30i v 28i

Someone should cancel any TV series that features Kevin McCloud banging on about building your own 'better' Grandly Designed home.
I sold my beautiful house and dragged my entire family into a derelict building so we too could build our own Grand Design.
I can feel myself doing the same thing over again. There is a member on this forum, who shall remain nameless, who has a really annoyingly stunning Atacama Yellow Zed on EVERY SINGLE POST, just saying BUY ME, BUY ME. So, here I am again, selling up my virtually perfect Z4, in Melbourne Red in pursuit of the 'sun' and performance (see for sale ad for anyone who wants a 23i).

So, like others, I am torn over engine note, and performance. Like I said earlier, whilst the 6 cylinder N52 engine sounds amazing, the 2.0 engine is not too shabby either. Whenever I drive my Zed, I just feel like it could be a little quicker (and now, because I am clearly affected badly be advertising, a bit more yellow). ...I would be useless on Derren Brown, he could suggest anything to me, and I would be barking like a dog instantly.

So, it's either a 30i man/auto, or 20i remapped to 280 auto.
I would have thought a 2.0 auto Z4 running 280bhp should have done a little better than 0-60 in 5.1s
Closest spec car would be an Audi TTS 2.0 TFSI auto, running 268bhp will do the 0-60 run in 5.0s.
 
GoSteve said:
Someone should cancel any TV series that features Kevin McCloud banging on about building your own 'better' Grandly Designed home.
I sold my beautiful house and dragged my entire family into a derelict building so we too could build our own Grand Design.
I can feel myself doing the same thing over again. There is a member on this forum, who shall remain nameless, who has a really annoyingly stunning Atacama Yellow Zed on EVERY SINGLE POST, just saying BUY ME, BUY ME. So, here I am again, selling up my virtually perfect Z4, in Melbourne Red in pursuit of the 'sun' and performance (see for sale ad for anyone who wants a 23i).

So, like others, I am torn over engine note, and performance. Like I said earlier, whilst the 6 cylinder N52 engine sounds amazing, the 2.0 engine is not too shabby either. Whenever I drive my Zed, I just feel like it could be a little quicker (and now, because I am clearly affected badly be advertising, a bit more yellow). ...I would be useless on Derren Brown, he could suggest anything to me, and I would be barking like a dog instantly.

So, it's either a 30i man/auto, or 20i remapped to 280 auto.
I would have thought a 2.0 auto Z4 running 280bhp should have done a little better than 0-60 in 5.1s
Closest spec car would be an Audi TTS 2.0 TFSI auto, running 268bhp will do the 0-60 run in 5.0s.
Click to expand...

There will always be something faster n more powerful... the ultimate extrapolation being a re-mapped 35is...

30i 6 Speed Manual 258 1470 5.8
30i 6 Speed Auto 258 1505 6.1
28i 6 Speed Manual 245 1480 5.7
28i 8 Speed Auto 245 1500 5.5
280 6 Speed Manual 280 1480 5.4
280 8 Speed Auto 280 1500 5.1
295 6 Speed Manual 295 1480 5.2
295 8 Speed Auto 295 1500 4.9

As you can see a N20 engine tweaked to just under 295bhp should break in the 4’s...

Having started with a bog stick 20i all I can say is that a 280BHP remap transforms the car but still retains poise n handling compared to the heavier 3 litre engines..plus it doesn’t come unstuck when provoked unless it’s in the damp/loose gravel...

For those of us whose gentlemen’s bits have shrunk a bit it’s a good trade off as you can give it the full beans almost anywhere without incipient life/death/write off scenarios..

That seems to be a common thread amongst N20 remapped owners..
 
I will (try) resist any temptation to remap mine. It seems like 400 Bhp is available but reliability does concern me.
 
Pbondar said:
For those of us whose gentlemen’s bits have shrunk a bit it’s a good trade off as you can give it the full beans almost anywhere without incipient life/death/write off scenarios..
Click to expand...
Actually, that's probably summed up exactly where I was trying to get to.
I love the note of my Z4 6 cyl, but ultimately, it's the drive I enjoy most. I raced the Alfa in the 80's, and still ride a unicycle, so I would find myself seeking balance and poise over speed and acceleration. But the 2.5 is great, but if you can tell the difference, it lacks poise and could use more torque.
The whole reason I didn't buy Rich's Atacama yellow 23i was that I didn't just want to replace my colour, I want a little more agility and definately and a little more punch. But 400 hp in the Z4 is probably, 300 too much for the suspension set up.

