The new wheels and tires were fitted on the 335i shortly after delivery, but wouldn't have looked right with the stock ride height. so KW and local los angeles shop auto talent determined the best way to set up the suspension. "i expected the ride to be rough but it's somehow smoother than stock," he told us. "the car came with 18" run-flat wheels and tires and was really stiff. auto talent has done more than 30 setups on the e92 so knew the best suspension for street and spirited driving. they set the damping and ride height on the coilovers and i'm really surprised with how well it performs and the comfort."
While auto talent installed the new KW variant 2 coilovers, they also put on beefier 27mm front and 20mm rear h&r sway bars. the rotora brakes were also installed by auto talent, although the calipers were originally red, "everybody has red brakes," he ranted. "Yellow sets them off better." steven chose the famous porsche speed yellow to paint the front eight-piston and rear four-piston calipers. they're matched to massive 15" front and 14" rear cross-drilled rotors. "they have a little stiffer pedal feel, and are a little more sensitive but are also sturdy and stop relatively well."
The stock aerodynamics were now beginning to look out of place, so steven contacted pacificie for an exterior update, which entailed rieger bumpers and side skirts. the new body kit made the car dramatically edgier and more pronounced. a carbon front splitter and black-painted rear diffuser also add a nice contrast.
The rieger parts were fitted by dtm autobody in el monte, ca, which painted the kit and ensured a close fit. the company also fabricated the custom trunk. "it's a rieger spoiler, but they shaped it like the csl and molded it so it follows the lines of the car." surprisingly, steven told us the rieger pieces still offer good clearance. although it looks wide and aggressive in person, it's still easy to drive and he apparently doesn't have to worry about most curbs or bumps.
For the final touches, steven had dtm paint the front kidney grilles and window trim black to eliminate the stark chrome.
Carbon trim by eurorev looks flawless
Steven liked the stock interior so left it unmolested. the only update was carbon trim modified by eurorev. "they took my stock dash and overlaid all the carbon," he explained. "i was afraid to buy a kit because it might not fit well but overlaying the stock pieces ensured a perfect fitment." ten pieces were installed, including the center console, dash, doors, rear console and ashtray.
Last but not least was the engine work. the 335i's twin-turbo 3.0 six is still relatively new and since no big turbo kits were available, steven consulted with auto talent. They recommended an rdsport piggyback ecu, which claims to add 30whp, plus quad exhaust system. the latter helped to create a more convincing sound and contributed 13whp.
Steven told us more engine work is on the way. "i'll do more as parts become available," he concluded. "there are people running custom software with downpipes and frontmount intercoolers making 400whp. that's my goal." it's only a matter of time before steven reaches that mark with the parts now available. for now, we can forget about that m3...
Tech spec
2007 BMW 335i
Engine: 3.0 liter twinturbocharged straight-six with rdsport black box software and quad exhaust, titek hKs ssQ blow-off valveDrivetrain: six-speed manual transmission suspension: KW variant 2 coilovers, h&r front and rear sway bars
BraKes: rotora cross-drilled 380mm front rotors with eightpiston calipers, 355mm rear rotors with four-piston calipers painted porsche speed yellow
Wheels & tires: 20x8.5" front and 20x10" rear iforged precision series essen wheels with 245/30-20 front, 285/25-20 rear toyo t1r tires