[1013MM] Presents: My Official Introduction. The BMW That Defies All BMW Logic

[John Zhang]

**** it or love it. Everyone has their own opinion of this car and the mods, I accept them all. After all, its a public forum anyway. Compliments and flames welcome and respected. Enjoy

Self-Introduction:
I’m John Zhang, a photographer from southern California. I run all my photographic ventures under the alias 1013MM. You may have seen my work all around numerous BMW forums, Canibeat and some popular BMW mags such as Eurotuner, Bimmer Mag, Performance BMW. I like cars, but I like photographing them more.

Build Overview:
I was actually in the market for a JDM car in the beginning but after comparing the prices of a 370z and Evo 10 I choose luxury over my teenage dream cars. I wanted a car that would portray me as being mature while being sporty at the same time. The 135i fit the bill and I really liked the drive/handling of the 325i my mom drove. I am a very particular person when it comes to owning things. I like exclusiveness. That is another reason why I chose the 135i, not too many people have it and even if they do even less people will have it in Monaco Blue which is now discontinued for the 135i.

Phase Two (Current):
Spacers on my desk, sides in paint, need to make an appointment for new eyes.

[John Zhang]

Phase One (2010):









Current Modifications:
- Falken 452 + CCW LM20 Full Polish
- All fenders rolled and pulled
- Rotiform studs + Project Kics Neochro lugs
- ST Coilovers (on lowest setting)
- BMW Performance brake kit + front and rear rotors
- RPI Air Scoops custom painted
- RS Technik 5mm spacers front
- iCarbon carbon fiber rear diffuser
- AutoTechnik custom painted carbon fiber performance spoiler replica
- 3d Design Front Lip
- BMW Performance side skirts
- Sports seats
- Custom M3 steering wheel

Future Modifications:
- Exhaust
- Angel eyes (LS1)
- Cusco OS Style or ARC Strut Brace
- Cobb tune (maybe)

Outro:
The stuff I do isn’t for everyone I agree, and not everyone will like it, I know. I will say this now. This is my first car and I was intent on getting a JDM car to begin with but ended up with a BMW in the end so I guess the JDM stuff is my boy ricer in me raging LOL. But hey, everyone has his or her own visions/uniqueness and this is my vision.

[NINE]

This is your first car?!? Lol very nice. My first car was a Saturn SL2. lol

[John Zhang]

This is your first car?!? Lol very nice. My first car was a Saturn SL2. lol

first car I bought myself

[Josh@canibeat]

Damn that back in shot is sexy

[240BENZO]

dayymn! nice first buy...mine was 3 s13's in the same month..haha
i need to get something newww! gah this is so sexy

[M Bea5t]

Damn this 1 series is HARD!

[armanduhx3]

I feel like the CCW's don't flow.

But mad props for doing your thing lookin good.

[jsu1012]

sex on wheels. good job man!

[2000EK4]

Looks great bro!

[hyperJDM]

damn who hates this? I sure don't!

[John Zhang]

Thanks all

[John Zhang]

**** it or love it. Everyone has their own opinion of this car and the mods, I accept them all. After all, its a public forum anyway. Compliments and flames welcome and respected

Build Overview:
I was actually in the market for a JDM car in the beginning but after comparing the prices of a 370z and Evo 10 I choose luxury over my teenage dream cars. I wanted a car that would portray me as being mature while being sporty at the same time. The 135i fit the bill and I really liked the drive/handling of the 325i my mom drove. I am a very particular person when it comes to owning things. I like exclusiveness. That is another reason why I chose the 135i, not too many people have it and even if they do even less people will have it in Monaco Blue which is now discontinued for the 135i.


PHASE 2 (CURRENT 2011)





HPFP...



