What did you do to your F10, F11 or F07 today?

[Cadwell Parker]

4 hours ago, Caesar said:

Trip to Manchester this afternoon and looking forward to see how the Crossclimates compare to the GY Eagle Assymetrics

I'm sure they'll compare very favorably.

@Steve84N I'd recommend Crossclimates head and shoulders above the Goodyears. I had a set of Assymetric 5s on my car. They wore badly in the middle, as though they were over inflated despite my being careful to keep them at the correct pressures. They were down to the legal minimum in the middle while the edges still had 3.5 - 4mm left. The rears were worse in this regard than the fronts. Also the car rides much better on Crossclimates. I hadn't realised how much the Goodyears were upsetting the ride until I replaced them.

If you have a staggered wheel set up I don't think you'll find Crossclimates big enough to go on the rears though.

[Andrew]

41 minutes ago, Cadwell Parker said:

 

If you have a staggered wheel set up I don't think you'll find Crossclimates big enough to go on the rears though.

Oooh that’s a pity. 

I think Steve has a square set up as it’s a wagon like yours and @Caesar.

Still, us saloon boys don’t need to worry about sagging rear ends 🫢

[Steve84N]

1 minute ago, Andrew said:

Oooh that’s a pity. 

I think Steve has a square set up as it’s a wagon like yours and @Caesar.

Still, us saloon boys don’t need to worry about sagging rear ends 🫢

Yep, square setup which is actually really good. You don't need 275 for the power these cars have, I'm fine with 400hp and 245. It handles better square, much less understeer. Finally, rotating the wheels I can take the worn rear inner edges (from camber) and less tread to go on the front where they wear more slowly and have much less camber, plus vice versa for the front on the back it gives more tread to use. Next time I'll upsize to 255/40/19 all round for less tyre sidewall stretch. 

@Andrewstill have to worry about sag when you've got 'bigger' passengers in the back... 😄

[Steve84N]

Drove it some more today. 

The clutch is now finally behaving like it should and it's a revelation. Since I've owned it the pedal hasn't been right, wrong biting point, very vague and struggling to go into gear at times (clutch drag). It's confirmed my suspicions that there was something wrong and thankfully it's not my synchros! 

The vibration at higher speeds has all but gone too. I don't know why you'd expect a propshaft to go bad as there was nothing different I could feel by hand compared with my original one, versus the second hand one from a 2016 car. Having the centre support bearing installed correctly has got rid of the nasty noise.

There might be a smidgen of vibration left. Hard to say if that's the propshaft not being balanced with the two flanges, or perhaps more likely a light imbalance in the wheels/tyres. When these tyres are shot I think I'm going to get some new wheels anyway because the OEM ones are horrendously heavy and not all that strong to justify it. 

There's a few interior changes I'd like to do before we leave for Italy next weekend but otherwise I think it's ready. 

[Andrew]

10 minutes ago, Steve84N said:

I'm fine with 400hp and 245.

What have you done to yours to get 400bhp out of your N55? That’s an almighty power increase over stock.

 

10 minutes ago, Steve84N said:

still have to worry about sag when you've got 'bigger' passengers in the back... 

😄

 
Lol no danger of that in my car 

it’s full of kiddie seats.

Although when I stand on my tow bar and I am significantly heavier than the max nose weight of a trailer, it’s back end barely moves down. 

[F10-65]

3 minutes ago, Steve84N said:

Drove it some more today. 

The clutch is now finally behaving like it should and it's a revelation. Since I've owned it the pedal hasn't been right, wrong biting point, very vague and struggling to go into gear at times (clutch drag). It's confirmed my suspicions that there was something wrong and thankfully it's not my synchros! 

The vibration at higher speeds has all but gone too. I don't know why you'd expect a propshaft to go bad as there was nothing different I could feel by hand compared with my original one, versus the second hand one from a 2016 car. Having the centre support bearing installed correctly has got rid of the nasty noise.

There might be a smidgen of vibration left. Hard to say if that's the propshaft not being balanced with the two flanges, or perhaps more likely a light imbalance in the wheels/tyres. When these tyres are shot I think I'm going to get some new wheels anyway because the OEM ones are horrendously heavy and not all that strong to justify it. 

There's a few interior changes I'd like to do before we leave for Italy next weekend but otherwise I think it's ready. 

The vibration left may be your control arms anyway.

