Of course the E90 335i doesn’t come with a limited-slip differential, because that would be sacrilegious to BMW’s M department. Although, that’s what they’ve been doing since the E36 era – only M models had the privilege. For the usual driver, it doesn’t mean much, but to someone who’s trying to autocross or do other track-related activities, it leads to some severe one-tire-fire. BMW thought applying the brakes in a creative way would suffice for the no-LSD option, and it definitely does for a lot of people, but it’s nowhere near having a mechanical LSD like it should. If you’re one of the lucky few before BMW welded the ring gear, you can buy one and drop it right in. If not, you’re stuck with machining the ring gear off doing further machine work to turn it into a bolted setup, or buying the entire differential pumpkin and swapping it out.
Burnt Rubber Oasis: The BMW Performance Driving School
Last summer, Blipshift, purveyor of fine automotive apparel, ran a design contest: Better Off Zed, which called for the submission of BMW Z-car artwork for the ZSCCA car club. The top prize was an all day paid Car Control Clinic at the BMW Performance Center. Here is the design that won. Weirdly, I happen to know the guy who submitted it. His name is Markus and he also just so happens to be my dad. All in all, I was pretty excited about his victory, not only did this mean he was getting to go to the BMW Performance School, it meant I was minimally guaranteed shotgun on the road trip to get there. It wasn’t until about one month later that I learned Christmas was coming early, literally, and I was going to be able to attend the clinic with him.
Saab Story Part 2: Keep it 900 (Turbo)
Sometimes, the DMV doesn’t suck.
If you haven’t read part 1, do so here. The Saab might have had the worst trail of paperwork I’ve ever encountered, leaving us with a title with two people’s names on it, neither of whom were the person that sold it to us.
Why Tires Are Much More Important Than You Think
Tires are very difficult to shop for. With almost every other thing, you can find tried and true examples of parts on your particular car and how they perform. Tires on the other hand, are difficult because there are many models and so many sizes, that if you aren’t looking for a review of Pilot Super Sports on an M4, chances are you won’t find a review of them on your car.
The German 2JZ: The N54
The year is 2006.
The E9x generation of the 3 Series approaches it’s one year anniversary of sales in the US in the form of the usual snore 325i to the relatively new idea of the 330i sharing the new at the time N52 in different displacements back when BMW’s naming convention made sense.
Monterey Car Week Wrap-Up and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
From Concours D’Elegance, Concorso Italiano, Legends of the Autobahn, The Quail, multiple high dollar auctions, and numerous others, there’s something for everyone and there’s no downtime throughout the week between these events. Seeing the rarities they attract in day-to-day traffic is a surreal experience – everything from several BMW M1s, 918 Spyders, and LaFerraris to timeless classics like 3.0 CSLs and many one-offs like an E46 M3 touring can be seen on public roads throughout the week. The Monterey area becomes a mecca for people who like cars.