The BMW 1M. Not a Car I thought I would ever be able to drive, although I have always loved the look of these!
Lets start with the idea; it looks as though BMW knew the 1 Series Chassis was insane, which has remained in the Fxx Series, and decided to shoehorn the BMW 335i Motor inside! Now I know the engine isn't 100% identical, but this Car visited for Software adjustment as it had been previously tuned elsewhere and was having crazy Boost Spikes/Limp Mode when driving on Track at the Nürburgring. The ECU in the E9X 335i is Siemens MSD80 and this uses the Siemens MSD81 ECU. I just looked up the protocols and they added the MSD81 to the 335i in 2008! But instead of boring you with nerdy facts lets look at the Car! ![]() I don't know what BMW were thinking when they designed this Wide-Arched, Aggressively Stanced, RWD machine. It is more than an eye-catcher, this thing is Satanic!
The front is snarly and looks like it wants to destroy anything in its path. I assume that was their intention and if you look at the image below you will see the bumper and arches from the front angle! You will be able to see all additional images when using a Desktop PC/Laptop. If you are viewing with a Mobile Device please read until the end to scroll through the extra pictures!
As previously mentioned this Car visited because it had some problems with the Tuning Map. There were boost spikes and the Lambda Maps (Air/Fuel Ratio) was not what I would prefer in a Motor like this. While this was one of the first Direct Injection 'inventions' from BMW, it must be treated like a conventional Engine - we cannot run them lean on fuel like the VAG Petrol Turbo Motors that run mostly on air. I lowered Boost Pressure, adjusted some Ignition Timing Maps and increased the Lambda Maps to what I consider 'safe'. This was a customer from Rent4Ring Service and he said he preferred my Software 'theory' and would like to keep it, with a couple of error codes removed. This is a #RingTool and as such we will always get a couple of fault codes for things such as Rear 02 Lambda Sensor and a couple of old faults from the CAN Gateway (he has an OBD electronic boost gauge installed). Starting the Engine and listening to it purr is something special. I know there are a few people who use these purely for Laps at the Nürburgring and after a few days with this Car I can see why... The Chassis
Overwhelmingly good, although the Car does appear to have upgraded Suspension. I am not sure which but it sits perfectly on the Road. I didn't take this Car for a Lap as there was no need - I covered approximately 100 km on local Roads and the Car doesn't go into Limp Mode anymore so I am pleased. This Car is in need of a proper Setup. I suggested Philipp Weber @ Rent4Ring Service or maybe Dean Munn @ Ringspares (Both are business at the Nürburgring and can be found searching on Facebook). I then said Philipp would be the guy because he does a lot of BMW/Porsche RWD Setup for the Nordschleife Circuit. The Body This thing is beautiful. I don't even think I deserve to drive this machine, but am 100% grateful for the Tuning work and also the opportunity to give my opinion on the Car. The 1M is probably the nicest looking BMW Coupé, but I am biased because I have always loved smaller Cars. I do not understand why Corvettte's are so LONGGGGG and strangely shaped. I would rather have this parked outside than a triangular penis extension. The Throttle Great response - the Car picks up speed before you can breathe! As mentioned it was already Remapped but I have adjusted the Software and it is driving effortlessly both on the local B-Roads and German Autobahn. I don't think it will have any more problems at the Nürburgring! The Exhaust This definitely has a modified exhaust but nothing intrusive. Cold Start is a little louder although it is not an annoying sound. I really love the exhaust note at all points throughout the RPM range. Out of courtesy I didn't rev the Motor past 6000 RPM but that is enough to give it a good test. If you visit the Nürburgring while this Car is on Track - you will definitely hear it going past ;-) This was another great Car that I was not expecting to visit for work, and also was a nice surprise when the Customer offered to let me use the Vehicle for the Website Review. Massive thanks to Tyler Lidsey for the loan of this Car - I really hope you enjoy it during your next visit buddy! Nicholas Lawrence web - www.on-cars.com email - [email protected] |