My first experience with an m140i. Got it a few months ago. Shockimg how dangerous and bad that rear felt even in a straight line around the 70- 80mph when under heavy throttle. Car was moving all around the place. Felt like the subframe and chassis were held together with elastic bands!!! First thing I did was fit powerflex handling package black spec subframe inserts, diff inserts and the bmw underbrace. All quite cheap. Powerflex handling package was £150 Underbrace I got off ebay worked out at £105 with new bmw bolts. Completely changed the feel. Has added pretty much no nvh. Glad I went with the black. The oem bushes are soft so equals out. Plus I dont like seeing the yellow mounts. Like the stealthy look. Its now made the engine and transmission movement more noticable now. It was noticeable before, but now it feels like its not bolted in 😂 So Ordered purple transmission mounts and the black engine inserts. Again. Quite cheap. Gearbox mounts £75 and inserts £36 I also ordered some bilstein b14's for a bargain price of £805 from performance m Not a great deal of money overall but will completely change the car. Its already massively improved. Once this lot is fitted Im hoping it actually feels like a performance car and not a boat with an engine up front. 😂

Rear subframe bushes swapped for Poly ones makes a massive difference to the loose rear end feeling. M3 UCA/LCA, Strut brace, Rear Body brace, B14's, rear sub frame bushes and a LSD transforms a stock 140 into a proper handling hot hatch. The best part is, the engine is already best in class, those mods just bring the rest of the package up to the engines standard. DP and a tune then makes these things a phenomenal weapon all round

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

OCOWGTR27 this man knows! You’ve just listed near enough what I ended up doing! Made for a very capable car indeed!

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

Did you change the entire rear subframe bushes or did you just add the additional subframe PU inserts to full the gap in OEM bushes ?

@OCOWGTR27

3 жыл бұрын

@@vollcare4076 Change them for poly bushes. Ive heard a few people complain that the inserts just ruin NVH, dont hugely improve the feel. Poly bushes are good.

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

OCOWGTR27 ok thanks So even with complete bushes you don’t have any increase in NVH ? Which bushes did you install?

@OCOWGTR27

3 жыл бұрын

@@vollcare4076 For the rear subframe, yes minimal change to NVH. I know a few blokes that have also done the diff bushes, and If you change the diff bushes, it adds lots of NVH but doesnt seem to add feel strangely. Super pro are the ones I installed.

Good to see some really informative technical advice on these cars, far too many people just review vehicles and ownership by showing off carbon side skirts, over priced intakes and pop/bang maps

@starryvoyage

3 жыл бұрын

cant agree more!

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Rayaan Williams thanks mate, I think that’s why I like KZread as a platform for sharing and learning about cars over Instagram, it suits taking more time to share more detailed information and opinions with a bit more substance than the mass click (touch) media. It’s sometimes a shame to see the money spent elsewhere on these cars when the drive can be so transformed with the right mechanical bits! Each to there own though, we all enjoy our cars in different ways. 😊

It’s enjoyable to watch you drive. You drive the hard yet your arms and hands aren’t wrestling the car. I will rewatch a few of your videos before tracking my car next year.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

H L thanks a lot! It sounds obvious but a good setup (alignment) goes a long way to letting you trust the car’s behaviour - that and cheap MX5s are good learning tools! 😀

I am watching your channel mate I have a m140 I I have listened to everything you have said you are the most sensible bloke I haven’t listened to for a long time I have had a tune from the Porformance Centre at Sunderland and everything you say is bang on mate my car drives tautly different nowThanks for all your advice Matt

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant to hear and thanks for the kind words, enjoy your beast of a car now!! :-)

@MrBailey234

3 жыл бұрын

CIRCUIT : DRIVER ther is a old saying catch that pigeon my car overtakes the thanks m8

This is a fantastic channel. I have absolutely no idea how you manage to drive so quickly and with such confidence. I’ve done a couple of track days at Oulton in my completely standard and rattly old MX5. I was ABSOLUTELY RUBBISH. Everybody - and I mean everybody - was faster than me! I was overtaken by a Raleigh Chopper (in purple- nice) but the rider was really pedalling hard. However, I completely agree regarding the M140. The rear of the car just isn’t happy out of the box, especially (I found) on a slightly uneven surface as you accelerate of a roundabouts etc. The rear cannot resolve itself. The engine and ZF gearbox is a peach. Mine went back a few months ago (end of pcp) and I’ve not bought anything else yet. I’m struggling to find anything with such “bang for buck” but ease of use. Maybe I should just get another and do what you’re doing ie: Fix It 😂 Thanks for great channel.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Jobs Jobbed appreciate the comments, made me chuckle about the Chopper!! 😂😂 ...you should have seen me at the weekend at the track in my old CRX for the first time... hopeless!! No confidence! It will come though. 😊 Not a bad time to have no monthly payment going out at the minute with uncertain times and perhaps reduced travel. I’m agreement about the bang for buck value, they’re in a class of their own!