Slightly revamped interior






Current Modifications:
- Falken 452 + CCW LM20 Full Polish
- 5mm spacers front
*ALL fenders rolled
- ST Coilovers on lowest setting
- Rotiform studs + Project Kics Neochro lugs
- 3D Design Front Lip
- BMW Performance side skirts
- iCarbon carbon fiber rear diffuser
- Half painted carbon fiber performance spoiler rep
- BMW Performance Brake Kit with front and rear performance rotors
- Pheonix Gold Metallic painted RPI air scoops
- BMW sports seats
- Custom M3 steering wheel

So far the car has only been in the rain a total of 10 times in 2 years and 9971 miles BIG things to come soon!

[John Zhang]

PHASE 1 (2010)








When I first got it, after waiting a year***8230; This car would be the first car wholly financed by me. No more hand me downs from parents!






After about 4800 miles on the and leaving it as stock for exactly 1 year I decided it was time to start the mods. The first mod I went with was the wheels which I thought would be the most dramatic mod. And I was right; I had a lot of positive response for the wheels I chose which were the VMR V701s. Of course with wheels I would need a drop and then came the H&R Sport spring which gave me a racked drop, although the front was a little too aggressive for my taste, it did make my stance look really aggressive and therefore did not give my car that "monster truck" look. With the wheels I chose conservative silver color so I would not lose that "sleeper" quality that this car gives off which is great. I can still remember the delight I had when I surprised an IS-F after being tailgated by him for a mile. To note, I really wanted 18s and not 19s though. 18s are more practical while 19s are more for looks.





Thanks to the VMR guys for the wheels and Long Tran for my install!

[John Zhang]

Then come the CF bits. Thanks iCarbon and AutoTecknic!





Now the first to do this type of spoiler paint and initially wanted something else but it could not be done by the paint shop I didn't want to expose too much CF though, hence the paint***8230;



Another thing I painted was the 3D Design that I bought from VIVIDRACING. They were the only ones who were able to to get me the lip the fastest, right before Bimmerfest, I can't thank them enough for the price, communication and shipping time! Bought and shipped the same day!!




My brakes were somehow chipped so I decided to add some more JDM flavor to the car by adding a nice contrasting yellow color. The BMW Performance brake kit with the front and rear rotors. BIG thanks to DAN@UNITEDBMW for the good service and price!!!






Old Modifications:
- VMR V701 19x8.5 ET45 Front and 19x9.5 ET45 Rear
- Falkens FK452 235/35/19 Front and 255/35/19 Rear
*ALL fenders rolled
- H&R Sport Springs with Koni Yellow shocks (medium setting)
- 3D Design Front Lip
- iCarbon carbon fiber rear diffuser
- Half painted carbon fiber performance spoiler rep
- BMW Performance Brake Kit with front and rear performance rotors
- Pheonix Gold Metallic painted RPI air scoops
- BMW sports seats

[John Zhang]

Goals:
I really like the Studie and 3D Design BMW builds and am very inspired by Japanese German car tuner companies such as Amuse, Ericsson, 3D Design, End.CC, and so on***8230;. So I decided to Japan meets German theme while trying not to lose that classy luxury car look at the same time (although I do kinda think I went a little overboard lol). I wanted carbon fiber bits, but did not want them to show too much so I decided to do a custom paint on my spoiler to set it off and added a carbon fiber diffuser and splitters in the front. The VMR V701s are Advans RS inspired so I was set in the wheels department. The 3D Design lip really gives it that extra special JDM touch! Notice the JDM air freshener too !



As of now I DO NOT have any plans for engine or performance mods under the hood. I don't care for the extra power cause believe that if you chip that and add this and that it basically won't be a BMW anymore. But who knows






Future Plans:
- Angel eyes
- BMW Performance Exhuast (maybe?)
- Intake (maybe)
- Chip tune (unlikely, but just throwing it out here)
- Strut bar

Updated Thanks:
Dan@CCW for helping me with my cracked wheel and Rotiform for answering all my emails and sending me the studs. Also Eric@pyspeed for helping me out with my spacers

Thanks:
I would of course like to thank everyone on 1addicts, without you guys, I would have been without so much information on the 135i. I also want to thank the guys at VMR Wheels for the wheel support and LTBMW aka Long Tran and RennSpec for all the suggestions and installations. Dan@UnitedBMW for the cheapest OEM BMW parts and EXCELLENT service/communication! For those with great eyes, notice the yellow scoops, they are RPI scoops that only come in red, but I got them paint matched with the calipers a big big thank you to Redline Motorworks for extending a very very last minute offer to me that I could not pass up!! And one last shout out to VIVIDRACING for coming through for me very last minute!

