1st three months of driving the LCI 325 msports

[born crazee]

Hi all,Thought I share some of my experiences of driving the new toy. I used to drive the E46 325 for 6 years and then I traded up to the a pre reg 06 E90 325 prior to changing to the current LCi model. So I would probably use those cars for comparisons. First impressions:The car came with all the kit any bimmer lover want. There's no lust to even look at other souped up 3s. BMW Malaysia seems to have gotten this right with this package. The only thing that I wpould rant about is the price. Good thing the interest rate makes it a lil less painful.idriveI love this lil gadget. Makes driving a lot more engaging. Lots to impress any passengers. Fav amongst the features is the bluetooth interface. i use the 2g hacked iphone and it works great. No mata mata gonna ever catch me driving using the hp. The map is good too but certain areas in KL dont come up. What I dislike about the map is the long process of typing in certain roads. maybe forum sifus here can show me a shorter cut of using the map.ipodI'm a bit pissed with this feature. In US forums they say u need a Y wire to connect. But the service guys here keep saying you can connect straight to the interface. I havent been able to do so. Again pls enlighten me how to do this without the Y wire. I took the next easy way of just pluggin in the 4 g m stick. i think this is better. you can store a lot of songs with 4g.Sound systemCant complain really. As long as the mp3 file has got great bit rate the music is sweet. I recommend nothing less than 192 bit rate.Driving impressionsThe suspension and the RFT arent the best combination I have to say. It makes the ride too firm for my liking. I guess its hard to compromise on looks and performance. Speeding on the highways feels a bit on the edge especially when you have passengers in the rear. Funny i could reach 210kph with the o6325 faster than with this one. My best effort go me close to 195kph b4 the road runs out.Things I dislike about the LCI after 3 months.Dashboard noise (I havent bothered to send it in becos I really dont believe the service guys can cure it)The creaks from door sills (Ingress was kind enough to solve that for me using tape) but it still comes back every now and again.I've got some pics to share here http://shangsbmwe90.blogspot.com/Happy bmotoring!

 

[E46Fanatic]

Very nice! You can join Schwepps as the dude who bought 2 E90 325i sports, and MeinAuto who now has 3 E9x sitting in his home. You guys rock man hehe. Totally hardcore.

 

[kevster30]

Driving impressions
........... Speeding on the highways feels a bit on the edge especially when you have passengers in the rear. Funny i could reach 210kph with the o6325 faster than with this one. My best effort go me close to 195kph b4 the road runs out.

This is bcos you now have an extra gear. For you to reach your top spped faster, downshift.

The 6th gear is a true overdrive gear designed to give u the best fuel consumption during cruising.

Glad you r enjoying your ride!:top:

 

[E46Fanatic]

06 325i shares the same gear ratios and final drive with the LCI 325i. I think could be due to the engine still not fully run in and the heavier 18' wheels.

Also wonder if the newLCI aero M kit is more aerodynamically efficient than the out going M tech pre-facelift one. Supposed to give more downforce compared to stock setup so, likely cause some drag in the process.

 

[born crazee]

Thanks Kev for the tip. Could be both... engine still new and maybe with passengers the car could be heavier. But starting from standstill the car outruns most.

On the aero efficiency, I really can't comment as I haven't drove the pre facelift m sports. Running at around 190+kph the car doesn't feel very planted. I will be evaluating it as i have a friend who owns the pre facelift model. Could be other factors...I'm wondering if adding anti roll bars and rear spoiler would improve the ride.

 

[kevster30]

06 325i shares the same gear ratios and final drive with the LCI 325i. I think could be due to the engine still not fully run in and the heavier 18' wheels.

Final drive is the same, but the ratios are different. There are 6 gears now

 

[astroboy]

E90 are all using ZF 6HP19 6-speeder STEPTRONIC gearbox, similar to the one used in E60 M54 engine.

So our friend's old '06 E90 325i and his new E90 LCI 325i MSport is using same gearbox. Same as my E90 320i also.. I think ratio also same. Can I have an rpm count for the 325i cruising at say, 120kph, 6th speed? Let's compare final drive.