Great review thanks

Great video, thanks. I have the Birds b1 kit fitted to my M140i. It now handles like a proper hot hatch and it’s also improved the ride comfort. Expensive,but I believe you get what you pay for with Birds.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

robert long that doesn’t come as a surprise, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad review of their packages. Enjoy! 🙌

@peterkukolik8402

3 жыл бұрын

​@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS If one codes out the adaptive dampers (EDC), how does it effect the steering in the M140i with ZF gearbox? Will it be soft or stiff in sport mode and stiff in sport+ mode? Thanks for your input and top shelf content on your channel.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Peter Kukolík thanks Peter, it doesn’t affect the ability to change the steering in the modes, so that functionality remains. My personal preference for the steering is always soft. 👍

@peterkukolik8402

3 жыл бұрын

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS Soft is my choice too. Thanks for the reply.

Great info as usual Matt. When will KZread be seeing your next installment,re- the KW v3’s?

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Anthony h thanks Anthony, two or three weeks I suspect, lots going on with work and cars atm!

Glad I found this video. I know we’re talking different chassis here, I’ve got an F31 adaptive with a leaking front damper. I’m seriously thinking code out and go aftermarket. It’s only a 325d, not used for track days. What would you think best to go for. Not interested in mega adjustable, and preferably keep the oem top hat

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry for the delayed reply.. I think the Bilstein Eibach B12 kit would be an excellent solution for your demands. 👍

I really enjoy these reviews- very insightful; eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Really keen to hear your thoughts on the 3 door underbrace as well as what’s worth upgrading/not. I wouldn’t mind if you gave us an insight on what suspension upgrade paths to go down for the best DD/fast road compromise. So far I’m thinking M4 LCA/TS, KW valved coilovers, 3 door rear underbrace and a good alignment. Also, out of interest, what’s your ride height (centre hub to fender)?

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

I have all of your mentioned Upgrades on my manual M140: - M4 LCA (less understeer, but heavier steering) - KW Street Comfort on 338mm height Allround (really improved the comfort a lot, slightly less sharp turn in maybe) - MPerf Diff & 3 door underbody brace eliminated the moving back end (left-right) under hard acceleration almost to 100% ...together with the softer rebound damping of the SC these last 2 mods really improved traction a lot, full throttle in 2nd gear is no more problem: The softer the rebound damper setting, the better the traction All of these mods work fine, really improve the ride and - most important - don’t ruin the comfort for daily use: the KW street comfort made the ride even much more comfortable / no more bouncing

@101TheKMan

3 жыл бұрын

@@vollcare4076 That's a legit setup- nice ride height too. What damper settings do you have the KWs adjusted to? Recommended settings?

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

Kyle Martin I started with default setting (9 clicks open), but for daily use I put it to softer 12 clicks open, for long holiday travel I even put it to 14 clicks open

Just seen your video for the first time. Great, thanks. I’ve just got a 130i and think the same as re springs / shocks. Just ordered the eibach pro kit but was looking at bilstein b4’s , have you had much experience with them? Assume not in the same league as b12’s? Thanks in advance

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

2 жыл бұрын

I haven’t I’m afraid, although my expectation would be an improvement over standard. I thought the oem shocks were very poor and when I replaced temporarily with budget FK shocks, found an improvement in damping, albeit they were a little softer.

Any chance of releasing the videos of you on track in the m140?

Looking forward to the final review of your suspension 😊

Exited about your KW V3 review

I specced my car with adaptive. After 3 months I couldn’t get on with it. Comfort mode was good for driving from A to B but not engaging enough for spirited driving. Sport mode was too bouncy/pogo for poor U.K. Similar to you, I found the sport setting useless. I switched to birds passive springs and dampers. Couldn’t be any happier and would do it all over again. I also fitted an under body brace. The car is more planted and more comfortable over rough road. Something that I thought isn’t possible with a passive setup.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

H L great to hear more positive reports of Birds’ kit, I think most people see removing the adaptive element as a backwards step but they don’t know what they’re missing until they try a well resolved package like yours! 😊

Great informative video! Love the channel. A question... Does the M135i LCI share the same suspension as the M140i?

