New ti Owner Here!

[mnbimmerchic]

First of all, Hi everyone. I'm a new member and the site looks cool. Kudos on that. Second of all, I've finally done it. I broke down and moved on to the E36 after 5 years of a world of E30s. I just bought a 1995 318ti and couldn't be happier! I will always love my seemingly forever rusting no matter what I do E30s (Ah, the joys of Minnesota) but I think my new ti will be my passion for quite a while. My new toy is black, 5 speed and bone stock minus the XM Radio. Soooo, all of you ti junkies out there, feel free to give me some ideas here, body as well as performance. I've already been contemplating exhaust to get her growling a bit more aggressively (but without sounding like a wound-up Honda). I'd like to put on 17's as well but want something light. So there you are and thanks in advance for the ideas! Post Away!

[cali-ti]

light 17s ... i'm looking for the same. found kosei and SSR so far. i know there were some others, but i forget which ones.

check the exhaust knowledgebase article for some info. i'm checking with steven on whether we can add sound/video to KB articles as that would truly make it comprehensive.

definitely keep on top of any rust you see! i lived in WI for the first 9 years of my ti's life and some rust issues are popping up (trailing hatch lip, one spot on driver's rear wheel well seems to have a spot that's bubbling up).

how does the ti drive in comparison to your e30s? be interesting to hear a comparison.

[weezer]

Welcome.......and yes, I would like to hear comparison to the E30, since they share similar rear suspension set-ups.
I wear 17s on my '97, unfortunately.....no 17s are lighter and nimbler than 16s as i have experienced both. So, i would highly recommend 16s unless you're looking to improve solely on looks.
Good luck with the new toy.

Fariz

[mnbimmerchic]

I will definately have to look closer at 16's then because I'd much rather enhance performance rather than soley look pretty. Ahh, the E30 325 vs. the E36 318ti. To me it seems like a whole different ball game. The ride in the 318 is sooo much smoother. My 325i is lowered and has a sport suspension so there was going to be an obvious difference there. My eta has stock suspension and even compared to that it's heaven. And handling. My 325i handles well and trust me, I tested it's limits daily on every clover leaf I took but the 318 does just as well. It may even do better though I'm being somewhat cautious as I'm still learning it's limits. I'm sure once I get into the mods it'll be better than the E30. The engine capabilities is where it gets hairy to me. My eta is an automatic that I've barely driven in the past year (because it's an automatic and I haven't gotten around to doing the 5-speed conversion) so I can't really compare that. The i is quicker than the 318. For giggles, I had a friend take out my i and we took off from some stop lights and getting on the freeway to see how the 318 would compare and it did better than I thought but just couldn't hold it's own against the E30. I'll admit the driver (me) could be partially at fault since I'm used to dragging motorcycles not cars. Oh, the 318 has a short-shift kit in it too which I couldn't live without (the i has one too). Anyway, I think with some work, the 318 will be quicker than the E30 and then overall, it'll perform better than the E30. I guess that means I have some work to do!

[CirrusSR22]

Another Minnesota ti! You should have got a blue one, all the Minnesota people have blue ones

[Tyler]

Welcome and congrats on ur purchase.

[forum116]

Woohoo another minnesota ti. I just installed the boasl exhaust on the wifes ti and it sounds great and the price is right.

Check here for the great deal http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9509

[AlaskaBlue]

Welcome to the site I have BBS 17s on my car. Kosei no longer makes the 'K1' so those will be difficult to find. Tire rack expects a shipment on 6/01. Another option for wheels is the Team Dynamics wheels which can be found at http://www.bimmerworld.com They are out of stock for now too though. 17" rims are the preferred size rim for e36 track cars.

[bullmand]

Originally Posted by cali-ti

light 17s ... i'm looking for the same. found kosei and SSR so far. i know there were some others, but i forget which ones.

OZ Racing makes pretty wheels that weigh about 1 pound per inch of diameter. They are, consequently, not very inexpensive. I think they have replaced the Superleggera with the Ultraleggera, so you might be able to get a good deal on those. On www.tirerack.com the Ultrleggera costs $239 each and weighs 17.6 lbs for the 17x8 size. Not too shabby.

[Mothman]

Congrats! and Welcome to the Family!

[mnbimmerchic]

Originally Posted by bullmand

OZ Racing makes pretty wheels that weigh about 1 pound per inch of diameter. They are, consequently, not very inexpensive. I think they have replaced the Superleggera with the Ultraleggera, so you might be able to get a good deal on those. On www.tirerack.com the Ultrleggera costs $239 each and weighs 17.6 lbs for the 17x8 size. Not too shabby.

Not too shabby at all, thanks!

[the51]

I have 18s on mine.

[J!m]

I don't think these are 18's...

They appear to be the 1995 M3 LTW wheels which are forged, but they are 17 inch diameter.

Since they say 'BMW' as well as 'MOTORSPORT', they do not appear to be replicas, as the replicas are identical, but they do not have BMW cast in.

The later style (similar, but no BMW MOTORSPORT cast-in, just the small 'M' sticker) with the machined center area is also a forged wheel, and also available in 17" only. (I have the later style on my car, and someone here just installed the replicas of the later style)

The 5-spoke standard sport wheels found on these cars is available in 16" as well as 17" (but again, no 18").

Nice wheels, by the way!