[evo8]

Hi all (sorry for the long message!),

I currently drive an evo 8 as my toy, but its no longer practicle for me to have this, plus a more ecconomical car for daily driving.

Having weighed up my options, i see it best to sell both the evo and the passat and get one car which can return half decent MPG, but fun when it needs to be and can still annoy boy racers when needs must. At the moment, there doesn´t seem to be anyhting better on paper for my needs then a 335d!

I realise that the bimmer won´t be a replacement in performance terms to my evo, which is currently running 480/480 on a built engine, but looking at the dyno graphs i´ve seen so far, it certainly looks like quite a setup. Unfortunately, i haven´t had the opportunity to test drive yet as i work in Spain, but will be back in the UK next week
I have a few questions which i´d i´d appreciate some help on please!

1) Can the 2008 cars be mapped? I heard BMW may be putting further encryption on the ecu?

2) do the cars have an LSD, if not how much can they be bought for?

3) having always chose manual in the past, whats the paddle shift like to live with? does it change up and down when told to do so?

4) can traction control be turned off? is it easy enough to break traction in the wet comfortably with the paddle shift?

for comparitive reasons, how would it compare to an e46 m3 from a 2nd gear roll?

Sorry for all the questions, appreciate any responses

[CD]

Hi mate from my limited knowledge:

1) Can the 2008 cars be mapped? I heard BMW may be putting further encryption on the ecu?

as far as i am aware yes, not heard that one before

2) do the cars have an LSD, if not how much can they be bought for?

no the cars dont have a LSD only M ones do. Its a costly mod on later E92's but well worth it. See www.birdsauto.co.uk for more info, thats where i got mine fitted and i was very pleased by the guys knowledge and service.

3) having always chose manual in the past, whats the paddle shift like to live with? does it change up and down when told to do so?

this was my only concern before i bought the car too, the auto box is silky smooth and well matched to the engine. The paddles, hmm well i dont use them much as i dont find a need to but they do work fine, maybe im getting a little lazy with the auto box now

4) can traction control be turned off? is it easy enough to break traction in the wet comfortably with the paddle shift?

yes the traction can be turned completely off, i do this most of the time as its more fun to drive , but be warned - LSD + REMAP + TRACTION OFF = EXPENSIVE IN TYRES ... In the wet with the DTC completely off it will slide easily, especially with enthusiastic use of the paddles

for comparitive reasons, how would it compare to an e46 m3 from a 2nd gear roll?

sorry mate no idea, someone else answer please

overall , the best car i have owned, easily the most fun, the best looking too.
( and for whats its worth 1 000 000 times better than the mini clubman i have on loan at the moment )

hope that helped im sure someone will go into more detail for you than i can

Chris

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by evo8

Hi all (sorry for the long message!),



1) Can the 2008 cars be mapped? I heard BMW may be putting further encryption on the ecu?

I am unsure mate. I know sept 57's can.

2) do the cars have an LSD, if not how much can they be bought for?

No lsd as standard, quaife supply and fit one for 1200 quid

3) having always chose manual in the past, whats the paddle shift like to live with? does it change up and down when told to do so?

I have adapted to it fine, took some getting used to on track as i was shifting down to ealry (in a petrol it would have been fine with 7k rpm lto play with) but with only 5k to play with you need to shift down later.

4) can traction control be turned off? is it easy enough to break traction in the wet comfortably with the paddle shift?

As standard you can break traction easy, with the re-map they want to spin up quite a lot. Doughnuts are easy if both wheels hook up.

for comparitive reasons, how would it compare to an e46 m3 from a 2nd gear roll?
Sorry for all the questions, appreciate any responses

A stock one will just about stay with an E46 M3 from 2nd gear. Re-mapped it will pull away.


oh and welcome to E90post mate



Carlos

[Hotcoupe]

Welcome Evo.

I have a 08 (remapped) and as far as I am aware the ECU's are still the same as when mine was delivered last September.

Both CD and Carlos have answered your other queries, so what else is there to consider?

Let us know when it's due

[evo8]

Magic, thanks for the replies fellas!

I´m a bit fussy with regards to what i want! providing i like how the car drives, my ideal spec would be as follows:

Alpine white
cream leather
piano key black interior trim
M sport (for the limmy!)

Ideally, i would get the above from a preowned car to take away the initial hit, if anyones knows of a car of this spec let me know, even better if they fancy a evo in PX lol!!

[Porscha!]

Originally Posted by evo8

Magic, thanks for the replies fellas!

I´m a bit fussy with regards to what i want! providing i like how the car drives, my ideal spec would be as follows:

Alpine white
cream leather
piano key black interior trim
M sport (for the limmy!)

Ideally, i would get the above from a preowned car to take away the initial hit, if anyones knows of a car of this spec let me know, even better if they fancy a evo in PX lol!!

