E9 driving feel

Arde

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This makes the case that the E9 is a frame of mind more than the car driving feeling. I second all this except that I do highways when they are empty and I wish I had springs nearby to drive to... oh and I get the fish at the sushi bar.

i never drive against others but i love to overtake for the joy of doing it, i always help others that are faster than me, i prefer an empty road than a row of dangerous overtakes so i wake up very early, i drive the small curvy and hilly roads and i enjoy every km, i do not go to shows or gatherings, i have better coffee at home, i do not drive it in highways, i like to try those water springs in the mountains and go to buy fish directly from the fishermen boats in the harbours, i have a bunch of close friends with old bmws and vws and we meet for breakfast or lunch now and then and we talk some gasoline
 

Philippe db

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Interesting but impossible question to answer for all the reasons DQ already mentioned.

After more then 40 years where would you find a 100% stock E9 that really drives exactly like it left the factory in the early 70th?

Having owned a '72 Csi with a 223BHP replacement engine and still owning a stock '71 Cs with 174BHP I know from experience how far the driving, shifting and handling feeling can differ for two cars that from the outside looked like identical twins.

If anything a stock E9 for sure isn't a sport car in the modern sense of the word and even with the best of it's kind IMO you wouldn't be able to follow a Golf Diesel with 110BHP in modern traffic. However this is irrelevant because nobody in his right mind today would buy an E9 to use it as a daily driver.

I like to think that my current E9 is as close to stock as you can get and to describe how it feels on the road I have to compare it with the Ford Taunus my dad owned in the early 70th or the '73 VW Beetle I drove in the 80th. Compared to these cars an E9 is the summum of sophistication in every respect. Even after 45 year it is capable of doing things that the formerly mentioned cars were never able to do when they were brand new.

And in the end this is what owning or driving such cars is all about. Trying to preserve history and stepping back in time whenever you open the door and start the engine. Who cares what they were able to do in terms of performance when they left the factory. What is important now is to preserve them the best we can. make sure they start when you turn the key, they brake when you need them to brake and they shift and handle properly. I never feel the need of revving my engine over 40o0rpm or blast down the highway at 180km/h. I know that the car is able of doing that but have to much respect for her to expect these performances.

Giving her the time to warm up and then cruising around at 1500 rpm, enjoying the scenery and the thumbs up you receive, for me is what driving and owning this piece of car history is all about.
 

Storage Andy

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As I new member and new owner of my 3.0 CS I thought that I would add my thoughts. Outside of the my cars listed I drive a 07 E90 xdrive with a six speed in the winter. My CS was the first time the one that I ever drove and only a few weeks ago after I brought it home. I put about 100 miles on it so far after I replaced the old tires. Such a different ride than my 2002's or E21. Mine runs smooth and straight and has the 5 speed, which I can tell is a good thing for the most part. This car has great pick up and she moves right along and I can't wait to get my windows working. I live in upstate NY on the edge of the mountains and can't wait to take her for a mountain ride up to my favorite breweries up north.
 

m5bb

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You know Joseph there are at least 6 E9's in the BMW Classics of Georgia group. I'm sure we could arrange a drive.
Gary
 

frogish

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Mine had been sitting since -86 so I had an extensive amount of work to do before I could drive mine, which included Bilsteins and lowering springs. With that suspension it lies really good on the road with 16" and new tires, not only for an old car but compared to a lot of new cars. But I'm guessing my suspension is quite a lot stiffer than stock.

The age shows in a lot of other ways instead. The ZF whines, brakes could use a lot of improvement, a lot of road and wind noise, steering is soft and it feels faster than it is.

But man how fun it is to drive it. All those things of the above + others you think you'd want to improve, really don't matter once you sit in the drivers seat. Every time I drive it I find myself having a huge smile on my face.

Also the looks and thumbs up when driving through town doesn't hurt either.
 

Dohn

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Sold a '07 335i to buy my '74 cs after having a succession of M3s and other modern BMWs. My coupe has many of the upgrades you've suggested you are doing: 3.5l injected engine, five-speed, LJI springs, Bilstein HDs, ST sway bars; what it doesn't have is the technological advances of the past forty years. Weather sealing, noise suppression, horsepower per cubic inch, ride vs. handling solutions, safety, radio and navigation technology, steering, rust prevention, all have advanced steadily since these cars were built. But along with the advances came the filters: electronic stability and traction controls, drive-by-wire throttles, active noise suppression (sometimes leading to the need for piped-in engine sounds), electronic power steering, infotainment systems, lane monitoring and radar-controlled cruise control, and heated and cooled seats and steering wheels, all to make the process of driving your car move ever closer to the stimulation of sitting at home on your couch. We are so insulated in modern cars it's no wonder people think they can text, eat, do their nails and take selfies at 70mph!

