23i vs 30i.. or 4 pot?

[Anonymous]

I'll carry on rambling..

Car wise to talk to the issue of when is it enough power..

In the old days of company cars..

I had an Audi 80 quattro with a 2 litre 114 BHP engine
Then a Rover 220 Turbo Coupe with a 2 litre 200 BHP engine
Finally an Audi A4 Quattro with a 2.6 V6 150 BHP engine

The Audi 80 felt gutless and ponderous, the Rover bad,mad and dangerous, the A4 beautifully balanced, utterly composed and lovely to drive..its the only car SWMBO cried about when it was taken from her by the leasing company..

So the moral of the tale is you have to see for yourself!

 

[maxman]

I find the 23i is a sweet reving motor with a lovely gearchange The roads around here are like farm tracks in parts ,so I have kept to the 17in wheels with Michelin non run flats which helps smooth out all but the worst of the potholes.
I had an e85 3.0 previous with the n54 motor which pulled like a train,the n52 seems more willing to rev.
The e89 seems more prone to sneaks from the plastic trim.

 

[enuff_zed]

I find it interesting that the motor of preference seems to go in phases. Not so long ago the 35is boys were all over the forum discussing why it had to be the only one (and as the range topper, why not?). Then the 18i/20i/28i remapping discussion took off big time for a few months. Now it seems the 23i is gaining a surge of interest.
Whilst we all have our own preferences, it is most refreshing that this forum, unlike many others, does not look down on owners who have anything less than the top of the range model.

 

[Deepseaskateboard]

I find it interesting that the motor of preference seems to go in phases. Not so long ago the 35is boys were all over the forum discussing why it had to be the only one (and as the range topper, why not?). Then the 18i/20i/28i remapping discussion took off big time for a few months. Now it seems the 23i is gaining a surge of interest.
Whilst we all have our own preferences, it is most refreshing that this forum, unlike many others, does not look down on owners who have anything less than the top of the range model.

Each one has their own pros / cons.

The 35is from what I gather is quite a machine, but also costs substantially more to run. It also has some expensive common issues.

I have a 20i, I do about 3-4000 miles per year in it. It’s cheap to run, quite reliable and quick enough as you say.

I would be interested hearing one from the outside though, I thought it sounded quite good, but then learned of that active sound unit thing! Ugh.

 

[mr.tourette]

I have to say regarding engine size as a previous motorcycle track day addict, riding modern bikes my best lap times were on 600cc/750cc rather than the 1000cc bikes, I was generally a few seconds slower, everything just flowed better for me when i wasn't going in too quick then out too slow , hence the fact im not overly concerned on the bigger engine size..nice to have but not really necessary on UK roads

 

[R.E92]

I find it interesting that the motor of preference seems to go in phases. Not so long ago the 35is boys were all over the forum discussing why it had to be the only one (and as the range topper, why not?). Then the 18i/20i/28i remapping discussion took off big time for a few months. Now it seems the 23i is gaining a surge of interest.
Whilst we all have our own preferences, it is most refreshing that this forum, unlike many others, does not look down on owners who have anything less than the top of the range model.

It's more to do with the fact the 35i/is topic has been done to death whereas the discussion about which slow model is the least slow is still raging

The demographic here is also very different to most car forums, less focused on performance and more on early bird dinners. The other Z4 forums have more focus on the twin turbo models.

 

[Nictrix]

I find it interesting that the motor of preference seems to go in phases. Not so long ago the 35is boys were all over the forum discussing why it had to be the only one (and as the range topper, why not?). Then the 18i/20i/28i remapping discussion took off big time for a few months. Now it seems the 23i is gaining a surge of interest.
Whilst we all have our own preferences, it is most refreshing that this forum, unlike many others, does not look down on owners who have anything less than the top of the range model.

It may be that because the Op specifically said that he wasnt interested in the 35s so the focus has been the models he is interested in.

 

[mr.tourette]

looking to jump into an e89 in the next few months, now unfortunately I've not even test drove any e89 and cant find any locally to try, pretty sure i want a 6 pot though I'm not completely ruling out a 4 pot blower, not looking to any of the 35s... budget is 10k max.. would appreciate any and all opinions, market wise the 23i seems to have the most availability and if I'm completely honest would probably be quick enough, in some ways i almost prefer a smaller engine that you have to wring its neck a bit to get the best out of it... anyway I digress, would love to hear what current 23i owners think of their, happy with the power and drive.. anyone regret not getting the 3 litre.. opinions of all e89 appreciated regardless of what engine you plumped for

Steve, send me a message near the W/E if you want run in my e89.

Thanks Alan, I was hoping you might chime in Im away this weekend but Im in no rush, I'll message you when I get back and see if we can set something up, Cheers pal

 

[maxman]

looking to jump into an e89 in the next few months, now unfortunately I've not even test drove any e89 and cant find any locally to try, pretty sure i want a 6 pot though I'm not completely ruling out a 4 pot blower, not looking to any of the 35s... budget is 10k max.. would appreciate any and all opinions, market wise the 23i seems to have the most availability and if I'm completely honest would probably be quick enough, in some ways i almost prefer a smaller engine that you have to wring its neck a bit to get the best out of it... anyway I digress, would love to hear what current 23i owners think of their, happy with the power and drive.. anyone regret not getting the 3 litre.. opinions of all e89 appreciated regardless of what engine you plumped for

Steve, send me a message near the W/E if you want run in my e89.

