BMW don't make cars like before - e90 325i Ringtool review

A quick review of BMW E90 325i from year 2005. This BMW equipped with N52B25 engine is the last real BMW which you could really call 325i - 3 Series with 2.5 liter atmospherical engine!
Drive this car: ➡️ ringfreaks.de
Best present - Ringfreaks Gift card! ➡️ ringfreaks.de/gift-cards
Instagram ➡️ / ringfreaks.de
This car is built and being rented by Ringfreaks - equipped with many safety features like full FIA welded rollcage, Fire extinguisher system, Sparco QRT-R racing bucket seats, 6-point harness from Schroth (profi-II) and much more.
Some of modifications to make it faster are upgraded brakes with HAWK endurance brakepads, BC re-valved coilovers specially made just for Nurburgring race track and 8.5 inch R17 Motec MCR1 rims with very versatile Pirelli P-Zero SC 225 / 45 / 17 tyres.
Same BMW can be rented for Tourist drives, Trackdays or even Racing at the Nurburgring - just look up our home page!

[@jorgreuter1648]

I have rented this model on two separate occasions, and I highly recommend both the car and Ringfreaks. The car gave me a lot of confidence and allowed me to focus on the track instead of the car.

[@Ringfreaks]

Thank you!

[@Pinkshoelacescreator]

Same here and going back in September! lol

[@budrobadre]

Super interesting video. I guess I never realized how good of a platform the E90 is. I really love the minimalist approach with the brakes for example. Everybody is so eager to spend thousands on big brake kits, while there is so much to gain on just the stock stuff.

[@tabout7920]

Bought mine for dirt cheap and less than 100k I didn’t realize how good it was a car until I began to really push it. It has an almost perfect 50/50 weight split

[@davyvandeven5350]

325i n52/b25 is my first BMW. 18 years fwd cars .What a great car.

[@e-85gee27]

i am confused i have 325i in the US production date 03/06 and the displacemnt says 3.0 Liter (2.996)cm did europe have a 2.5 L in the 325i? ??

[@fxstlife]

@@e-85gee27yeah eur got the highly tuned version of the 2.5 in the 325, whereas the USA got the detuned version of the 3.0

[@jayem4467]

What bmw is fwd?

[@davyvandeven5350]

@@jayem4467 o ,i am sorry, i want to say that i had driven fwd cars for 18 years ,and now my first bmw . i am from Holland so my typing doesnt always match what i try to say 😁 ,

[@tommcmahon14]

@@jayem4467newest 1 series is same chassis as the mini hatch

[@OctavChelaru]

Very informative, thank you! ❤

[@MrPakvaises]

Great video. Very informative

[@rytis8410]

Great review.

[@erikasurb93]

Aukštos klasės informatyvus video, idomus buvo nuo pradžios iki galo. 👍👍👍👍

[@donaldzika5396]

Puikus video, malonu klausyt, trūko tik truputėli “pašert” posukyje 🤩

[@user-vf9lm7pp5k]

Ringfreaks E90 325i 🔥👍

[@Diamotors]

Very interesting review. You can do more of that. It is good to know the set up of cars. It is the last 325i with a good manual.

[@steifan]

You can get slightly bigger front disc brakes (330mm-ish?) just using caliper brackets from a 330i, X1 (and probably more models) etc as the calipers and pads are the same in practice (they have different part numbers but supposedly fit anyways).

[@csllover]

Nice video

[@pav1u]

i recently sold my 325i E90 N52B25 and it had some issues i never could figure out but what a great sound and high rev inline 6 I have a 123D coupe that i also love but its the opposite in many ways

[@lmartinmiami82]

Awesome video, thank you! I love these cars, listen about all the specs. It's been a while we are watching them racing at the Nurburgring, crazy how reliable they are. Don't hesitate to go even deeper into details. I understand that you are using the original lsd? Great infos about the brakes I was thinking to may be go bigger with the original calipers for my m130i but I knew good pads and steel brake line will already improve enough... thanks for the confirmation. 20 years ago 130/150hp was pretty powerful but today 280 it's under power ahah crazy how the world is changing. Can't wait the next video!

