "geeky" web sites. Wondering if it's related to the wagon ownership in any way. Who knows, the next discussion might be called "The Wagon Thing"
"Remember that I did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards while wearing high heels." Now think Sedan=Fred & Wagon=Ginger. (;>]
(sorry, couldn't resist temptation)
I lived in Bloomington for a couple of years. They never cleaned the roads as much as they should have. Toronto does a much better job of cleaning the roads which is why I am debating the snows/all seasons for my car. (But I don't have the SP either.)
Congrats on your new purchase. I'm sure you will be very happy. (the road from Bloomington to Nashville would be perfect to practice handling twisties, eh?)
I intend to get a 17" wheel and winter tire package (probably from TireRack) to swap on/off every year.
As far as using your 'M' wheels and putting snows on them, it wouldn't take too many years of paying for mounting and balancing (not to mention potential damage to them while this is being done and winter road hazards, salt, etc) to make up the price of the extra wheels.
Or one can buy wheels (rims) and tires and just change the whole thing themselves in their garage?
I'm new to this snow tire thing. No one I know in TO has them.
What other kind of wheels can you use for the snows (other than steel)?
Both statements are correct.
"What other kind of wheels can you use for the snows (other than steel)?"
alloy (aluminum, mag., etc). When I read "steel wheels", I instantly thought of the plain black steel wheels you would normally put hubcaps on. I guess to be fair, many aftermarket wheels use a decent amount of stainless steel so calling them steel wheels may not be as inaccurate as I had implied.
for what it's worth, I think I'll be getting a package with AT-italia TYPE 5 wheels. They're copies of the E36 M3 wheels...
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/at_italia/at_italia.htm
The ignition however is definitely worth mentioning to the service dpt. I just gassed up at a Mobil, 91 Octane. The sales manager told me that Exxon has been his choice, since their fuel has a good cleaning agent of some sort. I would have to say that this is the first car I had to worry about where I get my gas. On the second tank, I haven't had any problems with the Mobil (I tried to find a nearby Exxon but couldn't on the way home from work), and seems to be starting and performing just as well, I guess. Maybe you did get some "bad" gas...maybe when you run it low, you could find some kind of decent fuel cleaner and gas up some place else. Otherwise, I would still mention this to the dealer, because the vehicle's ignition should start up immediately. Sorry if I wasn't much help...
BTW, I absolutely love my 330i, and I am not quite sure how I was able to live without it! (I did love my Land Rover Disco, too, but, the 330i is pure ecstacy).
Also, do you guys service your cars at the same place you bought them? The local BMW dealer (the ONLY BMW in IN) will be servicing my car, and, I know the salesman has taken it personally that I didn't buy from him....any thoughts?
But I have the same question as j330i: Can I just apply the Klasse polish afterwards?
I recently turned 30. I am an attorney with a healthy income, a wife, and 2 labradors. I expect to start having kids within the next year or two.
I love to drive. Fast. I live in an urban area (DC) and I deal with a lot of traffic. I also take a lot of medium length (3-5 hour) road trips.
I have always driven manual transmissions, and I am not willing to switch to automatics, because they bore me and make me feel like a passenger even when I am behind the wheel.
DC does get winter weather, including lots of ice storms, and maybe 20 inches of snow per year.
In light of all the above, I wanted a sport sedan with 6 cylinders, sub-7 second 0-60 times, superb handling, and a large enough interior for 4 people. I wanted it small enough for easy city lane changing and paralel parking. It had to have a manual transmission, and it had to be good looking.
I also wanted some prestige. I deal with older attorneys and wealthy clients on a day to day basis. Projecting an image of maturity and success is important to me for my career. You may call this concern shallow, but it is very real.
In light of the above, I had very limited options. Interestingly, there is not a single high performance American sport sedan available with a manual transmission.
[NOTE: it has since been pointed out tome that the Lincoln LS 3.0M does, in fact, come with a manual tranny available, but I didn't know that at the time of my purchase, and I doubt today that it would have altered by decision.]
