Going from a E92 335i to a Z4-35i/s

Smgs1992 · 03-21-2021, 05:03 PM

Anyone made the change? Is it worth upgrading or should i keep my 335i love the car and have no problems with it i just like the styling of the Z4. Is the handling much different and how’s the aftermarket? My car is FBO inlets not sure what all would bolt on the same

KennyP · 03-22-2021, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smgs1992

Anyone made the change? Is it worth upgrading or should i keep my 335i love the car and have no problems with it i just like the styling of the Z4. Is the handling much different and how’s the aftermarket? My car is FBO inlets not sure what all would bolt on the same

Steering is probably the biggest difference. 335i has hydraulic, Z4 has electric power steering. So if you are really into hydraulic steering dont switch. Z4 power streering was revised and improved at some point.. im guessing with 2013 facelift. Not saying its bad but different feel for sure from e90(im comparing with a 325i my brother had).
Z4 is lighter and therefore faster. And it doesnt look like just another 3 series on the road

so thats a plus.

About parts: chargepipe and downpipes are different from 335i. Intercooler, inlets etc are the same and do fit.
E92 spare parts are probably easier to get and cheaper.

proboner · 03-22-2021, 03:03 PM

Yeah I like that they're not nearly as ubiquitous. Most people don't even know what they are.

AM26 · 03-22-2021, 08:32 PM

I was debating wether to get a 335i/135i or Z4. Test drove all of them and after driving the Z4 I had no doubts which one to get. The seating position for me had the biggest impact. 335i/135i felt just like normal cars and Z4 feels much more special in my opinion. You are sitting very low on a rear axle with a long hood in front of you. Makes me smile everytime I drive it

StLMO · 03-23-2021, 11:53 PM

I went from an e90 to f30 to z4. E90 has more vendors selling performance parts, you're limited on the z4 to a few companies. However, the z4 is much easier to work on in the engine bay, much roomier. Inlets took me two hours, downpipes another few hours. Turbo placement is similar to a 535 so 335 parts will not fit correctly. The oe ride quality in the z4 is much more forgiving vs an e90 on oe sport springs. I agree with the other post, steering is night and day. You fight with the e90's hydraulic steering vs z4 electronic steering. Road noise and noise from the top's seals is very noticeable at highway speeds and going over uneven roads. Overall, I like the z, it's a fun little car and plenty fast with fbo and a modest tune.

CarAbuser · 04-12-2021, 01:19 PM

I currently have both. They are surprisingly different given they share so many components.

The Z4 is much more capable and puts power down a lot better. It's also much easier to work on as already mentioned. You can reach down the side of the engine and touch the rear turbo just about and the front is accessible after removing the vacuum cannisters. There's also no cowl to remove so simple jobs that require the engine cover being removed are much quicker.

The 335i is much more comfortable for long journeys though, far less road noise in the cabin. I also think the E92 335i has a better exhaust note with catless downpipes. The Z4 can be a little raspy down low when catless.

The steering on the 335i is hydraulic but isn't all that different to the EPS in the Z4 when moving, it's nowhere near the level of feedback offered from the E46.

Dake · 04-13-2021, 04:04 PM

I would recommend going for a drive and see which one you prefer.
I currently have both an E93 and an E89. The E89 is the one I'm gonna keep.
The Z4 just has the looks and feels a lot more special behind the wheel.

The weight difference between the two is obvious but the E89 is no sports car.

Like others said the E92/E93 is a much better highway cruiser top up and especially top down. My E93 has a lot less turbulence at 70-100 mph where I find the E89 is acceptable at 70 but a bit too windy and noisy above.

The quality of the materials in the cabin feels a bit more low cost in the E89 but again it feels a bit cheap in both.