[@Ringfreaks]

Thanks! We run Open diff, no need for LSD in the Nordschleife as most corners are very high speed. True - main thing in brake system are pads. Yeah - power went up crazy in last 10 years... Weight too :))

[@teromarjamaki]

Nice one guys! But hey if you're gonna be doing some road driving reviews, why not show us the road you're driving on!? I know for me, it would help my ring fever to see some of the local corners again before the season starts...

[@OnkelTonga]

Nice Video! The E90 is a great car and your spec is perfect. I'm looking forward to drive it. I hope it will replace the holy E36 respectable

[@Ringfreaks]

It’s a very improved version of e36 :))

[@paradigmapparel8799]

Excellent review ! A second video addressing the questions in the comments would be interesting. i would like to know what changes you male to the car for race events as opposed to the rental spec. alignment, tyres, lighting for night races etc. Great work guys.

[@Ringfreaks]

Only tyres are changed for the race. For 24 hours we would also add additional lightning and bigger front brakes (ot because of stopping power, but to have possibilty to add thicker brake pads to last longer). Thats all we do between race/training for these e90s :)

[@novicedriver1231]

Cant wait to drive one of your e90 325i again this year! All the way down from Berlin to Kelberg XD

[@glgl66]

Jezz, it is a 20 YEARS OLD CAR, well I felt terrified for a moment 😮‍💨

[@Vgk36]

Had a real 06 330i new in 06. It was auto. Just bought a 06 330i this time in manual. what a great chassis. economical to run unlike 335i which I also have. one is fun one is full of anxiety. lol

[@Ringfreaks]

Totally agree with you! Driven 330i manual as daily for 3years- one of the best cars on the road as well as on the track. No need for n54 or n55

[@danielbernard895]

Un auto que no te quiere matar en cada curva.

[@mxochimera]

E90 is the correct choice. But I may be biased :P Great video, hitting all the spots, definitely do the full series. This is a great resource for when I get questions from guests of what car to rent, I can just point people to these videos! Looking forward to the 330i next, for... research purposes 😉

[@Ringfreaks]

Thanks! Will do 330i review too - just must do voice on top saying it’s 3 liter and where I am saying underpowered - mute ‘under’ 😅

[@mxochimera]

@@Ringfreaks It would actually be really funny if you just do a really bad and obvious voice over 😁😁

[@btg4fun]

Very nice car. i have had rented it for 5 laps and i really enjoyed it. Wich hawk pads are you using if you dont mind asking.

[@Ringfreaks]

Thanks! 70s compound

[@patrickbateman7122]

I've heard people say the E87 is a better handling than E90. Is this true? I think E90 might be more stable platform..

[@alex_technik]

Thank you for the very infomative video! Why the underbody panels are removed, regulations or just for better cooling? The car create more drag like this..?

[@Ringfreaks]

Best part is no part, yes - there is a bit more drag. But its lighter, easier to do maintenance, and also you will never see it flapping or falling out of the car in case some one goes too hard on the kerbs

[@alex_technik]

did you notice any cooling benefits from that mod, I have tried with and without underbody covers but in different days so I am not sure how is better for the car... @@Ringfreaks

[@Ringfreaks]

Don't know about cooling difference with and without underbody panels - it was always without.

[@buildanddrive]

How did you get the added camber in the front? Did you use the m3 lower arms?

[@Ringfreaks]

Top mounts, BC are custom in our cars, so they are not the same as out of the box

[@buildanddrive]

What is the bc racing coilovers model and what is the hawk brake pad model number?

[@elbattyluego]

The coilovers don't look like the top option the one with external pression chambers, so I guess something above the cheapest ?

[@PaulGIS]

Hi, can you please tell me what ET for the Motec rims? And are you using a spacer, i think i can see some on the front wheels. Thank you and hope to drive it one day.

[@Ringfreaks]

ET13 all around, no spacers

Hi. Great and very detailed video, thanks! It helps me with looking for a trackday car 😊 What about mileage for those engines? How much km they can drive and stay reliable? Does 300k is much for them? 400k? What’s your experience? Thank you for help 😊

[@Ringfreaks]

Hi! In e90 we always rebuild fully engines before we let them to the track. As these from factory had few small issues like seals on valves or vanos. So You simply replace most of the engine and then these cars starts to drive. Normally after rebuild n52 are really patient.

