[USA-RET]

Originally Posted by Toxophilite

Just caught the bit about the speed governor being raised with performance tires. You are totally right though! As of right now, I want a sporty daily driver with the potential to take it to a track every once in a while,

When I ordered my car, i had checked "Summer Perf Tires" as my option. My sales manager basically talked me out of them (for the longer wear of the runfalts). At the time of order I didn't know this selection was going to be a "square" set-up nor did I realized my top speed would be governed down 25 MPH.

I was pretty bummed out until I actually looked at this purchase logically.

1. I thought I was losing two massive rears and skinny front tires until I actually saw the difference in sizing between the "square" and "mixed" set. Literally impossible to "eye-ball" the size difference standing next to the car.

2. Worrying about the difference between 155 MPH and 130 MPH was pretty much a non-issue since I have no intention of driving more than 129 MPH @ any time. Seriously, I will never track my car. (I also do not live in a no-speed limit state or have access to the Autobahn). Also unsure how many local tracks have straights long enough for the M240 to get above 130MPH before having to brake for a corner.

Yes, I watched the Youtube videos of guys burying the speedo and watching them whiz by other traffic @ twice the speed limit. Pretty exciting until I think "what if one of those cars he's passing doesn't check his mirror and decides to pull into the left lane? Or a front tire decides to let go?" I plan on dying in my sleep or in the arms of a 21 year old super model rather than a fiery crash on the interstate.

3. *The peace of mind knowing that should I pick up a nail late at night, I can make it to a service station or home w/o being stranded or having to carry a don-nut spare (that takes up space and adds weight to the car.

4. Another benefit to going w/ a "square" set-up is tire rotation. W/ a "square" set-up, all the tires car be rotated as recommended to get the best wear and longevity from the tires.

I have the RF tires and a Stage 1 tune, and the car is a fast as I'd want. Maybe I'd live up a .tenth or two in a 1/4 mile race, but still likely to keep up w/ or beat an M2 in a straight line race.

* just a side note to having RF tires. Having just weathered through hurricane Irma (no pun intended). I found myself away from home when the storm hit. I was driving my Mini Cooper which I had replaced the RF tires and wheels w/ a light-weight set of wheels and non-run flat performance tires. After the storm, people in the area I was, were getting flats from roofing nails and debris on the streets. All I could think about was the 100 miles I had to drive home and the possibility of getting a flat and knowing the possibility of roadside assistance was pretty slim. I thought how stupid I was to replace those RF's w/ non's and being in the situation I found myself.

Granted, the Mini still has the non-RF's, but when the time comes, I will find the lightest RF tire I can and replace them.

If I were going to track my car, I'd invest in a second set - tire and wheel combo w/ the lightest wheel I could find (reducing rotating unsprung weight yields more WHP and wheel torque) and the best (and lightest) performance tire available. Doing this will likely yield better performance overall than staying w/ the stock BMW wheel and tire perf setup.

[Ron Jeffries]

Yes, if I would worry about anything it would be the non-runflats on my car. I'm mostly trying not to worry about it but I've limped to service on a runflat at least once in my life.

[Maynard]

[QUOTE=Toxophilite;22318538]....As of right now, I want a sporty daily driver with the potential to take it to a track every once in a while, not the other way around. I know I may get yelled at for that but if I really wanted to take it to a track all the time, I would probably just wait and get an M2 but the m240i seems like maybe 85% of the fun anyway ....QUOTE]

Personally, I think that unless you track your car regularly, the 240 would be more fun in a lot of ways, or more useable (perhaps my turn to get yelled at ). Most of the roads around here are rough enough that a track-stiff suspension would leave you bouncing about, rather than keeping grip. To me, part of the BMW genius is that they produce so many different 'niche-ideals' - cars that are perfect for a particular style or use, while still being very capable in other areas. When they do the 'test drive promotions' you can get an idea of how wide the spectrum really is from full-luxobarge to hard core sport.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Toxophilite

Unrelated: looked up to see how much it would cost to wrap my car (clear) and the best place in Omaha was 4000USD. Is that about right? Never wrapped a car for paint protection. The basic protection package from bmw to safe guard against rock chips is around 600USD.

