You should definitely take it to a specialized alignment shop so you'll have someone study and help you develop the setup for the car. I've done this to my 135i (I only had KW V3 installed + front and rear sway bar, hopefully in the near future I'll upgrade to the 1M/M3 bits) and it does make a huge difference when combined with mods! And don't forget to get indications regarding tire pressure, it surely does change the way the car handles/feels on the road. Regarding the seats, I do have the OEM BMW Performance and it's really worth it. I've still got to go around the brackets (I'm sitting a bit too high) but it feels really different from a regular seat (I have a 118d E82 as well and it's night and day the way the seats hold you). You can also buy some Recaro CS and reupholster them, it's way cheaper but you won't get airbags + heated seats, that's the drawback. The brakes will be fine for no more than 500/550hp, as long as you buy good rotors + pads, do a brake fluid change with RBF600/660 (or similar) and replace the brake lines with some SS braided ones. Mines currently with that "setup" with 333whp (380bhp, 98RON / 93oct) and I'm very confident it will hold and stop another +100hp. Obviously depends on what's your goal with the car! Keep up with the videos! Cheers.
couldn’t have asked for a better summary, appreciate the insight here! sounds like i’m headed down the right path with the mods and can tell a massive difference in performance with each upgrade along the way. Good call regarding getting the suspension properly dialed. i have a few friends who race GT3 who have offered to properly sort the car out (i plan on taking them up on this offer once i’m done fiddling around with the settings myself - i find it fun learning the changes in characteristics of the car and how each component affects the overall balance! 😛) i’ve noticed tire pressure makes a big difference in how the car feels on the road. have had some shops crank the psi up past 35 and even to 40 on one tire (found this very odd) and immediately pulled over to check them since they felt so out-of-whack. i seem to sit around 30-31psi when cold and up to 32-33psi when warm. feels right for a car of this weight and with these tires but could probably do with some more experimentation on this end. As for the seats, the $4k was my ballpark for the CS seats. I believe M Performance ones will run you upwards of $12k if i’m not mistaken (eerily close to how much I paid for the car!) Do the Performance seats have an airbag built in or is it merely the sensor? CS seats can be optioned with heating which i’m inclined to do if i’m spending the money, and i was going to see if i can have the airbag pressure sensor repurposed to retain OEM functionality (for peace of mind and safety) Planning on doing exactly as you described for the braking. Have you any experience with the ECS kit? Don’t need drilled rotors as they’ll never get that hot with my driving but boy do they look cool. Thinking Endless or RedStuff pads and any decent fluid. Braided brake lines also coming as well 👍🏼 Appreciate the support! I’ll do my best to keep the videos coming 😛
@@apexpxl take that offer and do it eheh that will definitely make a great change on the way the car settles on the road. They'll check the weight distribuition and refine the camber/toe, which can also be improved with some camber plates, althought you've already got the M3 control arms that can push a bit more negative camber comparing to the stock ones. But be prepared for rolling some fenders as you'll go along and increase the tire size for more road patch/traction, I think you can get up to -1,5 camber with those arms (front camber). Dinan camber plates will held you in from -2,5 to -3 I think but they're fixed, you can get adjustable ones which I think are worth it. Seats: mines already came with the car, I don't think they're as expensive as 12k but I would say something like 7/8k for the pair which is so expensive nonetheless! And you've got to find them on sale, which is really difficult. They do have a airbag built in, if you search on Google for both (BMW Performance seats / Recaro CS seats) you'll see a bolster on the side of the BMW seat but not on the Recaro. That's the airbags. So I don't think there's an option to add the airbags unfortunately. You can also go for some Recaro PP, it gets you an even more sportier seating position and they look awesome in these cars. Also might be cheaper. I'm from Portugal, so ECS Tuning is difficult for me to get because of customs. I've got the OEM caliper but I've upgraded the rotor for the Performance ones, drilled and slotted (shouldn't do much of a difference from the stock one tbh) and I've got the DS2500 brake pads along with RBF660 and some SS braided lines (can't recall the maker but they'll all be good, better than rubber ones for sure). I will most likely be changing my pads for some Endless ones next, they're insane performance wise and I only take the car out for a fun drive, so I think it's a good match. If you're dailying it, I think you'll overshoot them too soon without getting the performance you would expect from such pad. Have a look on the Hawk ones as well, they're becoming a great choice over there in the USA and not that expensive. You took a break from YT but glad to see you here again. Unfortunately we all get into situations that will draw us one step back but I'm hoping this one throws you some big steps further! 🤜🤛
Great comment! For pads on the street I have Ferodo DS2500 very happy with them, if you want even more stopping power go with Endless with different rotors and stainless steel brake lines ofc. Seats also make more of an impact then you think I am running recaro pole positions but the original recaro sportster cs are also amazing. LSD is also highly recommended make the car much more controllable and fun. On the current build I also have whiteline rear subframe inserts which is a easy install, drop the subframe a little and install them, but going full subframe bushings is the best route, just involves lot more work (had m3 bushings on my old one). makes the rear subframe lot more planted. My next plan is pure stage 2 turbo to get more power till redline. It's a great build you have, looking forwards to seeing more of it!
Thank you both for the comments! Continuing with what seems to be my natural cadence updating the build on youtube once every couple of months, i’m pleased to report the car now has fresh pads, braided lines, proper fluid, and performance rotors (more for looks than any meaningful stopping power though i’m confident there’s plenty now 😛) Vorshlag camber plates and 1M strut brace going in today then finally getting the alignment dialed by a professional race shop 😉 Seats are on hold atm in an attempt to save a few bucks while focusing on performance items. Will get an update video out soon :)
Honestly, at this point, you should slap a real M badge on the car lol I certainly wouldn't hate! Beautiful car btw! Can't wait to see the finished build.
outside of the usual low mileage / good maintenance history, i’d say look for as clean a car throughout (meaning no rust, clean engine bay with no signs of oil leaks), make sure you test drive and feel out any issues with the car (should feel solid and quite with no rattles as these were built pretty well from factory). If you feel it’s the car you’ve been looking for, buy it and enjoy the ownership!! they’re a bunch of fun
nothing yet though i’m planning on addressing the rear in the next month or so. seen a few options out there that would up the performance in addition to refreshing the +10 year old stock parts. Will keep the channel posted when i do
definitely go back and forth over manual vs DCT. DCT is so good i don’t miss a manual, especially during my LA commute. But moments like these call for a third pedal and a stick for sure
haha i’m afraid to do it right with OEM panels, labor, and paint... this is a conservative estimate. Can be done for much less with overfenders and cheaper labor but that’ll might come with the cost of quality, weather proofing, longevity, etc. Never say never! maybe we do a build series with a donor car and give it away?! 🙈
@@apexpxl ouhhh I like the way your thinkin my Dude!!!!! Have you done sub frame bushings to your car in the rear…. Did it to mine, and it makes a world of difference!!!!
i have not but glad to hear there’s a noticeable difference. i envision doing them along with an lsd and rear sway bar but only all at once to avoid the hassle of pulling everything apart multiple timrs
I thought the same thing. Nice car but the stickers that are meant to poke fun at “dumb” stickers looks even dumber. No offense man. I get what you’re going for but i think it’s not being executed well. It’s kinda corny. Thats just my unimportant opinion. Anyway, to each their own. Be happy like you said dude. Anyway I just bought a 135i DCT, and the content is nice to watch and I appreciate the info on the car. Im from SoCal and run the same canyons, will probably run into you at some point. Be safe out there.
