I think there comes a point where you start to spend so much money you may as well buy a better car, it often works out cheaper too. LCR's aren't worth an awful lot these days, there has to come a point where you call it a day. I'd rather save the money towards a 335i BMW.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you think buying a 335i (standard) is going to trump an LCR out of the box and require less modification then think again
haha. You'll be doing the same mods all over again however, you need to add BMW tax to some parts so expect to pay more for each thing. An enthusiast buying a 335i will want: a remap, downpipes, FMIC, intake, non-Run Flat & wider tyres (better than FK452's this time), coilovers, M3 control arms/polybushes,...see where i'm going with this one, sounds familiar, huh? That's about £4000 in mods at least not including fitting and I've quoted some decent - mid-range parts there too. Then you've got the old LSD argument, that can be had about any tuned car really and it's up to you but consider that the rear diff is welded past 2008 cars and the cost of a Quaife here is £2000. Add in some cosmetic changes such as lips, diffusers etc and that's really where BMW tax comes in, +£1000's as most is carbon fibre and can only be sourced from the USA. You'd also want some wider wheels really, a 9" x 9.5" setup is probably ideal. Also consider better brakes, although the discs are huge the braking power is not as forceful as you might hope and the single piston calipers aren't up to any sort of prolonged heavy abuse. Still, for £20k (based on £15k car purchased) you'd have a pretty sorted and VERY fast car (430+bhp), for £25k you'd have a super car destroyer.
Decent 335i? - £15k as you say however, this is for a 56 - 57 reg car which is without efficient dynamics aka £470 per year for road tax (ED came on 08+). High milers are all too common now and driven by people with no knowledge or care for the workings of a turbo charged car, expect the usual, abused extras such smokey exhausts, leaky oil seals etc.
Where the 335i (N54 twin turbo) does beat most standard, 'hot' cars though is that it has an oil cooler (M-Sport models, some SE's may not), forged pistons, forged conrods, high pressure fuel pump all of which will see it through 500bhp and more (with the addition of meth and hybrid turbo's). They also have a FMIC but this won't go beyond a stage 1 remap sadly.
Now, why I chose to switch to a 135i over a 335i? 6-piston brakes, more nimble, a little lighter, quicker of course, stiffer and more taught suspension & eLSD. While the eLSD is no match for a mechanical version it's a bridge between that and nothing at all, it even allows number 11's
. The only thing that lets this car down, other than it's not as pretty as the 3-series is the smaller tyres but that can be changed of course. The car is better to modify from the outset, I feel a lot more confident to drive it fast and with a tune knowing that everything is better set up but that said, I want to stabalise it a little more before shooting for 400 - 430bhp so coilovers, bushes and tyres are next...then FMIC & downpipes.
Sorry to hijack your thread, Tom but the grass isn't always greener over this side people so if you're considering going b@lls out on a track car, the LCR is a good place to stay.
My advice on tuning a 335i while considering a budget? Buy a 56 plate 335i SE for around £12k, accept the road tax and plough £2k in mods (remap, downpipes, FMIC right away). The car will be insanely fast but will show up the parts which let it down, this can be done over time and in a straight line at leats you'll have a lot of fun. You'll need to respect the car though, 400+bhp on standard floppy suspension & tyres + RWD could kill you
.
I guess you'll be pretty insterested in my 135i this Sunday, Dr Gonzo? You're welcome to have a nose around the N54 engine & have a spin if you like
.