Don't wrap your entire car. The stuff does degrade over time and will have to be removed and replaced every 5 years or so. Just do the front bumper, half the hood, the mirrors, and maybe the lower rocker panels. I got all that done, minus the rocker panels, for $900. It's been nearly two years and it's worked great.

[Ron Jeffries]

I had the fractional hood thing on the 135, Alpine White, and the color variance between the wrap and the bare paint became obvious. I plan to do the whole front on the M240i, but it looks like it'll cost around $2500.

[B58togo]

Originally Posted by inc235

My AW car gets dirty in two specific places on each side of the car easily (or four total): underneath side mirrors and underneath door hinges.
I guess rain causes these and doesn't help (in washing dirty spots away).

So I'm not alone trying to make sense of the strange black streaks directly below the door hinges?? I had initially thought it was caused by them oiling the hinges on initial delivery prep, but after a few weeks of ownership, I realized that was not the case. It's annoying AF.

[fullstack]

Originally Posted by B58togo

So I'm not alone trying to make sense of the strange black streaks directly below the door hinges?? I had initially thought it was caused by them oiling the hinges on initial delivery prep, but after a few weeks of ownership, I realized that was not the case. It's annoying AF.

I think this is water from the front wheels mixed with brake dust and it accumulates between the rocker panel and the door near the front. Water dripping from the door crease causes it to come out and down.

[mdputnam]

Originally Posted by Toxophilite

How hot does the Sensatec get? I remember people talking about it getting fairly hot over the dakota leather. I tend to sweat very easily and a lot so I figured any breath-ability would be an improvement. Thoughts?

Neither breaths. The leather in the 2 Series is embossed with a uniform grain pattern, painted with a solid pigmented color, and then coated with a flexible urethane/acrylic clear coat that provides stain and wear resistance. That clear coat is impervious to water and water vapor. It does not breath any better than Sensatec. Unfortunately, the current BMW clear coat and solid pigment can dissolve with repeated contact with alcohol. Check out this thread for the sad details.

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by mdputnam

Unfortunately, the current BMW clear coat and solid pigment can dissolve with repeated contact with alcohol. Check out this thread for the sad details.

A friend of mine has a RR HSE with red leather did the same thing as pictured. His wife (puffy curly hair) drove it for the winter months and wore off the top layer of the leather, similar to this. I believe it was a Nappa grain leather too, iirc. They narrowed it down to her hair spray chemicals. Regardless, I recall that the dealership was quick to swap it out, for them.

I wouldn't stress about it, tbh..

[RotorOver]

I bought the car via a dealer swap, but I got nearly everything I wanted. In hindsight, given the option, I would add the LSD. I ended up going with a Wavetrac and a change to a 3.08 final drive ratio, which is the final drive BMW should have put in the auto to begin with, so aftermarket in this case worked out.

If you can swing a set of the MPSS summer tires do that as well.

If you are inclined to mod- Dinan springs made a world of difference in handling with a tad bit of a stiffness penalty primarily noticeable on rough roads and the Dinan stage I tune is addicting (especially in combo with the LSD and lower final drive), so be careful there because you will just want more after that. The good news is many dealerships are Dinan dealers and can do the install for you upon delivery.

Additionally, if you want to save yourself the heartache that is inevitable with your first stone chip, get some paint protection film (aftermarket like Xpel or Suntek) installed on the whole front clip if you can swing it.

In any case, enjoy it!

[Toxophilite]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

A friend of mine has a RR HSE with red leather did the same thing as pictured. His wife (puffy curly hair) drove it for the winter months and wore off the top layer of the leather, similar to this. I believe it was a Nappa grain leather too, iirc. They narrowed it down to her hair spray chemicals. Regardless, I recall that the dealership was quick to swap it out, for them.

I wouldn't stress about it, tbh..