So, I think it's going to be a 2.0 something (18i/20i/28i) 8 speed auto with a remap to 280 bhp.

ABOUT THOSE 296 19" WHEELS
Then there is the issue of wheels. 296 rims look great. But did they fix them after 2012, or is that a myth.
I think it's time for a new thread, all about wheels.
 
GoSteve said:
Pbondar said:
For those of us whose gentlemen’s bits have shrunk a bit it’s a good trade off as you can give it the full beans almost anywhere without incipient life/death/write off scenarios..
Click to expand...

The whole reason I didn't buy Rich's Atacama yellow 23i was that I didn't just want to replace my colour, I want a little more agility and definately and a little more punch. But 400 hp in the Z4 is probably, 300 too much for the suspension set up.

So, I think it's going to be a 2.0 something (18i/20i/28i) 8 speed auto with a remap to 280 bhp.

ABOUT THOSE 296 19" WHEELS
Then there is the issue of wheels. 296 rims look great. But did they fix them after 2012, or is that a myth.
I think it's time for a new thread, all about wheels.
Click to expand...

Well join the club of ‘well balanced’ N20 re-mapped owners.. :thumbsup: :driving: :fuelfire:

On the 296 I don’t know but the 326 I had were/are notorious for cracking ..anytime anyplace..

How much was purely to do with run flats is debated ..but several folks had 326 crack without runflats
 
I often wonder who could manage all these big Bhp figures if it wasn’t for the soothing hand of all the electronics? I think most of us would have found a few ditches/walls/kerbs by now :rofl:
 
Pbondar said:
GoSteve said:
Pbondar said:
For those of us whose gentlemen’s bits have shrunk a bit it’s a good trade off as you can give it the full beans almost anywhere without incipient life/death/write off scenarios..
Click to expand...

The whole reason I didn't buy Rich's Atacama yellow 23i was that I didn't just want to replace my colour, I want a little more agility and definately and a little more punch. But 400 hp in the Z4 is probably, 300 too much for the suspension set up.

So, I think it's going to be a 2.0 something (18i/20i/28i) 8 speed auto with a remap to 280 bhp.

ABOUT THOSE 296 19" WHEELS
Then there is the issue of wheels. 296 rims look great. But did they fix them after 2012, or is that a myth.
I think it's time for a new thread, all about wheels.
Click to expand...

Well join the club of ‘well balances’ N20 re-mapped owners.. :thumbsup: :driving: :fuelfire:

On the 296 I don’t know but the 326 I had were/are notorious for cracking ..anytime anyplace..

How much was purely to do with run flats is debated ..but several folks had 326 crack without runflats
Click to expand...

I had my 326 wheels crack with & without rf tyres, then i cracked instead and sold them! :P
Rob
 
Nobody has ever got to the root cause of the cracking wheels - is it a Material fault / manufacturing fault/ heat treatment/ design?
 
ronk said:
Nobody has ever got to the root cause of the cracking wheels - is it a Material fault / manufacturing fault/ heat treatment/ design?
Click to expand...

A bit of the above combined with rock hard runflat tyres & roads that resemble a war zone in Afghanistan :o
Rob
 
So keeping my original thread going, as I very much enjoyed the debate and great advice it produced.

After said debate, I am still most likely to buy a E89 30i (although not fully ruling out either 28i or even 23i). That said, I have followed several threads here recently clearly demonstrating the joys of E86 Coupe ownership.

Folding roof aside (a biggie, fully illustrated by the weather over the last couple of days - only I can make that choice ultimately) would anyone like to make the case for buying the E86 rather than the 30i. Or indeed making the case for for the 30i as the development of the breed. There seems to be quite a lot of Coupes on the market right now, I assume they are not selling (nor is much else obviously).

Neither car would be tracked or significantly modified, just enjoyed for what it is, cleaned...polished and fiddled with as a “hobby car”.
 