Thanks Alan, I was hoping you might chime in Im away this weekend but Im in no rush, I'll message you when I get back and see if we can set something up, Cheers pal

 

[mr wilks]

The other Z4 forums have more focus on the twin turbo models.

:? "other" Z4 forums :? man what have i been missing

 

[flybobbie]

[ref]Pbondar[/ref], all very good points.
And wasn't it James Hunt who drove an Austin A30 or A35 van as it was the only car he felt he could use to the limits and keep his licence?

Think when he passed he had a car up on house bricks outside his home and a shed load of budgies.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Think when he passed he had a car up on house bricks outside his home and a shed load of budgies.

I don't know about the budgies but I believe the car was a Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 with no wheels on it!

 

[ronk]

The 3.0l has that ability to bumble along at low rpm and pick up - I don’t think the smaller 4pots can do that? I find the drive more relaxing.

 

[Anonymous]

The 3.0l has that ability to bumble along at low rpm and pick up - I don’t think the smaller 4pots can do that? I find the drive more relaxing.

23i available torque 250nm at 2750 rpm
30i available torque 315nm between 2750 to 4250 rpm
20i available torque 270nm between 1250 to 4500 rpm
28i available torque 350nn between 1250 to 4800 rpm

So under almost all conditions a N20 makes more torque over both a broader and lower starting rpm

That’s why modern engines are turbo’d...lots more low down torque allied to wide ratio auto boxes equals better book fuel consumption..

Ron I wouldn’t let facts get in the way of facts...

Figures all BMW official figures for relevant E89 models..

 

[Anonymous]

The demographic here is also very different to most car forums, less focused on performance and more on early bird dinners. The other Z4 forums have more focus on the twin turbo models.


OK guys how many of you are early bird diners and where?

My peak period for those was 1985 to 1990 at Harvesters..remember those...the buffet salad bar...how high could you get the pile up..

Played murder with my one piece leathers getting on and off the GPz1000RX and Yamaha Exup

 

[ronk]

The 3.0l has that ability to bumble along at low rpm and pick up - I don’t think the smaller 4pots can do that? I find the drive more relaxing.

23i available torque 250nm at 2750 rpm
30i available torque 315nm between 2750 to 4250 rpm
20i available torque 270nm between 1250 to 4500 rpm
28i available torque 350nn between 1250 to 4800 rpm

So under almost all conditions a N20 makes more torque over both a broader and lower starting rpm

That’s why modern engines are turbo’d...lots more low down torque allied to wide ratio auto boxes equals better book fuel consumption..

Ron I wouldn’t let facts get in the way of facts...

Figures all BMW official figures for relevant E89 models..

I did say that I didn’t think they could bumble along like a 6cyl but quite happy to be proven wrong

 

[R.E92]

The other Z4 forums have more focus on the twin turbo models.

:? "other" Z4 forums :? man what have i been missing

There's a E89 forum on both bimmerpost and spoolstreet. Also a quite a few Z4 users use the N54 specific areas of those forums.

 

[scootr]

I found a bargain 2.5 here in the US so I took it for a spin. I was surprised but the pep, not too bad I thought... so I bought a 3.0 straight away and I'm still lovin it
N52 is one of BMWs best engines evva. No carboned valves, great reliability - loads of torque and sounds great. Love the little burble at 3500 rpms. Once in a while I think I need more hp so I get in the Mustang only to come home and hug the little roadster. :roll: The 3L E89 6spd is some kinda sweet spot.

 

[mr.tourette]

Incidentally how are the gear boxes on the e89, i remember test driving a few e85s before I bought my auto and the boxes where somewhat "agricultural" Have they improved in the e89 and do they need a cdv delete? Ive clocked a nice model but its on run flats..how are they on the e89 do you still get tramlining? I'd obviously be looking to change them at some point but perhaps not straight away until I can save a few pennies again

 

[enuff_zed]

Incidentally how are the gear boxes on the e89, i remember test driving a few e85s before I bought my auto and the boxes where somewhat "agricultural" Have they improved in the e89 and do they need a cdv delete? Ive clocked a nice model but its on run flats..how are they on the e89 do you still get tramlining? I'd obviously be looking to change them at some point but perhaps not straight away until I can save a few pennies again

I have no experience of an E85 on runflats, but I recently took the original ones of my E89 and fitted Goodyear Assy 5s. The difference is night and day to me!

Although I would say I experienced no real tramlining. It was just the crash and bang on every tiny bump in the road that got to me. Felt it was only kindness to the car to stop shock-loading it every couple of seconds!

Then when I changed them I discovered the huge improvement in handling too.