BMW 1 Series M Coupe

ZPirate

Man I thought this thread died a long time ago.

BTW I didn't end up with a 1 series M, but I did purchase a 135i. Install a tune and it's 400 hp and 400 lb/ft of torque. Suspension needed some work, but with a few mods and some aftermarket wheels and non runflat tires it's a real handler too.

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2003 Daytona Blue 350Z Touring/Nismo
2009 Platinum Graphite 370Z Touring/Sport (Sold)
2009 BMW 135i/Dinan Stage 2 software upgrade/M3 suspension piecies/Koni Sports/ETS FMIC/Alufelgen SF-71 wheels

UNKNOWN_370

So which do you prefer in the handling dept.? The Z or 135i

ZPirate

Stock versus stock the Z wins hands down in the handling department, especially if the Z has the sport package. The 135i is more of a grand tourer than a true sports car. However, with the right suspension mods the 135i can be transformed into a pretty good handling car.

The first thing I did to my 135i was ditch the stock wheels and runflats in favor of larger wheels and non runflat perfomance tires. That helps a bunch. Then I added an M3 28mm front sway bar (from the M3 convertible), M3 control arms and M3 tension rods. Those M3 parts are direct bolt ons to the 1. Next I added M sport springs from a 2011 135i and Koni Sport adjustable dampers. For the 2011 model year BMW switched from progressive to stiffer linear springs on the M sport equipped cars. The car now handles like I thought it should have stock without much compromise in the ride quality. Currently I think my 135i handles as good as a stock sport package 370Z, if not slightly better.

The biggest difference between the Z and the 135i is the motor. The 135i has so much torque, especially when tuned.

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2003 Daytona Blue 350Z Touring/Nismo
2009 Platinum Graphite 370Z Touring/Sport (Sold)
2009 BMW 135i/Dinan Stage 2 software upgrade/M3 suspension piecies/Koni Sports/ETS FMIC/Alufelgen SF-71 wheels

280z/300zx

Considering all that torque how is traction?

My 370z is horrible. Mind you I'm still on stock tires but I can have the rear end come out sideways while doing a rolling start in 2nd gear going straight. It's crazy to think that a car with this wide of tires and so little torque can have such traction issues. My previous 06 Vette was no where near like this and my girlfriends current Camaro (although weight could be a factor) is also much better. I'm planning on getting some Pilot sports soon and hoping that makes things better.

ZPirate

I changed my wheels and tires (as well as my suspension) shortly after purchasing my 370Z so I really never experienced much in the way of traction issues with the car. The only traction issues I had is when I initially set the rear aftermarket sway bar too stiff. It made the car want to oversteer. But softening it up corrected that issue for the most part.

I too had a 2006 Corvette and that thing had traction issues when the temp was less than 50 degrees. It always seemed to be to be on the verge of loosing traction when you got on it too, no matter the temp. That coupled with the vague steering made the Vette feel loose to me and I never really felt very comfortable with the car in terms of driving it hard.

The 135i feels somewhere in between the two to me in terms of traction. It will fishtail some when you really get on it, but it doesn't feel as loose to me as the Vette did. The steering feel is much better than the Vette too.

__________________
2003 Daytona Blue 350Z Touring/Nismo
2009 Platinum Graphite 370Z Touring/Sport (Sold)
2009 BMW 135i/Dinan Stage 2 software upgrade/M3 suspension piecies/Koni Sports/ETS FMIC/Alufelgen SF-71 wheels