I sold my E86 because despite convincing myself it would be nearly as much fun as an open top sports car.... it wasn’t,
For me personally.

Don’t get me wrong, E86 is beautiful to look at and obviously rare, but when the suns out ...rolling the windows down just isn’t the same.

:tumbleweed:
 
Big Bad Boris said:
So keeping my original thread going, as I very much enjoyed the debate and great advice it produced.

After said debate, I am still most likely to buy a E89 30i (although not fully ruling out either 28i or even 23i). That said, I have followed several threads here recently clearly demonstrating the joys of E86 Coupe ownership.

Folding roof aside (a biggie, fully illustrated by the weather over the last couple of days - only I can make that choice ultimately) would anyone like to make the case for buying the E86 rather than the 30i. Or indeed making the case for for the 30i as the development of the breed. There seems to be quite a lot of Coupes on the market right now, I assume they are not selling (nor is much else obviously).

Neither car would be tracked or significantly modified, just enjoyed for what it is, cleaned...polished and fiddled with as a “hobby car”.
Click to expand...

I came at this from the reverse angle to you.

I started looking at E85’s then through being on here, seeking advice and seeing all the lovely cars, almost bought an E86. When that fell through (I couldn’t get there quickly enough) I then rethought and decided on an E89 as it had the best of both worlds. The roof down is a big appeal to me.

I found a very well looked after 23i on here and bought it. I couldn’t afford a 30i. I love my car, the sounds of the 6 makes me smile every time I drive it, but...........if I was buying again it’d be a 30i, or a 35i as that extra go appeals to me (I wouldn’t rule out a 20i in any guise either) I know I will change mine at some point for more power when the right car comes up within budget. In the meantime I’m perfectly happy with mine and in no rush to change it,
 
I think you really need to get out try both an E85/6 and an E89. They really are quite different. E89 more of a GT where as the E85s more a kin to a traditional raw sports car. A fellow forum member recently described it to me as something a long the lines of " the E89s the car you want to drive on a long journey to somewhere with some tight and twisty driving roads. The E85s the car you want to drive when you get there."
Does sum it up quite well and as a vert guy I have honestly never understood why you'd take the hardtop over it. You just loose so much when the roofs up. The coupes usually cost more too than the hairdresser version. Just look at the cayman/boxster situation
 
I have an E85, albeit a 20i at present. Oh how I wish I could get out there and drive the other versions, but doesn’t seem that’s going to be a possibility any time soon, I doubt my fellow Boris is going to do anything drastic to change that today. I will have to continue with my virtual test drives on here via you fine people. Not much love for the E86 so far, although the title of the thread isn’t likely to draw them in.

The pool of 30i’s (on Auto Trader) is getting smaller all the time, I guess not many are selling during the lockdown and what’s the point if lumping out AT’s significant fees not to sell a vehicle. Hopefully there will be a nice influx of new 30i metal to the market in a month or two, I hope so the remaining cars for sale are beginning to feel like old friends :D
 
Big Bad Boris said:
I have an E85, albeit a 20i at present. Oh how I wish I could get out there and drive the other versions, but doesn’t seem that’s going to be a possibility any time soon, I doubt my fellow Boris is going to do anything drastic to change that today. I will have to continue with my virtual test drives on here via you fine people. Not much love for the E86 so far, although the title of the thread isn’t likely to draw them in.

The pool of 30i’s (on Auto Trader) is getting smaller all the time, I guess not many are selling during the lockdown and what’s the point if lumping out AT’s significant fees not to sell a vehicle. Hopefully there will be a nice influx of new 30i metal to the market in a month or two, I hope so the remaining cars for sale are beginning to feel like old friends :D
Click to expand...

There are 19 on there right now 10 of which are autos, last year when I was looking for mine there were on average around 30 (manual and autos) for most of the year. So yes it could be less people selling right now or naturally less of these cars around as time goes on. Probably a combo of both. Just a few days ago I saw a white one on Autotrader 2010 30i auto with 25,000 miles just under 11K GBP if I remember correctly, didn't have iDrive but still that is a real good price especially considering my mate paid 14.5K GBP just a few weeks ago for a 2011 with 25K although it's an M Sport and has all the toys.
 
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