Jake's Epic BMW 135i Build Thread! (5+ Years of Ownership)

[patsbimmer1]

Nice job!  That's pretty impressive man.  Kudos to you.

[wasnt m3]

Congrats, very impressive! Any future plans to get that 60' down?

[YoungCR]

Congrats!

[suspenceful]

patsbimmer1 said:

Nice job!  That's pretty impressive man.  Kudos to you.

Thanks Pat!

wasnt m3 said:

Congrats, very impressive! Any future plans to get that 60' down?

Eventually I'll get an LSD, some bias-ply slicks, etc. More practice will help too.

YoungCR said:

Congrats!

Thanks!

[Jdesign]

Congrats man!!

Keep going, you are very close to being THE fastest. 

[suspenceful]

Jdesign said:

Congrats man!!

Keep going, you are very close to being THE fastest. 

Thanks! I'm aiming for mid 10's next time, which would put me at the fastest manual position!

[suspenceful]

I removed that clutch device and returned the lines back to stock and re-bled the system. Glad I got that thing out.

After running that 10 second pass in my 135i, I was really curious what it weighed. So, I found a local weigh station and put it on the scale. I even brought my stock BMW 335i to find out the difference in weight between the two.

135i weighed 3,300lbs without a driver.

335i weighed 3,600lbs without a driver.

For more details, like the weight reduction I've already done on the 135i and how much gas each car had, check out my video below. I ripped the 135i at the beginning, so it's worth watching anyways.

[REKIII]

You and the GF need some cheeseburgers, lol.  If you ever want your car to loose a 10th in the quarter, have me drive.  hahahaha.

Nice vid.

[suspenceful]

Ghassan Automotive (engine building company) is looking to sponsor their next BMW engine build. As you all know, that's one of the last pieces of the puzzle for this car. To improve my chances of getting sponsored for this build, YOU can help!

Simply just click this link and 'like' my comment: https://www.facebook.com/GhassanAuto/posts/994401244286533?comment_id=994794597580531&comment_tracking={"tn"%3A"R"}

[suspenceful]

As I continue to go down the rabbit hole of weight reduction/track-inspired modifications... bucket seats were next up on the list.

With a budget of $1,000 shipped for a pair of seats and hardware to mount them, I started my search. Ideally, that price would include sliders because other people drive my car and a fixed seat would be inconvenient. I didn’t want fancy, reclining seats because I'm doing this to save weight. I was tempted to go with a pair of cheap NRG seats from eBay, but decided against it. Buying the cheapest possible safety equipment doesn't seem like a good idea.

That's when I stumbled on Corbeau's website and found some attractive, affordable options. I narrowed it down to their FX1 Pro seats for $339 each and E92 (E8X/E9X) brackets with sliders for $119 each. Quality, name brand stuff totaling up to $916, just within my budget!

A few days later and I had a package waiting at home.

Out with the old...

Seat installed on bracket and buckle swapped over...

All done!

I will admit, these seats are pretty comfortable for being a race seat. If I were taking the car on a cross-country road trip, I’d prefer the stock seats… but when will I be taking this car on a cross-country road trip? I’m much happier that my body isn’t flopping around when I’m ripping around the track!

I ordered a pair of 8″ seatbelt extenders so I could snake the belt through the seat. This allows me to buckle up within the seat instead of over the top of the seat.

Surprisingly, the stock seats weigh a massive 59.6 lbs! For comparison, the FX1 Pro and bracket weigh 27.4 lbs. That’s a difference of 32.2 lbs, bringing the total weight loss to 64.4 lbs for the front seats. I’ll take it! I also previously removed the rear seats, which saved about 55 lbs.

Next up; a carbon fiber sunroof delete and carbon fiber door panels!

Oh wait... airbag lights...

I used the ProTool app by BimmerGeeks to get rid of these error codes. Simply connect an Android tablet to your car with a K+DCAN cable and OTG adapter, open up ProTools and go to work!

Under the “Safety” section > MRS – Airbag > Coding > Standard, we must deactivate the following options.

• Seat Mat Sensor (OC3_1)
• Driver Seat Position Sensor (SPSF_1_CD)
• Left-Side Airbag (SIDEBAG_LINKS_1)
• Passenger Seat Position Sensor (SPSBF_1)
• Right-Side Airbag (SIDEBAG_RECHTS_1)

[straight6pwr]

before i spout something I shouldnt, did Corbeau pay you in anyway in exchange for your review?

[REKIII]

Does anyone make a CF replacement roof skin for the 1 series?  Might be a better and cooler mod than just a sunroof skin.  A friend did this to his e39.  It was a lot of work but the weight savings was more than just a delete, and anything you can do to lower the COG is money well spent, almost as valuable as unsprung weight removal.

Cool seats BTW.

[Jdesign]

REKIII said:

Does anyone make a CF replacement roof skin for the 1 series?  Might be a better and cooler mod than just a sunroof skin.  A friend did this to his e39.  It was a lot of work but the weight savings was more than just a delete, and anything you can do to lower the COG is money well spent, almost as valuable as unsprung weight removal.

Cool seats BTW.

This is almost the exact comment I was going to make.

[suspenceful]

straight6pwr said:

before i spout something I shouldnt, did Corbeau pay you in anyway in exchange for your review?

Someone didn't watch the video

I explained that I was given a discount, but was intending to purchase anyways. I reached out to them with a sponsorship proposal asking if they'd hook me up with these seats and brackets. They agreed to a partial sponsorship; 10% off up front and an additional discount if I liked the seats enough to share content around them.

