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Comments
"The more I read about BMW, the more they seem to be pulling away from
the back, driving experience wise. Have you read about the "SMG" automatic
transmission option on the M3? Even for a manual purist this promises
incredible things, though it still needs to evolve. Its an automatically
operated hydraulic system (a la F1, Ferrari, etc) - not a "planetary gear"
slush box. It sports 12 different modes, the top one for track purposes
featuring lightening fast shifts (of course making the best use of the
"fly-by-wire" throttle system). Net result - instantaneous shifts a la
Shumacher. Its even has a "drag race" mode - germanically called "automated
thrust control" or some such thing - promising "perfect" launches flat out.
Just hold the stick up, mash the accelerator, and go...
Audi is catching up to some degree, but Mercedes seems to be falling
behind - getting more wodden, expensive, and more low rent plastics every
year - though I like their overall recent styling. For some reasons they
seem to be unable to deliver cost/benefit wise like Audi/BMW, being 10-20%
more expensive than Audi/BMW (though Bimmers price tag starts to sky rocket
when you add the extras)."
The moral of this racing story is that - I won!
Hilarious!!
veekay1
Supercharging a high compression ratio engine creates a lot of stress and strains to the engine that was not designed to have a forced induction system. Manufacturers usually take extra steps before they put forced induction systems to their engines.
For an example, Bentley reduces the compression ratio of the BMW's M62 V8 engine before they use a turbo system for their green label cars. Audi adds extra cylinder liners (that reduces the bore displacement) to their 2.8 engine and reduce the compression ratio before they slap in the twin turbo system to their 2.7T engine. Hence, forcing the gas and air to move faster through the engine without any internal mods is a suicide to the engine. Plus, installing a forced induction system means that you are ADDING WEIGHT to your car (from the SC/turbo unit, intercooler,etc).
A smarter solution is to add the displacement by adding the bore (diameter of the cylinders) or stroke (the traveling path of the cylinders). In addition, reducing the weight of the moving parts of the engine makes the engine spins faster thus comes to the power peak faster.
Stroker engine is a better solution than a forced induction because it is natural and does not create unecessary extra strains in your engine. The power band is also much wider, which means that the power is AVAILABLE ACROSS ALL RPM, unlike forced induction systems that experience lag at the lower rpm.
Stroker engines usually cost more than forced induction kits. However, the power is more real and the realibility is much better. Afterall, we drive BMWs, don't we? Are you sure you really want to wear those tennis shoes with your Armani suit?
'
Doesn't running boost on an engine put more strain on the engine's parts?
A: Not necessarily. RPM is what kills engine parts. Typically, an unblown engine has to run up to 7,000 or 8,000 rpm to make any real power. At these high speeds you need a special crank, rods, pistons, rocker arms, valves, valve springs, and on and on. But a blower substantially increases power and torque at much lower rpm's. You usually don't have to run a blown engine over about 6,000 rpm to make maximum power. At these speeds stock engine components are more than adequate.
Additionally an engine sees maximum load on the components at the moment the piston changes speed from going up in the cylinder to going down. There is a commonly held theory, too complicated to go into here, that increasing the combustion pressure, which a supercharger does, actually reduces this maximum load when piston travel changes from up to down. Under this theory, at comparable rpm's a blown engine is easier on parts than an unblown engine.
In actuality, as long as detonation is controlled, you rarely have any engine failures with a blower.
It wasn't terribly flattering.
One thing I didn't realize was that if a tech breaks/scratches/misdiagnoses something on a customer's car, they take it out of the tech's paycheck. Is that SOP in the auto business?
He mentioned that the serive managers are notorious for not notating when a customer doesn't want their car washed, screwing up the car's detailing. Would hate to be those customers.
He also mentioned that most BMW owners really don't take care of their cars all that well.
He also gave me some juicy info on some of the inner workings of John Roberts. It just makes me glass I bought from Garlyn Shelton Imports in Temple.
Well, an Audi and a BMW under the same roof do not make for a very congenial atmosphere!! Watch out for a scratch on your clear coat one of these days! It would be a good idea to ask (read persuade) your wife to clip her nails, albeit without raising suspicion!
Mine is still on the boat (expected 6/12), and already someone is GREEN! I am going for covered parking!
veekay1
Covered parking is a great idea if you have that opportunity. It's something like $350/mo per car in our apartment building and we're obviously keeping both cars on the street. Makes a good case for moving to the suburbs - I'll be totally ready in a couple of years although I love Boston.
veekay1
I am in NJ, not Boston.
Maybe Brave can help you with that.
I agree with you though, the Bimmer deserves a real "brushless" wash, one only the driver can provide.
veekay1
I test drove the X-5 3.0 the other day (now that I am getting the 3er, she needs a toy of her own!!); not bad, especially in the sport mode of the step. Do you have any strong feelings either way? Wife likes the RX Silversport edition better (why??).
veekay1
Also, are you getting licensed because you feel the odds of your being a carjack victim will go up with a BMW?
Additionally, as a homeowner, an SUV provides valuable cargo capacity with the back seats down. An SUV can move large furniture easily, as well as large rolled-up rugs and other bulky items than a normal car wouldn't be able to handle.
For people who frequently have to move lots of stuff and don't want a mini-van, an SUV (and especially a Grand Cherokee) offers a lot of capability, plus a lot of comfort and style. Also, believe it or not, equipped with the V8 and with normal (as opposed to "up country") suspension, the Grand Cherokee accelerates surprisingly well and handles better than any other SUV I have driven.
