[shiv11bhargava]

Always a pleasure reading about your times with all your automotive children! The 340i has to be one of the greatest BMW's ever made. Unbelievable, earth-shattering and jaw dropping at the same time!

Love it.

[KKapadia]

Hi the paddle kit looks impressive and if you say it works like the GT3 Rs then even more. I am sure they cost a pretty penny.

Not driven a 340i but I have driven various other models of BMW’s with paddle shifters with the ZF transmissions, but have noticed that they will shift very conservatively and don’t allow aggressive shifts. For Eg. No response to double clicks. Which kind of takes the fun away and makes the paddles redundant. The response is better if the car is driven in sports mode in the automatic setting. Does the 340i behave differently???

The DCT’s on the M cars were a different story.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by KKapadia

Hi the paddle kit looks impressive and if you say it works like the GT3 Rs then even more. I am sure they cost a pretty penny.

Not driven a 340i but I have driven various other models of BMW’s with paddle shifters with the ZF transmissions, but have noticed that they will shift very conservatively and don’t allow aggressive shifts. For Eg. No response to double clicks. Which kind of takes the fun away and makes the paddles redundant. The response is better if the car is driven in sports mode in the automatic setting. Does the 340i behave differently???

The DCT’s on the M cars were a different story.

It’s not too bad. Considering all M cars are ZF too since some time. It sure is not as harsh as the dct in the f80. I recently drove a Tbhpian’s f80 M3 Comp in US with DCT and that was very snappy.

M3 Comp I tried last month

[robimahanta]

Been a while since an update.

Thar @ 39000Kms

I swapped out the Avo Dampers for a Tough Dog set. Changed all the suspension rubber mounts and bushes too. The AVO was great on tarmac but too stiff for undulated stretches. Considering the fact that I use the Thar mostly for off roading and cross country trips, the tried and tested Tough Dog dampers have been great. The 35mm or so lift being an added bonus. I have driven around 12000Kms post the install and I am loving it.

The front damper


The rear TD damper


Posing with the full set


Random drive to the hills nearby


Cross country drive to Tibet


Posing with Mt. Everest in the background. This was was epic 7500Km drive from Bangalore and back. Hopefully I will be able to put up a report soon.


A Independence Day meet with the "Thar Bengaluru" group, always a great feeling to meet up with more than 70 odd Thars.


Got a lovely scale model of my Thar, 3D printed





M340i @ 29000 Kms

The 3er hasn't been out on many trip with the onset of monsoon. However, I did manage to squeeze in a few trips here and there.

I got the ECU unlocked by Femto and did a Bootmod3 multimap remap along with the Xhp Transmission remap. The ability to swap maps using the steering control based on fuel is a great feature. The already crazy sedan became even more so now with well over 400hp and 600Nm.

Love the lines


After a wash

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

I swapped out the Avo Dampers for a Tough Dog set. Changed all the suspension rubber mounts and bushes too. The AVO was great on tarmac but too stiff for undulated stretches. Considering the fact that I use the Thar mostly for off roading and cross country trips, the tried and tested Tough Dog dampers have been great. The 35mm or so lift being an added bonus. I have driven around 12000Kms post the install and I am loving it.

I need to meet you soon Can I please get a spin on thar with this suspension?

One of the first things on list I had in mind. Meanwhile do tell more about the ride and handling Vs the stock suspension. Does this level the front to rear stance also? How expensive are they?

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I need to meet you soon Can I please get a spin on thar with this suspension?

One of the first things on list I had in mind. Meanwhile do tell more about the ride and handling Vs the stock suspension. Does this level the front to rear stance also? How expensive are they?

Definitely Jaggu, lets meet up soon. I think you can drive it and check for yourself. I do have a winch with the winch plate up front which adds around 30kgs.

As for the cost, it is around a lac.

[ssjr0498]

I need to meet you for the Bootmod3 and some more stuff ! Once you're done with the Thar boys meetup, please spare some for the "Babloo boys"! Kaapi on me!

Cheers,
Shrey

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Definitely Jaggu, lets meet up soon. I think you can drive it and check for yourself. I do have a winch with the winch plate up front which adds around 30kgs.

As for the cost, it is around a lac.

[13thpsycho]

I have the tough dog setup on my thar too. I have covered 6000 kms since its install. I swapped from the stock suspension. There is 100% improvement in the ride and handling of the vehicle. I highly recommend it as the first mod for any thar.

