FRONT SPLITTER & SIDE SKIRT EXTENSIONS

JULY 8, 2024

Finally completing the cosmetic side of my 1 series build with some side skirt extensions. Picked these up off eBay not expecting much and well... they met my expectations exactly. Not the nicest but they'll do. Simple gloss black plastic to match the overall esthetic of the car while offering worry-free scraping capabilities mean these will serve my purposes perfectly.

limited slip differential

MAY 23, 2024

After literal years of deliberation, I finally pulled the trigger and brought the rear end of this car up to snuff. An expensive upgrade for sure, we now officially have an LSD in the car! As of the updating of this site, I’m still within the break in miles and haven’t had a change to explore the full range of the new diff’s capabilities but I fully intend to test her out in the coming months. What I can say so far is that the car feels far more confidence inspiring coming out of corners or powering on mid-way through a bend as you open up toward a straightaway. And having had a rough run-in with the previous open differential, I can already say the new diff offers far greater control when the rear-end developed a mind of its own.

Will keep this entry current once we have an opportunity to fully “break in” the diff but for now, I’m happy with the update.

BUSHINGS, MOUNTS, REAR SWAY BAR & BRAKE LINES

MAY 23, 2024

Continuing to get carried away with building this car… this one was an expensive one 😳

In conjunction with the LSD from above, I took the opportunity to refresh every single bushing and mount in the car while the rear subframe was down. This was something I’d contemplated doing for some time now so I bit the bullet and pulled the trigger, taking advantage of stacked labor costs. On the bright side, I can officially confirm the notorious 1 series “wobble” in the rear end has been completely dealt with and I now have the stiffness and precision of an M chassis.

We ended up swapping the tired OEM rubber for Condor Speed Motor, Transmission, & Diff mounts as well as complete rear subframe bushing kit. I’ve often read about how big of a difference these mods make to the feel of a car but can now confirm first-hand that they transform the handling characteristics of the car completely! While expensive, the bushings and mounts provide a level of confidence and control that was otherwise absent on the OEM rubber.

10/10 would recommend everyone swap their OEM subframe bushings for some prior performance replacements!

1M style front bumper

December 24, 2023

God I love me a good looking front bumper... and the old blokes at M figured that out 12 years ago.

Decided I wanted to take photos of the front of my car for a change and wanted to do something about the stock 1 series bumper so we elected to swap for a 1M style front bumper and paint match to Vermillion Red Metallic. After living with the car for over a week now, I have to say this was one of the best mod decisions I've made since starting this build.

I can't stop cranking my head around in parking lots every time I post up the car and snapping photos from the front quarter has never been so satisfying.

Turner Monoball Thrust Arm Bearings

December 16, 2023

When M3 parts simply aren’t solid enough…

Went a little crazy trying to diagnose some tire wear issues and vague steering with the car. Provided both wheels were showing negative camber after 2 weeks of driving and having just spent $1,500 on fresh PS4S’s for the car, decided my stock M3 bushings were likely providing some unwanted play which was contributing to my problems. After some quick research, I came across Turner’s solid thrust arm bearings which eliminate and lateral movement and provide even more precise steering feel without too much added noise, vibration, or harshness.

1 week of daily driving later and I can confidently tell you, these bearings tighten up the steering on this car like you wouldn't believe! You no longer have softer rubber flexing under load meaning the car tracks straight and true even at speed. This mod only further enhanced the “go-cart” feeling of the car.

Michilin Pilot sport 4s

December 13, 2023

Re-upped the rubber on my 1 series with the key difference being I paid @mrsexys2k a visit who kindly cut and rolled my fenders to provide a little extra clearance, and then slipped on some 245/35 R18 in the front and 265/35 R18 Pilot Sport 4s in the rear.

As far as tire specs go, this is pretty close to idea for my preferences and with the space constraints of a tiny car. I can now proudly say I have the same amount of contact patch as an M2 / M2c out of the box and on a tiny car like this, is more than enough!

M3 steering rack

October 7, 2023

Throughout this entire build, my prerogative has been simple: stiffen, tighten, and solidify the car at all costs. And when it comes to steering, I didn’t deviate from this philosophy in the slightest.

From the factory, the 135i comes with a 16.0 : 1 steering ratio out of the box. Meaning for every 16° of steering input at the wheel, you get 1° of direction change where the tire meets the road. This may be adequate for the usual grocery run and occasional canyon drive, however, it was FAR too “soft” for my preferences. Adhering to my philosophy of upgrading and stiffening the car at every opportunity — and having pushed the original rack a bit too hard in a night session a few weeks prior — I took it upon myself to swap the OEM rack for the quicker and more direct feeling 1M/M3 rack of the same era.