[Andrew]

51 minutes ago, F10-65 said:

The vibration left may be your control arms anyway.

They certainly give a vibration under braking when their bushes and/or ball joints have seen better days 

[Steve84N]

I've changed all the front suspension arms. Haven't touched the rear yet, so at some point it could do with an overhaul including subframe bushes and all the arms. Pricey job though... 

@AndrewI've got 'full bolt ons'. In short, (much) bigger intercooler, a 200 cell sports cat and MHD Tuning Stage 2+. The typical power for this setup is up to 400hp and 465lb/ft, but that includes 102RON. On V Power you can knock a bit off those figures but it's much stronger now.

https://mhdtuning.com/collections/mhd-flasher-f-series-n55/products/mhd-super-license-for-n55

For me it's perfect for the road, still quick enough to enjoy and dispatch traffic but not so powerful you can't use it for more than a couple of seconds. 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Steve84N

[Caesar]

13 hours ago, Steve84N said:

@CaesarI'll be interested to know your thoughts on the tyres. I know I like the F1 Asymmetric and they are OK in the winter, except in snow/ice.

 

Initial experience is good although only tested them on the motorway.

Noticeably quieter than the Eagles, steering feel and ride much the same which is good.

I had a much more pronounced rear tyre wear on the shoulders with runflats, less so with normal Eagles although I rotated them back to front too. Same wear pattern on my E61 so I'm sure it's the suspension geometry rather than the tyres.

I need some mixed driving to form a better opinion, but happy so far.

I did put a set on my wife's Mini last year and it seemed to have a noticeable, positive impact on ride comfort without sacrificing steering precision and grip.

Finally, I love the tread pattern, which must surely be the most important factor 😄

 

[Andrew]

1 hour ago, Caesar said:

 

Finally, I love the tread pattern, which must surely be the most important factor 😄

 

I always think it looks like an agricultural tyre tread.

Are you secretly a Farmer or tractor fancier? 

[Andrew]

13 hours ago, Steve84N said:

 In short, (much) bigger intercooler,

Talk to me about that please 

I’ve seen a few intercooler upgrades, did yours fit in without modification? 

[Andrew]

Nothing, too damn hot here. 

Was debating a yellow grommet inspection/clean. 

[F10-65]

2 minutes ago, Andrew said:

Nothing, too damn hot here. 

Was debating a yellow grommet inspection/clean. 

Sounds like a plan Andrew.

Do I still have to worry about the gromit on a 2015 LCI?

[Andrew]

31 minutes ago, F10-65 said:

Do I still have to worry about the gromit on a 2015 LCI?

YES!

It wants to be inspected/cleaned out each year, to avoid the onboard swimming pool.

[Steve84N]

On 11/06/2023 at 11:38, Andrew said:

Talk to me about that please 

I’ve seen a few intercooler upgrades, did yours fit in without modification? 

I think all the aftermarket ones are the same. They make them literally as big as you can fit in, I'd happily have accepted some slightly smaller dimensions to ease fitting.

Mine is this one: https://mtcmotorsport.co.uk/products/mtc-motorsport-bmw-535i-f07-f10-f11-f18-turbo-front-mount-intercooler-f-chassis-1?_pos=1&_sid=5fad552cd&_ss=r

No modifications, connects to stock pipes and comes with brackets which work with the stock bolts. I must admit, getting it in was a real struggle. Rather than just sitting underneath the radiator pack it also goes in between. As noted above, it's exactly the size of the space so it will only slide up straight. However, there's stuff below that puts it on an angle so I ended up damaging quite a few fins on the AC condenser. In the end we got it in by loosening the radiator pack at the bottom using a couple of 'hidden/caged' screws that are a PITA. That allowed us to tilt the radiators to match the angle the intercooler wanted to slide up at. Given how heavy it is you want two people for the job.

Now it's in the results are impressive. You can do as many pulls as you want and there's no heat soak. The intake temperature actually goes down a bit when you floor it. 

[Steve84N]

I was very happy to get the NBT ceramic iDrive controller working using a wiring tap on my CIC headunit. However, it simply wouldn't work with my MMI box as that could either be wired to make the NBT controller work on the OEM screens or the Android ones, but not both.

Going back to the standard CIC controller was a big disappointment, it just feels so cheap in comparison. To me, touch points are really important as they are part of what tickles your senses. Therefore, I've bought a ceramic CIC controller.