The only difference between both 325i is the wheel size, 17" vs 18" which will affect the ride comfort and perhaps performance. Interior big difference is of course the i-Drive, which was not available in his old E90 325i

 

[MSport]

born crazee, nice car you have there. Speed isn't everything for such a powerful car. Have you tried fast cornerings? BMWs excel at this! :top:

 

[astroboy]

born crazee, nice car you have there. Speed isn't everything for such a powerful car. Have you tried fast cornerings? BMWs excel at this! :top:

True, the MSport suspension and ARB is real awesome when tackling chicanes, minimal body roll, a lot more predictable compare to those of the standard spec. You wish the chicanes doesn't end!.. :love:

 

[MSport]

True, the MSport suspension and ARB is real awesome when tackling chicanes, minimal body roll, a lot more predictable compare to those of the standard spec. You wish the chicanes doesn't end!.. :love:

Maybe the Works Ministry should consider having chicanes instead of speed bumps. Then, lesser damage to our suspension.

 

[astroboy]

Okay, this is the ZF 6HP19 gear ratio,

1st: 4.171
2nd: 2.340
3rd: 1.521
4th: 1.143
5th: 0.867
6th: 0.691
Rev: 3.403

Weight: ~165 lbs.

ATF capacity: 9 litre + 0.5 for cooling system

Final drive ratio however may varies, but for the same engine, unlikely.

Both 118i and 120i is using this 6HP19 and both having same Final drive ratio of 3.91. Should be the same with 320i

However, both the 118i and 120i has GETRAG gearbox and its recorded higher top speed and faster 0-100kph compare to the ZF box.

http://www.bmw.avtodel.com/tex/1_series_technical_data.pdf

E90 325i final drive should be 3.73, same 6HP19 gearbox.
E90 330i final drive should be 3.64, same 6HP19 gearbox.

 

[born crazee]

Absolute agree with Msport on the cornering bit. Human nature. We always harp on the things we dislike. Having said that the car has been fantastic since day one on the handling aspect. I took the car for a short day trip up Fraser's Hill. The twisty bit was simply amazing. Just one downside. Make sure ur passenger can take it. For me I have to stop every now and again for the poor passenger.

On the gear ratio thing, I tend to agree with Astroboy. The 06 325 ratios seems to be the same as the LCi.

 

[Schwepps]

Welcome born crazee! The 325i Sports has no faults, as far as I'm concerned, pre or post LCI. The E9x is the best in class, no doubt about it at all. :wink:

 

[MSport]

Schwepps, I couldn't agree more that this statement of yours!

 

[Traveler]

The twisty bit was simply amazing. Just one downside. Make sure ur passenger can take it. For me I have to stop every now and again for the poor passenger.

Hehe, yeah... sometimes we drivers get carried away and the poor passenger suffers. I've had a couple of passengers make some "comments" about all the corners I was taking at high speed.. they couldn't take it. Heheheh...

 

[astroboy]

If you love roller coaster rides, you will be more thrill and shiok with an E9x.. living in the theme park everyday!!

Ask your passengers to wind down the window and scream their hearts out, they will feel better and keep asking for more.. :wink:

 

[kevster30]

Guys, mu bad, thot the comparison was between an e46 325i and an e90 325i, must learn to read slowly....must learn to read slowly....

My apologies

 

[kevster30]

If you love roller coaster rides, you will be more thrill and shiok with an E9x.. living in the theme park everyday!!

Ask your passengers to wind down the window and scream their hearts out, they will feel better and keep asking for more.. :wink:

Should try it going sideways @160km at turn 5 and turn 6 at Sepang.......truly one of the best chassis frm BMW!

 

[born crazee]

COOL i'm enjoying the passionate crowd here! More things to learn and explore.

Happy Bmotoring!

 

[Schwepps]

Yes, so if you take the sum total of all the E9x offers, especially when driving hard at the edge, what's a little imperfection here and there? Would you rather be driving another car during those wonderful, smile-inducing times?