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Also, C&D has wrongly reported at least a couple times that the 330i and other current BMWs have LSD. Check out their December 2000 issue. Full road test of 330i. Checi out the tech specs page (p. 105). Under "Drivetrain", "Final-drive ratio" it says 2.93:1, but then wrongly says "limited slip". They did this again in a multi-car test of the 330i. Keep wondering if they don't always have the M3 on their mind?
"But one puzzles: Is the extra cog really needed, or is it more technological gadetry like four-wheel steering? Although the six-speed is a pleasure, the five-speed onboard the BMW is every bit as effective in seeking maximum performance and only boosts the revs at 80 mph to a modest 3200. The BMW also produces more miles per gallon (30 versus 28) based on EPA highway numbers. So what's the point of six speeds, other than to expect seven or more in some pointless race for a bigger number?"
Points out that the stock 6-speed Turbo S was slower 0-60 mph than the stock 5-speed Jetta 1.8T because the Jetta could go all the way up to 66.4 mph in 2nd gear while the Turbo S could only get to 53.1 mph in 2nd gear, and thus had to shift to 3rd to get to 60 mph. The 6-speed Turbo S was only quicker in about the first 60 feet, but was slower 0-60 mph, 20-80 mph, and 1/4 mile. Due to the individual gear ratios and final drive chosen.
Betting BMW could find the right gears and final drive to make a 6-speed 330i more effective than a 5-speed. They will eventually.
I know the 6sp may be mostly gimmick, but again the market segment seems headed that way and so one can only imagine that BMW will follow soon. Look at the new Z4 roadster. They will even offer SMG on this in the spring. I am pretty confident that the 2004 3 series will at least add these changes, if it doesn't also get valvetronic.
I agree that the first 5 gears could stay about the same, but a 6th gear with a huge ratio for overdrive might be helpful for driving on the highway. It is reasonable to think that other things being equal you might be able to squeak another 1-2mpg out of this.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1014980&uid=635226&members=1
Somebody let me know if they can see these photos!
I think what you see in the 2003 Z4 and 2004 5er will dictate what you see for the 2004 3er. My guess is that the 330i will get the six speed and SMG but It will probably be in 2004. BMW has made changes like this on the last year of a chassis in the past. The 3er may also get the same engines as the 2004 5er.
I was going to wait and see about the new 5er but my wife wants a new house. I guess I will wait have to wait for our new car. My wife likes CountryPlace or Shadow Creek Ranch. Savannah could also make the list. Back to the 3er, the way that I see it. The 2002 even got mid year changes with the seats, so the 2003 could get the same treatment. The Premium Pkg is adding more and standard features have increased. I just think that you will have to wait another year for the engine. When BMW did the valvetronic for the 3er compact in 2002, they also put them in the 3er. I think this could happen to the 3er when the 5er gets the new engines. I guess the next issue becomes, do you want a new engine that has not been proven? With what we see for the 2003 Z4, 3er and X cars, I think we are seeing cars that are going to be more suited to Americans. The rest of the world will still get more expensive Bimmer and a la carte at that. Compare the price of a Bimmer in the U.S. versus the Philippines versus the U.K. We get a good deal. With the Euro matching the dollar, I can't see E.D. been discounted too much longer. Worse, it could get like E.D. on a Porsche , where it is a pay option. Could the demand drop if the Bimmer approaches M-B like prices?
I'll see y'all in a week. Will be in Sheridan,IL and Milwaukee, WI? I might check in but I have not intention of turning on the laptop outside of finding things to do in Chicago and the West Suburbs.
Best Regards,
Shipo
riez:
1) c'mon. pick something better than a restoration of an old 2002... yea, if you've got the whole thing apart, you might as well replace it... but it's FAR from the first place you would start to improve performance... yea, (as i said above and before), a lsd setup will improve performance... but it's not where you start... would i like it on my car? sure. but the dinan suspension bought me a heckuva lot more *performance* that the lsd would, for the same amount of money...
2) what lsd does for a fwd car isn't germane to this discussion... wrong wheels, sorry...
6-speed: the car doesn't need it. it really doesn't. how much more of an overdrive do you want in the top gear? plus you've got that history of the famous bmw 1 to 1 top gear ratio that has worked out well for a LONG time...
-Chris
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Most guys on some of the Prelude webistes I follow do use an aftermarket LSD for racing purposes (street & track) to help them launch better (I say they should just learn how to drive and not street race, but that's another topic). However, when it comes to BMWs that becomes somewhat of a moot point (I said somewhat). I believe the LSD was put on E36 3 series to aid them in the white stuff, not for performance purposes.