If you look at the pictures below you can see the standard knob has small ridges, compared to the smoother feeling indents on the ceramic one. There's also some mildly sharp edges where the rubber ring sits at the top and if you catch your fingers around the bottom. The ceramic one has rounded edges that are so much nicer to hold.

When you click the standard controller it has a hollow, almost rattly sound. The ceramic one is far more damped and the action is a pleasure to use. I had to move over a surround so I had it partly in pieces. Out of curiousity I weighed the ring and the ceramic one is metal underneath so weighs four times as much. This explains why it doesn't rattle and feels smoother. The overall weight difference is about 35g, which is all in the ring and the knob parts.

I thought I'd prefer the larger dial of the NBT but actually I like the CIC one now I've got the ceramic version. It still has the backlight, unlike the NBT one. Overall, I think it's a good little upgrade you can do.

[Andrew]

8 hours ago, Steve84N said:

 

Thanks Steve, yeah that's the same shape as the ones I've seen before.

I've got two new intercooler O rings to fit

as I think I've got a bit of misting from the ducts and was debating, an upgrade to the intercooler itself.

[Andrew]

20 hours ago, Andrew said:

Nothing, too damn hot here. 

 

And again

Rules out a transmission service as the oil can’t be hotter than 30 deg on filling! 
 

Yes even here in Scotland in these northern latitudes it can be too hot for certain activities. 

[F10-65]

17 hours ago, Steve84N said:

I was very happy to get the NBT ceramic iDrive controller working using a wiring tap on my CIC headunit. However, it simply wouldn't work with my MMI box as that could either be wired to make the NBT controller work on the OEM screens or the Android ones, but not both.

Going back to the standard CIC controller was a big disappointment, it just feels so cheap in comparison. To me, touch points are really important as they are part of what tickles your senses. Therefore, I've bought a ceramic CIC controller.

If you look at the pictures below you can see the standard knob has small ridges, compared to the smoother feeling indents on the ceramic one. There's also some mildly sharp edges where the rubber ring sits at the top and if you catch your fingers around the bottom. The ceramic one has rounded edges that are so much nicer to hold.

When you click the standard controller it has a hollow, almost rattly sound. The ceramic one is far more damped and the action is a pleasure to use. I had to move over a surround so I had it partly in pieces. Out of curiousity I weighed the ring and the ceramic one is metal underneath so weighs four times as much. This explains why it doesn't rattle and feels smoother. The overall weight difference is about 35g, which is all in the ring and the knob parts.

I thought I'd prefer the larger dial of the NBT but actually I like the CIC one now I've got the ceramic version. It still has the backlight, unlike the NBT one. Overall, I think it's a good little upgrade you can do.

I'm with you...
I have the NBT but thought I'd like the larger dial so bought a cheap upgrade to see but have since gone back to the original smaller dial.
Not entirely sure why, but it just feels right.

[skyjawa]

Got the EGR recall done. Wish they’d washed the car, it’s filthy 😞

[Andrew]

You must be the only one that actually wants a dealer to “wash” their car. 

[F10-65]

9 hours ago, skyjawa said:

Got the EGR recall done. Wish they’d washed the car, it’s filthy 😞

Was it just the software update?

They update all the firmware including in the head unit, did it make any difference you can see?

Mine was blocked by an AirPlay module so it didn't get the update.  Mines about to go back for an airbag recall so I might re-route the cables beforehand to make sure I get the update this time.

Did maps get updated too for example?

Thanks

Daren

[F10-65]

8 hours ago, Andrew said:

You must be the only one that actually wants a dealer to “wash” their car. 

Lets just call it a pre-wash

[Steve84N]

The point is they're known to scratch the paintwork, often quote badly. AKA a 'scratch & shine'.

[skyjawa]

They can’t really make the paintwork any worse so I didn’t really care lol! I’ve not had chance to go over it since I bought it with my polisher yet to make it look a little better so them washing it wouldn’t really have mattered! I’m sure it because on my old 3 series I would always say and put a note of do not wash and since I moved the reg over it’s probably still logged as a note against it.

it was the full EGR replacement as far as I am aware same as I had done on my 3, it was an all day job, not something I could wait in the dealership for whilst it was done.  I put a note on the booking and in the car saying do not apply updates as the car is remapped.

as far as I can tell all my coding and settings are intact, plus I have billy basic cic so no Nav and as I run an android screen I wouldn’t really notice!

Edited June 14, 2023 by skyjawa