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Good question, to which honestly I can’t be definitive. I think so but there may be subtle differences I’m not aware of... sorry that’s not very helpful!! 😂

@DRIZNISH

3 жыл бұрын

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS either way, I am considering a B12 kit after watching this. I always thought the chassis felt loose. Improved slightly after adding the underbody brace, but always thought the suspension was its weakest point. Surprised BMW didn't add a more sophisticated suspension system when they updated the M135i to the M140i, they mustve known it was something which needed to be done

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

M140 has harder suspension than M135, so damper and springs have other specs - however all aftermarket suspension fit to both M135 and M140, besides the damper and spring rates the suspension arms etc are 100% the same

I agree with pretty much everything you said. The passive suspension is shockingly poor. I'm on H&R and on most roads, it's more controlled than stock. Show it a B road with a few bumps and as you said, it feels like it's bucking and it continues to do so for a few more yards which is rather scary. Im sure I have a dent in my roof from the amount of times I've been bucked out my seat. Even motorway journeys are now just a pain. I drove a friends adaptive with m4 arms on the same road back to back and it was so much more composed and confidence inspiring that I went and ordered the ST coilovers that night (won't be tracking and is mainly weekend and meet car). I was considering bilstein, BC or meister as I know they're rated in the Honda world but I havent seen many reviews on them. Hope the new car keeps you happier than this! I'm hoping it makes as big of a difference as you've tried to explain. Being fitted this week by our liverpudlian friend dave 😂

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Haidar Iqbal ace to hear re the STs and Mr Welsh, interested to know what you make of them!! I absolutely loved the M140i, especially so once I got it all working right! A few outside factors combined to mean trading down to a cheaper car was the right thing for me to do for a while otherwise I would still have it. 😊

@haidari4

3 жыл бұрын

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS I'll be doing a pretty long journey the day after so I'll get some good seat time. Ah just as you built a very well spec'd 140! Sorry to hear that but I hope you make a return to the bmw world!

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Haidar Iqbal thanks mate, there’s no doubt I’ll be back in a BM one day... I’d really love an E46 M3 in the garage as a track and road car... maybe in a couple of years. 😊

What can you say about the oil and coolant temperatures on track? You can find figures in a hidden menu btw.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Mine were very stable on track, I monitored using the Dashcommand app. :-)

does the Bilstein B12 & B14 need service after certain mileages... i hav adaptive suspension, thinking to put the H&R spring, how does it compare with bilstein B12 ....i know nothing about spring, thx

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

H&R springs really lower a lot by ca 30-35mm compared to OEM M135/140 height, for my taste it’s too much: 1. it looks pretty obviously tuned / not OEM+ anymore 2. it’s too low for stock dampers to still work properly I‘d go for Eibach pro-Kit ca 15mm lower for an OEM (+) look or Eibach Motech springs, but the ‚standard’ (ca 20/25mm) and not the Motech plus

Nice description of the back end with stock dampers . I tried the Eiback kit with stock dampers on m235 but the car just became overwhelmed on bumpy roads. Recently fitted the b14 kit so I can set ride height following the m4 arm conversion. Very happy with it now. Whats your view on arb/sway bars ?

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

RichieRich good to hear another happy B14 customer, I was impressed when I drove Will’s M135 with them and LCAs! 😊 I felt like the front end was lacking compared to the rear on his car so perhaps TS’ would be my next port of call. Re the ARBs, they tie together all the other modifications beautifully and the difference in body roll is marked! Given the amount of labour required to fit the front ARB, it be might be worth experimenting with rear alone first...

@AnonymousAndy2

3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant description of the rear end. I’m watching this having just done loads of research into improving the ride quality on my M140i. I was going to go replace the suspension with the B12 setup, but my current insurance company wouldn’t cover me if I change the springs. But I can change the dampers. So I’m going to try B8 rear shocks with standard springs. If this is still not good enough I will then do front shocks. Failing this I will change insurance company at renewal and replace the springs with the Eibach items as used in the B12 kit or M135i rear springs. I will feed back when B8s have been fitted in a week or two.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

@@AnonymousAndy2 how annoying about your insurance!! If you’re comfortable doing so it might be worth popping some M135i springs in there instead of the M140i springs as they’re a bit softer. Annoyingly I think Bilstein make separate shocks for standard and lowered right height (B6 and B8 respectively), so I thrive you’d need the B6s. Though they wouldn’t be as well suited to the lowering springs if you fit them down the line.... 🤔

@AnonymousAndy2

3 жыл бұрын

Circuit driver, as I have the M performance suspension the B8s will fit according to Bilstein. The B6 is for the standard 1 series 🤞

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

@@AnonymousAndy2 fantastic! In case you fancy trying the softer M135i springs, they’re 6.8kg/mm vs the M140i’s 10.5kg/mm. 👍

I've testdriven an m140i and although the engine and Zf was impressive the steering felt very "numb". The car turned just fine but I didn't get any feedback from the front wheels. Which modifications resolve this issue?