As it would turn out, these racks provide a direct fit with our little 1ers, and while the difference in ratios might seem small on paper, they amount to a substantial difference when the rubber meets the road! With a quicker 12.5 : 1 ratio, the car is faster to respond, offers a better feel & engagement, and eliminates any scenario where hand-over-hand action was previously required. If you have the means, you should definitely consider swapping for an M3 rack. The only “down side” is the absence of the electronic steering servo found in the M3 from factory, missing on our little 1ers. Though when I say “down side”, I really mean this as a perk… What this equates to in the real world is a heavier steering feel at low speeds though if I’m completely honesty, I couldn’t be bothered. When navigating gas stations or parking lots, the feel is akin to a manual rack, requiring extra effort down low but as I said, I’m all for it. Some M3 owners even go so far as to disconnect the servo altogether for a more manual steering experience. All this to say, I’m a fan of the extra weight in the slow speeds, and in the canyons, the steering feel is heavenly! In short: I LIKE THE MOD 😉

vorshlag camber plates

September 22, 2023

Was hesitant to mention these on the build page but they’re in the car so here goes…

Let’s start with the good stuff.: yes, negative camber up front will definitely improve the turn-in responsiveness of your car. Overall, these make for an amazing driving experience when they’re dialed in.

HOWEVER, the experience getting these plates into the car was another story. After two separate installation attempts, returning for a third to address some terribly abhorrent cluncking, and having two separate top mounts AND bearing holders sent my way I can confidently say this was the worst installation process I’ve ever experienced. To be fair, I do have different suspension which makes it more difficult to select the right parts for compatability but goodness this was far from a smooth process and, might I add, expensive too 🥲 Two installs, two alignments, and having to buy a second bearing holder to replace the first one sent to me… you do the math. I guess they’re nice to drive on?

Performance brake kit

September 22, 2023

Zimmerman Performance Rotors, EBC Red Stuff Pads, ECS Stainless Steel Braided Lines, Motul RBF600 Fluid

Not at all necessary but finally took the time to overhaul the brakes on the car. Went with some hot-boi Drilled & Slotted rotors from Zimmerman, Red Stuff pads from EBC, and Stainless Steel lines from ECS (Couldn’t find StopTec lines in stock anywhere), and rounded it out with some Motul RBF600 fluid. Again, these will likely have little to no effect on my overall braking performance relative to stock but they definitely look cool now and at least I have piece of mind that the fluid has been flushed and we have fresh pads on the car.

Overall, probably not worth the money but life is short…

HoTCHKIS FRONT SWAY BAR

June 11, 2023

Finally putting the final pieces of this suspension set up into place with quite possibly the stiffest front sway bar on the market. Measuring in at a whopping 32mm in thickness, the rigidity of the car is now officially on a completely different level. In combination with the KW v3 coilovers and M3 Control Arms, the car feels night and day different from stock and dare I say, now has characteristics that resemble sometihing on the order of an M2 or M2 Competition.

I maintain, suspension should always come first when building a car. Along with braking power, making a car handle well with limited power is the best way to learn the true potential of a platform. Now that the car sounds and feels amazing, brakes are on order next, then some fun interior bits, and finally, MORE POWAHHH!

e9x m3 control arms

January 15, 2023

Continuing to dial in the suspension set up on this car, I opted to add the BMW e9x upper and lower control arm kit to the build. While it’s difficult to discern a monumental increase in performance as a result of this upgrade, there is a noticeable amount of improvement in the overall steering feel throughout all speeds. While the steering rack remains the same (hydraulically assisted and amazing 🤤) the overall level of “tightness” improved with the car no longer having that 135i “dead zone” characteristic when pointed in a straight line. The best way I can describe the upgrade: if you make an input on the steering wheel no matter how small, the car is going to move in that direction.

Overall, pleased with the upgrade and for ~$400 its certainly worth doing.

