[bjf66]

To keep it simple (and short), here are some of my thoughts after owning the car (refer to the left) for a little over a year. The engine has been stock, with only cosmetic and tire mods.

1. Tires really do matter.
I have been using the dreadful OEM run-flat summers 19" and in comparison, my winter performance tires (Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme) on 18" are just so much better, in terms of ride comfort, traction; truly confidence-inspiring.
It makes sense, after all, tires are what connects you to the road.

2. To add to tires, tire pressure really matters too.
Experiment around with them. My winters were under-inflated for a while. Fuel economy suffered, and it felt very mushy; felt like a totally different tire after increasing the pressure.

3. It's actually more engaging to drive with the sports button OFF, for city driving.
Feels smoother, and the fact that I get to hammer down the throttle more makes it feel more fun. Sports ON for highways and tracking.

4. The car loves consuming fluids. Been having to add oil, coolant, and of course, gas more often that I expected.

That's it for now.

Feel free to comment and share your thoughts too.

[Miller335]

Consuming fluids?

From what I read adding oil here and there seems to be somewhat common but you shouldn't need to add coolant unless you have an issue somewhere.

[bjf66]

Originally Posted by Miller335

Consuming fluids?

From what I read adding oil here and there seems to be somewhat common but you shouldn't need to add coolant unless you have an issue somewhere.

I was curious about it too and asked the tech. He mentioned that it is common for coolant to drop in high performance cars, and that the cabin heating system uses the same coolant to heat the car, so it is more usual as winter comes.

[marc@x-ph.com]

I barely see a difference in coolant level btw. I've had my car for 9000 miles now. the previous car, I did coolant flush for the sake of it but even then I had driven it for 35k (FBO) and nothing noticeable was gone.

The old did consume oil though. Half a quart every 4000k. The new one consumes nothing in 4000k (basically below the threshold of detection)

totally agree on the tires

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Like mentioned above oil consumption is normal but coolant consumption is not something I have really seen a lot of. On the coolant side the water pumps are prone to failure. I had mine go at about 130K Not a fun repair in terms of cost.

Mike

[marc@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Mike@N54Tuning.com

Like mentioned above oil consumption is normal but coolant consumption is not something I have really seen a lot of. On the coolant side the water pumps are prone to failure. I had mine go at about 130K Not a fun repair in terms of cost.

Mike

130k, you're lucky. I had two fail in 80k on my previous N54.

[kctim]

Had mine for just over a year now. Few thoughts so far:

Run flats HAVE to go. Odds are your insurance policy has a few free tow's per year. Use them in the unlikely event you get a flat on better tires.

These ECU's are incredible. How the car adapts to stuff like tuning, different gas, etc is impressive.

It takes too damn long for the car to warm up so if your commute consists of a few miles each way, don't expect to get on your car very hard (without serious consequences). I suspect this one is overlooked too often.

If your car is jet black and you're obsessed with keeping it clean, good luck. I feel your pain.

The car is the quietest FBO car I've ever heard. You have to go WOT to hear the good stuff, and unfortunately that isn't very often for obvious reasons. (This is based on a HKS catback, and BMS DP, which I thought together would make it sound pretty damn aggressive...boy was I wrong)

Car doesn't adapt very well to new spark plugs.

I wish it had a LSD every time I get on it.

Good news is it still brings a smile to my face. It doesn't burn a drop of oil (seems like I'm in the minority here), turbo seals aren't spewing smoke after FBO, and it feels just as solid as it did new.

[mastermayhm]

Originally Posted by kctim

Had mine for just over a year now. Few thoughts so far:

Run flats HAVE to go. Odds are your insurance policy has a few free tow's per year. Use them in the unlikely event you get a flat on better tires.

These ECU's are incredible. How the car adapts to stuff like tuning, different gas, etc is impressive.

It takes too damn long for the car to warm up so if your commute consists of a few miles each way, don't expect to get on your car very hard (without serious consequences). I suspect this one is overlooked too often.

If your car is jet black and you're obsessed with keeping it clean, good luck. I feel your pain.

The car is the quietest FBO car I've ever heard. You have to go WOT to hear the good stuff, and unfortunately that isn't very often for obvious reasons. (This is based on a HKS catback, and BMS DP, which I thought together would make it sound pretty damn aggressive...boy was I wrong)

Car doesn't adapt very well to new spark plugs.

I wish it had a LSD every time I get on it.

Good news is it still brings a smile to my face. It doesn't burn a drop of oil (seems like I'm in the minority here), turbo seals aren't spewing smoke after FBO, and it feels just as solid as it did new.

i dont notice any oil consumption either... +1 on LSD haha