Wish List: Performance

The whole point of getting a 2010 BMW 135i was Performance. I want a fast car. My previous car fit the bill. It was a great ride until I sold it two years ago. For some, it's their dream car. To me, it was a hassle and it caused me to be more paranoid than ever. I always had to valet it, park it at the far end of the parking lot plus it drew too much attention. I remember driving it to work one day and the COO of our company caught me driving around the parking lot looking for a parking space. This guy drove a $500K Porsche and he looked at me like I was getting paid too much. Obviously, I stopped driving the car to work.

Since then, I wanted a less pretentious car. Something I can drive around anywhere I want without having to worry about dings, dents or be afraid to be car jacked. I also wanted a car that can be modded for performance. This brings me back to my college days where I was heavily into the import car scene (damn rice rockets).

The car I really wanted was the 2011 BMW 1M. Unfortunately, it was a limited release so it was impossible to find and very expensive. It's no longer in production now but I do find them on Autotrader for around $65K. Crazy! The next best thing was the 135i. But not any ole 135i. It had to be specifically the model years with the N54 engine (3.0L twin-turbocharged engine). It's the same engine used in the 1M.

Now that I got the right car, what am I gonna do to it to make it the way I want it to be...lots of torque and really really fast. The one complaint I had with the M5 was torque. It wasn't the same as driving Hub's older M5 (a few years ago we had His and Her M5s). At that time, there wasn't a solution for that issue so I dealt with the fact that it wasn't what I expected from a car like that. When it was time to let it go, I didn't shed a tear.

So what's my plan? Hub's did some research and came up with this setup:

JB4 PNP (N54 Stage 3) plus BMS USD Cable Combo by Burger Motorsport - Price: $509.00

Stage 3 BMW N54 Boost Cooler by Snow Performance - Price: $738.55

BMS N54 Methanol Elbow - $59.00

AFE Power 31-10156 OER Pro Dry S Air Filter for BMW E82 - Price: $84.95






If I install all of these add-ons, here's the result:

Video:
BMW 135i (with JP4 FBO + Methanol) on the left
vs.
Supercharged E90 M3 on the right



Yup, that will do it.

Video: Stock 2011 vs. Modded 2009 BMW 135i

When I was researching model years on the BMW 135i, it came down to the 2011 or an older model (a much better price point). I still can't believe the cost of a new 2011 was over $40K. With that price, BMW had better gave the series a major facelift. From the engine (twin turbocharged to a single turbo), 7-speed transmission, exterior updates (body and lights) and I think the interior had some updates as well. In my opinion, if you plan to spend over $40K on a 1-series, you might as well spend an extra $5K to get an 2006-08 BMW M5.

Well, Hubs found this video online and after watching it, I was sold on getting an older 135i (2008-2010 model years). It's inspiring and dangerous. It makes me think of what I can buy with the extra money I'm saving. Wheels, perhaps?