My E46 in the USA

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Which part of the brake regeneration feature was interesting for you ?

I enabled that on a ride recently ..... Was quite passive.

You know how a normal car coasts when u take your foot off the gas pedal? In the i3 the brakes bite as soon as the gas pedal is released and my body justs jerks forward. So for a smoother ride I'll have to coast to a stop by slowly easing off the gas, then use the brake pedal for the final part of coming to a complete stop.

 

[Codewerx]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Don't think it's the brake regen doing that unless the way it's implemented changed .....

You know how a normal car coasts when u take your foot off the gas pedal? In the i3 the brakes bite as soon as the gas pedal is released and my body justs jerks forward. So for a smoother ride I'll have to coast to a stop by slowly easing off the gas, then use the brake pedal for the final part of coming to a complete stop.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Don't think it's the brake regen doing that unless the way it's implemented changed .....

Top gear describes the one-pedal driving best: First drive: BMW i3 - BBC Top Gear

Don't forget the i3 is fully electric (no range extender gas engine on the one i drove), so it may respond differently than a regular hybrid (which i havent driven before). What car are you comparing to?

 

[Codewerx]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Reminds me of the bumper cars in the amusement parks .........

Shocking.

Top gear describes the one-pedal driving best: First drive: BMW i3 - BBC Top Gear

Don't forget the i3 is fully electric (no range extender gas engine on the one i drove), so it may respond differently than a regular hybrid (which i havent driven before). What car are you comparing to?

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Reminds me of the bumper cars in the amusement parks .........

Shocking.

It's not that bad, just gotta learn how to drive differently than a regular car....like shifting smoothly in a manual car so your passengers' necks dont snap

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

115K mile oil and filter change:

 

[Codewerx]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Sucking it out from the top ? Guess it's better to do this while it's warm ?

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Why are u up so early? Lol

Yes the oil extractor sucks it through the dipstick tube. And I did the oil change about 15min after I got home so the oil's pretty warm...

 

[Codewerx]

Re: My E46 in the USA

I reached home not too long ago as well after finishing up on tuning the last ride ..........

Doing it through the dipstick pipe or ..... ?

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

I reached home not too long ago as well after finishing up on tuning the last ride ..........

Doing it through the dipstick pipe or ..... ?

Yup, just push the plastic hose into the dipstick pipe and begin pumping and let it suck while I change the filter. But the extractor has to be stored clean, so after I emptied the oil from the extractor I had to suck soapy water through the hose and wash the extractor, otherwise according to reviews of the product, the oil might damage the seals and o-rings

 

[nored]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Will the oil be suck up clean?

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Will the oil be suck up clean?

Some guy in a local facebook group removed his oil drain plug the next day after sucking out the oil and reported not seeing a drop of oil coming out. Today I got out approx. 6.5 quarts of dirty oil out, so it's good enough for me. My only concern is the oil drain bolt seizing if I dont remove it, so I'm considering letting an indy shop do my next oil change at inspection II.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Just upgraded my potato camera (4 to 5S) so here are some test shots:

Premium gas (91-93 AKI) is at USD 3.99/gallon which works out to about SGD 1.32/L and usually peaks around USD 4.30/gal or so in the summer, and drops to about USD 3.40/gal in the winter.... Gas is still cheaper than in Sg, but driving distances are longer so we feel the pain too...

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

double post.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Finally got my suspension kit after waiting for 2.5 months! It's a basic OE replacement setup, nothing fancy like the bilsteins because I'm on a tight budget. I'm replacing most of the parts including the mounts, nuts and bolts and installing reinforcement plates, but I plan to re-use the bump stop and dust boots. Here's everything pictured except the spring compressors:

Now I need to find a time to install them with the help of a friend.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Earlier this week I went to the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, TN which is about 200 miles away from Atlanta. No problems encountered but my car sure feels underpowered when going up the mountains with two passengers and a trunk full of stuff.

 

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Have you considered changing your rear differentials ?

Get one out of a 330i ZHP from a junkyard for a swap ?

Earlier this week I went to the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, TN which is about 200 miles away from Atlanta. No problems encountered but my car sure feels underpowered when going up the mountains with two passengers and a trunk full of stuff.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

No, not really. I've been trying to spend more on maintenance than on mods, but I most likely will get one if mine fails. Also trying to save up for an E46 M3 and I want to have the cash ready if the right one pops out on the market.

Does the rear diff make a noticeable difference? I feel the lack of power even on straight uphill slopes....

Have you considered changing your rear differentials ?

Get one out of a 330i ZHP from a junkyard for a swap ?

 

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Makes quite a diff ..... Had my previous ride changed from 3.64 to 3.91 for the final drive ........

No, not really. I've been trying to spend more on maintenance than on mods, but I most likely will get one if mine fails. Also trying to save up for an E46 M3 and I want to have the cash ready if the right one pops out on the market.

Does the rear diff make a noticeable difference? I feel the lack of power even on straight uphill slopes....

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

This past sunday I got my new shocks and springs installed at my friend's place. Took us about 6 hours in total including going to an auto parts store to get a socket for holding the top strut nut while unscrewing the hex bolt of the strut.

While adding a reinforcement plate to my passenger strut we realized it couldn't fit because my strut tower is mushroomed, so I gotta get it hammered flat before re-installing the plate and then taking it for an alignment two weeks later.

Here is a pic of the strut tower:

Overall, the car handles better in that it soaks up bumps from potholes and patched roads much smoother.