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

2 ай бұрын

I think I might be a bit of a feel through the bum driver as much as through the wheel as it has tended make less of a difference to my enjoyment of cars than others report.. for example, give me power assisted mk3 MR2 steering over unassisted 'pure' mk1 Elise any day! That said, driving my car back to back with an m135i without the //M arms at the front, the m135i felt much less precise and feelsome, I hadn't appreciated the difference they made to the drive until this point and felt like I needed more information and accuracy from the front of the 35 without the mods.

What do you think about the M perfomance kit?

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Emanuele Tomei honestly I can’t comment as I’ve got no experience with them sorry! I suspect it’s a little overpriced for what you get, but for some I can see the appeal with availability or legality of other parts and of course warranty coverage. 👍

I had the ST-X coilovers on my old 130i and can confirm that they're excellent- great ride and great handling. I'm thinking of doing something similar on my m135i or trying out the Eibach Pro-Street S coilovers instead. They have the same KW V1 shock valved to Eibachs specs. The rear spring is slightly softer too which should increase ride comfort.

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

For a daily I can recommend KW Street Comfort which replaced the horrible bouncy OEM passive M140 suspension: SC is like V2 but with 10% softer rear spring and a softer (fixed) compression damping, rebound damping is also 16 times adjustable: Ca 1.400€ It’s a lot more comfortable than stock suspension and also as B12, however if adjusted to firmer Settings (5-8 clicks open) it’s still good (maybe not perfect) for Nordschleife etc

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Kyle Martin great to hear the ST-Xs are as good as expected, and very interesting to hear about the KV valving in the Eibachs... I had assumed they used Bilstein damping as the Billies use Eibach springs... 🤷‍♂️

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Voll Care thanks for another good recommendation... people are spoiled for choice!! Does the SC adjust at the top or the bottom of the rear strut?

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

CIRCUIT : DRIVER SC is the same as ST XA or VA or V3: rebound damping adjustable on top mount. So finally I had to buy the KW extension cable ( 2x 40€) and drill a hole each side above the top mount to be able to change the rebound from inside of the boot. P.S. I had Sent you pictures on FB Messenger on 21.6. ;)

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

CIRCUIT : DRIVER Eibach also uses ZF Sachs damper in the new Eibach pro Street Multi: they habe to buy dampers everywhere since they don’t Produce own dampers

Yes totally agree standard suspension is s##t , I've had Bilstein B12 kit on my M135i for over 4 years only problem I've had only recently is the bushes went on the rear shocks but I fitted poly bushes 👍 and lsd is a must .

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

richard trow good to hear they’re still going strong for you! I’ve heard of similar wear on KWs with the bushes. Couldn’t agree more on the LSD too! 😀

Yeah I know exactly what you mean .I couldn't stand the standard setup to it was terrible ended up going for birds auto B1 suspension kit

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Andrew pearman very nice indeed! I’ll bet that was a night and day transformation completely sorting the suspension! 😊

Whats the difference between b12 and b14 apart from height adjustment? Is it the same dampers? Are the b14 comfy?

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Car Mad128 I don’t know Is honest answer but I expect they’re subtly different. Will who co-runs the channel has B14s on his M135i and they are perfectly comfortable - I would recommend them to anyone. 😊

@carmad1287

3 жыл бұрын

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS thank you im about to order a set for 740 thats all, so he has no problems with them? do they help traction at the rear? i assume the rear springs are softer at the back and allow even more weight shift under acceleration?

@vollcare4076

3 жыл бұрын

B12 and B14 both have the same rear (B8) damper part number Front damper is different, but most likely only due to Thread for height adjustability on B14 - I expect the damping forces to be a similar to B8/B12 Front (to match the B8/12 rear damper of the B14h Spring rates might be slightly stiffe B14 (no data based opinion) due to a lot more potential lowering of B14 compared to B12

BMW should have listed the B12 Pro-Kit as an optional extra!