Alpine White sounds lovely! Not sure about white with cream leather though

I don't know anything about 335d all I do know is they have faaaaaar better brakes than 80's Porsches and Mk. 1 MX5s lol! They are also very, very quick for a heavy diesel coupe!

BMW have developed their diesel engines very well right from the *20d to the *35d

Welcome to E90Post, Evo8.

[R4R]

FWIW in my opinion the 335d will kill the M3 in a second gear roll off! as it will kick down if you want..... all depends on what speed you are doing. if the 335d is above 2000 rpm it will be good night Vienna.

ready to be flamed!

Dario

[E92-Lighting]

definitely get a 335. well worth the investment

[Dr.Crap]

The 335d can still be re-mapped. Its the newer ED engines that have problems. Only the ones with the newer ECU i.e the 177 bhp 2.0d have issues

As long as it has the EDC16 ECU which you can check it should be fine to remap. Best to ask one of the tuners on the forum to confirm though

I'm sure the LSD is great but if you remap a car and put an LSD in it you may run into gearbox trouble - so i've been told. Something related to the amount of torque potentially going through the gearbox.

The paddles are fine and despite not being a true sequential system change up and down nicely at your say so - as long as you're in sport mode.

I can't think of a better car which offers such economy with performance. Regardless of whether you remap it

[Sales@Evolve]

Hi Evo,

The 335d will be a very good compromise given what you have now.

As soon as you drive one you'll most likley buy one.

Even in standard form they are seriously quick. Performance aside, the rest of the car is extremely well built, the handling balance is excellent and the steering is well weighted and informative.

Remapped it's quite something giving a realistic 330 BHP and around 500lb.ft + torque.

You will be quicker than E46 M3's and E39 M5's. I think that says it all really.

Sal

[evo8]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, much appreciated.

Just had a call to say my sister has finally had her baby so i´m now flying home sooner than expected, going to try and book a test drive on one within the next week, fingers crossed!

does anyone know why the alpine whites are so rare, has this colour been a feature since the start of production? if so, is it unpopular and therefore less likely to hold value as well as other colours? (we have this problem with evo´s, they look awfull in yellow in my opinion and always sell stronger in grey or white!)

[CD]

Originally Posted by Dr.Crap

I'm sure the LSD is great but if you remap a car and put an LSD in it you may run into gearbox trouble - so i've been told. Something related to the amount of torque potentially going through the gearbox

agreed it is a lot of torque to send through the box but when i spoke to kevin at Birds about this issue , he reasurred me it would be ok. I know some will say thats because he wants to sell them obvioulsy, but he did seem to know his stuff with these quaiffes!

im not doubting you at all, just wondered who you had heard that from Dr

[mgarvey]

Originally Posted by evo8

does anyone know why the alpine whites are so rare, has this colour been a feature since the start of production? if so, is it unpopular and therefore less likely to hold value as well as other colours? (we have this problem with evo´s, they look awfull in yellow in my opinion and always sell stronger in grey or white!)

White has historically been a poor selling colour in the UK given the nasty wet weather that leaves them constantly coated in grime. Only recently has white become fashionable, prompted (in my view) by cars like the Golf GTI pulling on the nostalgia strings.

The colour you suggest (white with cream leather) is likely to be extremely rare. I'd be surprised, in fact, if there are any 335d's in that combo. White with red or black leather is a possibility, or maybe saddle brown, but not cream.

[Gibbo]

For my 2 pennies worth the 335d will be very different from your Evo 8. I would suggest booking a weekend test drive to have a proper go over a couple of days as the initial short drive is not living with the car on a daily basis. As everyone has said the 335d has effortless perfomance but after a focused car like yours the lack of involvement may leave you feeling a little shortchanged. If I had my time again I would have gone for a manual 330/335i or a 135i coupe as it would of satisfied me more on a daily basis.

I am not taking anything away from the 335d it's a fantastic car but I would also drive atleast a manual 330i/335i or 330d or Alpina B3 Auto just to check its the car for you.

[Real Thing]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

For my 2 pennies worth the 335d will be very different from your Evo 8. I would suggest booking a weekend test drive to have a proper go over a couple of days as the initial short drive is not living with the car on a daily basis. As everyone has said the 335d has effortless perfomance but after a focused car like yours the lack of involvement may leave you feeling a little shortchanged. If I had my time again I would have gone for a manual 330/335i or a 135i coupe as it would of satisfied me more on a daily basis.

I am not taking anything away from the 335d it's a fantastic car but I would also drive atleast a manual 330i/335i or 330d or Alpina B3 Auto just to check its the car for you.

