German Car Zone

Took the 135i to Shannonville Motosports Park yesterday. Another great track day event with lots of track time and great food. Lots of fast cars with experienced drivers with R-compounds too. The 135i is completely stock, including the standard Bridgestone run flat tires. The car held up very well (despite being not completely broken in.......). No engine overheating ever happened, despite running multiple 30 minute continous sessions throughout the whole day. That extra engine oil cooler built in the 135i obviously works well despite being 29 degrees celsius during the hot afternoon.

The run flat tires squeal a lot but I think they grip pretty well. The bottom line is I'm pretty sure I was taking corners faster than I could in the C55. There were a few corners on this twisty track where I always had difficulty hitting the apex in the C55 where it was much easier in the 135i. Another factor is I'm probably a better driver than last year as well, as the last time I took the C55 to Shannonville was August 2007. But still, I have no doubt in my mind the 135i is a superior track car than the C55 (which is no surprise and what I was hoping for/expecting), especially on this very twisty technical circuit where the straights are never that long. I drove with DTC (dynamic traction control) on, which is the setting between full DSC on and e-diff only. This allows for some wheel slip and oversteer/understeer before intervening.

This was also the first time I drive a manual transmission car on a track. Still have a way to go before I can say I've mastered the "heel & toe" technique of downshifting, but I'm getting there.

Here is a 9 minute clip of my drive on the SMP Full Track configuration of Shannonville where there wasn't much traffic slowing me down. You can see one of the cones was knocked down, which made hitting that particular corner apex impossible.


YouTube - BMW 135i at Shannonville Full Track

Thanks for the first track report with your 135i!! Sounds very good!! And don't worry, with a lot of practice you will master this technique soon!!

Finally, some "action" pics of the track day are available. Here are some pics of the cars (starting with my own):





























And of course, there were quite a number of E46 M3's:

Nice pics. BTW did AMG just loose it's lone representative at track days? Sorry couldn't resist

aaaaah..... ALmost everytime I see an E46 M3 on a track it's like seeing the most beautiful creation ever made.....

Love your the colour on your 1er, is that Interlagos Blue? I love the fact that you take your car down to the track to exploit its capablilities - respect! How do the bolsters on your sports seats hold up for track use? are they supportive enough? Also how did the breaks hold up after such intense use on the track?

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Karma for you!

Lemans blue, same colour as mine

I'm afraid so....... There really aren't a lot of AMG's at track events.

But I do want to take the C55 again to Mosport, which is the first track I went to earlier this year. That track is much easier on the equipment because it is more of a high speed track so I won't feel as bad abusing the car.

So far, I'm extrememly pleased with the performance of the 135i......it can only get better, especially if I replace the run-flats with more serious rubber. There is also the option of changing to more more aggressive suspension (either BMW performance or aftermarket).

With the M-sport seats, there are adjustable side bolsters. They were quite good, although in the hardest corners, I think I could have tightened them even more.......but I was too lazy.....

The 6 piston brakes held up very well with no fade despite multiple continuous 30-40 minute sessions.

PC, i have one question!
Have you timed any of your laps?

Hey PCV, congrats and enjoy dude. I can't say that I'm less than half jealous! Awesome.

Tell me something, I'm dying to know about that E-Diff on the 135i... Are you aware of its operation when pressing on - is it something you can feel.

Does it use the ABS (as in a pulsing sensation against the brake disc) or does it apply the braking in a steady and imperceptible fashion?