My Prelude Type SH exhibits extremely neutral handling characteristics thanks to it's Active Torque Transfer System (ATTS). It can transfer up to 80% of the power to the outside wheel when cornering, hence eliminating understeer (and actually causing snap oversteer in some cases). As far as I know, ATTS does not aid in launching nor does it act as a traction control for winter driving conditions. My car is pretty low when it comes to the torque on tap department (156 lb-ft @ 5250 RPM), so an LSD really isn't neccessary. On a car like the Acura CL-S with 232 (something) lb-ft I guess it makes more sense to have a true LSD.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
My dream is to grab my BMW and cruise down to Italy and sip some Chianti, then maybe chase along the Rioja region of Spain, and lastly make a dash up to the Rhone in France...all with plenty of hotel stays in between.
My best vacation to date was San Fran complete with two wine tastings (a high buck Charity event and the Rhone Rangers event) and a tour of Napa and Sonoma with the VP of Marketing from RH Phillips winery. It was a blast.
I am already dreaming of the days...hoping the program is still running strong in a few more years.
BTW, I thought Audi/VW was building some huge delivery center. Is that thing finished? Have they started up their ED program as well? The only ones I know about are Porsche, Volvo and BMW. Although I assume that MB has one too...
Been a while since I tried to look.
1) Got the work done on the sunroof visor. Broken plastic clips. Works great, and not mess! Took them about 2 hours, but they did a good job.
2) Replace the business cd. I have an 01 325i and they replaced the business cd, but this business cd is the new one like in the 02's. So can anyone help? What does the "TP" option do? I never had this on the old player. Also the new player had a speed control option, something that the old one lacks. What does this do?
They did scratch the top edge of my temp controll getting the old player out. Contemplating if i would be picky and make them replace that as well.
I know the xi is about .7 higher ride height than the regular i, but it almost looks like the i itself is wider. It may just be perception because of the higher height, but do the 325xi and 325i have the same length and width dimensions?
Maybe I'm just spacially challenged today!
-Paul
harlequin1971 - I've read, here in Townhall, that MB has an ED program and it includes putting you up for 2 nights at a 5-star hotel. That sounds great, although when in Europe I prefer staying at older, smaller, hotels that have some European character. The Hotel Uhland filled that bill nicely. Personally, I wouldn't want to drive my new car in Rome or any points south, from what I've heard about conditions there.
erickpl - I've never knowingly even SEEN a 325xi, but Edmunds shows it to be the same width as the 325i -- the 325Ci is .7 inch wider, but lower.
On the horsepower issue, more horsepower is always nice (until you can't handle it), but it comes at a price. It seems to me that cars are already powered beyond my needs. Also, there's a conflict with the 6-speed -- that is, the more power you have the fewer gears you need. Already, with my 116HP Miata, if I run up into top of the powerband, I have to skip gears, so what's the point?
harlequin: My ED trip took me from Munich to Lugano to Genoa and ended up where postoak did. I wouldn't dream of getting close to a big Italian city with even an old car. Driving there is nuts! However, you can find a lot of nice places not too far from a big city and their Autostrada is the equal of the Autobahn in most ways. They have a speed limit that can only be described as virtual. I stayed at a town called Varazze on the Ligure Riviera 20 minutes outside Genoa. It's a tourist town on the sea, great beaches and easy to get around. Food was awesome, but few people spoke English (who cares, that's half the fun!) If you have a chance, by all means go, I'm ready to go back right now!
As for ED, Volvo, Saab and MB definately do it. Volvo has the best deal 10% off MSRP, a hotel stay, limo pickup at the airport and they even have a place to take a shower at the delivery center. Of course, you still get a Volvo not a BMW. 5% discount at Saab but no discount for MB. Cool any way you look at it though, especially if you get on the German roads.
On another subject: I cleared a major hurdle on my way to a BMW today, when my Nissan inspection for lease turn-in went perfectly. I washed the car last night (because it was beyond filthy), which was probably dumb, but the inspector thanked me and said he usually looks at the cars harder if they're dirty. I was really sweating a multiple-chip windshield, a big hood chip, and several long scratches.
He noted every flaw that I was aware (re: afraid) of, and found a door ding that I wasn't even aware was there. He did not note the windshield (which looks like its been sand blasted with river gravel), either because it was within Nissan tolerance, or because it was a little water spotted from last night (intentionally). He then showed me his report and said there was nothing on it that Nissan will charge me for.
Bottom line: I saved at least $250 today (deductible on the windshield). Also, he was not nearly as stringent as the Nissan literature that I received a few weeks ago said he would be, nor as hard as the language in my lease contract. According to that, I should have paid for at least four scratches that are "over 2" long". So, I figure I dodged a bullet, or else the tough language is there so they can nail the really bad car abusers. Either way, I am going out to celebrate tonight - I was worried that this could go as high as $500. Now, I have $250 of found money to spend!!!
