535 vs 540

[Paul in NZ]

has anyone on the forum had a 5 spd 535 and changed to a 6 spd 540...I know the 540 will prolly use less petrol than the m30,but the v8 may have its own issues,not necessarily just nikasil..just interested in how they feel does the v8 have that irressistible torque feeling or is the extra hp and torque blunted by the higher gearing.......does the extra weight of the v8(is it heavier?) make itself felt......for all intents and purposes the cars are identical,a 535 sport vs a 540/6 sport

[Brent in NZ hartge 535i]

JUST BUY IT !!! the V8 uses more gas car weighs 150-200kg heavier .heaps of power in any gear .more than the 535i .
my mate drove this car ,he says its orsome ,i bit heavier in the corners etc .good brakes etc .

[zmuff]

I haven't switched to a 540i 6-speed but a friend of mine has one and we have swapped cars several times. His gas mileage is close to mine (if you drive nice) but the acceleration is outstanding... no, incredible! Since his car is all stock it doesn't handle near as well as mine, but I'm sure it can be made to. I can't stop that stupid grin on my face each time I drive it. In short, would I give up my 535i 5-speed for a nice 540i 6-speed? ABSOLUTELY!

[Paul in NZ]

be calm brent be calm.............

[Dan in NZ]

How much would you be wanting for your 535? If my research proposal gets approved I'll have a bit more in the car fund... Don't forget to knock a bit off for that disfunctional intensive washer system ;) . Actually send me a private message...

[black_bird_blue]

If my research proposal gets approved I'll have a bit more in the car fund...


Colour me naieve, but isn't the research funding supposed to fund...research? ;)

I can only speak as an owner of a 540. For me it was a bit of an impulse buy, it was available and fairly cheap (although the cheapness has been forgotten since the tranny blew up...but I did get get 23,000 miles out of it before that happened so I don't feel too bad).

I like the V8 noise, but then the sixes sound quite nice too. In terms of performance, well, all cars are slow and some are slower than others, so I can't comment. It does let me make some quite crisp overtakes, though.

I'm getting about 22 mpg as an overall average, about 24.5 if I set the cruise at 85 mph. Of course, they are imperial gallons (8 x 568 = 4544 ml) and not US gallons (8 x 440 = 3520 ml).

The handling is great - the car is quite linear and carries its weight well - if a little slow; a small amount of technique overcomes that. Managing big, long arcing drifts is no problem with the 8 (even with my autobox). The 6 has a reputation for having better handling, my point is that the 8 is not a disappointment. I guess it would be the driving equivalent of having to date Claudia Schiffer's sister instead of her; it beats a Toyota Crolla by a considerable margin in the same way that I suspect the other Ms Schiffer would still make great scenery on a date. I do wish mine was manual (it was just what came up) but the auto doesn't spoil my fun any, just robs me of some choices now and again.

My biggest objection to the V8 is that the BLOODY STEERING BOX is difficult to get to...(see another thread)!

Damian

[DueyT]

540i/6 only but extra weight (over big 6 notwithstanding) is more than offset with almost-M5 power from a chipped M60. The only thing that keeps me from snapping out the beast's rear is judicious use (modulation) of the accelerator pedal.

That said, I'll have to get together with Mark D'Sylva and see just how close a Sport model 540i/6 is to his 93 M5.

Cheers,
Duey

[Reidal]

I'd say you won't be disappointed Paul.

Just check the oil pump mounts (check a recent thread from me) at the first opportunity.

I drove a number of 6's both man and auto and decided the 8 was for me, but I couldn't find a 540 at the time so now have the 530.

Very happy with the way it spools up and goes harder the faster it revs.

I'm now looking for extra horses in a vain attempt to play with the 200kw plus big boys.