Thanks for looking/reading! I will keep updating this thread when I get more mods/updates ! That's of course if I don't go broke!!! Feel free to ask me anything regarding my mods and the 135i! :thumbsup: It's my hope that I can now give back to the community even more after all the help I've received! :thumsup::thumsup::thumsup:

And to anyone who I missed, it was not intentional! Let me know!

Outro:
The stuff I do isn't for everyone I agree, and not everyone will like it, I know. I will say this now. This is my first car and I was intent on getting a JDM car to begin with but ended up with a BMW in the end so I guess the JDM stuff is my boy ***** in me raging LOL. But hey, everyone has his or her own visions/uniqueness and this is my vision.

I will add onto this thread from now on as my journey with this car grows BIGGER things to come soon

HOPE YOU ENJOY.

[John Zhang]

A big shout out to VMR Wheels for having me display my car at their BimmerFest 2010 booth! It was a great experience. My first BimmerFest with my own BMW. I had a chance to meet a lot of great people and put forum names and faces together. I also had a chance to catch up with a lot of old friends! I can't thank everyone enough for the props! I'm just super tired right now (I had to wake up at 5am for BimmerFest). It's all good though!

Yoshi was very shy... :love:




So right after Bimmerfest I found out that my car was featured on 3D Design Japan's blog! How cool is that?!? THANKS 3D Design for making quality products!!!!:thumbsup:



"We installed the front lip from the United States, .... We collected photographs, is very professional-looking photos Take a look at it. The dynamic range, .... ^ ^ cool."

Sports seats installed since I didn't get the car with sports seats and someone gave me a deal I just couldn't pass up.



While not much of an upgrade to some, this was a huge one to me.

Steering wheel is next

[John Zhang]

Not sure if you guys have seen but...




So since the last time I've posted an update (didn't really do much between the last update and until this), I got a new sports seats and a custom M3 steering wheel to boot...




http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=457250

Keep in mind that I DO NOT have sports package like the 12318920381023 of you guys

By the end of last year I found out that ST a sister company of KW made coilovers for the 1 series so I jumped on the opportunity to go lower...

Hey guys, back with some new mods for my car, although it's not too visually noticeable, it's still worth reading. I don't do too many long posts without photos, but since this a review of some great products for out car, it will have to do so bear with me here Also don't ask me all the technical aspects of the suspension I ran, cause I don't even know what spring rates are or do. :lol:

I got all my suspension work done and parts from longtran@ltbmw feel free to contact him! Great guy and service! :thumsup::thumsup::thumsup:

ST Coilovers
I don't have any photos of the suspension itself or how to car looks now (crazy rain in Socal ), but I will try to explain it. ST Coilovers are from the same company as KW's they are EXACTLY like the KW V1's but in a nutshell they don't have a lifetime warranty and is cheaper. The height is adjustable, but not the dampening. The ride is smoother than even my previous H&R Sport + Koni Yellow Shocks. Even though I can't adjust the dampening it was better than the Koni's on medium setting. I loved the racked look that the H&R Sport springs had, but the gap in the back made me want to go lower, but not H&R Race low. I find that the ST Coilovers is the perfect blend of looks and ride. I went lower in the back and left the front. I can pass through the bumps that I had trouble with in the past without my worrying too much about the suspension not being able to compensate. I'm just wondering to myself, why didn't I know about this before?!