@@Ringfreaks thank you so much for the answer 🙂

[@stellarosa9121]

How would you compare e90 n51/n52 vs the f30 n26 as a ocassional track car in terms of reliability and maintenance?

[@Ringfreaks]

N52 is more reliable. But it ofcourse has to do with power/liters. N26 produces 245hp from 2.0L and N52 218hp form 2.5. But all in all - if its rebuild engine and maintained properly - then both are very reliable in the track. If you take used and track it - most engines won't hold.

[@BmwM140iClubsport]

Hi, I’m looking to build a “cheaper” track car, i was looking to get a e46 325/28/30i coupe or e92 325/30i coupe. Just because i think the coupe looks better then the sedan. And my question is actually why you guys build the sedan to a track car and not the coupe since it is only a 2 sitter. Is the sedan version better is some way then the coupe version? And isn’t the coupe lighter then the sedan in stock form since its a smaller car?

[@Ringfreaks]

Hi! Sedans are lighter and also more rigid. So if you can bear with the looks - then 4door is better.

[@mindaugasjecius126]

What kind of oil it uses and how often do you guys changing it? Thk!

[@Ringfreaks]

10w60 liqui moly. We change it too often 😅 but all depends how the cars are driven. I think between 5-10kkm is good timing to change oil if car is driven 50-50 road and track.

[@budrobadre]

Is the car now lighter than stock, or heavier because of the roll cage?

[@Ringfreaks]

Lighter, around -200KG

[@rotary_64]

How many E90s do you have? I spot this yellow/black E90 in almost every TF onboard I watch. Few things seem interesting to me: it seems there's no brake cooling, do brakes cope well with the increased load? Also curious if you run an oil cooler. Overall looks like a nice and clean build.

[@Ringfreaks]

Hi! Thanks! We got total 9 E90's in our fleet. We run just original brake cooling which is sufficient enough for Nordschleife - for GP tracks it would need more cooling or even bigger brakes. In N52 we do not run additional oil coolers - both oil and water temps are stable even in the race, so no need to have more parts in the car (again - in other tracks maybe it would be more needed).

[@JackWood-md8om]

Which Hawk pads do you run? I’ve got an E90 330i track toy and my current brake set up is trash

[@Ringfreaks]

Hi Jack! DTC70

[@JackWood-md8om]

@@Ringfreaks thanks!

[@neckreth]

Genuine question; why not the coupe (E92)? Specific reasons?

[@Ringfreaks]

Hi! E90 is lighter than E92, also body is more rigid because it has more edges and smaller doors. And can't miss the point that E90 is much more common and slightly cheaper option.

[@neckreth]

​@@Ringfreaks thanks for answering. What do the 'edges' do for the car?

[@Ringfreaks]

makes chassis stronger@@neckreth

[@mariusoleskevicius7408]

❤💪

[@WRBAFILMS]

what brand are the discs and boards?

[@Ringfreaks]

OEM/Brembo/TRW or any better brand should work for discs, pads are Hawk

[@alexnechipurenko8777]

Does it have lsd in the differential?

[@Ringfreaks]

Open, Nordschleife is a very fast track, so You do not benefit much from LSD

[@mikeypv6]

How much camber do you use on the front vs the rear?

[@Ringfreaks]

Front about 4, rear 2-2.5

[@mikeypv6]

@@Ringfreaks so would you have a similar camber set up on a front wheel drive or awd?

[@alex_technik]

how you manage to do 4 at the front, I cant see any camberplates under the bonet.. @@Ringfreaks

[@Ringfreaks]

There are camber plates, top of coilover is moved under top mount to have enough room for adjusting.

[@Ringfreaks]

for AWD wouldn't go with that much camber. Front halfshafts would suffer a lot!

[@greicioindustrija]

What is the final ratio?

[@Ringfreaks]

3.23

[@gernothatzenbichler1677]

Dieses Auto ist für die Strecke ideal. Man hat das Gefühl in einem viel schnelleren Rennauto zu sitzen. Großartiges Auto zum top Preis Leistungsverhältnis. Vor allem immer top gewartet!👍

[@greicioindustrija]

Its for VLN reglament?@@Ringfreaks In Lithuania we must use 3.73

[@Ringfreaks]

Correct, in NLS/VLN it must be original ratio, which is 3.23 It is allowed to add limited slip inside, but it's not necessary for such a fast track without tight corners.