any ideas to make e82 as sharp as a cayman

[shadowiix]

just test drove a cayman s today and was shocked on how flat the car was around corners how short the shifter was and how well balanced the car was. left me envious of it. so i was wondering what would be the best way to mimic that with our cars?

[Mark M]

While I have never drove a Cayman, I can comment that first you need to look at the design constraints placed on a given product.

Porsche was targeting enthusiastic drivers who love the Porsche heritage and feel, yet were looking for a lower price point than the 911 series. Thus their target market was fairly narrow in scope.

BMW was targeting a broader audience. They intended to make a performance pocket rocket with the 1er, but they also knew it had to be well rounded for the house wives, for the young exec, etc. So to accomplish this, the design constraints required a sacrafice on pure performance suspension and feel. Additionally, BMW was doing a delicate dance so as to not canibalize sales of the M3.

Now many of us on this forum recognize those design limitations BMW was under and have ran off on our own paths modding till our hearts are content.

To answer your question, first start with a good suspension setup. Prefereably some well matched coilovers like KW, Bilstein, or others. That will give some real feel and flatness to the car. Trust me, just installed KWs and I like!!!! Next, a short shifter and a performance exhaust can all dial in that direct feel, emotion, connection you are looking for.

To further iterate my point about design constraits...BMW knew many of us would want even more from the 1er than they could offer to the general target market audience....this is why we have these cool aftermarket BMW performance parts.

[holo777]

I'm very interested in some of the M3 linkage arms that can be used on the 1's suspension. There are a couple threads on using those that sound like the parts add a more direct feel. I'd do those along with any supsension upgrade while the car is all apart.

[WAY]

Shadow, yes you can. All you need to do is sell the 135i and buy a Cayman S! Lol. In all seriousness, a Cayman/Boxster is one of the most well balanced car out there out of the box. I owned one in the past and it kills my 911 in term of balance. You have no hope of achieving that in a front engine design like the 135i.

[fmxomar]

Originally Posted by WAY

Shadow, yes you can. All you need to do is sell the 135i and buy a Cayman S! Lol. In all seriousness, a Cayman/Boxster is one of the most well balanced car out there out of the box. I owned one in the past and it kills my 911 in term of balance. You have no hope of achieving that in a front engine design like the 135i.

ahhaha i like that nice and simple

[blacknbean]

m3 suspension parts, higher spring rate springs/shocks, and lose 300lbs from your car and it should handle alot better.

[shadowiix]

getting rid of 300lb is easier said than done. lighter rims, suspension, brakes, carbon fiber hood trunk roof, still doesnt even stack up to 300lb. was planning on getting a cayman before i bought my 128i, but insurance and the cost of aftermarket parts turned me off a bit.

[randomquickness]

coilovers and sway bars should be top 2 IMO

[akak1997]

it'll be a tall order to make the 135 handles like the 09 Cayman S. The Cayman S is lighter, MR, and NA 320hp...
as mentioned, coils and sways are a must, wider wheels and grippy tires would be next. but it'll still be quite far away from the Cayman.

Just put a JB3 in the 135 and win in a straight line lol.

[ichiban]

Originally Posted by shadowiix

getting rid of 300lb is easier said than done. lighter rims, suspension, brakes, carbon fiber hood trunk roof, still doesnt even stack up to 300lb. was planning on getting a cayman before i bought my 128i, but insurance and the cost of aftermarket parts turned me off a bit.

change of exhaust should save around 60 lbs, getting light weight seats can net you another 60-70 lbs, lighter battery etc etc. And if you want to go all out, cut away the roof and replace it with CF. that should be 100+# in the most vital area to boot.

[shadowiix]

a lighter battery, forgot about that thing. any ideas what might fit? guys from the m3 e46 forums are putting batteries from the mini or they were talking about this Deka ETX30L. think that would give enough power to our cars and would fit?

[zamm3k]

sharp like a cayman? NO, sharp? quite possibly. Coilovers and M3 trailing and tension arms, bushings and front control arm (all go for around 1,300) should get you a very sharp, crispy car. After that you're going to have to switch out the runflats and get something better and wider. You'll never achieve the feel of a Cayman. The car has a neutral feel to it, much more neutral than our cars. But you can get close. About the 320 NA horsepower the cayman has, I don't think that really factors in as our engines produce torque and power throughout the whole rev band and do actually feel like an NA. I think the most limiting factor on our cars was the suspension, and by this I mean, control arms, tension bars sways bars, struts and spring rates. Also remember when you get most of the M3 suspension parts you're going to get almost one degree or more of camber, which is good.

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by shadowiix

just test drove a cayman s today and was shocked on how flat the car was around corners how short the shifter was and how well balanced the car was. left me envious of it. so i was wondering what would be the best way to mimic that with our cars?

You can get much closer by using M3 front tension rods and lower wishbones, rear guide rods, upper and lower camber links, and rear subframe bushings. Depends on the type of springs and dampers used, you may use the M3 style anti-roll bars or aftermarket units from Hotchkis.

Last, but not least add a good LSD to the car!

[rcracer_tx]

Originally Posted by WAY

Shadow, yes you can. All you need to do is sell the 135i and buy a Cayman S! Lol. In all seriousness, a Cayman/Boxster is one of the most well balanced car out there out of the box. I owned one in the past and it kills my 911 in term of balance. You have no hope of achieving that in a front engine design like the 135i.

Exactly, you can't make a mid-engine 2 seat sports car to have the same handling characteristics as a front engine sports coupe, It simply won't happen...

[ArmieDJ]

go on youtube and check out the video 5th gear did on 135 vs cayman. Surprisingly the 135 beat the cayman in the slalom!

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by shadowiix

just test drove a cayman s today and was shocked on how flat the car was around corners how short the shifter was and how well balanced the car was. left me envious of it. so i was wondering what would be the best way to mimic that with our cars?

Sell the 135, and buy a Cayman S They are not much different in price (if you get your Cayman 2nd hand)

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by WAY

Shadow, yes you can. All you need to do is sell the 135i and buy a Cayman S! Lol. In all seriousness, a Cayman/Boxster is one of the most well balanced car out there out of the box. I owned one in the past and it kills my 911 in term of balance. You have no hope of achieving that in a front engine design like the 135i.

lol - I should have read further down the thread before I post!

[arok]

seriously... with the price of a 135i out the door, you could almost afford an 08 cayman S with 10-15k miles... esp with the economy... and out the box the cayman S is awesome

[woodchuck]

.. bumping .. anybody with knowledge of the mods have specific advice on what suspension upgrades to make a 135 feel more like a Cayman? Tighter, flatter, better turn-in.

[akak1997]

Have you got a chance to check this thread I started?
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233897
It does help with turn in and steering feel. I love it.

[BMWeber]

Originally Posted by woodchuck

.. bumping .. anybody with knowledge of the mods have specific advice on what suspension upgrades to make a 135 feel more like a Cayman? Tighter, flatter, better turn-in.

start with a good coil over kit like Bilstein PSS10, KW V3 or TCkline. add some bigger sticker tires and it will feel great. very simple and will make a world of difference and if your looking for ultimate grip for the race track then get into the control arms, bushings and all the more difficult expensive things.