H&R Sport + Koni Yellow Shocks

With the addition of Koni Yellows, I was more confident when I was passing bumps on roads without having to worry about bottoming out. My Koni's were set on Medium setting the whole time and I never changed it. In retrospect the fronts were ok, but the back need some tightening up since it would be too bouncy back there without some weight. The ride was overall bearable for a 2 hour drive. I would think I would have gotten sick of it if I was going on a 4 hour drive or more. The springs are actually pretty harsh for a long drive.

H&R Sport + OEM Shocks

When I first decided to get a drop I was being cheap. I read that the springs would ride fine with the OEM shocks. Man, was I wrong The ride was only good and bearable on smooth local roads, if you live in Miami, you should have no problem, but if you commute in Los Angeles, you will **** every bit of it. There was no rebound from the OEM shocks since they weren't made for those springs and I would bottom out due to the slightest bump on the road. The look was good, but the drive was horrible, especially on bumpier roads. I quickly got Koni Yellows after a month.

OEM Non-Sport + OEM Shocks

When I first got the car I thought to myself, man! this car is low and looks great. Of course it was not until I got a drop that I was actually low. I felt that BMW had dumbed down the suspension. Coming from a E90 3-Series, I thought the handling would be better especially since the car was smaller and sportier. There was too much body roll for me and it was a bit floaty. This set up is really made for comfort IMO. When I think back, this is the setup to stay with if you like hassle-free suspension and comfort on long journeys or on bumpy roads. I would still angle into dips and driveways, but not much, never bottomed out.


I got all my suspension work done and parts from longtran@ltbmw feel free to contact him! Great guy and service! :thumsup::thumsup::thumsup:

I am now on the lowest setting of the coils

[John Zhang]

Since the car was turning 2 I decided it was time to overhaul it's looks again but swapping the wheel setup....

Here was the very last photo I had of my last setup and I do thank VMR for everything they did for me! This is not the last they'll hear from me.



I decided it was time to set up my JDM game by getting the most JDM lugs that I could think of to do a lug conversion. I had a hard time choosing between blue, gold, chrome, silver, or black lugs, but I wanted to stand out. I didn't even consider these Project Kic Neo Chro lugs since I thought they were too showy. I slowly realized that JDM is all about showy so I made a last minute decision to get thes JDM lugs and I don't regret it! The closed ended studs are around 80-90mm custom from the good people at Rotiform since I wanted chrome colored lugs to match my car and everyone else was either black or open or both. I'm just really picky and detailed oriented.


My new set of full polished CCWs really help set the lugs off and the conversion really helps make the lugs stand out!





At this point the car was...
- On the lowest ST Coilover setting.
- All fenders rolled and pulled
- On natural camber

There was a very heated debate about "hellaflush" due to my recent wheel threads...

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476885

[John Zhang]

Around 9400 miles I got my first fuel pump limp mode and engine check light which sucked since it was right after I put on my CCWs...



I had to wait for a week to get it fixed. While it was getting fixed a wheel decided to crack on me so I was forced to run a E90 LCI M-Sport wheel for a week...




BIG SHOUTOUT TO FRANKE90 for this!! :thumsup::love:

So in case you were wondering, that's the front wheel of an E90 on the rear of my 135i the offset was perfectly flush and didn't poke as much as my VMRs did, but I must admit, it did look great

After I got my HPFP and wheel sorted out it was time for spacers and side skirts. I wanted spacers since my fronts were pulled, I could fit a mid et20 so I went safe with a 5mm when I could have went for a 10mm (you all know what's next ) I also got sides. I was really holding off on getting sides cause I ***** the idea of fake vents, but no one has yet to come out with a different option. I was VERY hesitant, but decided to go for it anyway and I don't regret it. A very SPECIAL thanks to Eric@PYSPEED and Dan@UnitedBMW for everything and their continuous support!






Next is new eyes, which I have already made an appointment for, an exhaust which I have been getting quote on, performance mods which I have already been dreaming about

Also been thinking about taking out the rear spring perches for that extra low

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