New E36 owner, need a bit of help

Sarchi · 08-20-2011, 05:57 PM

Just bought a '98 318is, my first BMW. The car was one-owner w/all service records, in nice shape at a good price and it's on the road. (needs brakes done)

I have 16" OEM wheels and all-seasons on the car (Michelins, lots of life left), plus a set of 15" OEM rims. I'd appreciate some suggestions, this is a daily driver and I'm not a performance nut. But the OEM's seem like such a bitch to keep clean, I might want to go for something newer especially if the wheels had some resilience with the brake dust. I was wondering if 17's are recommended. I don't want to lower the car.

Do most of you run winter tires or just all-seasons? I don't drive up north in the winter, just back and forth on the QEW.

Also, I wanted to know if it's really better to use premium fuel in the M44 engine. PO said they did a lot of asking and eventually decided it wasn't a must. I thought that was a little strange.

noodles101 · 08-20-2011, 07:00 PM

if u change ur brakes , it wont dust up anymore, its because you need new pads, thats why the wheels are dusting up crazy fast.

change your pads ( rotors too if needed ) and then see if it still dust up , guranteed it wont dust up as much.

If you want some 17" rims get some M3 rims from the E36 M3s , they are alot cheaper than BBS rims ( if u got the money get BBS rims ) and looks very good on stock E36s.

DSIIs DSIs and the 5 stars or even M contours.

if this is your first RWD car, then it will be safer for you to get some winter tires..make a huge difference in winter handling and braking.

and lastly , im not too sure on the 318 fuel, ive only owned E36 328s.

craigIS · 08-20-2011, 07:24 PM

Welcome to the board, and congrats on your first BMW.

Some of the OEM wheels for E36's are weird, and are tough to clean when they get dirty, and seem to collect dirt and grease. You can get OEM E46 wheels that would be 16 or 17 inch in a 5 spoke or something like that and they are not hard to clean when they need it.

I have a '94 318is, and find that winter tires make a good difference compared to all seasons. Remember there is no weight in the rear of these cars, so the more traction you can get in less than ideal conditions will help you out overall. I also think most members here will say that winter tires are a good idea.

Use what ever octane you car calls for. Which I believe is premium.

Sarchi · 08-20-2011, 11:08 PM

Thanks for the replies, that's helpful. Much appreciated.

Oh yeah, here's a pic of the lil' beast.

5style · 08-22-2011, 12:09 AM

Stick to stock wheels or lower first, it will look horrid with rims and stock suspension. That being said, many things you can do and swap. Intake, straightpipe, m3 or another properly geared lsd diff, brake upgrades, whatever you wanna do, you pretty much can.

noodles101 · 08-22-2011, 12:34 AM

nice find sarchi looks clean

ismail · 08-22-2011, 08:56 AM

Very nice find!! Good Luck!

sb_600 · 08-22-2011, 10:37 AM

definitely run winter tires. BMWs are very well balanced, and are surprisingly good winter cars, especially with proper tires.

I ran all seasons one winter on my daily driver (at the time it was a subaru), and I will NEVER do it again. With winter tires acceleration will impove, but braking and cornering is where they shine. Considering a safety standpoint it is a must.

5style · 08-22-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarchi

Also, I wanted to know if it's really better to use premium fuel in the M44 engine. PO said they did a lot of asking and eventually decided it wasn't a must. I thought that was a little strange.

89 or 91 are a MUST. The PO is mildly retarded to not notice the huge drain and loss in power, surging, and even knocking.

Run 89 and the car will be happy for a long time. This engine's compression is designed for the detonation of premium fuel, it has nothing to do with performance, but rather just requirements to not screw up the engine with knocking and whatnot

Sarchi · 08-22-2011, 01:02 PM

Thanks- I'll definitely run snows and premium gas.

The oem stereo is pretty crappy sounding (actually I haven't tried CD, it has the stacker in the trunk). Are there any easy DIY fixes, like replacing the back speakers? The head unit has almost 100% pixel burnout, it's not even legible at night.

sproule905 · 08-23-2011, 01:08 PM

your car as it looks i those pictures is my stock 328is winter set up

craigIS · 08-23-2011, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarchi

Thanks- I'll definitely run snows and premium gas.

The oem stereo is pretty crappy sounding (actually I haven't tried CD, it has the stacker in the trunk). Are there any easy DIY fixes, like replacing the back speakers? The head unit has almost 100% pixel burnout, it's not even legible at night.

If your not happy with your speakers, and head unit, do what you can to remedy the situation. I would by "Premier" brand for CD player and speakers. The CD player is the same as Pioneer for the most part, bit better quality, and the Premier speakers are way better than the Pioneer speaker. Go to a car audio store, that is trusted, and not to Future Shop or anything like that. Don't spend a butt load on these either!

dcramer · 08-23-2011, 08:09 PM

yes, run winters, find something taller and skinnier than your summers. as others say BMW's are amazing in the winter, I far prefer them to a FWD.

tg07lq · 09-10-2011, 12:16 PM

clean car, i must say i like the rims shown in the picture actally.
as for audio contact some forum sponsors for factory replacements, might be able to score a good deal on some HK stuff or a nice oem headunit to match your interior

Sarchi · 09-10-2011, 05:06 PM

Thanks. Yeah the look of the rims have really grown on me too, and I like the way the car sits on the 16's. Still haven't done the brakes but I think I got my Acura sold today, so I should be driving the bimmer daily SOON.

Btw, I priced the rotors/pads/sensors and Precision Tuning seems to have the best deals, by quite a margin too.