03-21-2021, 05:03 PM	#1
Smgs1992 Captain 720 Rep 946 Posts Drives: 2007 bmw 335i Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Cincinnati ohio iTrader: (0)	Going from a E92 335i to a Z4-35i/s Anyone made the change? Is it worth upgrading or should i keep my 335i love the car and have no problems with it i just like the styling of the Z4. Is the handling much different and how’s the aftermarket? My car is FBO inlets not sure what all would bolt on the same __________________ 07 E92 335i 6MT, MMP inlets, DCI, VRSF 7.5 competition intercooler, VRSF catless downpipes, VRSF chargepipe, 335is clutch, Vader Solutions stage 2 LPFP, MHD stage 2+, Hawk HPS 5.0 pads, R1 Concepts drilled slotted rotors, TSW Nurburgring 19x8 19x9.5
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03-22-2021, 03:03 PM	#3
proboner Private First Class 67 Rep 198 Posts Drives: 2003 Z4 3.0 6-speed Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Mountain View, CA iTrader: (0)	Yeah I like that they're not nearly as ubiquitous. Most people don't even know what they are.
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03-22-2021, 08:32 PM	#4
AM26 New Member 3 Rep 14 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive35is Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Lithuania iTrader: (0)	I was debating wether to get a 335i/135i or Z4. Test drove all of them and after driving the Z4 I had no doubts which one to get. The seating position for me had the biggest impact. 335i/135i felt just like normal cars and Z4 feels much more special in my opinion. You are sitting very low on a rear axle with a long hood in front of you. Makes me smile everytime I drive it
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03-23-2021, 11:53 PM	#5
StLMO Private First Class 26 Rep 124 Posts Drives: 2003 M5, 2015 Z4 35is Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: St. Louis, MO iTrader: (3) Garage List 2017 BMW 540i [0.00] 2003 BMW M5 [0.00] 2015 BMW Z4 35is [5.00]	I went from an e90 to f30 to z4. E90 has more vendors selling performance parts, you're limited on the z4 to a few companies. However, the z4 is much easier to work on in the engine bay, much roomier. Inlets took me two hours, downpipes another few hours. Turbo placement is similar to a 535 so 335 parts will not fit correctly. The oe ride quality in the z4 is much more forgiving vs an e90 on oe sport springs. I agree with the other post, steering is night and day. You fight with the e90's hydraulic steering vs z4 electronic steering. Road noise and noise from the top's seals is very noticeable at highway speeds and going over uneven roads. Overall, I like the z, it's a fun little car and plenty fast with fbo and a modest tune.
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04-12-2021, 01:19 PM	#6
CarAbuser Lieutenant Colonel 468 Rep 1,535 Posts Drives: Z4 35i DCT / E92 335i DCT Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: United Kingdom iTrader: (0)	I currently have both. They are surprisingly different given they share so many components. The Z4 is much more capable and puts power down a lot better. It's also much easier to work on as already mentioned. You can reach down the side of the engine and touch the rear turbo just about and the front is accessible after removing the vacuum cannisters. There's also no cowl to remove so simple jobs that require the engine cover being removed are much quicker. The 335i is much more comfortable for long journeys though, far less road noise in the cabin. I also think the E92 335i has a better exhaust note with catless downpipes. The Z4 can be a little raspy down low when catless. The steering on the 335i is hydraulic but isn't all that different to the EPS in the Z4 when moving, it's nowhere near the level of feedback offered from the E46.
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04-13-2021, 04:04 PM	#7
Dake New Member 2 Rep 11 Posts Drives: E39 M5 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Denmark, Europe iTrader: (0)	I would recommend going for a drive and see which one you prefer. I currently have both an E93 and an E89. The E89 is the one I'm gonna keep. The Z4 just has the looks and feels a lot more special behind the wheel. The weight difference between the two is obvious but the E89 is no sports car. Like others said the E92/E93 is a much better highway cruiser top up and especially top down. My E93 has a lot less turbulence at 70-100 mph where I find the E89 is acceptable at 70 but a bit too windy and noisy above. The quality of the materials in the cabin feels a bit more low cost in the E89 but again it feels a bit cheap in both.
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