-
German Car Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 10-06-2010 11:17 PM
Well, this is indeed great news if true. We were expecting some type of announcement in Paris but it seems this leak would confirm initial reports of the car being approved for production. The car will initially launch with a traditional motor and the diesel hybrid setup will come later. That makes us happy, as the hybrid efficiency aspect is being used to push the BMW supercar through that we have been waiting for. If this is to rival the R8, which no doubt it will, the 4.4 liter twin turbo V8 will have to find its way in. Additionally, expect the production styling to be toned down and for the name to be ditched. How does M1 sound? ...Published on 10-06-2010 05:08 AM
Cool little performance parts video where they tell your their philosophy on the parts and their impact on the driving experience. It is fairly convincing and I like that BMW is doing this but I don't like that they are essentially trying to squeeze out the aftermarket in lieu of their own offering which is far more mild. Still, great to have added options and this will force the aftermarket to have to try even harder. ...Published on 10-06-2010 02:03 AM
These teasers are getting a bit out of control, don't you think? First we had BMW shoving that dontblogaboutthis.com junk down our throats only to come up short in Paris. Now they show us part of the bumper on the 1 M Coupe. The hype they are creating for this vehicle is insane but this is the new M after all, marketing. Check out the photos below. ...Published on 10-05-2010 05:52 AM
The BMW Performance Power Kit is available for the xDrive35i and xDrive50i. Horsepower for the 6 cylinder is bumped up to 320 and torque goes to 332 lb-ft. For the twin turbo V8 the power level is boosted to 440 hp and torque to 480 lb-ft. 0-60 for the Drive50i is said to be 5 seconds flat now with the $1,370 kit. Performance exhausts for both motors are also being developed. These parts are in addition to the BMW Performance cosmetics modifications which we already detailed. ...Published on 10-05-2010 02:35 AM
We have a new overall 60-130 record for BMW. Mert in his twin turbo E46 M3 has bested the record that was also previously held by a turbocharged E46 M3 running an HPF 2.5 setup. There are a lot of questions about this car but the video speaks volumes. We are also a bit surprised at just how well the power was put down. ...Published on 10-03-2010 07:14 AM
We apologize for the aggressive headline. Actually, we don't, in your face Porsche. Seriously, right in your face. Since BMW is selling a V8 powered M3, no whining can save you this time. BMW was able to surpass Porsche in the standings with their 4th place finish at Road Atlanta. This was enough to give them just one point over Porsche who finished in 5th and was 1 point ahead entering the final race. This one came down to the last lap and was as close as it gets. A very deserving overall victory for BMW Motorsport who can now put the misfortune at Spa behind them. ...Published on 10-02-2010 06:41 PM
ElevenPointFive compiles footage of a number of my 1/4 mile passes at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, Canada. The introduction of the video represents the manufactuers and supporters that have made my success at the track possible while contributing to the endless amounts of fun that I have had with this incredible car. The car is the 3rd quickest and fastest recorded non-nitrous N54 powered BMW on the planet. It has also recorded the quickest and fastest N54 1/4 mile traps and times on any track other than Sacremento Raceway. I hope you enjoy the video. ...Published on 10-01-2010 11:29 PM
Dinan has released their exhaust for the N63 V8 twin turbo X6. The sound is not over the top yet more aggressive keeping the conservative Dinan approach. The claimed gains are only 7 hp and 6 ft-lbs of torque, no dyno as usual. Not exactly the choice for big power. It is a completely bolt-on application and the tips are ceramic coated black for an aggressive look. Pricing comes in at $3599, check out the video for the sound. ...Published on 10-01-2010 08:11 PM
A very concise review of the E92 M3 GTS with some good points. The fact that the GT3 RS is 10,000 pounds less in the UK makes the GTS difficult to justify. Especially considering the 997.2 GT3 RS is lighter and faster. The M3 with its stroked V8 and DCT should be faster. ...Published on 10-01-2010 06:08 AM
This could have ended up a whole lot worse. Here we have a Russian guy having a bit of fun on city streets. Some of the passes are quite... questionable. All seems to be going fine until the very end when he loses it in a turn. He is fortunate, on a different turn with a different barrier this could have been a tragedy. ...Published on 09-30-2010 05:15 AM
Apex Speed Tech has announced a plug and play S54 ECU kit utilizing the Vi-PEC V88 is available for $3400. This includes a complete plug and play harness. The ECU has dual map capability which means pump and race tunes at the flip of a switch. It also supports the E46 traction control. Apex Speed Tech is claiming they have used this ECU successfully in everything from road racing to 1200 whp twin turbo setups. We haven't seen these twin turbo setups personally or any details of to support that claim but this plug and play ECU should open up the S54 to some interesting custom setups as well as a variety of swaps. ...Published on 09-29-2010 06:47 PM