REKIII said:

Does anyone make a CF replacement roof skin for the 1 series?  Might be a better and cooler mod than just a sunroof skin.  A friend did this to his e39.  It was a lot of work but the weight savings was more than just a delete, and anything you can do to lower the COG is money well spent, almost as valuable as unsprung weight removal.

Cool seats BTW.

In an ideal world, I'd love to! It seems like there are a few options available:

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-399095-f82-135i-1m-roof-replacement-1x1-weave/

https://www.revozport.com/product/1m-raze/1m-coupe/1m-raze-lightweight-roof-panel/

https://ind-distribution.com/products/rkp-e82-carbon-fiber-roof-panel

All at $1,500... which is out of my budget and out of my installation comfort zone. Between the 3 sites, they claim a 8 - 24lb weight savings (not including the sunroof). Not sure why the range is so large.

The sunroof weighs about 35 lbs, so I will save that weight for a fraction of the price with the CF delete panel.

[straight6pwr]

suspenceful said:

Someone didn't watch the video

"an additional discount if I liked the seats enough to share content around them."

i didnt watch the whole video. i stopped after "Corbeau hooked me up with these seats" because i really didnt want to watch an advertisement. 

it's getting really old having to tray and decipher if a youtube creator's opinion is bogus because they were paid instead of just trusting them.   do they have to approve your content before giving you the discount? you are great at content creation and cinematography and they've realized they dont have to pay you real $$$$ for a real commercial because youtube creators are willing to sell their credibility for a couple hundred bucks. /oldmanrant

on a happier note - thank you for using very descriptive and non-"click bait" titles!

[suspenceful]

straight6pwr said:

i didnt watch the whole video. i stopped after "Corbeau hooked me up with these seats" because i really didnt want to watch an advertisement. 

it's getting really old having to tray and decipher if a youtube creator's opinion is bogus because they were paid instead of just trusting them.   do they have to approve your content before giving you the discount? you are great at content creation and cinematography and they've realized they dont have to pay you real $$$$ for a real commercial because youtube creators are willing to sell their credibility for a couple hundred bucks. /oldmanrant

on a happier note - thank you for using very descriptive and non-"click bait" titles!

A good content creator will disclose a relationship to a product/vendor like I try to. I am not a sellout and I only work with companies or products that I would buy otherwise. I'm sure some other content creators would be fine doing so, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I was promoting a product I didn't stand behind. Hell, I exploited expensive MMP products that I got a discount on saying I wouldn't recommend them. MMP got pissed off and re-designed their whole product line. I got emails yesterday asking if I'd be interested in working with Carly app and eManualsOnline, just name my price. I declined because I'm not interested in either of those products.

No, Corbeau didn't have to approve any of my content. I told them what my reach is and what I could do for them and then they gave the initial 10% discount. I sent them links to all of the content today (2 days after posting), and they said they ran a refund for another 30%. We're both happy, and they said they'd be interested in working together when I'm ready to get harnesses.

I'm an open book and have nothing to hide. Trust me, I get scrutinized all the time because of my content. It's part of the game when you open yourself up to public opinion. The amount of hate I get in comments is unreal, you'd be surprised how many people find the smallest things to pick you apart on. I just roll through it because I have a ton of awesome supporters who enjoy reading/watching.

[B C]

I find entertainment in observing the evolution of the car towards complete insanity

[suspenceful]

Well, I went back to the drag strip the other day. Made a decent shakedown pass, well on my way to setting a personal best.

Then I snapped an axle. This is the 3rd stock axle that I've snapped.

I'm sick of throwing junkyard axles in it and driving like I'm on glass, so I decided it's time to give the car the parts it really needs.

• MFactory LSD
• DSS axles
• BMS differential brace
• Powerflex differential bushings: front & rear
• BimmerWorld solid rear subframe mounts
• BimmerWorld adjustable rear toe arms
• ECS performance rear trailing arms
• BimmerWorld rear trailing arm bearings
• M3 rear wishbone kit
• M3 rear guide rod kit
• BimmerWorld rear camber arm bearing kit (inner)
• OEM rear camber arm bushings (outer)
• OEM rear shock mounts (lower)
• M3 front control arm kit
• BimmerWorld M3 front control arm bearing upgrade
• Front tie rod kit
• Rear calipers (15" conversion): left & right
• Rear brake rotors (15" conversion)
• Rear brake pads (15" conversion)
• Stainless brake set screws
• 3 series rear hub (x2)
• Rear wheel bearing kit (x2)
• APEX ARC-8 17x9" ET42 rear wheels
• Forgestar F14 15x10" ET44 rear wheels
• 1M-style front bumper
• Deka 17lb battery
• SAE battery terminal conversion kit
• Macht Schnell battery enclosure
• Carbon fiber door panels
• Seibon carbon fiber hood & trunk
• Carbon fiber sunroof delete
• VAC rollbar
• Custom F-series style headlights

A lot of content coming soon... will try to break down every install into it's own post. If you haven't already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/jakespence135?sub_confirmation=1

I'm also going to gut most of the car, but still make it presentable. Work in progress.

Goal is to have the car completely set up and ready by Sept 20th for NFZ 1/2 mile event.

[B C]

Exciting update!

Do you preload the drivetrain before launching?

[suspenceful]

B C said:

Exciting update!

Do you preload the drivetrain before launching? 

I half-ass pre-loaded it for my 10.90 pass, but didn't at this outing. Too many things going on and I didn't do it. Turning two cameras on, talking to the cameras, turn on my Dragy and start capturing data, open my tuning app and start a datalog, turn traction control off, worry about cutting a good light in competition, etc.