For anyone still interested, progress with the 140 has been slower than I’d hoped. I’ve had some teething issues with the GT1 coilovers, so they’ve been on and off the car a few times and are now back with Meister R to be respecified.
I had a Quaife ‘LSD’ fitted which was sorely missed beforehand and feels just lovely. I actually prefer the feel of this diff to the high-tech electronically controlled LSD in the M4 and in wet, greasy conditions the 1er is an absolute hoot!! [emoji51]
Whilst the coilovers are off, I’ve found some other bits that should improve the drive. At the front M4 lower control arms will give me more caster, a little more camber and a more direct feel with more performance orientated bushes. And at the rear there’s an underbody brace omitted from the later cars with the revised suspension, that I can add to tie all the bits together a little better.
Under the bonnet I removed the JB4 tuning box, as I didn’t like the power delivery and hated the loud cold start, here’s a write up on what’s been done in its place...
...Yesterday was fun!
I took the car to The Performance Centre in Sunderland for fitting of the BCS 100 cell sports cat in place of the ER decat and a remap.
One of the main factors in getting this done was the cold start noise, I just couldn’t live with it and felt like a right twit every time I started the car! [emoji85]
They would be able to turn off the cold start feature and the introduction of the cat would hopefully add a bit more subtlety to the exhaust the rest of the time.
Oh and of course, who doesn’t like the sound of power levels similar to those BMW claim for the M4 CP!! [emoji23]
My brother Dan came with me, which made the 7 hour round trip more of a day out and certainly made passing time in the reception/waiting area much easier!
So first up the chaps at TPC fitted the cat, for which there were some minor hurdles to overcome (not due to the BCS design, just older bits that didn’t want to come undone and a bolt that broke), and were kind enough to loosen and realign the BCS mid pipe whilst they were at it, as I had noticed the occasional knock from it.
A baseline run then followed on the dyno, producing 362bhp (standard with sports cat) and a lovely fat, flat power curve. My guess would have been a touch higher with the decat in place, it really did feel strong compared to other mx40is, but then 362bhp is plenty so that might just have been a butt dyno calibration problem!!
Then on with the remapping, these cars seem to be a little problematic on the dyno and make the process a little painful for the operator, but the chaps stuck with it and spent a good chunk of time getting the map just right.
By the time they had finished, my car was the most powerful ‘stage 2’ mx40i that they’ve seen, a reflection I think of choosing a good quality sports cat, and I can’t help but think the lack of restriction in the mid-pipe will have also helped. Of course it might well just be typical dyno/car/day variances and in reality it will likely perform very similarly to other stage 2 cars.
So the big numbers at the top...
459 bhp and 609 nm (450 lbft)
First impressions in looking at the graph were that the torque curve looked very driveable, I had stressed to the guys that this was a priority and that I didn’t like the delivery of the JB4.
The serious increase in power at the top also looked amazing, reminding me of the difference between graphs I’ve seen for the M2C and M4CP, where the former was sandbagged and dulled down.
Then there were the numbers... I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that an M140i, BMWs affordable, practical, hot hatch with nothing more than a sports cat, ‘cheap’ mid-pipe and a remap, can make nigh on 460bhp. They claim 340bhp from the factory. 460bhp!!!...
I was quite obviously delighted with what I saw on the dyno and the chaps at TPC were excellent.
One small grievance however, was that I felt the price for the remap was miss sold to me, my understanding, through miscommunication perhaps, was that the total cost to me for the mapping would be £329. However once there, that price didn’t include the cold start delete, for which they wanted another £50. I made my case, shared the messages I had exchanged and explained my disgruntlement, but there was no offer to meet in the middle. A small issue, but I wasn’t pleased.
In balance I should add that the chaps went out of their way to sort the decat/cat swap and realign the mid-pipe, so my overall experience was a good one. [emoji106]
Onto the important stuff now, how does it drive...
The answer is resoundingly very, very well! The huge majority of the 150 mile trip back home yesterday was cruising along and it actually does that better now, with Eco Pro being less arduous as the car accelerates with a little less throttle input, which can annoy most in EP. Fuel economy is unchanged when doing the cruising along bit.
The conditions yesterday really weren’t conducive to testing a 450bhp+ rwd car, but first impressions of opening it up are that the delivery is just brilliant. It doesn’t feel any more out to get you than it did without a map, and actually feels closer to the S55 engine in its linearity, despite not having the immediacy in responsiveness.
It sits in quite stark contrast to the JB4, which just felt ludicrous and so difficult to manage in map 3. That felt like it was all about a ridiculous shove when first coming on boost, whereas the car now feels like it’s all about getting the power down and providing sensational propulsion at the top of the revs.
I can’t wait to drive it in the dry!!!
Despite the driveability, it also highlights the fact that the chassis is even more out of its depth!!! Those chassis mods and setup can’t come soon enough!
Ooh and the shitty cold start is gone forever! Enough to make me fall in love with the car alone... I can now start the car in Tesco car park without hiding behind the dash!! [emoji23]
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