KW v3 coilover suspension

October 13, 2022

Perhaps the largest item on a long list of modifications I wanted to tackle on this car was the suspension. Out of the box, the 135i is a playful car thanks to its small footprint, short wheelbase, and relatively sporty handling. Despite this, I couldn’t help but desire more from the car having driven the full M lineup ranging from M2’s to M8 Comps and ultimately settling on the M2 Comp as the absolute dream setup. After months of deliberation, I finally decided to shell out the cash to pick up a set of KW v3 Coilovers and even spent a little extra to have them installed professionally by Precision Dynamics down in Costa Mesa. I must admit, for bring a pricy suspension option, they certainly deliver in the quality and performance departments. Body roll has been virtually eliminated at this point and the car handles like 90% of an M2 Comp. Have a few more suspension components to go in to bring me to that 100% but suffice it to say I’m a happy camper with my newer, stiffer suspension setup :)

competition-style wheels

August 27, 2022

Finally dialed in my dream wheel specs! Had some major doubts about fitment, rubbing, and whether this setup would work at all or if I would be left with an expensive bill and a set of wheels that don’t fit on my car… After months of deliberation, measuring, and combing the forums, I decided the finally pull the trigger and boy am I glad I did 😍 There’s something about the classic 359M wheel style that works so well on these earlier 2000/2010’s BMWs. They complement the curves of the car so well and give the car MAJOR 1M vibes ;) And don’t even get me started about that hyper silver finish + vermillion red metallic paint combo 🤤

Wheel setup for me: 8/8, very moist 💦

Refreshed Kidney Grills

AUGUST 24, 2022

New kidney grill installed on the 135i to give it a bit of an OEM+ / LCI+ look! We've got some big changes to the car coming in the next month that I'm super excited to share with you all! (Hint: it involves filming a cinematic feature to encapsulate the car in it's current, sticker'd configuration as a memento of a time when I drove around shamelessly like a complete idiot 😂)

Berk technology catback race exhaust

July 16, 2022

Decided the old girl could use a bit of a refresh in the exhaust department so I went ahead and installed a Berk Technology Full Race Catback Exhaust to give it that extra bit of grunt. This had a massive improvement on the volume and and overall tone of the exhaust without going over the top. At this point, I am completely satisfied with the level of sound and refinement the car has! I couldn't have imagined my car to ever sound this good...

Still pinching myself it sounds so good!

Duraflex R1 Rear Diffuser

March 25, 2022

Join me as I attempt to mount my very own R1 Diffuser.

I'm a fan of the new diffuser design as it presents a more aggressive and flared look to the rear of the car. While this may not have been the cleanest install, I'm certainly happy with the way the diffuser mounted up for my first time. Should I get the car on a lift at some point in the near future, I may have a second look to clean up some of my handy work but for the time being, she should be all set.

STICKERS, THEREFORE RACECAR

November 28, 2021

In light of my first track day in the 1 Series, I customized my car to look like a Racecar.

I did this primarily as a joke as I'm definitely not taking my racing too seriously as an amateur, but it was still a bunch of fun creating something unique of my own. Since some of you have been asking to see all of the stickers on the car, I figured I would film a quick walk-around video outlining all of the stickers on the car. If you have any suggestions for stickers you'd like to see on the car, drop them in the comments below or DM me on Instagram!

“Sticker Kits” for Sale soon!

Carbon Fiber Interior wrap

October 31, 2021

I completed my first ever mod on my 2012 BMW 135i!

Ended up wrapping the original wood interior in carbon fiber for a sportier look and couldn't be happier! The process was everything but short and challenge free but in my opinion, the final result was well worth it. In total, the wrap was around $20-25 on Amazon (link below) and took roughly 5-6 hours to apply on the car. Disassembily was by far the most difficult part of the process but in the end, I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

VRSF HIGH PERFORMANCE INTERCOOLER

February 2019

Endless pulls, canyon rips, and hard driving with intake them that remain consistently cool! While I never had the pleasure of driving the car prior to the intercooler being installed, I can honestly say I’ve never felt a lack of power or performance due to heat soak or warm operating temperatures.

FMICs are often one of the first prerequisites for any tuning or further modifications to a build so certainly good to have this done early and have the car running nice and cool before adding any additional power!

Michilin Pilot sport 4s

October 2018

From what I’ve heard, these are about as good a tire as you can get for everyday + aggressive driving. From what I’ve seen, it seems like just about every super car and even hypercar that isn’t running some crazy Cup 2 or Trofeo R tire, also run a PS4S. Finally, from what I can tell, these are more than enough tire for me. The grip and feedback are beyond the limit of what I could ever ask of the car and on top of this, add in some proper M3 suspension and performance bits, and the car is bity and as sticky as I need. These are great tires for southern California year-round driving and offer some of the best driving experiences I could have ever desired.

I’ll also add that I’ve tried to break traction intentionally with my car and even in very wet conditions, there’s still too much grip to overcome traction. This might also be related to the #opendifflife i’m still running at the time of typing this but suffice it to say, THESE TIRES ARE GRIPPY AS HELL 🔥