I love how on this forum, the 335i is looked down on, while on e90post, people look down on the Z
they are completely different cars
but my car, as a vert, weighs over 2 tons
when i was modded, I had no problem killing Zs, whether it was from a dead stop, a roll, up to 100, up to 130, or anything in between.
Now, when it came to the canyons, stock I have nothing.. the back end is really heavy on my vert (balance is better in the coupe obviously), but after sway bars, strut, and coils, i had no problem in the handling dept, even at 2 tons.
stock, i haven't tried anything, as stock is boring.
Also, the JB3 tune, on map 3 (lowest map) will give about 350whp (up from stock of about 275)
but that's in prime conditions.
if it's too hot, you will get less power and strong heatstroke.
Performance Mods I had:
JB3 2.0 Map 5
Catless Downpipes (but stock exhaust)
Helix Front Mount Step-Intercooler
BMS Dual Cone intake.
RR Oil Catch Can
Rapter Dual BOV
I was pushing about 430wtq and 445whp on 93
Though I don't have the dyno sheet, so you can take it however you want.
I never raced it officially on a drag strip, but using my friends GPS tracking thing (it was used specifically to get G and 1/4 etc, forgot what it was called, cool thing though), i ran the 1/4 is 12.8
I would walk non-FI M3s all day and night as those cars have no torque
But regarding reliablity... if you keep the car stock, get the oil cooler under warranty (for MY 07 cars), the main issue you will face is the High Pressure Fuel Pump.
They aren't the most reliable cars... but after taking off my tune, I have noticed it doesn't make long cranks etc.
I was pushing a peak of 16.1 psi when I ran map 7 on my jb3
daily driving I did map 5 at about 14 psi
My car stock... I am actually liking the low end torque a lot... i used to think stock was dead slow right after I demodded (did it all in a day), but now I can't really remember how much power I really had...
The Z..is a much more nimble car.
Stock for stock, it will out handle the 335i from my experience.
There is a price differece... a big one.
But with the 335i, you get 4 usable seats, free oils changes brakese etc, and the BMW Badge (which to some, not all, is worth it)
But with the Z, you get better stock styling (IMO, to each his own), the history, a more predictable NA engine (FI can sometimes get tricky), more reliable (well, I am starting to think differently after reading all these oil consumption problems on the 09s), and a good $$ difference that can be used for mods, or investment, or whatever.
But you shouldn't compare the 335i to the Z.. it's like comparing apples and oranges.
And calling a 335i boring... well maybe a stock one without an aero lip or anything.. but to each his own
Here's my 335i before I demodded:
Sorry for the long post