340i into F80 M3 CP couple of questions

[Atlas12v]

My 340i Touring on PCH is going back in April and rather than wait for ages for the M340i Touring to come out I'm going to go for a 1-2 year old M3 CP.

My questions are:

>What is the DCT like compared to the ZF 8 Speed if anyone has driven cars
with both?

>Do all all F80 come with folding wing mirrors? Lots seem to have them but
adverts don't mention them.

>Thinking of PCW exhaust mod if I don't manage to get a car with MPE pre
fitted and then an eventual remap. Should this be done in this order?

>Finally Evolve, Litchfield or DMS for the remap? Or some one else not a million miles away from Kent?

cheers in advance!!!

[rth32]

Hi...I went from 640d to M3 CP.

In my M3, DCT change is as smooth as 640d ZF change. However, there's no torque converter absorbing any throttle movement so it's much more responsive. If you squirt, it goes! Get yourself a test drive and see what you think.

My M3 has folding mirrors. I think they're standard because that feature was never advertised or offered as an option.

Sorry, can't comment on the rest.

[MarkG_M5Comp]

Just lost my entire reply when the app crashed so I'll try again! My input in your questions below:

>What is the DCT like compared to the ZF 8 Speed if anyone has driven cars
with both?

The DCT is much more direct and positive, none of the latency or hesitation you het with the ZF which was my only complaint in previous cars. That said, the DCT is not as smooth for driving around town and makes some strange noises - it also tends to clunk when going into reverse and does not have the creep function of a fully automatic 'box.
It is however a dream to drive hard and is of course adjustable - the overall experience really suits the car and I love it.

>Do all all F80 come with folding wing mirrors? Lots seem to have them but
adverts don't mention them.

Hmm, don't know about that. I want to say yes but cannot guarantee - perhaos just check for the fold button on all he interior photos.

>Thinking of PCW exhaust mod if I don't manage to get a car with MPE pre
fitted and then an eventual remap. Should this be done in this order?

I have the PCW as a few things put me off the MPE; cost (it's ridiculous for what it is), sound (the MPE didn't sound as deep or clear as the PCW mod to me), failure rate (early MPEs cracked and I wasn't prepared to accept that for the money).
A map can actually make the car louder so I'd go for the remap first.

>Finally Evolve, Litchfield or DMS for the remap? Or some one else not a million miles away from Kent?

All those have a decent name but why not go down the OBD DIY route?
I have the Bootmod3 license from ProTunig Freaks and switch between the CS and Stage 1 maps (which is awesome!). I can also remove it when visiting the dealer or over winter and it's super simple.

I'm in Hampshire but you're welcome to have a listen to the PCW mod - drop me a PM.

[Atlas12v]

Thanks for the answers chaps.

Yes have been trying to see the fold button on the advert pictures but some don't always show it. Bit early yet but will obvs ask when I get nearer the time and find viable cars.

PCW does definitely seem to be the way to go. Sounds great, costs little and reviews are good.

Was thinking of a morning at PCW and then afternoon at Evolve due to closeness but will have a look at the OBD option.

Would like the Gearbox software maps and cold start delete too which I know Litchfield and Evolve both offer.

[goneloco]

The DCT does have a creep function. Just tap the accelerator and it will crawl.

Also, in traffic just leave it in D1 and let it shift itself. I don't find it jerky at all.

[lethbridge]

340i/335d are night and day to an M3 CP so I would get one and decide on most mods from there... except the exhaust mod would be a must for me - had an MPE applied before I even collected the car - best bit of the car for me! Pretty sure folding mirrors have been standard for years - certainly were on my MY18 - though they don't fold very much - not like an F3X - so if they didn't I wouldn't be bothered.

Really pleased with my MPE but they are very expensive. If you do happen to find a car with one on make sure it is the latest version - has extra bracing welded between box and pipes - if this isn't there the box will almost certainly fail. Lots of positive feedback on PCW so you can't go wrong there. If I was going to tune mine (it's brand new so I won't) I would take the BM3 option as it puts you in full control and has a great reputation. Note the cold start is immense on a car with a modified exhaust so if that matters to you again a big benefit of BM3 is you can code it out and set rpm levels at start-up to make it quiet as a mouse while engine is set to Economy.