I gave serious consideration to the Jetta GLX, the A4 1.8T, the A4 2.8 Quattro. I did not initially consider a BMW, because even with traction control, I am paranoid about driving RWD cars in ice and snow.
As I shopped around, I gradually started to look past the Jetta because they are ubiquitous in and around DC. Every 20-something Hill Rat and intern has a Jetta. I simply did not want to be confused with that crowd. Again, you are free to call me shallow.
The Audis are NICE. Even the 1.8T FWD was surprisingly quick with the 170 HP 4 cylinder. The 2.8 quattro was not much faster, but the AWD offers nice stability and safety. Neither blew my doors off, but were both at least minimally acceptable in acceleration and handling.
At some point, I heard about BMW's new AWD system. I read several reviews, and heard nothing but positives. At that point a 325xi entered the realm of possibilities. I went out and test drove a 325xi sportwagon (because no sedans were available to test drive).
I was disappointed in the acceleration of this vehicle, but impressed with its handling and cornering ability. It was also competitive with the A4 2.8's price at about $34K loaded. I also considered the fact that the sportwagon is a couple hundred pounds heavier than the sedan, so a sedan would be faster than the car I tested.
Some 6 months passed while I was shopping around and considering my options. As this time went on, my financial situation was improving due to positive developments at work, and my price range in this car purchase rose as a consequence.
So, being somewhat disappointed in the acceleration in both the A4 and the 325xi, I decided to check out the 330xi and the Audi S4.
I test drove the 330xi first, and I was blown away. The first time I pulled out on the highway in first gear, the acceleration pasted a dopey grin on my mug, and the handling and interior comforts made sure it stayed there the entire time I was behind the wheel. I have posted at length in the past exactly what I think of the handling, acceleration and interior appointments of this vehicle, so if you are looking for more detail, look back a bit.
Equipped the way I wanted it, the 330xi was about $4K more than the 325xi (in part because the HK sound system was standard on the 330, and leather comes with the premium package, instead of being an additional option). I thought it was worth it.
I never even made it to the Audi dealership to test drive an S4, largely because I heard that the 2002 A4 and S4 were going to be redesigned, so the 2001 model year was going to appear dated and obsolete in less than 6 months.
I have had my steel gray metallic 330xi (PP, CWP, CD, gray leather) for a month now, and I love it. I am very, very happy with my decision.
So, that's how I got sucked into the BMW Thing. If this post is at all illuminating, I am glad. If not, at least I enjoyed writing it.
Cheers!
The only concern I have is whether they use anything that will damage the clear coat. If not I think I can just apply the Klasse polish after the wash?
My 330 is set for the retro next week. Lots of noise on the e46 board now, and it's not all positive. Please post us with your usual detailed and insightful comments on your retro.
Anyone else,
I've asked before,but with my retro approaching I'll try again. My steering is heavier to the right than to the left. It's not the alignment b/c the car tracks straight. What could it be? Can it be fixed w/o replacing the rack.
Thanks.
I spoke with a service rep today - the Shtroumpf is all set. They did the retro and the aux fan, they replaced the coin holder, were not able to duplicate the xenons and seat belt problems even with the service bulletin numbers I gave them, and told me they need to order the brake buffer and will mail it to me. Not bad but it could be much better than that. I feel like I have to chase my service rep - she's impossible to get in touch with live and it takes her a while to return my calls. Giving me a Saturn certainly has not helped my first service experience but hopefully the steering retro will be all worth it.
I spoke with a service rep today - the Shtroumpf is all set. They did the retro and the aux fan, they replaced the coin holder, were not able to duplicate the xenons and seat belt problems even with the service bulletin numbers I gave them, and told me they need to order the brake buffer and will mail it to me. Not bad but it could be much better than that. I feel like I have to chase my service rep - she's impossible to get in touch with live and it takes her a while to return my calls. Giving me a Saturn certainly has not helped my first service experience but hopefully the steering retro will be all worth it.
Between the steering retro (mfeldman, DO IT!!!) and now the pedal assembly, I believe BMW in general and Daniels BMW in particular have found a customer for some time to come.
By the way, even with the blown sub replaced, I still wish the H-K system was better.