As far as the LSD goes, if I were buying an M3 I would want one. After all why buy a high performance BMW without the high performance goodies. But on a 3 series - driving in a legal or rational manner you would never miss it.
As for cross shopping, this may not apply to you, but I would think (and this is just MHO) that most people who buy a 325 cross shop the A4, the C-Class, and the TL/CL, at least initially. If you are buying a 330, you are really in a different league than those cars, again IMHO. I will concede that the C-Class and most A4s are not FWD. I can understand that some people might not cross shop the RWD IS300 because of how it looks (inside and out) or the FWD ES300 because it is really just a more reliable Cadillac.
You may not miss LSD in your car, but it's a bit presumptuous to say no one else would. Out here we have windy little canyon roads where you don't have to push hard at all to be annoyed by the inside wheel wanting to spin. Besides, what happens when you bring it to driver's school?
1pierce - congrats on a good day. It sounds like you are really close to purchasing now.
RPMS @ 100MPH:
Model --- Diff - Top Gear - Revs/Mile - RPMs@100
325iM --- 3.15 --- 1.00 ----- 831.00 --- 4362.75
325iA ---- 3.46 --- 0.74 ----- 831.00 --- 3546.15
330iM --- 2.93 --- 1.00 ----- 822.00 --- 4014.10
330iA ---- 3.38 --- 0.74 ----- 822.00 --- 3426.64
Speed in each gear at: 6500 RPMs
-------------- 1st Gear - 2nd Gear - 3rd Gear - 4th Gear - 5th Gear
325iM Ratio ------ 4.23 ------ 2.53 ------ 1.66 ------ 1.22 ------ 1.00
325iM Speed --- 35.22 ---- 58.89 ---- 89.75 --- 122.12 --- 148.99
325iA Ratio ------ 3.67 ------ 2.00 ------ 1.41 ------ 1.00 ------ 0.74
325iA Speed ---- 36.96 ---- 67.82 ---- 96.20 --- 135.64 --- 183.30
330iM Ratio ------ 4.21 ------ 2.49 ------ 1.66 ------ 1.24 ------ 1.00
330iM Speed --- 38.46 ---- 65.03 ---- 97.55 --- 130.59 --- 161.93
330iA Ratio ------ 3.67 ------ 2.00 ------ 1.41 ------ 1.00 ------ 0.74
330iA Speed ---- 38.25 ---- 70.19 ---- 99.55 --- 140.37 --- 189.69
Please note, the 323i has the same gearing as the 325i and the 328i had the same gearing as the 330i.
"Diff" = Final drive gearing in the differential
"Top Gear"= the gearing between the engine and the driveshaft
"Revs/Mile" = The number of times the wheel rotates to achive a mile
"RPMs@100" = Engine RPMs while vehicle is traveling at 100 mph
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Seivwrig: Enjoy the trip. I would probably go with Countryplace over Shadow Creek Ranch, but drop katkison or sheilasmithermanmd a line. They both live in Countryplace. I used to live in Silverlake until about 4 weeks ago and moved into town. I have been keeping my eyes open for your car. Have you put any distinguishing mark on it yet? I dropped one of those chrome Longhorns onto the back of my car and it is a little crooked and a little tacky, but I did it in case I run into one of those who actually read this board--if you see me, honk cause I love to see other people getting therapy in the bimmer.
Speaking of therapy: I get to drive to San Antonio tomorrow and am looking forward to some fun with my new V1 on the road. It has been terrific for the few little jots around town the past few weeks, but I look forward to seeing how well it works out on the open road. It is not much help against the new HPD Laser weapon which I have now seen on various occasions on the south loop and 288. If you pay attention when you drive, you can almost always slow down a good bit before one of those guys gets a read on you though.
If you want to enjoy the delicious BMW engine, at least wait till past 4000 RPM before upshifting. It becomes even sweeter above that... until you reach redline (nothing wrong about upshifting at high RPM's, these engines are design that way, and its sweet spot is up there).
If you are cruising leisurely, at least wait till past 3500 rpm before upshifting.
The jerkiness most likely has to do with the amount of acceleration applied and its synchronization with the clutch release. If you upshift at 2500, the torque/hp curve at the higher speed will be to low and the jerkiness will appear.
Haven't posted on the 3-series thread in a while, but noticed that a lot of familiar names are still here.
My car ('01 330i 5-spd SP) has been great. It has 13k miles on it, and I just love the 3-liter six - so smooth and powerful. Only thing that still bugs me is the light steering. Even had the retrofit done, but I didn't notice a change.
Hopefully I can find the time to rejoin the community here. Cheers!
mg330 covered most of the bases. I'd like to add to that just a bit:
it is possible, and easy with some coordination, attention to detail and practice, to upshift at ANY rpm quickly and smoothly. Something is not right with your wife's clutch & throttle balance, or clutch release smoothness.