I did a Nepal trip on this suspension setup with three ladies on board. The roads were mostly non existent in February between the Mugling and Pokhara stretch. Where other vehicles were driving at around 20 kmph, I was comfortably cruising at 40-50 kmph. I must say that the vehicle was loaded with 4 passengers and 5 medium sized suitcases on the roof. I felt a drastic change in the ride quality, lighter steering feel and lower pitching under braking. With 4 years unconditional warranty one could not ask for more.

Anyone who sits in my T-Rex after any other thar or ladder on frame Suv, they almost immediately compliment the smoothness on tarmac. With one or two passengers and no luggage on board the car feels a little stiff on sharper bumps.

[Overlander]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

I swapped out the Avo Dampers for a Tough Dog set.

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

I have the tough dog setup on my thar too. I have covered 6000 kms since it's install. I swapped from the stock suspension. There is 100% improvement in the ride and handling of the vehicle.

It is great to see that more top brands are being readily and locally made available in India. Ironman and OM were always the ubiquitous ones. May I enquire with both of you which rear coil springs you opted for? I believe they have 2 distinct ones available depending on varying expected loads.

[robimahanta]

M340i 30k kms:



The car is doing great! Last weekend, thanks to bhpians Reesnat and Speedrider75, we had an absolute blast at COASTT Track, Coimbatore.

We had 12 cars in total—4 G87 M2s, 1 F87 M2, and the rest were M340is. It was my first time at this relatively new anti-clockwise track, and while the run-off areas and kerbs are still a work in progress, the track itself is fast, wide, and a joy to drive.





Lap Times:
M2s: 1:50-1:55
M340is: 2:01-2:06

Since there were no standard transponders, we used Racebox, Dragy, Track Addict, and other apps to track lap times.

We even had a drift session on a watered section of the track.





A lot of tyres were sacrificed, but thankfully, Bhpian Nikhil2008 (Madhu’s Bangalore) set up a tyre changing and balancing service right at the track, which was a lifesaver! Huge thanks to him.



Michelin Cup 2’s on the lovely 963M and PS4S on the stock rims of Reesnat’s M2



Nikhil’s boys at work



All in all, it was two amazing days of pure fun, speed, and camaraderie. Can’t wait for the next one!

Sharing some more pictures,

















One M340 with lovely Apex wheels



The M2’s



New vs Old



Wing boys

[krishsreedharan]

Ah, nice to see this - and its already one week gone since we had this awesome weekend. Have already started planning for the next one: square setup, MRF semi slicks

[robimahanta]

4 Years with the M340i: A Quick Update

Just completed the annual oil change, and the rear brake pads were due for replacement again, so those were taken care of as well.

The stock steering wheel always felt too thick and soft for my liking, so I was on the lookout for a suitable alternative. A friend from our group was upgrading to an aftermarket Alcantara wheel and was selling his original one, so I picked it up and decided to have it refurbished. I opted for perforated leather and removed the soft-touch material to achieve a thinner profile.

The leatherwork was handled by Cetus, Chennai, based on a recommendation from another friend, and they did an outstanding job.

Here’s a comparison of both wheels:



The refurbished wheel now features perforated leather with a red center stripe, ensuring better grip—especially useful on the track, eliminating slippage caused by sweaty palms. I did consider Alcantara, but having experienced it in my F30 328i, I knew it required meticulous upkeep unless you’re committed to wearing driving gloves every time.

[ssjr0498]

The new wheel looks great! Congrats! I am not sure if this is a sleeve or the entire wheel has been re-done and stitched. If this is a sleeve that has been stitched, just a note on that red center stripe. It will leave an indentation on the actual leather beneath and that cannot be removed, if/when/ever you decide to remove the sleeve.

Originally Posted by robimahanta

The refurbished wheel now features perforated leather with a red center stripe, ensuring better grip—especially useful on the track, eliminating slippage caused by sweaty palms. I did consider Alcantara, but having experienced it in my F30 328i, I knew it required meticulous upkeep unless you’re committed to wearing driving gloves every time.

Attachment 2733763

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

I am not sure if this is a sleeve or the entire wheel has been re-done and stitched. If this is a sleeve that has been stitched, just a note on that red center stripe. It will leave an indentation on the actual leather beneath and that cannot be removed, if/when/ever you decide to remove the sleeve.

Thanks Ssjr0498, like I said in the post, I got an extra wheel and stripped it to its metal core removing all the foam and originalleather. Then fresh leather was stitched on to the wheel. The whole idea was to make the wheel as thin as possible. There is no sleeve involved and the red stripe can leave indentation or whatever on the metal core if it so desires.