Do you know if the sensatec comes with all the seat features of the dakota leather? I was tols that adjustments become manual when ordering the sensatec. Do I get lumbar support and power seats with sensatec? If there is no benefit to dakota leather other than saying I have leather, I may as well get sensatec

[Mr Carrots]

Power seats absolutely come with sensatech

Dakota is low end leather that ages very poorly and from what I understand they dont even do the whole seat in it.

Ive seen the state of some CPO cars with dakota and Im glad I went sensatec. No one knows until I tell them and it looks and feels great.

[Toxophilite]

Originally Posted by Mr Carrots

Power seats absolutely come with sensatech

Dakota is low end leather that ages very poorly and from what I understand they dont even do the whole seat in it.

Ive seen the state of some CPO cars with dakota and Im glad I went sensatec. No one knows until I tell them and it looks and feels great.

Got my order swapped to sensatec :-) i figured i sweat no matter what the seat is made of so may as well get something that is easier to maintain. Plus the stuff I use for my hair has alcohol which seems to be very damaging to the leather.

[B58togo]

Originally Posted by 3rdPedalAddict

I think this is water from the front wheels mixed with brake dust and it accumulates between the rocker panel and the door near the front. Water dripping from the door crease causes it to come out and down.

It does seem similar to brake dust. You may be on to something! If someone switches to a less aggressive pad and sees an improvement, then brake dust is the culprit.

[stevenvillatoro]

Originally Posted by stevenvillatoro

The only other change – for me – would be Sensatec rather than leather.

Originally Posted by Toxophilite

Got my order swapped to sensatec :-)

Glad to hear it. Plus, you just saved a cow.

Did you go with Oyster or Black?

[Toxophilite]

Originally Posted by stevenvillatoro

Glad to hear it. Plus, you just saved a cow.

Did you go with Oyster or Black?

I went with the black. I thought about the oyster but I just love a black interior

[USA-RET]

We debated Oyster in our EB M240i, but went w/ the black. If there was a bit more Oyster in the cabin (Like the 4 series has), we may have gone that route...but w/ black, everything matches.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Mr Carrots

Power seats absolutely come with sensatech

Dakota is low end leather that ages very poorly and from what I understand they dont even do the whole seat in it.

Ive seen the state of some CPO cars with dakota and Im glad I went sensatec. No one knows until I tell them and it looks and feels great.

Hmmm....I've found the Dakota leather to be quite robust plus you get BMW leather smell in the car. I'm closing in on 2 years with my Coral Red Dakota leather and it's flawless and that's with two kids in the car often. By far the most robust and best leather quality I've had in a car (owned Nissans, Subarus, and Infinitis with leather). All I do is wipe the leather down with warm water with a dash of soap every few months.

Sitting in BMW with Sensatech and Dakota leather, you can pick up on the differences. Overall, Dakota feels softer, more supple, has a less shiny sheen, and isn't as hot if left to sit in direct sun light.

They're both pretty good though on an entry level BMW. Funny thing though is the Sensatech lovers will say it's the greatest stuff, but I doubt any of them would want Sensatech on the steering wheel LOL

[B58togo]

^^

Agreed. I have 14K on my Dakota leather (picked up car in early April. I need to slow down) and my driver's seat is still absolutely perfect. Granted, I'm easy on it and only weigh 165-170, but I don't understand the hate on Dakota. It's way better than the leather I had in my Acura. Sensatec just feels sticky/tacky to me, where as the Dakota is relatively supple and still breathes. I figured since I plan to keep the car 6 years, the amortization on the $1450 works out to 66 cents a day. Money well spent IMO.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I've found the Dakota leather to be quite robust plus you get BMW leather smell in the car.

There is no more BMW leather smell as of a few years ago. They eliminated whatever the chemical or process they were using. It used to smell like buttery leather. Now it just smells like chemical leather.

[B58togo]

^^
You're making no sense.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by B58togo

^^
You're making no sense.

Don't sweat it. You're better off not knowing what you're missing. Kind of like the kid who says "it makes no sense to drive a manual when you have these flappy paddles that go 'crazy-fast'". The kid is better off not knowing what he is missing. You must have just started driving BMWs.