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BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

30250 messages,  Last post on Mar 24, 2013 at 11:51 AM

You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Sedan

Messages Page 2347 of 3025

#23461 of 30250 '90 325i (E30) by pmhtv

Jun 13, 2003 (10:52 am)

Recently sold my baby that I've had since new - a 1990 red 325i 2Dr w/ 5spd. Classic BMW style. Thought I would have difficulty selling a manual, but it went on the first day! It was a very good car for me. A blast to drive - did not notice much lean in the turns. Great sounds from the inline 6 at 4,000 rpm and up. Good reliability, although you do have to stay on top of the preventive maintenance. A well- cared for model will serve you for a long time and put smiles on your face.

#23462 of 30250 jmess by bluebeast

Jun 13, 2003 (1:14 pm)

No, the ZHP does not have a limited slip differential.

#23463 of 30250 mileage by blueguydotcom

Jun 13, 2003 (1:28 pm)

current 330i owners: did your mileage get better as the car aged? I've got about 1200 miles on my 330i and I'm still getting about 21 mpg. While that's not horrible I kinda hoped for better, especially considering I only take it over 4k rpms maybe two or three times a drive.
 
Now that the car's broken in (according to BMW's manual) I know I'll be playing more often in the higher end of the engine's sweet spot. Considering I've been conservative I'm sorta worried I'll get 15-16 mpg when I'm really driving the car. :O

#23464 of 30250 LSD--Need an M by riez

Jun 13, 2003 (2:16 pm)

M3 and M5 have LSD. This is a huge shortfall in rest of line. Why can't BMW have LSD as an option like they did for decades???

#23465 of 30250 riez by div2

Jun 13, 2003 (2:20 pm)

BMW no longer offers limited slip across the model range because ASC suits the needs of 99.9% of new BMW owners. Sad but true.

#23466 of 30250 Traction Control & Stablity Control are NOT LSD by riez

Jun 13, 2003 (2:32 pm)

div2... I understand. This rot set in during early 1990s as TC systems came along. But BMW knows enough to know it needs LSD for M3 and M5. Sad that other cars like IS300, Nissan Maxima, etc. can be ordered with LSD!

#23467 of 30250 LSD by sopecreek

Jun 13, 2003 (2:36 pm)

Is it really needed for those who do not track their cars? Just out of curiosity...

#23468 of 30250 Needed or wanted? by shipo

Jun 13, 2003 (3:13 pm)

Do I NEED LSD? No. However, all too frequently I come around a corner with a little sand on the pavement just as I am transitioning to the power, only to have the inside rear tire start to spin. When that happens, the computer kicks in and absolutely TROUNCES on the engine, and it feels like my car is almost dead, only to have it just as suddenly recover. Not the most smooth method of driving. :-/
 
If I had been able to order the Limited Slip option that BMW used to have, I would certainly have checked off that box. To my way of thinking, BMW should look at this as just one more "ala-carte" option and just a way to add just a little more to their bottom line.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#23469 of 30250 by jmess

Jun 13, 2003 (5:10 pm)

I am really surprised that ZHP doesn't have the LSD. This would have been far more useful and performance enhancing than some of the trim options. The ZHP would have been a natural place for BMW to insert this option in the sub M3 version of the car. Please note that I am not trying to start a flame war on this subject. An LSD is one of my check boxes for a sporty car. Checking the M3 box is not in the cards at the moment though
 
Once you drive a car with an LSD, and feel the car hook up under throttle exiting a turn, you really start to hate electronic traction control. As mentioned above, it is far too easy to spoof traction control. It doesn't know what you know and feel, all it does is sense wheel slip and apply the brakes whether you want it to or not. In my racing days I immediately took a .5 seconds off my lap times by installing an LSD in my car. That is pretty significant improvement in performance. On a wet track it was even better. It is pretty hard to have too much traction in a street car unless you are trying to rotate the rearend with a lot of throttle. So an LSD enhances enthusiast level street driving also.
 
For those of you who get BMW surveys asking for feedback on your cars, consider mentioning the lack of an LSD option as being a negative. Until more people start making noise about this shortcoming, BMW will happily take your money and use the brakes as a band aid in place of the real thing. Having an LSD and traction control with an on/off button is the best setup. BMW's cost for an LSD would be about 300-$500 per car; how much they would mark it up would be another question.

#23470 of 30250 odd noise in new 328Ci by martini4me

Jun 14, 2003 (7:45 am)

Hi: I have a new 2003 328Ci / Steptronic that has about 1k miles on it. I've noticed an odd noise and wanted to see if anyone has any clues about it. When I'm traveling at highway speeds for at least 10 minutes or so, and then ease off of the accelerator, there is a whining noise that seems to come from the engine. The noise is hard to describe...take the word "who" and elogate it..."whoooooooo." When I press back on the accelerator a little the noise goes away. It sounds like it's coming from the engine in the center of the vehicle. It seems unrelated to the climate control system...have tested with fan on and off and a/c on and off and it still does it. Any ideas? I'll also ask the dealer, but will be traveling for work (via plane) for the next couple of weeks and wondered if the boardies here have any experience with it. Other than that small oddity, the car is fabulous. My only complaint is that I don't get time to drive it enough. It'll be even better after the first Zaino treatment. Thanks for any info you all have!

Messages Page 2347 of 3025

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