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Lewis Benson or better still paid Bilstein to sort it as standard!! 😩

@2candan1

3 жыл бұрын

Then nobody would buy the M cars! Shame they didn’t though

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Dan honestly the difference to a full //M car goes so much further! I’m sure BM would have taken a few Golf R and S3 sales with more surefooted and confidence inspiring handling though! 😂

I don’t know what BMW were smoking when did the suspension setup on the M140i. It’s barely acceptable in passive form. I wanted an active car but couldn’t get one when I needed to make the change. I’ve regretted that ever since.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

2 жыл бұрын

Amazing for such a fast car isn't it Chris!! Happily sorted in the most recent cars, but then they're missing the glorious powertrain! 😢

This car was sold to my brother a few weeks ago. It’s a nuclear warhead

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Ben Jones it sure is!!!! Delighted that it’s being enjoyed as it should be and was pleased it went to a nice lad in Josh. 👍

Someone just linked me to your video. Gotta say wow, your thought process was basically the same as mine re: F8x control arms, and height adjustability of the B14s. This is my latest update on my build. www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?p=1610600&sid=3663a38a0bd6d8bd8f5b7a7e4e84946d#p1610600

'Most cars are better' ? No mate, you are just using sensationalism to get hits. They are not amazing, but they are deliberately not as good as a full M car, and they are definitely at least as good as Audi and VW competitors. 'Makes the car unsettled for 50 yards down the road' talk about exaggerate ffsk come on mate that's bs and you know it. Yes it's not set up very well for a track car, but it isn't a track car is it, it's a do-it-all hatchback that can be practical, comfortable, and sensible for the 95% of what most owners will use the car for, and then in sport+ (with the adaptive anyway, I haven't driven the passive yet), it tightens everything up enough to make a difference. ON THE ROAD (it's not made for trackday's is it). An Audi S3 is not 'better', and in fact is much worse on a track, because of the understeer. If you're going to make a video about trackday's with your car, then at least compare it to it's competition, because you are not going to have a better trackday experience in anything of a similar price. Everyone knows about the suspension upgrades if you want to track an m140i, but then it sill not be as good, in comfort mode when you are pootling around town, as the car was designed to do. Putting lower arms, and tensioner struts on to add camber and widen the track at the front to counter the understeer you get from fitting an LSD, will make it much better on track, but then it will be worse on the road, because it will wear tyres out & wheel bearings faster, tramline more, etc......

@benjones7117

3 жыл бұрын

It’s not his car anymore. My brother bought it a few weeks ago.

@DjNikGnashers

3 жыл бұрын

@@benjones7117 OK, thanks for that, but it doesn't change this video or my comment.

@mantazini

3 жыл бұрын

Why are you so butthurt ? it's his opinion and he clearly says that . Where does he mention it being a track day weapon ??? he's talking about simple things the shock valving versus spring rates . It's not efficient for a 300+ car , it hasn't got control when you start pushing it on bumpy B roads. Every person i know who has track experience and know some tech data and how to compare a good damped suspension and not so , have similar experience with these cars . Now you're getting out of context with track shit offended for some unknown reason . Take a break mate

@sheilamorrison1954

3 жыл бұрын

@@mantazini This. Sounds like the guy was on a bad day.

@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS

3 жыл бұрын

Appreciate the time taken to write detailed comment Nik... I promise my comments weren't intended as sensationalist and I promise were I seeking views at the expense of authenticity I would have done a much better job or creating clickbait videos! My opinions about the poor suspension were actually made more about the car's feel over poorer A and B roads than at the track and for clarity they are more about the feel, over the levels of grip - these cars HAVE to have high grip levels with the pace they possess. What they don't do is inspire confidence, they never feel planted or composed over undulating ground and here, I genuinely think that most over cars do better. As an example, my mother's Peugeot RCZ instantly feels settled and gives the driver confidence, it's not a particularly sporty or high price car, it just has a better resolved spring and damper combination. This can be highlighted more starkly by going for a test drive in a new M135i... the confidence you get from the new car isn't because of the 4wd layout, it's because again it's better resolved, absorbs bumps better, settles quicker and controls the body better. That's not to say it's a better car - I much prefer the M140i, I'm just prepared to concede where the new car surpasses the old. Regards trackdays more specifically, I'll be a bit more facetious here... the M140i is a hell of a tool and very capable indeed, but it's not as much fun as my £2.5k Mazda MX5... nor as quick at some tracks!... I wouldn't fancy a two hour commute in the MX5 though! :-)