The e9 is a throw-back to a less capable, more disposable time for cars, but it represents the best of that time. Direct, tactile, graceful, beautiful, with features that were considered advanced in their era, they make you want to take the longer, slower way home. Don't compare, just enjoy the ride.
 

Ohmess

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Well, try a music analogy.

Your frame of reference is listening to Pink’s “What About Us” in your car while driving. Pink has great pipes, but her voice is digitally modified. The “percussion” section is a handful of digital tones repeated at precise intervals, and the melody (such as it is) is created by synthesizers that sort of sound like guitars and/or a piano. These ingredients are digitally mashed together, compressed in a way that truncates the frequencies that crappy stereo equipment cannot reproduce well, loaded onto your phone and pushed out through equipment with a pronounced noise floor, through crossovers that both steer the sound to different speakers and impart a specific noise signature to speakers that produce a small range of frequencies well, all in an environment with lots of ambient noise.

Then you come along and ask what it feels like to listen to Songs in the Key of Life on vinyl through a McIntosh amp with Bowers and Wilkins speakers while sitting in the sweet spot of a room set up for listening. The depth of the soundstage, the accuracy of Stevie Wonder’s voice, the fidelity of the tones produced by the percussion instruments (and the unabashed joy of the musicians in playing these instruments in the background), the attack and decay of the notes from the instruments that comprise the melody, and the harmony achieved by background singers who actually practice and record together all shine through.

Listening like this, in comparison to the Pink frame of reference, is what it feels like to drive an e9 in comparison to other cars.
 

Mal CSL 3.0

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Not wanting to stir up controversy but based on other classic brands I have owned (British, German, Italian) I wouldn't rank the E9 driving experience at the top of why I own my E9. The ranking would be:

1. Overall design, proportions and detailing. The exterior and interior are basically faultless imo.
2. Racing pedigree, heritage and historical significance of this model.
3. Relatively easy and fun to tinker with. and strong camaraderie amongst E9 owners to help. It's also got a reliable, strong engine.
4. The driving experience (Whilst it cruises nicely I find my car despite some upgrades is not sprightly and the steering rather boat-like in comparison to similar era classic cars. The E9 is a heavy car)

So whilst I don't rank "driving experience" as number 1, that doesn't matter to me because the overall package makes my E9 my favourite classic car I have ever owned.
 

Stan

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Well, try a music analogy.

Your frame of reference is listening to Pink’s “What About Us” in your car while driving. Pink has great pipes, but her voice is digitally modified. The “percussion” section is a handful of digital tones repeated at precise intervals, and the melody (such as it is) is created by synthesizers that sort of sound like guitars and/or a piano. These ingredients are digitally mashed together, compressed in a way that truncates the frequencies that crappy stereo equipment cannot reproduce well, loaded onto your phone and pushed out through equipment with a pronounced noise floor, through crossovers that both steer the sound to different speakers and impart a specific noise signature to speakers that produce a small range of frequencies well, all in an environment with lots of ambient noise.

Then you come along and ask what it feels like to listen to Songs in the Key of Life on vinyl through a McIntosh amp with Bowers and Wilkins speakers while sitting in the sweet spot of a room set up for listening. The depth of the soundstage, the accuracy of Stevie Wonder’s voice, the fidelity of the tones produced by the percussion instruments (and the unabashed joy of the musicians in playing these instruments in the background), the attack and decay of the notes from the instruments that comprise the melody, and the harmony achieved by background singers who actually practice and record together all shine through.

Listening like this, in comparison to the Pink frame of reference, is what it feels like to drive an e9 in comparison to other cars.
I was thinking Pink Floyd
 

scottevest

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Not wanting to stir up controversy but based on other classic brands I have owned (British, German, Italian) I wouldn't rank the E9 driving experience at the top of why I own my E9. The ranking would be:

1. Overall design, proportions and detailing. The exterior and interior are basically faultless imo.
2. Racing pedigree, heritage and historical significance of this model.
3. Relatively easy and fun to tinker with. and strong camaraderie amongst E9 owners to help. It's also got a reliable, strong engine.
4. The driving experience (Whilst it cruises nicely I find my car despite some upgrades is not sprightly and the steering rather boat-like in comparison to similar era classic cars. The E9 is a heavy car)

So whilst I don't rank "driving experience" as number 1, that doesn't matter to me because the overall package makes my E9 my favourite classic car I have ever owned.