I am pretty good. My ex-wife is better than most. However I've noticed some folks-- even those that have only driven manuals their 'whole life'-- that just see the clutch as an on/off button and the shifter may as well be a butter churn.
familiarity with a vehicle also makes a difference, but the more skilled you are the shorter the learning curve is in a car new to you.
-Colin
platypus May 8, 2001 11:22am
Was leaving the SF Zoo with my 3-year old daughter after a wonderful afternoon. Walking back to the car, she was stung in the finger by a yellowjacket, and was in need of some cheering up. We decided to go for ice cream.
Driving along Skyline Blvd (4 lane divided highway along the coast with 55mph speed limit), we're behind a Toyota pick-up carrying a full load of furniture. If you don't know the area, it's always quite windy - a favorite spot for hang gliding. I'm traveling along at about 50 mph. Moved out to the left lane to pass the truck. All of a sudden a large, flat brown-colored object flys off the truck and starts to come towards me. I try to steer clear of it, but the wind gusts and speed of the object are too fast for me. At first I thought it was a piece of cardboard. Boy was I wrong. Turns out it was a wooden dining table. Just the top - no legs. Rams straight into my windshield on the driver's side with a frightening impact. Daughter is screaming in the back seat. I'm trying to drive, but can't see hardly anything out the shattered windshield. The truck isn't slowing down as I don't think he's aware of what just happened. I speed up, honking and flashing my high beams like crazy until he pulls over. After I get out, I see there's glass all over the inside front of my car. Thank God none of it made it to the back seat. The metal between the top of the window and the moonroof is severely bent. My rear-view mirror fell off, and the overhead lighting/moonroof control was left dangling.
Called AAA who put me online with the police. Police said they wouldn't respond since no one was injured. Told me to exchange information with the other party and wait for the tow truck. Wait was 1-1.5 hours. After about 15 minutes, and my poor crying daughter who was obviously traumatized, I decided to just drive home slowly. Made it home, called my insurance, and snapped some photos of the car.
At first I thought how unlucky I was to be in that very spot at that precise moment, and the chain of events and decisions I took that put me there. Now, I realize how lucky I was that both my daughter and I walked away without a scratch. The table was large, and the combined force of it moving in one direction and us in the other made for a tremendous impact. I will thankfully say that I'm glad I was in my BMW - it proved to me today that it is one of the safest cars on the road. The way the glass held up to the impact was incredible. I shudder to think what would have happened had the table penetrated the windshield.
Anyway, wondering what is recommended from here. My insurance took down all the information and told me a claims agent would be contacting me on Monday. They also asked me if I want them (Allstate) to handle to claim (pay for the damage), or if I want the other party's insurance to do it (Farmers). I thought it was an odd question since I figured it's a clear cut case of who's at fault, and that the other party's insurance should pick up the tab. Am I missing something?
Here's a link to some pics of the car.
http://www.picturetrail.com/mike6108/1020358
Let me know what you think. Is it repairable? Will it be as solid and safe as before? The bent frame has me worried. Would make me nervous driving a car that's been in an accident, especially with my little one.
Thanks for any comments, advice.
- platypus
there's one thing i know for sure though, if something like this happened to me, i would be cursing like a crazy [beep] =P.
good luck!
As for who pays for the repair, it does not matter whether one has a ticket or not. Insurance companies will often decide based on their investigation. If you have yours pay for it, you will get your car fixed quicker. Allstate can go after Farmers if they determine the other party to be at fault. It may take a bit longer if you make Farmers handle it, especially if the other party denies the responsibility.
Well low and behold I am now in the financial position to go all out, and of course I think BMW 3 series - the ultimate driving machine. Now stats show the 330i blows the doors off the Spec V, by over a second in the 0 - 60. However the first time I let the clutch out in the spec v I let out an uncontollable explitive, I did not even get close to the same thrill in the BMW, it doesn't "feel" as fast even though it obviously is. I have always dreamed of getting a 3 series one day and I am at the level where I want and can afford refinement, obviously the Spec V doesn't come close, but I don't want to sacrifice the rush of excitement I got with the Spec V either. Am I not driving the BMW right. How can a car not feel nearly as fast as a car that is really much slower?
My guess is the ligher weight of the Spec V contributes a lot to the seat of the pants handling vs the 700lbs heavier 330i. One of the things about the 3L engine, is that it is smooth, you step on the gas and there is instant power. Contrast that to other cars, that really start to wind up only as the revs approach redline, which contributes to a certain amount of viceral thrill.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I think you should ask your insurance company to handle the claim. It will go faster and it should be less hassle. It is hard to tell from the picture how extensive the damage to the frame is but I trust that it can be restored to its original condition by a reputable shop. Good luck. I hope that your daughter can forget about this soon.