Agree with Gibbo on this that although the 335d is a fantastic Car and the performance figures some of the Guys on here are getting from the Remaps are phenomenal the Driver involvement compared to something like an EVO might be something you may miss to much I owned a stock 335d and got a bit bored after about 2 weeks whereas I now have a B3 and just keep thinking of somewhere to go everyday to enjoy the fun of Driving again.
So try to book a long test Drive if you can (preferably a full weekend)

btw: Welcome to the forum

[1stKnight]

As other's have elaborated upon; the 335d - especially remapped - is a phenomenal, very capable car that will provide extremely rapid, instant overtaking thrust on the motorways and still return decent mpg!

But given you are coming from a seriously powerful petrol car I would recommend you test drive the 335i too...I switched from a powerful diesel to my 335i because the overall package is more involving as a driver's car in my opinion. While the diesel provided smiles when enjoying the power overtaking generally, it alway's felt lacking in other ways; the 335i solved those issues for me and has proven to be a car that keeps me wanting to drive it. It is also a manual which is my clear preference as auto's are just not for me yet - my wife's E91 325i is auto and I found it a little frustrating recently on a trip to Belgium as I like to be more involved.

If you test drive them one after the other, the diesel will definitely feel the quicker car mid-range as its power delivery literally thrusts you into your seat but drive a pre-defined route quickly in both and you may, like me, conclude that the 335i has the edge and feels better. It all depends upon your driving style really - if you want the best commuting car then the diesel wins comfortably in my experience but if you want a more involving, rewarding drive then the 335i is the car to buy.

I'm not into serious mods but I've got a 'plug and play' Turbo Tuner in my garage awaiting install - car goes to the Dealer for wheel alignment tomorrow so I'm going to wait for that visit to be concluded - and it promises a relatively safe but noticeable increase in power that by all accounts makes the 335i even more fun to drive.

[PhilR]

Originally Posted by evo8

Magic, thanks for the replies fellas!

I´m a bit fussy with regards to what i want! providing i like how the car drives, my ideal spec would be as follows:

Alpine white
cream leather
piano key black interior trim
M sport (for the limmy!)

Ideally, i would get the above from a preowned car to take away the initial hit, if anyones knows of a car of this spec let me know, even better if they fancy a evo in PX lol!!

Have you considered the Red Leather? - IMO looks great with Alpine White?

Here's a decent example - shame about the aluminium trim though
http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/auc/car_d...WD72070PW59797




The M Sport - don't think this has the slip diff. I think it's only the M Cars (ie. M3) although not 100% on this one.

An ex demo sounds you best bet. Need to haggle hard with the Stealers though esle they will have your eyes out. I would imagine you'll have no problem selling the EVO privately. Maybe part ex the Passat?

PhilR

[Dave_3]

I thought there was a change in the way the standard diffs were assembled, making the later ones more tricky to adapt to LSD ?

D.

[RockIt]

Originally Posted by PhilR

Have you considered the Red Leather? - IMO looks great with Alpine White?

Here's a decent example - shame about the aluminium trim though
http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/auc/car_d...WD72070PW59797
PhilR

Interesting how opinions vary. I specced aluminium on my SE, (M Sport wasn't available at the time), because I felt it gave a much sportier feel to the cabin with the red leather and felt much 'younger' than the wood that was on offer.

[dxb335d]

I find the big D a pleasure to drive. Considering i dont even use it to commute its purely a toy and ive had great fun in it. Miles of endless fun.

3 x Santa Pod visits and 1 trip to Bruntingthorpe for a mag thrash and also a track day at Snetterton. She was exceptional at all venues.

A great car. The only car in the 3 series range that can topple it is the New M3. This will be my next car.


Carlos

[Porscha!]

I'm not an expert when it comes to 335d, though as some others have said above if you want driver involvement have you considered the 335i or the 135i? As both are manual.

Right at the end of the month I should have an order placed for 320d for work, due to other reasons I am now considering not taking the job so we'll have to wait and see! One thing for sure though, I found it an excellent car of course it doe not compare with a 335d but one thing I noticed was that the clutch is very light, so is the steering after a day I was fine with it, even if I don't take this job and decide to do what I really would like to do, when I can afford a car purely for work and running about it will 100% be a 320d

The only things the 335d has against it is the horrendous price for diesel and the Auto 'box, thats something I wouldn't have a problem with really but some would!!

Whatever you go for, you really can't go wrong with a BMW, I've owned 3 now

Carlos do you have something to tell us, is the dxb being replaced for an M3 anytime soon?

[dxb335d]

Most people who spec a335i with a manual will be hit on re-sale. Thats why so many are auto. To spend 40+k on a high end BMW and not spec auto seems ludicrus. You are limiting your market with a manual.

Try the D mate, you will be impressed.

Porscha id love an E92 M3 soon but not yet. I really want the DCT version so will wait till either late this year or early next year. But still very happy with the D.