I agree with everything you have said especially people like steering. However, I have coupe king exhaust on it and it makes driving it so much more fun. It feels very quick for its age and the sound is pitch perfect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

adawil2002

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As one who drives my E9 extensively, covering 12K miles or just over 19K kilometers last year, I'll contribute the following modifications and observations.

Suspension is key, Bilstein HDs, Suspension Techniques anti-sway bars 28mm Front, 23mm Rear on center hole with urethane bushings. Front sport springs, rear stock with new rubber all around. Gives a 7/16 inch drop at the front and gives an even reveal from the top of the tires to the fender lips front and rear. Adjustable negative camber plates fix the left right camber difference of the car and make the steering closer to neutral.

5-speed transforms the car and increases fuel economy over the 4-speed. The .80 overdrive drops the revs by 500, so 70 mph or 112 kmh engine is turning 2500 rpm. with the 4-speed I was getting 17.5 mpg, 5-speed is close to 23.5 mpg. On a long distance trip range is increased by almost 100 miles or 160 km. This is the single best upgrade that's been done to my car, it has already paid for itself.

Heater bypass valve, second best modification. Makes the interior much cooler and pleasant, yet when you want heat it's there.

Rear shock towers, be sure to reinforce them as there have been noted failures from metal fatigue.

If you have stock seats, put two 1/2 inch nuts on each side of the seats at the front, this tilts the seats back enough and makes them very comfortable.

Review: The E9 is a wonderful BMW that goes as good as it looks. From the highways to the back roads the car handles it all with speed and grace. The elegantly appointed interior is spacious and comfortable for the front passengers. Easy to read gauges are very legible and the wood trim lends itself to customization. The large windows and slim A & C pillars make the car feel light and airy yet the front end means business with it's forward slanting nose and 4 headlights. The inline six cylinder engine is smooth and powerful enough to move the car from 0-60 in about 8 seconds for a stock 3.0CSi and a bit quicker for those with triple carburetors and or 3.5 with megasquirt systems. The trunk space is limited due to it's shallowness. The clamshell toolbox in the trunk lid is convenient and well appointed, advise removing the metal tools as their weight tends to cause the plastic to fracture and fail. Overall the car is delight to own and drive.
 

dave v. in nc

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I think that the description from Ohmess was better than my orig thoughts...Making the complex seem like effortless fun...in an analog kinda way.
 

adawil2002

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Can you elaborate on this?

Stevehose did this write up after riding in my coupe. https://www.e9coupe.com/forum/threads/front-seat-tilt-mod.20076/

Below is what I did.

Seat raising nuts.JPG
 

Mal CSL 3.0

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[QUOTE="Rear shock towers, be sure to reinforce them as there have been noted failures from metal fatigue..[/QUOTE]

Also I haven't heard this. I know this is a problem on the E46 M3 rear shock tower, but didn't realise the E9 was susceptible?
 

adawil2002

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[QUOTE="Rear shock towers, be sure to reinforce them as there have been noted failures from metal fatigue..

Also I haven't heard this. I know this is a problem on the E46 M3 rear shock tower, but didn't realise the E9 was susceptible?[/QUOTE]

Has happened to Doug Dolan and Stevehose. So I had mine reinforced and VSR found the driver side had been repaired at some time in the past.
https://www.e9coupe.com/forum/threads/heartbreak-broken-rear-shock-mount.18208/
 

Mal CSL 3.0

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Also I haven't heard this. I know this is a problem on the E46 M3 rear shock tower, but didn't realise the E9 was susceptible?

Has happened to Doug Dolan and Stevehose. So I had mine reinforced and VSR found the driver side had been repaired at some time in the past.
https://www.e9coupe.com/forum/threads/heartbreak-broken-rear-shock-mount.18208/[/QUOTE]

Thanks for this info. (....oh no something more to worry about)
I was not aware of this potential failure at all, so I will check out more closely if my shock towers are already reinforced or should be done.
 
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