DCT is very good... You just need a slight mindset change as it is not an Auto so is at its best driven on the paddles but a lot of the time I'm lazy & leave it in Drive & treat it like an auto. Most of the time you wouldn't know it wasn't an auto - but it if you floor it and then ease off (e.g. doing an overtake) it will hold the lower gear once you've eased off way too long - almost forces you to use the paddles even when you want to be lazy. Low speed manoeuvering is not completely smooth. As it won't creep unless you blip the throttle (it will then creep by itself) it can make for a slight jerk on set off so if you don't want much movement on a very tight manoeuvre you need to be careful. Again a plus for BM3 is trying different DCT maps - it seems BMW has continuously improved the mapping as earlier cars had a number of complaints around the smoothness of changes - in my MY18 it seems pretty good.

[Atlas12v]

Originally Posted by lethbridge

DCT is very good... You just need a slight mindset change as it is not an Auto so is at its best driven on the paddles but a lot of the time I'm lazy & leave it in Drive & treat it like an auto. Most of the time you wouldn't know it wasn't an auto - but it if you floor it and then ease off (e.g. doing an overtake) it will hold the lower gear once you've eased off way too long - almost forces you to use the paddles even when you want to be lazy. Low speed manoeuvering is not completely smooth. As it won't creep unless you blip the throttle (it will then creep by itself) it can make for a slight jerk on set off so if you don't want much movement on a very tight manoeuvre you need to be careful. Again a plus for BM3 is trying different DCT maps - it seems BMW has continuously improved the mapping as earlier cars had a number of complaints around the smoothness of changes - in my MY18 it seems pretty good.

I tend to drive the 340i in Sport+ Manual 95% of the time anyway, so should be ok. Feels much more of an event using the paddles. Don't do much town driving.

I love the cold start din but I also love a good relationship with my neighbours. Will see what it's like on the std exhaust first before keeping or coding out on a PCW modded one.

Thanks for your input.

[MarkG_M5Comp]

Originally Posted by goneloco

The DCT does have a creep function. Just tap the accelerator and it will crawl.

Also, in traffic just leave it in D1 and let it shift itself. I don't find it jerky at all.

Yeah, it's quite different though - we've had the M135i and now a mini with the proper auto creep. I actually find it quite annoying now and prefer the DCT 'tap' way!

[MarkG_M5Comp]

Originally Posted by Atlas12v

Thanks for the answers chaps.

Yes have been trying to see the fold button on the advert pictures but some don't always show it. Bit early yet but will obvs ask when I get nearer the time and find viable cars.

PCW does definitely seem to be the way to go. Sounds great, costs little and reviews are good.

Was thinking of a morning at PCW and then afternoon at Evolve due to closeness but will have a look at the OBD option.

Would like the Gearbox software maps and cold start delete too which I know Litchfield and Evolve both offer.

The Bootmod3 has this too - you can delete cold start or just adjust the revs (which is what I've done).

I think all are great options so you can't really go wrong.

[JustChris]

All the above answers are good and correct.

In the ZC bs DCT creep I was a big critic is the DCT in low speed parking. I definitely think they done something to rectify this. I now see a light tap invoke some sort of slow creep like feature. Not just a blip a little brake and it definitely pulls again afterwards slowlly and I have experience of a 14 M4 17 M2 with DCT these did not do that.

Might be worth considering as a slight improvement to the DCT experience.

PS of course congrats on the choice and see you are petrol forecourt.

[Atlas12v]

Originally Posted by JustChris

PS of course congrats on the choice and see you are petrol forecourt.

Speaking of which, whats an average tank range on these?

I'm getting 250-300 miles a tank in the 340i so my impact on the Shell share price is already pretty good.

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by Atlas12v

Speaking of which, whats an average tank range on these?

I'm getting 250-300 miles a tank in the 340i so my impact on the Shell share price is already pretty good.

M3 for me is about 330 miles.

First day MPG was 9 when I looked driving out of the dealers but that had no runs on the board of course. Last M4 I achieve 29/30 with big mway miles. Currently about 25 but first thing I do is turn off mpg.

[Atlas12v]

Originally Posted by JustChris

M3 for me is about 330 miles.

I'd be happy with that. I don't do many Motorway miles so would expect 250-300 per tank again would be good.

[chedixon]

Fook me I'm happy when I get 200 miles !

[RKR]

Originally Posted by chedixon

Fook me I'm happy when I get 200 miles !

This! I think the most I've seen is 250 but the dash was reading ----

I also vouch for Bootmod3. Car is an animal with it installed and does 60-130s in low 7's. Seriously quick