A bit of a debate has been raging on the forum which led to our user DonDon requesting his Powerchip dyno graphs be posted. These graphs were sent to us a while ago but we did not post them as we wanted to see how the situation was resolved before judging anyone. However, the owner of this car, DonDon, requested they now be put up due to his displeasure with Powerchip. As you can see in the graphs, the car loses power from idle to 7000 rpm. It only gains power beyond 7k and it does so due to being heavily leaned out. This tune would give the impression of greater top end gains even though the stock file is actually a better tune. Take a look at the graphs and come to your own conclusion as they are compared with stock. We also are not sure if the situation has been properly resolved yet.. ...Published on 09-29-2010 05:48 AM
BMW has been doing a lot of promotional activity before the Paris show. It has stemmed from their dontblogaboutthis.com website which has been teasing us for so long our mouse cursor has turned blue. We did as they asked, and didn't blog or write about it, because we found the lame (sorry, they were lame) teasers quite boring. It was just an old 6 series being shown, yawn. So what changed? The most recent teaser showed what looked like the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept. Well, that got our attention. It seems BMW is ready to unveil the production version at the Paris Autoshow, as in, in the next 24 hours. ...Published on 09-29-2010 12:58 AM
You may be asking yourself, who the hell is Classic Heroes? Well, they are a British site dedicated to classic BMW's. Check out the video of their look back at the E30 M3 and you can get idea of the passion they have for classic motorsport inspired BMW's. A bit of a different review than we are used to, with far more story telling and emotion in comparison to say the flash/entertainment of something like Top Gear. ...Published on 09-28-2010 09:48 PM
We have seen a lot of speculation regarding the powerplant of the new 1 series M car and it has mostly boiled down to "N54 or N55?" Well, we think the vehicle is going to have a combination of both powerplants. Huh? What? Bear with us for a moment. What do we know so far? We have seen part of the exhaust which seems to imply a single turbo due to the piping. This is not 100% of a confirmation obviously as we are going by blurred photos of the exhaust stream but it does make sense. Also, some BMW insiders have hinted at a "hybrid" motor. What does this mean? Well, it most likely means a hybrid of the N54 and N55. ...Published on 09-27-2010 04:03 PM
We are down to the last race in the ALMS season, the big one, the Petit Le Mans. On October 2nd, the 10 hour race to decide it all will take place at Road Atlanta. BMW has done incredibly well, winning one race and finishing on the podium in every single race. We want to give respect to Porsche and Patrick Long who has simply done an incredible job and has seemingly been the difference. We have no doubt that Patrick Long and Jorg Bergmeister will take the GT Drivers championship home. BMW has to finish ahead of Porsche to win the overall manufacturer championship. ...Published on 09-27-2010 03:38 PM
Saab has confirmed reports that they have been seeking BMW powerplants for the 9-3. The most difficult thing for a small producer is to have engines that meet tightening emissions regulations. For Saab, having BMW supply the motors makes sense as it would cut a significant cost in automobile production. To just put it bluntly, BMW makes better motors than Saab and probably has a bigger budget for windshield wipers than Saab does for motors. Spyker, the parent company of Saab, is set to announce the deal at the Paris Motorshow. N55 SAAB 9-3 anyone? ...Published on 09-27-2010 05:50 AM
Active Autowerke is currently considering building an SC kit for M62 V8 powered BMW's. This means a complete bolt-on kit that can be installed yourself with full instructions provided. The price would be somewhere around the $5,000 mark with power output in the 440 hp or low to mid 300 whp range. Active Autowerke is currently gauging interest and looking for a development car. Considering the M62 platform does not get too much love and what is out there is expensive or custom ($8700 for the closest competition, which would be Dinan), M62 owners should welcome this with open arms. ...Published on 09-24-2010 09:16 PM
It seems that the Active Autowerke supercharger for the E92 M3 has already claimed a motor. We were suprised to learn of this since AA took so much time to come to market and did extensive testing. The vehicle in question has meth in addition to 93 octane so we don't feel this was a fueling issue. If the motor blew with meth as a safety on top of 93 octane it leaves either the tune as the issue or a defect in the motor. Additionally, Active changes the plugs on the motor to colder heat range HKS plugs. Take a look at the shots of the plugs to see that they may have played a part in the motor blowing. The factory plugs are an intricate part of the knock control systeml. ...Published on 09-23-2010 10:03 PM
To do some street setup track testing. I wanted to see how my current DD setup actually performs in the real-world. And now I know. I got 3 runs in, the track was crazy packed, A LOT of cool-down time.. So, full weight, 93 oct pump/meth 90/10 mix. map 7, meth map1 (18.5psi)
The first 2 runs were done on street tires because i wanted to see how that would go. Video's are in the link below the slips. ...
Today, 03:38 AM