Of course, when its all said and done, I'd much rather drive a 3 series (or an S4, or any similar car) than an SUV. But for people who don't live in city apartments and who have kids, an SUV is a good alternative to the dreaded mini-van.
Not only that, but at the end, he'll take the photos required, fingerprint, and notorize all the documents you need for the permit. All you have to do then is finish filling out the application and mail it in. Too simple.
I'm getting it for the basic reasons that I can, and I want to. No sense hanging a sign on me that says "victim".
I really enjoy this discussion group, everyone has been a big help for this first time bmw owner (well, almost).
now..the wait continues. thanks again.
I've been reading this and other BMW message boards for a couple of months now, and I'm familiar with the infamous "car overheating due to a faulty fan" problem. However, I'm not sure that I fully understand the extent of the problem. Is the problem inherent only to 3'ers with a manual transmission, or is it found in all 3 series cars ?
As my 2001 325xi w) Step is currently in transit, I'd like to know whether I should be asking my dealer to check my fan (assuming it's even possible to do so) prior to delivery.
Thanks.
By the way, what's up with the faulty fan issue? My car's (auto trans) blows hard every once in a while, and the above-referenced dealer swore it was normal.
Thanks,
Ladybugnova
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/roadtests/2000/December/200012_roadtest_BMW_330i.xml
Of particular note, I find it interesting that every review I have come across lists only ONE negative -- the light steering. Now that that problem has been remedied, I think this car must be just about perfect.
Also, note that C&D timed the 330i at 6.1 seconds in the 0-60 test. I think this lends new credibility to the MotorWeek time of 6.2 seconds for the 330xi.
Carrying has nothing to do with having a mental self image of "I'm bad cause I have a gun". It's a last resort, not a first resort. And it's even better if you can manage to not even get in the situation in the first place.
Think of it as insurance. You have homeowners insurance for fire, burglary. Auto insurance for your car. Handguns are insurance for your life and your family's life. If you're in a situation where you *have* to use it, it's better to be armed and have a chance than to not be armed and be a statistic.
I'm also in the DC/Northern VA area. I live in Falls Church and work in Reston.
I am assuming I will be taking delivery in mid July -- which sucks, because I was hoping to take it to my beachhouse for 4th of July week.
I ordered a 330xi, steel gray/gray, PP, CWP, CD. Of course, this all includes leather and HK sound.
I live in Kensington, MD and work in Georgetown.
As far as kids, dogs and luggage, picture this:
2 kids in child seats in the back seat, 2 dogs with light luggage in the cargo area, and a suitcase bungeed to the roof rack.
No problem.
Mine is a 325Ci Steel Gray Metallic over Black leather, SP, HK, CD, Moonroof, Xenon. Yours?
BMW 325Ci
Rear Leg Room: 33.2 in.
BMW 325i
Rear Leg Room: 34.6 in.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Rear Leg Room: 35.3 in.
Oh, and just for kicks:
Audi A4
Rear Leg Room: 33.4 in (only .2 inches more than the 325Ci).
AND
Lexus IS300
Rear Leg Room: 30.2 in (Lame. Only works if you're about five feet tall)
I figure if I hit 150 in the next day or two (after 12 or 13 days in 112) production should be complete around June 20. I think 25 days from plant to dealership should be about right, based on what I have read on this board.
So I am crossing my fingers for mid July delivery. Of course, there's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip...
In any event, what financing rate with we get when we take delivery in July??? I have heard 6.5%. Can you confirm?
Rear head room:
330xi - 37.5"
Grand Cherokee - 39.5"
Rear Shoulder Room:
330xi - 54.4"
Grand Cherokee - 57.8"
deepdarkblue, thank you for digging those rear legroom number up. They are all very similar between the Grand Cherokee and the 3-series. Not sure how exactly they calculate them but I can tell you that I felt like I had more rear seat legroom in my 325i than I did in the Grand Cherokee's rear seat (I'm 6'1, 205 lbs). It may have been the way the front seats were positioned but I doubt it. Wouldn't the width of the vehicle matter too? You can have a wider vehicle with less space between the front and rear seats that shows greater rear legroom, right? At any rate, the 3-series' rear legroom is sufficient for 2 adults, let alone kids. You'd still have more cargo space in a Grand Cherokee if you fold the seats, though. Oh, the Audi A4 has significantly less rear legroom than the 3-series, not sure how they came up with almost the same dimensions??
Agree on the headroom, I was only talking about legroom.
Kudos on the 330xi. I wish I could've squeezed out the extra bucks for the increased HP/torque. But I'm sure I'll be elated w/ the 325. I'm a fast driver, so maybe it all works out. 330 = arrest record.
deepdark - (going to Arlington, right?) in 151, so it'll be finished in the next few days.
I was looking at the torque curve for the 325 yesterday and it's very interesting - very flat from 3,000 to 5,500 but what's interesting is that it has the shape of a double-top. It peaks at 3,500, then drops off a couple of points and then it peaks again at 5,000. Bottom line is, you have a very fast car above 3,000 RPM's. The engine sound at 5,000 is intoxicating - it has this metal/ringing type of sound - aaaah, can't explain but it's awesome. Still afraid to push it a lot above that, though - I'm taking my time expanding the RPM's - it should be good long-term.